Learn more about Seattle / Washington's Food & Lifestyle

• Arts, Culture & Community
• Beverages
• Breads, Pastries & Chocolates
• Farm & Garden Dinners
• Farms, Farmers Markets, CSAs & Foragers
• Fish, Meat & Artisan Shops
• Food & Farm Organizations
• Food Blogs & Dining Guides
• Food Products
• Groceries & Co-ops
• Movable Food & Catering
• Sustainable Retail & Green Links

Seattle is now blessed with excellent produce and a gradually maturing restaurant scene; the food is getting better. Seattle is home to the Alaska fishing fleet and the Pike Place Market, so fresh fish is plentiful and many restaurants love to follow the fishing seasons. Preference for naturally pastured farm animals instead of meat from industrial feeding operations is a prominent trend among leading chefs. We count well over 50 restaurants in the area serving mostly “real food.” An increasingly discriminating public is demanding that most new places follow suit by launching with a strong local/natural profile. Farmers markets abound and real food can be found in virtually all grocery shops. Many shops and most co-ops follow a strict code of sound principles. A very active natural farming community, working cooperatively with chefs, deserves a lot of credit.

Unlike Portland, Seattle had not, until recently, been a city of restaurant neighborhoods. Downtown, the Pike Place Market area, and Capitol Hill have always had plenty of spots, but otherwise restaurants were scattered around town. As the food scene matures, restaurants have begun to converge on other neighborhood centers and we like it!

Clusters of good restaurants are moving into neighborhoods like Georgetown, Fremont, Ballard, and Queen Anne, creating livelier street scenes. Now, if they will just finish the transit system… Restaurants typically open at 17:00 (5 pm) and close at 22:00 (10 pm). An increasing number are switching to a more profitable wine bar/small plates format (Spanish tapas or Japanese izakaya style) and therefore open longer, some until midnight or even later.

Cost benchmarks for Seattle (cost of a typical meal, without beverage, tax or tip):

• $ = less than $10
• $$ = $10-18
• $$$ = $18-28
• $$$$ = $28-50
• $$$$$ = more than $50

• “cheap eats” (a CATEGORY AWARD): less than $10
• “cost below average” (a comment in the VALUES section of the RESTAURANT FEATURES table): less than $18
• “can be very expensive” (a comment in the VALUES section of the RESTAURANT FEATURES table): more than $75

Note that Seattle imposes a nearly 10% tax on all foods (prepared or unprepared) in addition to the costs detailed above. Tipping 15-20% is customary.