SEATTLE: THINGS TO SEE AND DO
Food scene
One of the highlights of my childhood was going to Krispy Kremes when the donuts would roll off fresh from the conveyer belt. 9th & Hennepin replicates this warm experience with their artisanal donuts prepared fresh and personally delivered to your hands at pick up.
Menus change weekly and are available starting around Wednesday 6pm for pickup Friday- Sunday. The whole process is simple: pre-order, designate a pick up time and obtain the donuts! Easy as that! If now one is available at the window, ring the assigned doorbell since it's in a commissary kitchen.
Flavors change weekly and have all been excellent! I look forward to the donuts always being fresh and warm. This place is worth checking out on a weekly basis!
9th and Hennepin Donuts
5604 Delridge Way SWOne of the highlights of my childhood was going to Krispy Kremes when the donuts would roll off fresh from the conveyer belt. 9th & Hennepin replicates this warm experience with their artisanal donuts prepared fresh and personally delivered to your hands at pick up.
Menus change weekly and are available starting around Wednesday 6pm for pickup Friday- Sunday. The whole process is simple: pre-order, designate a pick up time and obtain the donuts! Easy as that! If now one is available at the window, ring the assigned doorbell since it's in a commissary kitchen.
Flavors change weekly and have all been excellent! I look forward to the donuts always being fresh and warm. This place is worth checking out on a weekly basis!
This is my favorite place for tsukemen in Seattle. Perfectly chewy, slurpy noodles. Lucious, fatty broth, with crunchy menma and garlic crisp. Delicious! If you're over 21+, I'd also recommend the peach jello shot which pairs nicely!
I always suggest to eat half your noodles and then add in some garlic crunch and fruit vinegar to take it to the next level. Once you finish your noodles, ask for some broth to water down the tsukemen broth to drink it otherwise it tends to be too salty for me.
Service here is great, they're always ready to give recommendations, point out the best deals and get you what you need. Don't forget to ask for the punch card and get your bonuses!
Menya Musashi Niten Ichiryu
1510 Belmont AveThis is my favorite place for tsukemen in Seattle. Perfectly chewy, slurpy noodles. Lucious, fatty broth, with crunchy menma and garlic crisp. Delicious! If you're over 21+, I'd also recommend the peach jello shot which pairs nicely!
I always suggest to eat half your noodles and then add in some garlic crunch and fruit vinegar to take it to the next level. Once you finish your noodles, ask for some broth to water down the tsukemen broth to drink it otherwise it tends to be too salty for me.
Service here is great, they're always ready to give recommendations, point out the best deals and get you what you need. Don't forget to ask for the punch card and get your bonuses!
I went to a Temple Pastries pop up earlier this year and was not disappointed. I looked forward to their store opening. They are taking COVID precautions seriously, allowing about 10 customers to be in their shop.
Selection is great, there were about 15 different offerings to choose from from macarons, croissants, cruffins, coffee and other pastries. We got the cruffin, persimmon macaron, pitachio roll and their shallot gruyere pastry. Each item was delightful, rich, buttery and flakey!
Price wise you can expect each item to cost between $3/-$7 but note that tax and tip are included in each item. Service was okay, the girl who assisted us forgot a couple of our orders, but it may be because they're new and learning.
I really enjoyed the aesthetic white with gold accents in the cafe. It is definitely on my list of places to meet friends for coffee and sit down to chat once COVID is over.
25 persone del luogo consigliano
Temple Pastries
2524 S Jackson StI went to a Temple Pastries pop up earlier this year and was not disappointed. I looked forward to their store opening. They are taking COVID precautions seriously, allowing about 10 customers to be in their shop.
Selection is great, there were about 15 different offerings to choose from from macarons, croissants, cruffins, coffee and other pastries. We got the cruffin, persimmon macaron, pitachio roll and their shallot gruyere pastry. Each item was delightful, rich, buttery and flakey!
Price wise you can expect each item to cost between $3/-$7 but note that tax and tip are included in each item. Service was okay, the girl who assisted us forgot a couple of our orders, but it may be because they're new and learning.
