Seattle is definitely the kind of place travelers want to spend time, especially in winter. The Pacific Northwest in general offers excellent relief from colder climates. It also helps that Seattle isn’t short on things to do at any time of year.
But the Emerald City is also a food town. Not surprisingly, Seattle is overflowing with great seafood joints but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. When you get off the plane, make sure you bring your appetite because it’s time to eat.
Jerk Shack in Seattle
Get your mind out of the gutter. The Jerk Shack is a Caribbean restaurant that brings those classic jerk flavors to a very different environment. It’s the kind of food that one bite is as good as a plane ticket to a much warmer climate.
The menu is simple, straightforward and absolutely perfect. Naturally, there are a lot of great jerk dishes, including Cuban Pork Belly. But the jerk seafood is also incredible as are the sides. The Tostones and the Spicy Caribbean collard greens should not be missed.
Off The Rez Cafe
Given the importance of Native American culture and history to the region, it’s surprising that there aren’t more eateries inspired by it. Fortunately, there’s Off the Rez, which is a food truck and a cafe. If you can’t track the truck, the cafe can be found on the University of Washington campus.
The truck and the cafe have similar menus, though the truck has fewer options. The breakfast menu has a delectable Sweet Frybread while the Braised Bison Indian Taco makes the perfect lunch. If you’re looking for a quick snack, you can’t go wrong with a piece of frybread.
Pike Place Chowder
While this will come as a surprise to absolutely no one, there are a lot of great places in Seattle to go for a great bowl of clam chowder. Pike Place Chowder is certainly a personal favorite among many chowder enthusiasts, both locals and tourists.
Pike Place Chowder has several different options to choose from as well as variety of seafood rolls. If you’re having trouble deciding, they will even do flights of four to eight different kinds of chowder, each one in a five ounce serving.
Serious TakeOut
This is excellent pizza, plain and simple. Serious TakeOut does pizza right, starting with dough that is hand-crafted through a multi-day process before it gets tossed in the oven. And it comes out perfectly cooked every time.
Sure, they have starters, salads and sandwiches. Heck, they even have a great lasagna. But you’re there for the pizza. Serious keeps it simple with seven pies on the menu, each one of them unique and delicious in their own special way.
La Carta de Oaxaca
Seattle has a surprising number of restaurants inspired countries and regions from across Latin America. One of the best Seattle has to offer is La Carta de Oaxaca. Located on Ballard Avenue, it has been bringing the tastes of Oaxaca, Mexico to the Pacific Northwest for years.
Everything on the menu is delicious, but the Tacos Al Pastor and the Tacos Carne Asada are particularly good. The Entomatadas, tortillas smothered in a red tomato sauce topped with cheese, crema mexicana, onions and served with skirt steak, are also a standout dish.