City: Seattle, WA
Population: 3.3 million
Local specialties: Seafood, fresh-roasted coffee, cherries and other fruit
It's Escapes Month here at The Kitchn, and we want to give you ideas for things to eat and places to visit while you're away. We want to inspire your inner chef and introduce you to the best spots for food-lovers in a dozen or so major cities. These guides don't deal with restaurants; there are plenty of other guides for that. These are the spots for food-lovers and cooks: the markets, specialty cookshops, and best small-batch artisans. If you're traveling in one of these cities this summer, we hope these guides help you find something inspiring.
First up? Seattle! A homebase for cooks and food-lovers.
We need your help, too, with these guides. Each city's thread will have at least some recommendations, but of course they will be incomplete. So we need your insider help. Tell us where the best markets, food shops, jam-makers, brewers, butchers, independent groceries, bakery supply stores, and quirky, strange, out-of-the-way food experts are.
None of us here at The Kitchn live in Seattle, but we know that we have a lot of readers there. I was recently there for an all-too-brief trip and got just a taste of the absolutely vibrant food culture of this city.
Here are a few spots recommended or experienced.
Foods You Must Try
• Cherries, in cherry season - they were everywhere!
• Salmon, mussels, and other fresh, local seafood.
• Coffee. Seattle is not just the birthplace of Starbucks; it now hosts many, many independent roasters and coffee shops.
Farmers' Markets
• Neighborhood Farmers Markets Alliance - A central organization for many of the neighborhood markets around Seattle.
• Fremont Market - Another central site for several more neighborhood farmers markets.
Food Halls
• Pike Place Market - A landmark of Seattle, Pike Place Market is open year-round and hosts a farmers market at certain points of the year and the week, but it's really a permanent food hall. There are the famous fish sellers, performing for the tourists, and many small shops and vendors. It's always jam-packed with tourists (go in the morning) but there's still plenty of good food to be had.
Specialty Shops of Note
• World Spice Merchants
• Market Spice - Great tea and spice shop at Pike Place (review coming soon)
• Sur La Table - The very first Sur La Table is located at Pike Place Market.
• Cookies - A very fun baking supplies shop.
Independent Food Artisans
• Besalu - The very best croissants outside of France, or so we're told.
• True North Roasting House - Molly and Brandon of Delancey told us that this is the roasting house that they are using to supply Delancey.
OK folks, obviously this is a tiny, tiny taste of Seattle's main food attractions. What else goes on this list?
Related: Sense of Place: Flavors and Ingredients from the Pacific Northwest
(Images: (Image: Flickr member mahalie licensed for use under Creative Commons); Faith Durand)
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Dahlia Bakery makes the most amazing breakfast sandwiches. The key ingredient is the fresh baked english muffins.
The Cheese Cellar has wonderful cheeses but they also make delicious sandwiches. I was addicted to their ham sandwich and I don't really care for ham.
The neighborhood markets are so good that you can just forget Pike's.
Must mention Beecher's cheese across from the market and The Crumpet Shop!
Salumi (between downtown and SoDo): The best artisanal cured meats anywhere. Easily the worst-kept secret in Seattle, boasts hour-long lines at lunchtime. Totally worth it.
Top Pot Doughnuts: some people love 'em, some people hate 'em. I'm one of the former. Do not miss the chocolate cake doughnut with raspberry glaze.
Uwajimaya - great selection of all sorts of Asian food and food-related products. They have a focus on Japanese food, but also have a little bit of everything: http://www.uwajimaya.com/
Theo Chocolate - you can tour this all-organic chocolate factory while you're in town: http://www.theochocolate.com/
Stumptown Coffee - this is the Seattle branch of the award-winning Portland roaster; they roast their own beans and have free coffee tastings daily: http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/locations/12th
De Laurenti Food and Wine at Pike's Place - Artisanal cheeses, specialty meats, a cafe for lunch or breakfast...hard to find wines...great little market!