I really enjoyed the aesthetic white with gold accents in the cafe. It is definitely on my list of places to meet friends for coffee and sit down to chat once COVID is over.
Yum! This place is SO GOOD! The store itself has only been around since Feb 2016, however, the owner of the store previously owned the Hagen Daz for the past 10 years so she knows a thing or two about ice cream. The store was created out of her frustration for not being able to offer flavors that customers wanted and so Sweet Alchemy was born.
The ice cream itself is amazingly creamy yet not over powering sweet. Everything is made in house and in small batches so they're constantly changing flavors.. I've had the crushed black sesame, thai tea, mint brownie, and local cream. All of which are delicious. I like the fact that they use all local organic ingredients and pasteurize the cream in house.
I'm really indecisive and the store understands this so they're extremely generous with their samples so you can try everything. My favorite thing about this place is that you can add as many flavors as you want into a single scoop. This allows you to try a little of everything. They sell portions of 3oz, 6oz, 9oz, and 16oz. Prices range from $3.5-$10, they also have macaron ice cream sandwiches for $4 and brownies and short breads as well.
Sweet Alchemy
4301 University Way NEYum! This place is SO GOOD! The store itself has only been around since Feb 2016, however, the owner of the store previously owned the Hagen Daz for the past 10 years so she knows a thing or two about ice cream. The store was created out of her frustration for not being able to offer flavors that customers wanted and so Sweet Alchemy was born.
The ice cream itself is amazingly creamy yet not over powering sweet. Everything is made in house and in small batches so they're constantly changing flavors.. I've had the crushed black sesame, thai tea, mint brownie, and local cream. All of which are delicious. I like the fact that they use all local organic ingredients and pasteurize the cream in house.
I'm really indecisive and the store understands this so they're extremely generous with their samples so you can try everything. My favorite thing about this place is that you can add as many flavors as you want into a single scoop. This allows you to try a little of everything. They sell portions of 3oz, 6oz, 9oz, and 16oz. Prices range from $3.5-$10, they also have macaron ice cream sandwiches for $4 and brownies and short breads as well.
This place is amazing!! Large selection of beer, ciders, coffee, tea and an amazing workspace-what more could you ask for? This place is located on the corner os Stone Way and 34th, and is very easy to get to from Gasworks park which is just down the street.
Miir has a very chill atmosphere where you can come grab a drink and get some work done. They have a conference room available for reservations, and outside seating as well. There are also bikes, mugs, and tumblers that are available to purchase and for every product that they sell they make a donation to someone in need! This is a fantastic concept!!
I'm a little disappointed in the munchies department as I wish they had something more substantial to eat instead of the regular pastries and pretzels.
Other than that this place is a great place to come chill and get some work done-I look forward to coming back!
16 persone del luogo consigliano
MiiR Flagship
3400 Stone Way NThis place is amazing!! Large selection of beer, ciders, coffee, tea and an amazing workspace-what more could you ask for? This place is located on the corner os Stone Way and 34th, and is very easy to get to from Gasworks park which is just down the street.
Miir has a very chill atmosphere where you can come grab a drink and get some work done. They have a conference room available for reservations, and outside seating as well. There are also bikes, mugs, and tumblers that are available to purchase and for every product that they sell they make a donation to someone in need! This is a fantastic concept!!
I'm a little disappointed in the munchies department as I wish they had something more substantial to eat instead of the regular pastries and pretzels.
Other than that this place is a great place to come chill and get some work done-I look forward to coming back!
Yum! Billy Beach is owned by the same people that operate Japonessa downtown! This place has amazing happy hours that run until 7pm and from 10pm till close.
The selection of sake is pretty large, and sushi is comparable to that of Japonessa and Umis downtown. I'm a big fan of their HH Chirashi bowl which is $14. They have generous cuts of fresh fish, rice seasoned with furikake and generous amounts of pickled ginger. They also have sushi rolls and other plates to share between $8-$14.
I like the chirashi here way better than Musashis, the fish is fresher, service is way better, and the restaurant is clean. There's usually no wait to get a table either which is always nice.
Service here is pretty quick; they consistently refill your water, and check in often (but they're not overbearing) to make sure everything is okay.
The great food and good service have added this place onto my regular dining rotation
38 persone del luogo consigliano
Billy Beach Sushi & Bar
5463 Leary Ave NWYum! Billy Beach is owned by the same people that operate Japonessa downtown! This place has amazing happy hours that run until 7pm and from 10pm till close.
The selection of sake is pretty large, and sushi is comparable to that of Japonessa and Umis downtown. I'm a big fan of their HH Chirashi bowl which is $14. They have generous cuts of fresh fish, rice seasoned with furikake and generous amounts of pickled ginger. They also have sushi rolls and other plates to share between $8-$14.
I like the chirashi here way better than Musashis, the fish is fresher, service is way better, and the restaurant is clean. There's usually no wait to get a table either which is always nice.
Service here is pretty quick; they consistently refill your water, and check in often (but they're not overbearing) to make sure everything is okay.
The great food and good service have added this place onto my regular dining rotation
This is a great place to come and grab a slice of pie. I've come here on a couple occasions and have been happy with what I've ordered each time.
I tried the coconut cream pie the first time I was here, unlike the Tom Douglas coconut cream pie, this one is a little heavier and had a custard like texture to it, but the scoop of vanilla ice cream helped cut down the coconut.
I've also tried the banana cream pie which was much lighter. You even have the option of adding chopped peanuts with chocolate drizzle on it. I liked the light and airy texture of this pie it wasn't over powering with banana flavor too which is nice.
The bar itself feels like a log cabin with the cozy, warm interior, I personally find it odd that they use the three TV screens to show a fire...
You can also buy the pie at the walk up window which is like $1 or $2 cheaper than eating in the bar itself. And it still comes with a scoop of ice cream! Same portion, just cheaper. Overall, a great place to grab a slice of pie, I will definitely come back again.
18 persone del luogo consigliano
Pie Bar Ballard
2218 NW Market StThis is a great place to come and grab a slice of pie. I've come here on a couple occasions and have been happy with what I've ordered each time.
I tried the coconut cream pie the first time I was here, unlike the Tom Douglas coconut cream pie, this one is a little heavier and had a custard like texture to it, but the scoop of vanilla ice cream helped cut down the coconut.
I've also tried the banana cream pie which was much lighter. You even have the option of adding chopped peanuts with chocolate drizzle on it. I liked the light and airy texture of this pie it wasn't over powering with banana flavor too which is nice.
The bar itself feels like a log cabin with the cozy, warm interior, I personally find it odd that they use the three TV screens to show a fire...
You can also buy the pie at the walk up window which is like $1 or $2 cheaper than eating in the bar itself. And it still comes with a scoop of ice cream! Same portion, just cheaper. Overall, a great place to grab a slice of pie, I will definitely come back again.
They have an amazing selection of 8-10 chowders here, my personal favorite has got to be their seafood chowder. The chowder here is rich but has a nice balance of cream and generous amounts of seafood in it. There's a reason why they've won the best chowder award year after year.
The line may look intimidating when you first get there, but it ends up moving quite fast. However, if you don't want to wait in line, just go over to their stall on the top floor of Pacific Place next to the Din Tai Fung. Seating here isn't too hard to find as they don't let you reserve seating, however on a nice day, you're better off just standing and eating.
I personally just skip the bread bowl and get the 4 sampler bowls. That way you get to try a little bit of everything since there's all you can eat bread on top of the spoons and forks. On rainy days they also give you a free poncho for every meal ordered which is really nice of them.
If you check in on yelp they also offer $1 off your sampler plate too!
2310 persone del luogo consigliano
Pike Place Market
1531 Western AveThey have an amazing selection of 8-10 chowders here, my personal favorite has got to be their seafood chowder. The chowder here is rich but has a nice balance of cream and generous amounts of seafood in it. There's a reason why they've won the best chowder award year after year.
The line may look intimidating when you first get there, but it ends up moving quite fast. However, if you don't want to wait in line, just go over to their stall on the top floor of Pacific Place next to the Din Tai Fung. Seating here isn't too hard to find as they don't let you reserve seating, however on a nice day, you're better off just standing and eating.
