Happy Hour |

In this happy-hour obsessed city, I thought bars had covered all the angles. I thought they had offered every conceivable discount to get patrons to plop down on their bar stools after work. I thought wrong.

Let me introduce you to Belltown Pub, where all the barking you hear comes courtesy of the bar's "Puppy Hour." It's when Fido gets $1 off on gourmet-dog treats with names such as free-range venison or deboned chicken with sweet potato and pumpkin. Order it with gravy, one dog owner advised.

That menu sounds tonier than the items on the bar-food menu. But the bar food I had there wasn't bad.

Belltown Pub is a dog-friendly bar, but it's especially friendly on the last Wednesday of every month, from 6:30-9 p.m., when the bar rolls out the AstroTurf near the bar and dining area to start happy hour for dogs. The canines are kept on a leash and served cups of bone-shaped treats while their owners sip on $6 dog-theme cocktails such as the Greyhound.

In this dog-loving town, co-owner Erwin Arceo figured a social hour for dog owners was in order. His boxer Bella hangs out at the bar sometimes. Arceo outsourced the organic-dog food instead of having his kitchen make it because "I didn't want to have the perception we were cross-contaminating dog food with human food."

Management also serves the dog food instead of the waitstaff.

Without the barking, Belltown Pub looks like any sports bar — the exposed-brick wall decorated with European sports paraphernalia and flat screens to catch soccer and baseball games. It's spacious enough that you can throw down a pint in the back if you don't want all the Labs and retrievers jumping on your leg.

Happy-hour noshes are greasy and heavy — a steak-and-cheese sandwich topped with fried egg and some crunchy deep-fried mac and cheese done like risotto balls. The latter was its best happy-hour nosh. There's some rosemary and prosciutto spaetzle that had potential but was overcooked and salty.

Belltown Pub, 2322 First Ave., offers "Puppy Hour," happy hour for your dogs, from 6:30-9 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month with discounts on gourmet-dog food, about $1 a cup. The next dog happy hour takes place next Wednesday.

The bar also offers a happy hour daily 3:30-6:30 p.m. and again at 10 p.m.-1 a.m. for humans with food specials from $3-$6 and $1 off on wells and beer and $4 wine (206-448-6210 or www.thebelltownpub.com).

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @tanvinhseattle.