Jan 25, 20184 min read

Making the Most of Seattle's Food Scene

Updated: Jul 29, 2020

Coming from New York, I find it hard to find places with comparable food scenes in terms of quality and variety. #Seattle is surely one of those places! I was first introduced to Seattle’s food scene through a #foodtour I found on Viator.com called "Food and Cultural Walking Tour of Pike Place Market", conducted by #SavorSeattle. Through this tour, I discovered food can serve as a way deeply explores a city. Based on my Seattle food experience, here are the food spots I would recommend:

Savor Seattle Pike Place Food Tour:

This tour started by the Gum Wall in #PostAlley and lasted two hours. It was a great way to try a huge assortment of food in order to get an idea of what you want to go back to eat further. I was relatively full after the tour, which made me unsure if I would still be able to eat dinner! The best part about the tour was not having to wait on any long lines. Once we arrived to a spot, the food was ready in sample sizes for us to try!

Here are the spots we checked out:

Daily Dozen Donut Company: This was our first stop. These cinnamon sugar coated donuts were so fresh and warm. It was a delicious start to the tour.
Ellenos Greek Yogurt: Although I am not a yogurt fan, this Greek Yogurt was so fresh and tasty, upholding the FLOSS concept that Pike Place is built on: fresh, local, organic, seasonal and sustainable! We tried two flavors: blackberry and passionfruit (there were even passionfruit seeds for texture!).

Pike Place Chowder: One of the best spots (and probably the most popular) is here! This place has won numerous awards for its New England #clamchowder. You know it has to be good if they won the National Chowdafest for a 3rd year in a row. It was DELICIOUS! I am pondering of taking advantage of their 2 day shipping across anywhere in the United States Haha.

Beecher's Handmade Cheese: I appreciated this part of the tour not only because of my love for cheese, but because I learned a few things such as how #cheese is made and the different stages of cheese we eat, as well. You can actually watch cheese being produced from the window! We got to sample three items: fresh cheese curds, cheese cubes on a cracker and some creamy mac and cheese. Apparently, there is a location in New York's Flatiron District that I may need to swing by!

Oriental Mart: This was probably the most mouthwatering part of the tour! Oriental Mart is a homestyle Filipino food spot that is tucked behind their Asian grocery store and has been featured on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods, we were told. . The "dining area" is actually a lunch counter with a few stools. The first thing you will probably notice is the sassy customer service signs. The samples were so mouthwatering. In fact, I was thirsty for more of their special juice! The spring roll of sorts was crispy and flaky and the sausage was just so flavorful.

Etta's Seafood: Their crab cake was the last thing we had on the tour and I actually was not a fan of it! Apparently, it was mainly comprised of crab. However, it was not flaky enough.

Chukar Cherries: Although we tried different flavors of chocolate and dried cherries, this is probably the most unique of the samples we tried.

Near Pike Place Market:

Piroshky Piroshky: A fellow travel blogger recommended this Russian pastry place to me. While on the food tour, I saw the line went out the window! When I passed by around 6 PM, the line was much shorter. Although it Is a really tiny spot, you can smell the deliciousness from a long distance away!

Cupcake Royale: I first discovered this place from an Instagrammer. Although there are several locations in Seattle, there was one walking distance from #PikePlace. When it gets closer to closing, they have a "happy hour deal". I did not take advantage of it because I knew I could not eat that many cupcakes alone. The cupcakes are worth getting!

Other Spots:

Il Corvo Pasta: This place has a limited menu of options (about 3-4 options) that are posted on a blackboard daily. However, what makes it unique and worth checking out is the handmade pasta and the fact each costs $9. You are not allowed to sit down until you order and you have to clean up after yourself. It is definitely their way of promoting sustainability!

Molly Moon's Ice Cream: This is a mini chain that has a few locations in Seattle. They have unique flavors (such as lavender and early grey) that you can try!

Toulouse Petit Restaurant: This was probably the best restaurant recommendation I received! A travel blogger told me to check it out for brunch, but I was too lazy to wake up early. So, I checked it out for dinner. This Cajun restaurant cooks with lots of flavor. My baked oysters were DELISH! I ordered a fennel braised pork shoulder sugo with a housemade ricotta gnocchi that was very well seasoned. For dessert, I had the honey pecan bread pudding. I only wished it was warmed up more. Otherwise, it tasted pretty good!

Dicks: I would consider this to be the Shake Shack or In-N-Out of Seattle, except that the prices are much cheaper. For $7, I was able to order a cheeseburger, large fries AND a vanilla milkshake. Considering its price, I thought it tasted pretty good. One thing to note is they charge you for condiments. It is a great way to get people to not waste ketchup!