A Foodies Guide to Seattle
- Sep 21, 2022
- 6 min read
I love food. It's easily one of the best parts about traveling. I often think travel and life, in general, can be most enhanced when you feed your senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. Food is dopamine for your taste buds. You should find joy in the food you eat and the experience it is.
Full disclaimer: I wrote this because my parents are going to Seattle for the first time and I want them to eat some good food, but I am in no way a local I just happen to love the Seattle food scene.
PIKES PLACE
Pikes Place is the perfect place in Seattle to try new foods and make a picnic out of various dishes. Typically I grab as much food as I can carry and then head to either the nearest empty spot on the curb or my favorite (mostly empty) lockout spot behind the market. Sidenote, Pike's Place is very fast-paced so be ready for quick money transactions, unruly crowds, and potential pickpocketers. Also, note most places don't provide seating or indoor space for guests so dress for the weather come rain or shine.
I'm a ginger fiend. On every flight, my drink of choice is ginger ale. When I have sushi I often have extra ginger. Located in one of the little alleys in Pikes Place you'll find Rachel's Ginger Beer. With simple ingredients and a variety of flavors, they brew fresh ginger beer - alcoholic and non-alcoholic - in a fun and hip atmosphere. My favorites include blood orange and peach. Even on a cold rainy day in Seattle, a cup of ginger beer hits the spot and tickles your taste buds.
Famous for their long lines out the door and featured in Anthony Bourdain's, "No Reservations," this Russian bakery should never be confused with a Pirogi - it's highly offensive. Piroshki is a small pastry filled with meat, cheese, vegetables, or fruit. With a sweet and savory menu, you're sure to find something from chocolate cream hazelnut rolls to beef onion piroshki. One usually fills me but it's fun to try new flavors and split some with friends. If you're feeling adventurous I promise you won't be disappointed.
You can't go to Seattle, much less Pike Place, without going to Beecher's. What's more exciting than watching cheese being made right before your eyes? Made fresh every day with local milk, Beecher's is a cheese lovers' dream with fresh cheese curds, mac n cheese, and grilled cheese. The mac n' cheese is amazing but I'm also an advocate of their grilled cheese and tomato soup.
Coffee is a cult in Seattle. If you're not caffeinated to some degree you're doing it wrong. Located in the alley of the
gum wall underneath the main entrance of Pikes Place Market, you'll find a small grab-and-go coffee shop - grab-and-go is the easiest way to encapsulate the coffee culture in Seattle. Rule of thumb for Seattle coffee shops, the menu may look limited or just straight up nonexistent but chances are they own every kind of syrup, milk, etc., and if you simply ask they can make it. The fun thing about Ghost Alley Espresso is their Mystery Mocha. Rather self-explanatory but if you're indecisive and feeling a bit spontaneous ask for a Mystery Mocha and let them know if there are any allergies or flavors you don't like - such as lavender.
LOCAL CHAINS AROUND SEATTLE
Woods is a local, family-owned, and operated coffee chain in the Pacific Northwest. In true Seattle fashion, I've never been inside one I've only been through the drive-through. The menu is extensive and confusing so try to go into the place knowing what you want but if you are feeling a bit adventurous or maybe you are battling a sweet tooth I would highly recommend their frappucinos. My frappuccino days are long past and I'm proud to say I'm more of a straight espresso girl but their chocolate frappuccino fulfilled a craving I did not know I possessed.
As a Washington-based coffee drive-thru chain it's easy to compare Bigfoot Java to a certain coffee chain: Dutch Bros. Contrary to Dutch Bros, the staff do not treat each conversation as a blind date and the drinks are actually really good. From coffee to Italian sodas you can never go wrong with Bigfoot. I personally enjoy an iced hazelnut mocha or a peach lavender Redbull Italian soda. As a typical northwest drive-thru coffee shop, the menu only lists a few specialty drinks and baked goods but 99% of the time they can make anything you ask for.
Where to begin? I have dreams about this place. I think about their french toast and fruit bar all the time. To not go to Portage Bay is to not live in my mind - apologies for the drama it's almost midnight here in Spain. With 4 locations in Seattle, Portage Bay prides itself on creating local, organic, sustainable breakfast, brunch, and lunches. I'd highly recommend reserving a table on their website in advance because it is a local favorite. Now if you know me, you know I'm a french toast enthusiast. If it's on the menu and they use brioche, banana, or challah bread I'm more than likely to order it. I will rant, rave, and crave their oatmeal cobbler french toast until I die - morbid my apologies. They also have a breakfast bar included in most entrees with toppings such as fresh fruit, whipped cream, and organic maple syrup. Again not sponsored - wish I was - I just really love their food.
Serving breakfast all day the Rusty Pelican is an all-around good breakfast restaurant. I'll admit I didn't physically eat at their restaurant because I visited during COVID and we got our food to go but their cinnamon roll french toast - yep I told you I love french toast - isn't too sweet or too heavy.
Since the 1950's Dick's has been Seattle's go-to burger, shake, and fries spot. They built their business around providing busy Americans with a place they could get good food while in a hurry, pay significantly less, and park their car easily. It's fresh, speedy, and affordable. With a simple menu that has withstood the test of time and inflation, DIck's has become a staple in the Seattle area.
Working with local makers, farmers, and chefs Salt & Straw is built to enhance and support the community. Milk from grass-fed cows, interesting flavor combinations, and a luxurious texture make for a local favorite at Salt & Straw. The freckled mint chocolate chip was so fresh my tongue struggled to adapt to the mint and the chocolate gooey brownie fulfills any chocolate lover's desires. With strong flavors and little can go a long way.
HOLE-IN-THE-WALLS
The place where my love for Pho was born. All you need is a #1 rare steak Vietnamese noodle soup. Cook the meat in the steaming broth before adding sauces or garnishes. Add fish sauce, sriracha, lime juice, basil, mint, and bean sprouts to taste. It's an art and it requires patience but once done right the results are unforgettable.
Initially intended to only serve soft serve ice cream that was previously sold at their sister restaurant down the street Homer, Milk Drunk now has fried chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers, and cocktails. I have a certain place in my heart for chicken tenders and The Strips are large brined and double-breaded chicken breasts served with curly fries and your choice of sauce. Sauces offered include green aioli, whipped garlic, hot honey, date ketchup, marinara, herb ranch, and general tso. Now at a certain point, I lose patience while eating chicken strips and start ripping off the breading like a weirdo. Typically the breading just gets to be too rich in flavor for me. The amazing thing about these strips is that because they are double breaded the breading comes off like a little sleeve, very cleanly might I add. The restaurant definitely leans a bit more on the heavy side but I would still recommend grabbing a friend and splitting a basket of tenders.
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