From the flavours of local ingredients and scrumptious dessert samples to award-winning restaurants, a thriving brewing coffee scene and beer chronicles to global flavours, Seattle’s vibrant culinary landscape is a playground for passionate food and drink enthusiasts. This A–Z guide captures the essence of the Emerald City, one flavour at a time.
Americano- The city of Seattle is a coffee enthusiast dotted with various stops like the 30-year-old Caffee Vita, known for their darker, Northern Italian–style roast, Aroom, specialising in Vietnamese coffee, and the original Starbucks at Pike Place Market, serving a tempting cup as well as a slice of rich history and nostalgia.
Biscuit Sandwiches- You got to try Seattle’s fluffy biscuit stuffed with sweet or savoury fillings, such as Honest Biscuits’ gravy laden gluten free and vegan ones or their MacGregor biscuit, a tribute of sorts to Market vendors, made with Beecher’s Flagship cheese and Bavarian Meats bacon. Charcuterie- Seattle owes its passion for a well curated Charcuterie board to a tiny shop called Salumi, which transformed Italian-style cured meats into a Seattle institution. Rain Shadow Meats is a butchery on Capitol Hill which offers its own range of careful charcuterie as well as savoury sandwiches piled with house-made corned beef brisket or pressed with Rain Shadow’s own roast beef and mortadella.
Dungeness Crab- Get a taste of the Washington native crustacean with a delicate, almost sweet taste at Duke’s Seafood, featuring a full range from meaty crabcakes livened up with a bit of zesty lime aioli to decadent Dungeness crab dip, crab-stuffed halibut, Dungeness crab salad with an olive oil-honey-raspberry vinaigrette, and more. Over at Cutters Crabhouse, Dungeness crab comes steamed and whole with a side of herbed couscous, seasonal market vegetables, drawn butter and fresh lemon.
Eggs Benedict- Savour the rich flavours of eggs Benedict at Portage Bay Café for their Seattle Benedict, complete with Dungeness crab, arugula, and avocado, or a Yucatan Benedict with braised pork shoulder, adobo hollandaise, and pickled vegetables.
Fish- Fresh fish and shellfish are staples in Seattle, and RockCreek stands out with Chef Eric Donnelly’s fusion creations from baked local oysters with bacon and tamarind butter to a French twist on a typically Japanese-inspired Neah Bay cod with sherry, shallots, and Provencal herbs.
Geoduck- Geoduck is a type of clam and a Washington delicacy, which was first served raw by Seattle chef and local legend Shiro Kashiba at Sushi Kashiba. Taylor Shellfish is another stop for geoduck sashimi, served with one of three finishes.
Honey- Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle’s sustainable program supports several rooftop beehives, which provide honey for the hotel’s bar and restaurant menus. Seattle Cider Co. also offers their semisweet honey cider. Moreover, Salish Lodge’s apiary’s harvested honey features in the menus at the lodge’s restaurants, from honey-roasted yams to tumbled oysters topped with honey-blood orange mignonette, as well as an option to buy products at the gift shop.
India Pale Ale- Washington grows around 80 per cent of the nation’s hops, with a vibrant beer scene with stops like Cloudburst Brewing’s rotating lineup of inventive beers or the Ballard neighbourhood, an area dedicated to nearly a dozen breweries such as Reuben’s Brews and Stoup Brewing, each offering their own impeccable brewing styles, techniques, and flavours.
James Beard Award Chefs- Seattle wears a rich hat of James Beard Award-winning chefs and restaurants, such as John Sundstrom with Lark or the Indian-Sri-Lankan restaurant Rupee Bar. Over at Oriental Mart in Pike Place Market, experience the tangy, complex flavours of Filipino cooking. Kale- Kale is surprisingly a popular ingredient across menus in Seattle’s restaurants, with Skillet’s pop culture creation, kale Caesar, or Joe & the Juice’s kale juice varieties.
Lavender- Taste the delicate flavours of Molly Moon‘s honey lavender ice cream, made with organic lavender harvested on the Olympic Peninsula.
Meat- Slow-smoked meats at Jack’s BBQ, a roomy Georgetown roadhouse featuring two large smokers and a menu of hearty pork ribs, briskets, and more, and Wood Shop BBQ’s speciality, The Woody, a portion of smoked jalapeno mac and cheese topped with a pile of pulled pork, are the way to go.
Nachos- Grab a delicious plate of nachos with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, and cilantro-lime sour cream at Matador.
Oysters- Seattle’s oyster scene is unmatched, and places such as Taylor Shellfish Farms, the state’s largest oyster company, The Walrus and the Carpenter, and Elliott’s Oyster House are serving up an extensive menu of oyster tastings.
Pasta- Experience the intimate magic of communal tables and handmade pasta at Ethan Stowell’s Tavolàta, serving a decadent fare including gnocchi in a lobster mushroom ragu and black truffle ravioli.
Quattro Formaggi- Taste the authentic flavours of Italy at Via Tribunali, which embraces the thin wood-fired pizza of Naples, mostly with toppings like fresh mozzarella, salami, and basil or Delancey for pizza with perfectly blistered crusts, topped with bacon and onions.
Ramen- Seattle offers the warmth of a hot ramen bowl at various restaurants such as Kizuki Ramen, Nuna Ramen, and more.
Sandwiches- Seattle’s love affair with sandwiches has led to the opening of many shops, such as Paseo or Un Bien, both featuring Caribbean-inspired sandwiches and Delicatus, with its Seattle twist on the classic deli experience.
Theobromine- Theobromine is a compound in the cacao plant, which gives one of Seattle’s premier chocolatiers its name. Fran’s Chocolates is a local favourite, offering glass cases full of tiny, beautiful caramels, plus artful truffles in flavours like espresso, raspberry, and oolong tea.
Undiscovered Gems- Just two miles north of downtown, the top of Queen Anne Hill is home to many destination worthy restaurants such as Canlis, a landmark fine dining destination since the 1950s.
Views- You cannot miss dinner with a view in a city surrounded by water. Experience the charm of classic Italian fare paired with the rooftop views of ferries on Elliot Bay at The Pink Door. At Renee Erickson’s Westward, tuck into roasted oysters and fish while admiring the water sparkling against Seattle’s skyline. Ray’s Boathouse is another Seattle staple that serves a classic menu of Northwest seafood from grilled king salmon to spicy prawns, against a backdrop of Shilshole Bay.
Wine- Washington has more than 900 wineries, with just Woodinville Wine Country accounting for 100-plus of them, only 30 minutes from downtown Seattle. At the state’s oldest winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, sample its famed Rieslings before sipping full-bodied pours at Efeste and balanced wines at Novelty Hill Januik. In Seattle, House of Smith Jet City is the West Coast’s largest urban winery. Ultimately, Taste Washington, the largest single-region food and wine event in the country, which takes place in March, features pours from more than 200 Washington wineries.
Xiao Long Bao- Seattle adores its Xiao Long Bao, a delicate Shanghainese dumpling, filled with pork and a splash of hot broth. Find them at the two Seattle outposts of Taiwanese chain Din Tai Fung.
Yoghurt- The family-owned Hellenika Cultured Creamery in Pike Place Market has created a fusion between yoghurt and gelato, featuring scoops of delicious frozen treats that include cultures, giving each flavour a unique tanginess. Make sure to try one of their most popular flavours, coconut ube.
Za’atar Maneesh- A perfectly pillowy flatbread wrapped around a brisk combination of tomatoes, olives, herbs, and strained yoghurt, Za’atar Maneesh, is a popular Mediterranean dish can be found at various spots across the city, representing a deep connection with diverse cultural crossovers and culinary fondness.