Macrina Bakery in Belltown for amazing crusty guiseppe or macrina baguette, olivetta bread with whole olives, and try the morning glory muffin!
I second Salumi, Top Pot, Stumptown, Beechers and the Crumpet Shop.
I'd like to add Chocopolis in Queen Anne, Le Panier across from Pike Place, and Serious Pie.
I whole-heartedly agree with Cafe Besalu! I live a couple blocks away, and couldn't live without their savory and sweet pastries. Theo Chocolate rocks as well. Hmmm... Why hasn't anyone mentioned Ezells Fried Chicken? Dee-lish!
There's a new little gourmet ice cream craze going on... check out Molly Moons Ice Cream (Capitol Hill & Wallingford) or Old School Frozen Custard (Capitol Hill).
I'm also compelled to mention Hot Mama's Pizza (Capitol Hill), which is the best in the city if you ask me - and they do slices!
Thought of a few more:
Flying Apron Bakery for vegan and gluten-free treats (Fremont) http://www.flyingapron.net
Volunteer Park Cafe which uses ingredients grown on site or locally (N. Capitol Hill) http://www.alwaysfreshgoodness.com
Georgetown Brewing Company for a growler of their Manny's Pale Ale (Georgetown) http://www.georgetownbeer.com
For espresso try Vivace, they have a few locations in the city. It is my favorite by far. http://www.espressovivace.com
Another vote for Theo's Chocolate. While you are there, you can cross the street and try Brouwers. They have 60 beers on tap with a big emphasis on Belgian beers. Their bottle selection is amazing. It is a true beer hall. http://brouwerscafe.blogspot.com/
Other great places for beer are Uber and Naked City Brewery (don't be worried about the name--nothing naughty). Both have a smaller selection, but focus on rare and wonderful beers. http://www.uberbier.com/ http://nakedcitybrewing.com/
Also love Vie Tribunali for a nice neopolitian pizza. http://www.viatribunali.net/
Washington recently changed its laws regarding craft distilleries. I know some are opening up in the outlying areas, but I haven't heard of which are worth a visit yet.
A good, brief coffee tour can by had by walking up East Pike Street. Start with Victrola, continue on to Caffe Vita, turn right on 12th, and end up at Stumptown. If you're still not jittery, consider visiting Stella and Seattle Coffee Works downtown and Caffe Umbria in Pioneer Square.
Seattle has almost as many breweries as Portland, and certainly more than just about anywhere else in North America. After visiting some of Seattle's many brewpubs (Elysian, Hales, Big Time, Maritime Pacific...), you can continue the beer tour by visiting smaller breweries such as Lazy Boy, Georgetown, or Trade Route. They aren't always open to the public, but many breweries do host public events from time to time. Mac & Jack's, one of the better-known local breweries, does a tour on Sunday afternoons. If that's not enough beer, Brouwers (Fremont) and Bottleworks (Wallingford) are both good places to drink something really novel or obscure.
Coffee - I'd like to add Caffe Ladro as a good place to buy beans and Uptown Espresso as the best place to get a latte.
Cherries - especially try the Rainer. Tiny's Organic (can be found at Pike Place and Ballard Farmer's Markets) is awesome for rock fruit.
Cheese - Mt. Townsend Seastack is really delicious and can be found at farmers markets across the city.
I keep lobbying for a Apartment Therapy Seattle.... :(
Faith: Also, Dungeoness Crab, asparagus, and rhubarb are all in season here. If you wait a month, we'll have fresh blackberries, too!! The blueberry farms are going NUTS this spring - there's several U-Pick farms out here.
Also, absolutely go get some fresh fish from fisherman's wharf, ice cream at Molly Moon's (trust me, it's to die for), and take a moment to sample some REAL coffee from an independent coffee house (Starbucks has become too big and too commercial to really produce -good- coffee anymore).
Don't forget to look up when the sun sets.... gorgeous skies are also in season!
Another nod to Cafe Besalu. Best croissant by far.
