At Cole’s Tavern in Mukilteo, grab a beer after midnight (or at noon)

MUKILTEO — It’s the only place in town where you can party after midnight, seven days a week.

Soon, you could get pull-tab gambling tickets.

What’s up with that?

Cole’s Tavern is open 365 days a year, rain or snow, until 2 a.m. No minors allowed.

Owners Cole and Britana Uppinghouse opened the doors Oct. 25 in the former site of Kosta’s Mediterranean Cuisine, at 8306 Mukilteo Speedway. Follow the roadside “My Way” or the “The Highway” markers at the entrance and exit.

The couple kept the booths and oven from Kosta’s, but changed most everything else.

“We redid the floors. We rebuilt the bar from the ground up. We repainted,” Britana said.

A neon “pull-tabs” window sign will light up when they get a license from the state. The tavern will be the only source in Mukilteo to spend a few bucks on those paper tickets with perforated tabs for a chance to win cash. Plans are to have 18 ticket varieties.

“Pull-tabs have a huge following,” Britana said.

Meanwhile, there are other amusements. The bar has coin-operated pool tables, electronic darts, a hoops arcade game and a jukebox.

In the men’s restroom are pictures of 12 famous toilet-centric scenes from movies such as “Dumb & Dumber,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Caddyshack” and “Bridesmaids.” See how many you can name.

(Ladies are welcome to have a look. Knock first.)

“We have more to add,” Cole said.

There’s also a pinup of a naked woman with a beer balanced on her backside.

Fair is fair. In the women’s pink restroom are two photos of a shirtless contractor (Jory Davies of JD Carpentry) and foreman (Hunter Green) taken during the remodel.

“I told them we have to take some sexy photos for the women’s bathroom,” Britana said.

The guys obliged.

Other art on the pink walls features a cat in pearls with bouffant hair and a cowgirl riding a giant purple eggplant. The mirror says, “Damn, you look good.”

“From the second we bought this place I knew I wanted to have this design,” Britana said. “We are 21-plus, so we get to have a little fun.”

In the pool table area is a Patrick Swayze poster from the 1989 movie “Road House,” an Adam Sandler “Happy Gilmore” No. 18 hockey jersey and a young gun-slinging Clint Eastwood posed to make your day.

“We love movies,” she said.

Cole, 34, and Britana, 33, grew up in the Shoreline area. “We’ve known each other since fourth grade,” she said. “As adults we reconnected.”

They worked as servers and bartenders in their 20s. Cole was born and raised in the hospitality industry. His parents, Dawn and John, owned the Red Cabbage in Seattle in the 1980s. He’s an associate with his dad’s business, JM Uppinghouse and Associates, which does financial consulting and bookkeeping for bars and restaurants.

“We had been looking for a place for several years, until we found the right place,” Cole said.

“Kosta’s checked all of our boxes. We only live seven minutes away,” Britana added.

While he crunches numbers or mixes cocktails, she handles the daily operations and the daily talking to people.

“I try to greet as many people as possible,” Britana said. “If I see you twice, I will remember your name and eventually know what you drink. That’s the whole vibe we’re trying to build here.”

Like “Cheers,” Mukilteo-style.

“So many people say, ‘I live down the street. I could walk here,’” Britana said. “We want a place close by where they can feel comfortable.”

The bar is within hopping distance to other popular haunts. It is next to Brooklyn Bros. Pizzeria and several blocks from The Lodge Sports Grille. Some of the pub fare is similar to The Little Tavern, which is two miles away, next to Mukilteo Speedway Cafe, and open five days a week until 10 or 11 p.m.

Cole’s Tavern can get noisy inside with chatter. Six TVs add to the din.

Events such as the Ugly Sweater Party on Dec. 22 are posted on Instagram, @colestavernmukilteo, and Facebook.

“While Cole’s certainly isn’t a dive bar, it has the potential to become a local staple, which is definitely needed in Mukilteo,” said Brandon Rudd, a local. “Most places close around 10, if they even stay open that late, which makes for a very sleepy town. Hopefully Cole’s will change that. I was impressed with the food, and at such a great price point.”

The menu categories: Small stuff, appetizers. Bigger stuff, burgers. Round stuff, pizza. Crunchy stuff, salad. And then there’s soup, Ivar’s clam chowder.

Selections include Fried Cheese Curds, $10, Nekid Chicken Wings, $13, and Loaded Pizza, $14. JMU’s Patty Melt, $16, and B’s Chickie-wich, $17, both come with fries. An à la carte Pile of Fries is $7.

Food is served until 11 p.m.

Do locals really stay up past then?

“Absolutely,” Britana said. Some stay until 2 a.m., especially on weekends.

I’d planned to go back at midnight, but couldn’t stay up that late.

Correction: An earlier version misstated the hours of the tavern on Christmas Day. It will open at 4 p.m. and close at 2 a.m.

Is there a person, place or thing making you wonder “What’s Up With That?” Contact reporter Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterbrown.