According to my drinking partner, “cheves” is slang for beer, which makes the name of this place, in addition to its location, a bit puzzling. Cheves & Beer sits underneath an elevated section of the light-rail tracks at the far and lonely end of East Marginal Way South in Tukwila. Its only visible neighbor is the Seattle Metro southern bus depot, which at this late hour is as absent of activity as the club itself. With its expansive bar, ample seating, and powerful stereo system, it’s easy to imagine Cheves steamy and crammed to the walls with clubgoers. But tonight, the taco truck out front is closed, as is the in-house kitchen. The parking lot out front is empty. And the ranchero music blasting from the speakers and the young Mexican man filling the beer fridge in a T-shirt emblazoned with the Cheves logo are the only indications that the place is open. “The weekends draw a much larger crowd,” says the barkeep while sliding over a few Negra Modelos. But business has slowed now that the Monte Carlo, a three-story monstrosity of a Latin dance club, has moved in a few miles north, and Cheves can no longer afford to bring in as many live bands as it used to. To pick up the slack, Cheves will soon feature an 18-and-under night. “The kids need a place to dance,” he says with a shrug.