Paseo in Fremont or Ballard for the best cuban pork sandwich EVER!
Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle, run by a world champ baker, for duck pate sandwiches and the best baguette in the city.
Salumi of course!
Avoid The Pike Place Market. It's for tourists and crowds! Go to the Ballard Market (Sunday) and buy the Seastack from Mt. Townsend. Yum!
Just...tooo...much...to....want....to....say!
Beecher's Cheese in Pike Place was great--tried a coffee & lavender cheese that was fantastic.
I second the recommendation for Via Tribunali... their newest location is in Belltown, and one of the bartenders there (Joe) is fantastic. BTW, the parts for their ovens and the masons that build them are flown in from Naples. Very good pizza.
If you like interesting drinks, try Vessel on 5th St.
If you like a well-made traditional one, try Zig Zag.
Happy hour at Brasa offers great deals on really tasty food. Get the Moroccan steak sandwich or (and?) the lamb burger.
For sushi, we tried Umi Sake House and really liked the specialty rolls we tried. Interesting combinations of both taste and texture. Yum.
Yet to be mentioned, Madison Market is a fantastic co-op in Capitol Hill.
Already mentioned, but worthy of a 'second'...Paseo in Fremont and Ballard (shorter lines in Ballard!). Amazing amazing. While the pork is delicious, the tofu is a surprising favorite of mine, it really soaks up the sauce and is SO full of flavor!
A must mention specialty shop is City Kitchens. While Sur La Table has its perks, it's also always packed and often over priced. City Kitchens (near Westlake Center) offers a huge range of high quality items, a wonderful staff and bountiful sales and specials! A hidden gem if you ask me.
Last but not least, Belle Epicurean on 4th Ave (in the Fairmont Hotel) has amazing pastries and the most DELICIOUS smoked salmon baguette sandwich you'll ever eat.
And to show my support for some already mentioned places, Seattle Coffee Works made the first coffee I ever enjoyed, Molly Moon's is delicious, Serious Pie is to die for and Ezells is a must!
And a timely mention for foodies, 'Bite of Seattle' is at the Seattle Center this weekend, I know I plan on heading over and making the most of having some of the finest food in the city all in one place!
Nitpick: "Seattle is not just the birthplace of Starbucks; it now hosts many, many independent roasters and coffee shops."
Actually, it had those long before Starbucks. (Or at least before Starbucks went national.) I remember moving to another city and being shocked I couldn't get espresso just anywhere.
Otherwise:
I miss Otis' barbecue in Greenwood, but I gather he's opened a place in West Seattle.
La Isla in Ballard is good Puerto Rican food, and their happy hour specials are a great deal.
Szechuan Bistro is a hole in the wall in Greenwood with amazingly good hand-shaved noodles.
I've lived in Seattle for 8 years and still go back twice a year to visit my family. Will be making my way there at the end of July in fact.
Some of my favorites: Black Bottle and Purple: amazing food!
I'll have to remember to check out some of the other places you've mentioned.
I am *so* happy to see a ton of my favorite places listed here! (but shhhhh... keep it quiet, will ya??)
Yeah, shut up guys! What are you trying to do?? Haha..
It's really a shame about the hoards of tourists at Pike Place - they do have some great vendors. The donuts at Daily Dozen are to die for. And I second Beecher's; fantastic spot to satisfy your mac n' cheese craving. ...What, no one else gets those?
As for coffee, Cafe Vita has everyone beat, in my opinion.
Mac 'n' cheese wine tastings at the Tasting Room (just outside the market), featuring Beecher's own, are my personal "insider's tip": http://tastingroomseattle.com/events/mac-cheese-monday
And you can actually sit down while you eat, which is often tough to do at the market.
yes, salumi for well, salumi and sandwiches. txori for tapas. world spice merchants is amazing too! head up to capital hill to quinn's as well.
I forgot to mention... Salty's on Alki's weekend brunch. It's a must for my visiting family--but go on a Saturday, never a Sunday!
