Pike Place is a vortex of food stands, restaurants, and bars. Here are the best places the market has to offer.
LessYou’re here for one reason and one reason only: quiche. The delicious quiches here come filled with Dungeness crab, comte cheese, and caramelized onion, and there’s always a daily-rotating vegetable one, too. You might want to forgo the side salad and do a pile of fries with aioli. And a glass of Champagne. And a crock of french onion soup. OK, that's a few reasons.
A crumpet is kind of like an english muffin with a bunch of holes in it. If you’ve never had one, let your first be from The Crumpet Shop. You can choose from sweet toppings like butter and fruit preserves, or savories like pesto and ricotta. There’s no wrong choice, unless you have trypophobia.
You’re going to need some caffeine to deal with the crowds posing for photos in front of strangers’ used chewing gum. Skip the commercial chaos at a certain coffee chain's "first" location (that isn't even actually the original one) and head to Ghost Alley instead for a quality macchiato that doesn't contain caramel drizzle by default. Here, you’ll find classic coffee drinks and more thrilling ones, like the “salty nut” latte with caramel, hazelnut, and applewood-smoked salt.
On the other end of the market is Anchorhead, which should be at the top of your list if you prefer your coffee on the rocks. Burnt honey, cinnamon, oat milk, and cold brew combine to create one of the most refreshing iced coffees in town. With a warm spiced kick, creamy oat milk, bracing cold brew, and caramelized sweetness, we could slurp that frosty creation all day.If you’re not feeling coffee but are still looking to wake the f*ck up, the pistachio matcha latte tastes superb on the rocks.
This Filipino counter serves the best lunch Downtown, let alone some of the best Filipino food in the city. Everything here is prepared by a woman who is quite kind despite some brash signage and the food is so good that we’d gladly brave the yogurt-gulping Ellenos fanatics around the bend. Oriental Mart serves excellent pork adobo over rice in braising liquid, lumpia wands whose crunch reminds us of a Butterfinger bar, and shiny red longanisa sausage that deserves its own long-form documentary.
This colorful counter serves a bunch of stupendous Mexican dishes with their freshly-ground corn masa at the forefront, from cheesy tamales and quesadillas to phenomenal sopes topped with things like stewed chicken, pickled onion, cotija, and crema. If you’ve been coerced into a trip down here to “be a tourist in your own city” by out-of-town guests, and you don’t want your lunch to have come from the ocean, Maíz makes for a perfect stop.
Maybe you’re not at the market to eat a full meal. Maybe you’re just there to stare at the waterfront and shop around. (Those ceramic mugs aren’t going to buy themselves.) If that’s the case, you’ll need a protein boost. Stop by Pike Place Nuts for a little paper bag full of tasty vanilla bean pistachios and cinnamon almonds. Keep them in your pocket and snack while you decide which Space Needle onesie you hate the least to gift to your cousin's baby who will outgrow it in a month.
Maybe you got elbowed by someone trying to snap a picture of the Pike Place Fish Market people throwing a halibut like a football for the 18th time today. Pull up a seat at the counter at Market Grill for some solace in the middle of all the chaos. Someone behind the grill will fire up your blackened salmon sandwich with rosemary mayo and ladle you some herby clam chowder (which is what to order).
This Italian restaurant founded by folks from Italy serves some of the best pasta you'll eat at a food court counter. The menu rotates based on which fresh ingredients they have from the “ocean,” “garden,” and “farm,” with things like rigatoni with lamb and juniper berry ragu or spaghettoni with kale pesto. Though, the real winner here is also the simplest—be sure to try the bright pomodoro topped with a glob of fresh burrata.
Know that this Russian stand is not a secret—a massive line starts to form just before lunchtime, so prepare to wait. Food-wise, there have savory pastries with fillings like smoked salmon pate or beef and cheese. But don’t overlook the sweet ones filled with chocolate and hazelnuts.