Coupeville bar delights in the quirky
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, February 24, 2026
The Spectacled Sasquatch welcomes people as delightfully quirky as the decor itself.
The quaint bar opened in Coupeville last month, replacing the former Penn Cove Taproom and Whidbey Tides and Taps. Only a month in, the bar is already filled with new and familiar faces.
The interior decoration and furniture have changed, with new, cozy seating to reflect the warm atmosphere. The decoration appears to be curated by a cryptid superfan: framed photos of mysterious creatures line the walls, along with Weekly World News clips. While cryptids are deemed fantastical tales without scientific proof, Owner Jen Schmitz admits that if she were to put her faith in any of them, it would have to be the Sasquatch.
Greeting guests as they walk in, sometimes recognizing them by name, Schmitz and her boyfriend Kristo Allred, who is also a Coupeville Town Council member, take turns bartending. Having both worked when the bar was a previous establishment, the couple have a love for the place and the people who visit.
“It does not feel like work at all,” Allred said. “It’s just somewhere to come and be myself.”
The bar pours beers on tap, primarily from local breweries. It also offers wines and bubbles. Allred said the house cocktail, the Sasquatch Sunrise, a lemonade mimosa with orange juice and grenadine, is a must-try. For those skipping alcohol, there’s Bear ‘n’ Beaver craft Root Beer, upgradeable to an ice cream float, as well as a selection of Best Day Brewing non-alcoholic beers. There are also food options including sundaes and banana splits. As adults drink and chatter, kids smear chocolate on their faces while devouring crepes and board game battles unfold near the fireplace.
The goal of the bar, Schmitz said, is to build community. With an inclusive menu that is vegan-friendly and has options that cater to all ages, Schmitz hopes to curate a space for everyone.
“We want to be a place that people feel safe and comfortable,” she said. “It’s quirky, it’s cozy and we really want peope to come see how different it is and enjoy it.”
The bar’s charm mirrors the personalities of its patrons. Guests of all ages visit to nerd out, thanks to a rotating calendar of weekly events. The lineup ranges from open-mic night to quiz night.
On Wednesday, the bar hosted a Show and Tell event, drawing in a crowd eager to learn and speculate. The event reoccurs every other Wednesday night, where guests are invited to share their favorite hobbies, niche topics, passions and conspiracies. In past Show and Tells, people have shared how the human eye works, and spilled the tea on who was breaking up with who in Coupeville. This week was no less interesting. Among the five presentations, guests heard a conspiracy theory about how pilots from “The Challenger” might have actually survived, a PowerPoint presentation about why “bugsnax,” the video game, rocks, and they learned to finger crochet a bow.
“This place is magic, 100%,” Allred said, noting that people can come and make friends in just a few visits. “I’m not saying that because my girlfriend owns the place. It’s special to me.”
The Spectacled Sasquatch is open five days a week — stop in to share a brew, make friends or nerd out with fellow geeks. Stay up to date with all future events on The Spectacled Sasquatch’s Facebook, Instagram or at thespectacledsasquatch.com.
