Yes, this is a very impartial, biased guide to Seattle, but we had so much fun eating our way around the city and following our friends’ recommendations that I wanted to share it with you. The shops section is lacking a bit so fill free to leave a comment with some suggestions and I’ll add it to the post.
Drinking & Dining:
- Percy’s & Co – We just went here for some cocktails and olives, but I would have loved to stay for dinner because I liked the low lighting and modern farm/victorian feel of the decor. My Negroni was spot on and Lar ordered a mocktail that she really enjoyed.
- Hot Cakes – Stood in line after dinner for about 30 minutes for boozy shakes that did not disappoint. I wish they had more seating for the night crowds, but I would have eaten my s’more shake standing up if I had to.
- Pike Place Market – Touristy, but still fantastic. If it was a warmer day, I would have purchased some cheese, fresh bread, olives, fresh flowers (just because), and a bottle of wine from the multitude of vendors for a picnic. It was also fun to join the throng of Japanese tourists at the original Starbucks. My iced decaf tall soy latte was perfect.
- Ballard Farmers Market – Open every Sunday on a closed-off street in the historic section of the Ballard neighborhood. We loved the sauerkraut tent (seriously – so many different flavors!), the gluten-free bakery, and the mini doughnuts stand.
- Dick’s – Delicious, nostalgic burgers that you order at a walk-up window. We went to the Wallingford location after drinks and it was the perfect end to a long evening.
- Top Pot Doughnuts – I loved the old fashion cake doughnuts, but my favorite was actually the cranberry mint rooibos tea Lar and I sipped on.
- Ba Bar – So, so, so good! I wish all Vietnamese street food-inspired cuisine tasted this good. Order the congee and your life will never be the same.
- Shiro’s Sushi – the. best. sushi. ever. Stay tuned for Lar’s post on Monday all about this place.
- Din Tai Fung – unfortunately overrated, but still good. I enjoyed the soup dumplings more than Troy and Lar (they didn’t think they were very flavorful), but the whole experience seemed watered-down and Americanized. We went to the new, fancy location in the university district. I’ve heard the other locations feel more authentic.
- Brouwer’s – Troy and I went for the great beer selection, but stayed for the delicious food. The muscles and cioppino were out of this world.
- The Walrus & the Carpenter – Great oysters. Great staff. I loved the vibe in this tiny spot in Ballard.
Shopping:
- Fjallraven Seattle – Lar and I love our Fjallraven backpacks. You’d think we were getting paid to blog about them since we both wear them everywhere and have featured them here, here and here. I had no idea Fjallraven had any stateside stores so when Lar and I were walking around downtown Seattle and passed by the Fjallraven store, we did a double take and then ran inside. I was so tempted to buy another backpack when I saw the rainbow wall of backpacks and Lar fell in love with this hat.
- Uwajimaya – a Japanese grocery/mega store. The housewares section reminds me of Pearl River Mart in New York. Plus, Troy and I found giant Pocky, which we’ve been looking for all over Atlanta.
- Kinokuniya – the Japanese bookstore adjoining Uwajimaya. Yes, it sells plenty of Japanese books, but it also has a great selection of international magazines, books, and gifts.
- Glass Baby – Beautiful handmade glass votives and cups in every color of the rainbow. Plus, ten percent of all revenues is donated to organizations dedicated to healing.
- E. Smith Mercantile – An amazingly curated shop with a bar in the back. I loved the old-timey, apothecary feel to it and wish I had had more time to spend in it.
- Elliott Bay Book Company – Lar and I are suckers for independent book stores and Elliott Bay is HUGE. We spent hours browsing the shelves. Troy loved it because they serve good beer in the store cafe.
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Dearest Readers,
Instead of writing Lar (who is currently sleeping in a hospital bed after a successful surgery today), I want to write a quick thank you note to you. All of your support and kindness about Lar’s surgery was so wonderful and I’m so incredibly grateful for it.
If all goes well, Lar will be sent home later today. Keep your fingers crossed!
xoxo, Cath
I’m so happy to hear Lar had a successful surgery. You both have been in my thoughts. As for these recommendations, they will come in oh-so handy when my husband and I finally get to the west coast this summer. Thanks!
So fun! Drop me a line if you guys go to one of the places that I mentioned.
Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts!
Our most favorite thing about Seattle was a food tour of Pike Place. We recommend it to everyone who is ever visiting there! The company, Savor Seattle, has several different tours and we loved the market tour!
Glad to hear Lauren is doing well and hope she has a speedy recovery!
I didn’t know they did tours! That sounds so fun. Next time I’ll sign up for one – especially if I go in the summer when it’s significantly warmer 😉
Wishing her a speedy recovery:) May your 2014 be filled with much joy and health. Always enjoy your blog! And Seattle is such a fun place,too.
Thank you so much, Tonya!!
I LONG to read Lar’s post about Shiro’s, because my favorite part of the trip was converting her to the wonderful world of good sushi. Having been the one to discover it myself, and then drag both of you there with me, I feel like a proud papa knowing what an amazing experience it was for her; so much so that she is willing to dedicate an entire blog post to it. Like I said, I LONG to read it.
As far as the shopping portion of this post, I definitely want to add See’s Candies (4th Ave location) because (a.) I LOVE them, and (b.) you physically are NOT allowed in the store without sampling the candy. And I’m definitely okay with that rule, although my ever-distending belly is probably not.
I could make an argument for adding Crossroads Trading Co, too, since we don’t have those in the Southeast, and it’s probably the greatest upscale, 2nd hand clothing store in the world.
As far as food goes, I’d say you could leave off Dick’s burgers, especially under the notion that they were sold as “better than In & Out,” which they certainly were not. In lieu of Dick’s I’d like to add Phnom Penh Noodle House in Chinatown. I thought their house chicken wings in sweet black pepper garlic honey sauce were out of this world fantastic, as was their Beef Loc Lak.
In any event, you obviously have plenty of amazing shopping and dining destinations within the Seattle area to choose from, so the only real problem is if you’re limited to the number of those places you can go, how do you decide?
Maybe we should make a Mosey to help do just that?
Can’t wait to go back there with the Asian Cajuns again soon!
Yes, let’s make a Mosey! We should make a couple of Mosey’s actually.
I couldn’t remember the name of the place we ate at in Chinatown and I definitely will add Crossroads Trading Co and See’s Candies.
that’s how i love to travel! 🙂 mainly for food.
Didn’t know Lar was in the hospital, Cath–it’s been a while since I last stopped by! Glad to hear everything went well. There pics are so fun as usual. Looking forward to visiting Seattle in the near future. Send your sis my ♥
Thanks for visiting our first west coast Fjallraven store!! Come back and see us soon!!
Will do! It’s now one of my favorite stores!