A foodie guide to Seattle

Compiling a Seattle eating guide could be the new painting the Forth Bridge. Seattle has around 1,600 restaurants and a population of 800,000 people – that's one restaurant for every 500 people. London has around 15,000 restaurants and a population of nine million – so one restaurant for every 600 people.

Conversations in this city rarely run for long before the subject of food comes up, be it a new restaurant recommendation, an essential local snack, or all points in between. Here are my picks from a recent graze through the city...

Pike Place Market

Like so many visitors to Seattle, we're going to start at Pike Place market. It is, admittedly, a bit of cliché but there are some gems to be found there – I was particularly taken with a stall selling "really really big ass shrimp". The entire, sprawling, multi-level building is always a fun place to wander but, for me, there's only one starting point: Chukar Cherries. While the cherries are great, the chocolate covered ones are truly addictive – do not leave me alone with a bag of their Honey Pecans…

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From there, it's a short stroll to the ever-dependable Beecher's Handmade Cheese shop and then around the corner to Pike Place Chowder. I've spent a bit of time researching chowder (consuming gallons for a feature) on the East Coast and, frankly, this is better. Queues outside are often long, but if you're in a hurry you can order online for their pick-up window.

Also worth the diversion, and one that will leave you wondering why we don't have anything similar in the UK is The Crumpet Shop, which serves a wide variety of teas and fresh crumpets, with a variety of toppings. The Walrus (walnuts, honey and ricotta) and the Maple Butter would be my pick of the sweet options.

Where to get breakfast

Seattle is loaded with breakfast options but, for me, it's the classics that really appeal. Over in West Seattle, one of the city's quirkier neighbourhoods, the vintage vinyl charms of Easy Street Records is also home to a fine café. As much as I admire the word play of Hall & Oats, Eggy Pop or a Culture Club Sandwich, it is the Horton Heat Hash – corned beef, bacon, onions, peppers, hash browns, eggs, spices and toast, – which ultimately brightens my morning.

The 5 Point Café, decorated with signs proclaiming "alcoholics serving alcoholics since 1929" and "my bartender can beat up your therapist" serves classic diner fare and, as you might expect, boozy "breakfast drinks".

Seattle's best burgers

As of 2024, Dick's has been serving burgers to the burghers of Seattle for 70 years. The menu is simplicity itself: six burger options, one size of fries, one size of shake – vanilla, chocolate, strawberry – a handful of sodas, and six flavours of ice cream. No substitutions. The vegetarian option? Fries.

For an even better burger – and we're talking Top Five of All Time – head to L'Oursin on a Monday. The rest of the week, this French restaurant serves very decent bistro cuisine and natural wines, but on Monday they have a limited, off-menu run of a melted cheese-topped, slow-cooked onion smothered burger. Think French onion soup but with solid, charred, smashed beef patties instead of beef stock. It's quite exceptional.

Restaurants worth visiting

At Communion R&B in Central District, chef Kristi Brown and her son, Damon Bomar, serve up "Seattle Soul Food". Black-eyed pea hummus with injera, whole fried chicken, and a remarkable fish-heavy gumbo, served with Chinese doughnuts to mop up every drop.

Considerably smaller, and much, much narrower is OffAlley. James Beard-nominated and New York Times-recommended, it's an absolute belter. The tasting menu, as the name suggests, features quite a lot of random animal bits, and not always where one might expect them, such as foie gras ice cream. It's the near perfect Seattle restaurant: clever, creative, fun, with a focus on the local and seasonal.

For more information on the vibrant food scene, do follow local accounts Seattle Food Diva, Seattle Grub and Seattle Foodie Adventure.

Day trips from Seattle

If you have time to venture outside the city, head east for about 30 miles and you'll find yourself in Snoqualmie. Fans of "Twin Peaks" will recognise the waterfalls from the opening credits, and it's a short drive to Twede's Café, the diner where Agent Cooper enjoyed black coffee and "damn fine cherry pie". To be brutally honest, the pie isn't that great – for something sweet, head to nearby Salish Lodge for brunch dishes drizzled with their own honey.

Also worth a day trip is Bainbridge Island. The ferry ride provides glorious views of Seattle, and Bainbridge is justifiably famous for its natural beauty. There are some excellent food and drink options too. The scones at Blackbird Bakery are a great start to a day – I highly recommend Lemon Blueberry – and the tomato soup at Cafe Hitchcock is one of the best things I ate all week.

Bainbridge's Pegasus Coffee Company have been roasting small batches of high-quality coffee for nearly five decades, and their experience and expertise shows in every sip. It's also worth a quick detour to Bainbridge Brewing Alehouse for a craft beer, cider or wine.

If you're looking to get out of the centre without leaving the city limits, try Ballard. This trendy waterfront neighbourhood has a proud maritime history but is now more known for its quirky shops, restaurants and bars. I particularly enjoyed Stoup, a husband-and-wife owned brewery, and The Walrus & Carpenter, which has been selling oysters and seafood-focused small plates for nearly 15 years.

Neil Davey travelled to Seattle as a guest of State of Washington Tourism and The Port of Seattle.

For further information on Seattle, take a look at the State of Washington’s website.

Neil stayed at The Maxwell Hotel, 300 Roy Street. Standard daily rate for rooms starts at $119, with an average daily rate of $250