I personally just skip the bread bowl and get the 4 sampler bowls. That way you get to try a little bit of everything since there's all you can eat bread on top of the spoons and forks. On rainy days they also give you a free poncho for every meal ordered which is really nice of them.
If you check in on yelp they also offer $1 off your sampler plate too!
Seattle is known for the rain and gloomy weather dampening even the brightest spirits in the relentless rain. Autumn Martin's Hot Cakes Molten Lava Cakery provides a perfect outlet that can cure any rainy day.
I've been here several times since August 2013 and I love it! The cafe is tucked along a cute boulevard of restaurants and cafes in the Ballard neighborhood. Upon entering, warm smooth wooden benches and long tables invite you into the cafe.
The menu covers the classics to the inventive baking everything from chocolate chip cookies, to s'mores and the delectable molten lava cake. They even have boozey milkshakes, butterbeer, and drinking chocolate!
My all time favorite is their dark decadence molten lava cake and the name doesn't lie, it is deliciously sweet, rich, and heavy saturated with cacao, cream and sugar. It really hits the spot on a cold winter evening. I always replace the vanilla ice cream with their coconut ice cream, I find the light creamy notes of coconut more complimentary to the sinfully dark chocolate, but this is just a personal preference. For every bite of the dark decadence you'll want to take another two bites of ice cream to offset the richness of cake
Autumn Martin's Hot Cakes has provided a perfect cure for the Seattle winter blues.
98 persone del luogo consigliano
Hot Cakes - Molten Chocolate Cakery
5427 Ballard Ave NWSeattle is known for the rain and gloomy weather dampening even the brightest spirits in the relentless rain. Autumn Martin's Hot Cakes Molten Lava Cakery provides a perfect outlet that can cure any rainy day.
I've been here several times since August 2013 and I love it! The cafe is tucked along a cute boulevard of restaurants and cafes in the Ballard neighborhood. Upon entering, warm smooth wooden benches and long tables invite you into the cafe.
The menu covers the classics to the inventive baking everything from chocolate chip cookies, to s'mores and the delectable molten lava cake. They even have boozey milkshakes, butterbeer, and drinking chocolate!
My all time favorite is their dark decadence molten lava cake and the name doesn't lie, it is deliciously sweet, rich, and heavy saturated with cacao, cream and sugar. It really hits the spot on a cold winter evening. I always replace the vanilla ice cream with their coconut ice cream, I find the light creamy notes of coconut more complimentary to the sinfully dark chocolate, but this is just a personal preference. For every bite of the dark decadence you'll want to take another two bites of ice cream to offset the richness of cake
Autumn Martin's Hot Cakes has provided a perfect cure for the Seattle winter blues.
Amazing little French bakery tucked inside the Centennial Tower with a great selection of French viennoiseries, sweets, and goods. My personal favorites are the kougin amann and chausson aux pommes. The kougin amanns have a crunchy exterior shell from the caramelized sugar and salt enclosing the sandwiched layers of butter and dough inside giving this pastry a chewy yet fluffy texture in the middle. My other go to pastry is the chausson aux pommes a flakey pastry crust exterior filled with an apple sauce filling, the French cousin to the apple turnover. It makes a great breakfast or mid-afternoon snack.
If you're looking for something sweet, La Parisienne makes large macarons with fresh raspberries and patisserie cream tucked inside the shells and aged for a day to have that signature crunch and chew to them. They also have a fair selection of sandwiches and salads here too.
For drinks they offer fresh squeezed orange juice or coffee from Cafe D'arte which is a nice break from Starbucks or Uptown.
The best time to visit this bakery is earlier in the day around 9:30am-11:30am after the breakfast morning traffic and before lunch. The pastry shelf is usually empty by 2:00pm. The employees are really friendly, taking time to ask you about your day while grabbing your pastries. However, this bakery has notoriously slow service sometimes taking 5-10 minutes to purchase a pastry when there's only one person ahead of you.
