Even though my standards for food have gone up a bit since several years ago when I was totally fine with eating lettuce everyday, what I want from food isn’t a whole lot. If it’s satisfying and brings me joy, that’s all I need.
During my stay in downtown Seattle, I got to eat one good thing after another and that had definitely made it that much more enjoyable of a stay.
In no particular order (I’m writing this on the plane while hungry):
1. Shiro’s Sushi
Apparently this is one of the best sushi places in Seattle?? It comes with a hefty price tag but it was so good and I was so happy.
There is an omakase option at this restaurant, but we opted for a tasting menu that lets you have a bit of everything the restaurant has to offer.
If you’re in the area, try making a reservation so you can skip a wait. Or you can do what we did which is show up right when it opens. If you’re lucky, there might be an open table pretty soon.
2. Ivar’s Salmon House
Sometimes the best food stops are the spontaneous ones. I had missed a turn and my boyfriend took that as an opportunity to go back to the restaurant we passed by.
It’s a huge salmon restaurant right on the water, with a floating outdoor patio leading onto a dock. We went after sundown and of course it served us with some great views.
The happy hour chowder was great value and it hit all the right spots. It came with huge chunks of smoked salmon. The cornbread to start was served with lemon lavender butter and it’s the best cornbread I’ve had in my life. It also tasted a lot like the butter cookies that came in the round blue tins.
3. Palmi’s
This restaurant was a pit stop after I went to see the Fremont troll. I was starving and wanted to take advantage of my 2-hour free parking to get something to eat while I use up those two hours. I saw on yelp that it had some decent reviews so I swung by.
I got a standard dolsot bibimbap and it was great. The rice was made really well and I have no complaints. The staff were very nice and even though it’s more like a takeout restaurant, they brought me the food and then helped me get everything I needed.
4. Katsu Burger
This was a lunch date, and a very exciting one. The restaurant is half a bar and was situated in an area that was actually a bit quiet for lunch time.
The burgers they served were all hefty and I chose a standard size one. Even so, it was incredibly difficult to eat because it was just so big. Every bite was scrumptious though and the wasabi mayo ended up being a perfect complement for the teriyaki sauce.
5. Beecher’s homemade cheese
We tried to go to this restaurant once but it was closed early. There were lots of other disappointed people, which is a sure sign that it’s a good place.
They served the best mac and cheese I have ever had. We got a cup of the classic and a cup of the other kind (can’t remember the name because I didn’t do the ordering). The original was a bit too cheesy for my liking so I preferred the other one, but if you love cheese it won’t be a problem at all.
The sandwich was the first one I’ve had where I wasn’t sad it had no meat in it, only because it was so good and the bread was perfectly toasted.
Be prepared to either eat while walking or awkwardly share one stool though, it gets crowded.
6. Tsukushinbo
I love noodles and this place delivered. The soba was wonderful and the tempura was not shabby at all.
The dipping sauce was cold and you’re supposed to use it for both the soba and the tempura. You can add chopped green onions and that was actually a great touch, despite me not liking green onions normally.
The dish really took me back to Japan and I was really hoping to return to the restaurant while I was in Seattle. But I’ll have to wait for the next time.
7. Bai Tong Thai street food cafe
When I saw the crispy garlic chicken description, I wanted to order it immediately, even though I almost never get chicken at a restaurant unless it’s fried.
It was nice and crispy without being overfried, and tasted a bit sweet. The sticky rice we got was a nice touch. It made me think I should learn to make sticky rice myself.
8. Hot Cakes
This place had the best dessert of my life. There were a selection of molten lava cakes that they served with ice cream and were freshly baked. It satisfied all my sweet tooth cravings without it being too rich and uncomfortable.
We also got butter beer, which was made using Rachel’s ginger beer, a local shop in Pike Place Market. The butter beer was a bit expensive but was an interesting experience for sure. I’d say more ginger than you’d expect from a butter beer.
9. Cheesecake Factory
I finally got to see what the hype was all about. And it was pretty well worth the hype.
The restaurant offered a huge menu and a large cheesecake selection to match. Everything was high calorie and rich, of course, which is great if that’s what you’re looking for in a meal.
I couldn’t finish my entree and my boyfriend was able to have the other half for lunch the next day. The cheesecake was also a hybrid cake and cheesecake and it was basically dessert heaven for me.
10. Piroshky Piroshky
If you like a hot, savoury, flaky pastry – this is the place for you. Go before you get hungry so the part where you wait in line isn’t so unbearable. Each piroshky is huge and if you don’t eat a lot, one is more than enough for a meal.We got beef and onion and a smoked salmon and pate, the salmon being my preferred one. Sadly I did not take a picture of what I was eating – I was hungry.
11. Molly Moon’s
Ice cream! Interesting flavours! Delicious smelling waffle cones!
Just get a kid’s cone – it’s such a big scoop.
Honourable mention: homemade spam musubi
If you didn’t have musubi in Seattle did you even go to Seattle? It’s a signature Hawaiian-Japanese food in the city, and they actually sell “musubi makers.” My boyfriend got one of those and we made the two musubi in no time.