Great post! I am visting Seattle for the first time in Sept and this will be very helpful!
I second Le Panier, I think they are the jewel in the Pike Place Market crown. We honeymooned there and after trying it on the first day we could not go anywhere else for breakfast. We hit Le Panier everyday in Seattle.
Serious Pie pizza .... mmmm ...
Another gem at Pike Place Market is Piroshky Piroshky. The potato/onion/cheese piroshky is absolute heaven.
yay seattle!
i am proud to say we have some of the BEST vegan and vegetarian food in the world. whenever i travel abroad i am always astounded at my selection of great veggie cuisine right at home. places i would suggest for those wanting to try meat-free dining:
Cafe Flora or Carmelita (both more upscale, CF has incredible brunch)
Chaco Canyon (certified organic, vegan, healthy, raw food)
Flying Apron Bakery (yummy vegan treats)
Squid & Ink or Wayward Cafe (vegan soul food, collectively owned and operated)
Mighty O doughnuts (vegan)
Also, I can't help but suggest BETHS CAFE for the most insane omelets of your life. 12 eggs, endless fixins, limitless hashbrowns (featured on the food network numerous times), open 24 hours. superb after a hard night of drinking.
enjoy!
oh, and insider tip:
never drink starbucks while in seattle. our independent roasters (see above postings!) do it 30 times better!
I am so homesick from this post. *sigh*
Check out local restauranteer/foodie celebrity Tom Douglas:
http://www.tomdouglas.com/
Aside from his restaurants (all of which are excellent), there is a good regional cookbook called "Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen" and he is often on the radio giving tons of tips.
A lot of good places have already been mentioned. On the cheaper side, Seattle excels at Thai food. Yelp is a good resource to find a thai place near you. And try my favorite beer: Mac and Jack's African Amber Ale, which is on sale almost everywhere in Seattle.
Couple of other great places to check out:
Cactus: Southwest/Mexican 3 locations, awesome Mojitos
http://www.cactusrestaurants.com/
La Carta de Oaxaca: awesome Mexican food, worth the wait
http://www.lacartadeoaxaca.com/
Tamarind Tree: Vietnamese
http://www.tamarindtreerestaurant.com/
Red Mill Burgers: Cash Only
http://www.redmillburgers.com/
Other Coast Cafe: awesome sandwiches
http://www.othercoastcafe.com/About.htm
Kings Hardware: great beers on tap, turkey and veggie burgers in addition to regular burgers. Play battleship while enjoying a beer
http://www.kingsballard.com/
great southern food:
http://www.thekingfishcafe.com/
While at the Ballard Farmer's market, make sure to get a crepe from Anita's crepes, a slice of wood-fired pizza from Veraci and a hunk of goat camembert from Port Madison Farm. To die for.
I am just about to head out to Leschi Food Mart, a small store on the shores of Lake Washington. It's a pain to drive to, but they have hand-made sausages and a great selection of wines.
I would also recommend World Spice Merchants on Western below the Pike Place Market -- they have a web presence too. I got my sumac for Za'attar there, and they have anything you need, and a lot that you want.
Persimmon in Fremont has amazing brunches, the eggs, ohhh the eggs especially the omlettes and anything poached.
I'll second Top Pot but for the olvatine lattes and not necessarily the donuts. Cafe Lladro is my favorite local coffee, the mocha's are perfectly balanced in my opinion (ask for organic milk).
Two Bells Tavern has the best burgers in town (get soup or the salad to accompany) no fryer.
Not to quibble, BUT... the population of Seattle is nowhere NEAR 3.3 million. It's about 600,000. The population of ALL of Puget Sound, including from Olympia up to the San Juan Islands, is around 3.5 million.
Haha LaurenB I was thinking the same thing about the population!
Also I would love if these city guides were updated maybe once or twice a year to keep them current (if they are and I don't know, let me know!). There are many great things that could be added to this page.