35 persone del luogo consigliano
La Parisienne French Bakery
2507 4th AveAmazing little French bakery tucked inside the Centennial Tower with a great selection of French viennoiseries, sweets, and goods. My personal favorites are the kougin amann and chausson aux pommes. The kougin amanns have a crunchy exterior shell from the caramelized sugar and salt enclosing the sandwiched layers of butter and dough inside giving this pastry a chewy yet fluffy texture in the middle. My other go to pastry is the chausson aux pommes a flakey pastry crust exterior filled with an apple sauce filling, the French cousin to the apple turnover. It makes a great breakfast or mid-afternoon snack.
If you're looking for something sweet, La Parisienne makes large macarons with fresh raspberries and patisserie cream tucked inside the shells and aged for a day to have that signature crunch and chew to them. They also have a fair selection of sandwiches and salads here too.
For drinks they offer fresh squeezed orange juice or coffee from Cafe D'arte which is a nice break from Starbucks or Uptown.
The best time to visit this bakery is earlier in the day around 9:30am-11:30am after the breakfast morning traffic and before lunch. The pastry shelf is usually empty by 2:00pm. The employees are really friendly, taking time to ask you about your day while grabbing your pastries. However, this bakery has notoriously slow service sometimes taking 5-10 minutes to purchase a pastry when there's only one person ahead of you.
Sightseeing
I found this museum while perusing Google maps and it was a great find!
Pre-pandemic this museum was open once a month between 10am-2pm on the second Saturday of each month. There are free guided tours (please bring cash to tip the volunteers) at 11am and 1pm. You are free to explore the museum on your own, but the tour is highly recommended given how knowledgable the volunteers are!
Built in 1906, this historical landmark showcases the giant turbines and allows you to explore what once powered the City of Seattle and its transportation system. This is a great way to spend a couple hours off the beaten path. Great place to take photos as well!
Georgetown Steam Plant Museum
6605 13th Ave SI found this museum while perusing Google maps and it was a great find!
Pre-pandemic this museum was open once a month between 10am-2pm on the second Saturday of each month. There are free guided tours (please bring cash to tip the volunteers) at 11am and 1pm. You are free to explore the museum on your own, but the tour is highly recommended given how knowledgable the volunteers are!
Built in 1906, this historical landmark showcases the giant turbines and allows you to explore what once powered the City of Seattle and its transportation system. This is a great way to spend a couple hours off the beaten path. Great place to take photos as well!
Anyone who listens to the 98.1 King FM classical music channel in Seattle has probably heard of the Compline Choir singing on Sunday evenings. The music is very pretty but I decided to go see them in person last night.
The service starts at 9:30 and the cathedral fills up relatively quickly with people from all sorts of faiths and walks of life. You'll see people dressed up, but others in sweat pants. Some people also carry blankets and pillows to sit on the ground. I am by no means religious but the music sung by the Compline Choir ignores all boundaries and really embraces the message of "All are welcome".
If you aren't able to make it to the Compline Choir they do post their weekly podcast so you can listen here:
complinepodcast.org
Try coming around 9:15 to insure that you get a parking space if driving. The cathedral itself is very open with high ceilings and very warm in the summer, I'm sure it gets colder in the winter. The service itself is only 30 minutes but you leave feeling very relaxed. A wonderful way to reset from the weekend and rest up before the work week. I look forward to incorporating this into my weekly schedule.
13 persone del luogo consigliano
Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral
1245 10th Ave EAnyone who listens to the 98.1 King FM classical music channel in Seattle has probably heard of the Compline Choir singing on Sunday evenings. The music is very pretty but I decided to go see them in person last night.
The service starts at 9:30 and the cathedral fills up relatively quickly with people from all sorts of faiths and walks of life. You'll see people dressed up, but others in sweat pants. Some people also carry blankets and pillows to sit on the ground. I am by no means religious but the music sung by the Compline Choir ignores all boundaries and really embraces the message of "All are welcome".
If you aren't able to make it to the Compline Choir they do post their weekly podcast so you can listen here:
complinepodcast.org
Try coming around 9:15 to insure that you get a parking space if driving. The cathedral itself is very open with high ceilings and very warm in the summer, I'm sure it gets colder in the winter. The service itself is only 30 minutes but you leave feeling very relaxed. A wonderful way to reset from the weekend and rest up before the work week. I look forward to incorporating this into my weekly schedule.
