A few months back I was fortunate enough to find super cheap round trip flights to Seattle and got to visit the city again with my dear friend, Elizabeth.
Behold: a snacking blog like I’ve never written before. A completely different travel experience thanks to the presence of an extra stomach and ~48 hours in one of my favorite cities.
The Pink Door | 1919 Post Alley
Our eating adventures started the evening we arrived. I got in a few hours before Elizabeth, so I had some time to walk around and put my name down at the Pink Door—a super cute, intimate Italian restaurant a stone’s throw away from Pike’s Place. I had a little bit of trouble finding the place since it doesn’t have a sign (just a pink door, which was opened inwards the first few times I’d walked by). We split a carafe of wine and a cheese plate, I had their daily special of halibut on polenta and stewed greens, and Elizabeth had cioppino. I thought everything was pretty tasty, but a bit pricey coming in at ~$65/person including tip.
Shug’s Soda Fountain and Ice Cream | 1525 1st Ave
We decided to get boozy desserts a few doors down at Shug’s Soda Fountain. As per a waitress recommendation, I opted for a Guinness float with salted caramel ice cream. The guinness was a little warm and the ice cream was a bit runny, but I really enjoyed the flavor combination. Elizabeth had a sundae with some kind of ice cream and a liquor infused berry sauce which she just about inhaled before I could even take a picture. The decor of the shop and its extensive trendy offerings was very Instagram friendly!
Pike Place Market | 85 Pike St
We woke up the next morning and decided to grab a variety of foods in and around Pike Place for breakfast. We grabbed lattes at Seattle Coffee Works, fresh assorted donuts at the Daily Dozen Donut Company, and a fresh lox bagel from Seattle Bagel Bakery. The donuts were super tasty Everything was super fresh, flavorful, and tasty—a very cost-effective breakfast.
Thai Tom | 4543 University Way
From there, we took a bus over to the UW Arboretum and sloshed our way through remarkably unmarked and flooded Foster Point Trail to get over to the University of Washington. Trudging through inches of pudding-like mud and marshy water had made us pretty hungry, so we decided to go to Thai Tom for lunch. We shared green curry and pad thai, both with chicken—both absolutely delicious! I’d definitely make a point to come back here in future trips, the food was super tasty and reasonably priced.
Rachel’s Ginger Beer | 1610 12th Ave
From there, we walked back through the campus to catch a bus to go to Capitol Hill. We decided to get some boozy beverages from Rachel’s Ginger Beer—I opted for their happy hour gin special, Porch Swing, and Elizabeth got a Moscow mule. They also had really tasty looking fried chicken sandwiches, kinda regret not splitting one.
Bar Melusine | 1060 E Union St
Decided to be a bit bougie and treated ourselves to oysters and fancy cocktails at Bar Melusine. We decided to get the full experience and go through their full fresh oyster menu, going from least to most saline content. I found myself liking the saltier oysters more, especially paired with their house gin and tonic which featured yuzu, bergamot, and rosemary. This definitely wasn’t our most cost-effective meal as it came out to ~$35/person and I might’ve left hungrier than when I arrived. Felt fancy though, and got a nice pic for the ‘gram, so I guess it’s worth it?
We then grabbed big $3 draft beers (and a not so big “big” pretzel) at Brewlab and walked down the street a bit to get ice cream at Salt & Straw, then called it a night.
The next morning, we got Piroshkies for breakfast from Pirosky Pirosky on 3rd (significantly shorter line than the Pike PLace location!) on our way up to Kerry Park. I got a curry chicken piroshky which was nicely spiced but could have used a bit more salt.
Pike Place Chowder | 600 Pine St
We wanted to get Pike Place Chowder at their original Pike Place location, but that became played out when we were quoted a 45 minute wait. A quick google search showed us that they have a second location in the mall just a few blocks away. When we arrived, there was absolutely no line at all and we got our food super quickly—chowder sampler and crab roll! All of their chowders were really tasty, but their classic New England chowder was definitely my favorite. It seems like the Pike Place location may have a more extensive menu, but if you’re short on time and/or don’t like waiting in lines, I’d definitely visit the mall location.
Ellenos Greek Yogurt | 1500 Pike Pl
We went to the aquarium afterwards and walked up a bit of an appetite, which led us back to PIke Place to graze on some more snacks. We both got lemon cheesecake yogurt from Ellenos—just the right amount of tartness and super great textural contrast between the streusel topping. Their PR person later commented on my instagram post, and after a short exchange of puns, I think it’s safe to say things are getting pretty serious between us.
City Fish Co | 1535 Pike Pl
On our way back through the market I picked up a big container of shrimp cocktail for $20 from City Fish Co. The shrimps were huge, juicy, and sweet—an excellent contrast to the robust, nose-hair tingling cocktail sauce that came with it. I find myself having dreams about this it was so good.