Theo's Chocolate factory is one of Seattle's best attractions. I love bringing my guests from out of town here. Personally I've been on this tour six times now since August 2010. For $10 you get an educational culinary journey showcasing the cacao bean's transformation into the delicious chocolate we've come to love.
The tour begins in the back of the factory where the tour guide explains the history and process of growing the cacao plant, its fermentation, and processing the beans to chocolate. You'll get to taste about four to five of their chocolate bars- my favorite bar is the salted almond milk chocolate, which has small bits of almond embedded into their milk chocolate and speckled with salt- a nice balance between sweet and savory.
Once the presentation is done, the tour will transition into the actual factory where you actually get to see the chocolate being made (the machines only run during the weekdays, which are the best time to go). Each machine's function will be explained in full detail. You'll even get to taste a bit of the cacao nibs after the beans are roasted. They have a sweet bitter taste to them similar to that of a dark roast coffee bean.
The final part of the tour leads you into their kitchen where Willy Wonka's creative juices come to life. You'll learn about how truffles, caramels, and other specialty sweets are made. They have a couple larger chocolate statues showcased in this room (Chocolate Buddah, Chocolate Fremonster, Chocolate Santa, etc). You'll even get to taste a couple of their speciality truffles made in this same room! My favorite was one they had during October 2013 a celery root chocolate, it had a nice savory caramel taste to it which balanced the sweetness of the chocolate. I'm really sad they don't make this one anymore.
Since the last time I was here during February 2015, at the end of the tour you get to choose between a milk chocolate bar or a dark chocolate bar to take home as part of your tour package. It was a really nice touch!
I always end up picking up the specialty truffles from the gift shop afterwards since the factory is the only place you can get them. There are samples of all their chocolate bars scattered throughout the room so feel free to sample as much as you want to help narrow down your decision when purchasing their chocolate bars.
Theo's Chocolate factory tour provides an amazing educational culinary experience that's worth attending whether you're a local or tourist. Come ready to learn and eat chocolate to your heart's content.
201 persone del luogo consigliano
Theo Chocolate
3400 Phinney Ave NTheo's Chocolate factory is one of Seattle's best attractions. I love bringing my guests from out of town here. Personally I've been on this tour six times now since August 2010. For $10 you get an educational culinary journey showcasing the cacao bean's transformation into the delicious chocolate we've come to love.
The tour begins in the back of the factory where the tour guide explains the history and process of growing the cacao plant, its fermentation, and processing the beans to chocolate. You'll get to taste about four to five of their chocolate bars- my favorite bar is the salted almond milk chocolate, which has small bits of almond embedded into their milk chocolate and speckled with salt- a nice balance between sweet and savory.
Once the presentation is done, the tour will transition into the actual factory where you actually get to see the chocolate being made (the machines only run during the weekdays, which are the best time to go). Each machine's function will be explained in full detail. You'll even get to taste a bit of the cacao nibs after the beans are roasted. They have a sweet bitter taste to them similar to that of a dark roast coffee bean.
The final part of the tour leads you into their kitchen where Willy Wonka's creative juices come to life. You'll learn about how truffles, caramels, and other specialty sweets are made. They have a couple larger chocolate statues showcased in this room (Chocolate Buddah, Chocolate Fremonster, Chocolate Santa, etc). You'll even get to taste a couple of their speciality truffles made in this same room! My favorite was one they had during October 2013 a celery root chocolate, it had a nice savory caramel taste to it which balanced the sweetness of the chocolate. I'm really sad they don't make this one anymore.
Since the last time I was here during February 2015, at the end of the tour you get to choose between a milk chocolate bar or a dark chocolate bar to take home as part of your tour package. It was a really nice touch!
I always end up picking up the specialty truffles from the gift shop afterwards since the factory is the only place you can get them. There are samples of all their chocolate bars scattered throughout the room so feel free to sample as much as you want to help narrow down your decision when purchasing their chocolate bars.
Theo's Chocolate factory tour provides an amazing educational culinary experience that's worth attending whether you're a local or tourist. Come ready to learn and eat chocolate to your heart's content.