If you want great pizza, go to New York. Great shrimp and grits, then you should take a trip to Charleston. If you’re looking for Italian, Boston’s North End has some incredible bites.
But what famous foods is Seattle known for? The article below will dive deep into what food Seattle is known for. From Seattle dogs to flying salmon, you’ll know exactly the food you need to try in Seattle!
15 Famous Foods Seattle is Known For
Here’s a list of the famous foods Seattle is known for:
- Salmon
- Oysters
- Northwest Omakasse
- The Seattle Dog
- Dick’s Burgers
- Coffee
- Teriyaki
- Craft Beer
- Hom Bows
- Geoduck
- Mussels
- Cuban Sandwiches
- Mac and Cheese
- Crisp Beef Burrito
- Dungeness Crab
1. Salmon
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Pike Place Fish Market
Flip on any football game in Seattle and you’re going to see some B-Roll on the broadcast of salmon being thrown around Pike Place Market. Being on the Pacific Coast, Seattle is in an enviable position when it comes to seafood in general.
The seafood that comes into the city is some of the best in the world. Our recommendation for the best fresh salmon would be the Pike Place Fish Market. That’s the location where you see the famous fish thrown on TV. If you want excellent salmon in restaurants we’d recommend Elliott’s Oyster House on the waterfront, or if you want a view of downtown Seattle you could try Salty’s. It’s an iconic Seattle restaurant that has some of the best views of the city you’ll find.
2. Oysters
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Walrus and Carpenter
Seafood will be a common item on this list. That’s because Seattle is located on a sound that has dozens of narrow inlets that are ideal spots for cultivating shellfish and other delicious items from the sea.
Seattle oysters are robust. When I invite people from the East Coast, they’re often astonished at the size of the local oysters around Seattle. However, not all oyster joints in town are created equal (you have to be picky with seafood!), so here are a couple of our favorites:
- Walrus and Carpenter: We named this one of our “Michelin Star-Worthy Restaurants in Seattle” for a reason. It’s awesome. Anthony Bourdain stopped by here and local chefs like Tom Douglass adore it. Simply put: it has excellent local seafood and oysters are a house specialty.
- Taylor Shellfish Farms: If you’re feeling truly adventurous, you can visit Taylor Shellfish Farms about 60 miles north of Seattle. If you’re less adventurous you can visit their location in Pioneer Square. The Pioneer Square location is charming and historic, and you’ll be able to enjoy some of the best local oysters. It’s the perfect place to stop by before a Mariners or Seahawks game.
3. Northwest Omakasse
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Shiro’s Sushi
Being so close to the sea, it’s no surprise that Seattle has some excellent sushi. However, not all sushi joints in the city embrace “Northwest Ingredients” on an equal level.
The most iconic sushi chef in Seattle is Shiro Kashiba. He started with Shiro’s Sushi in Belltown, but today has an incredible restaurant in Pike Place Market named Sushi Kashiba which is one of the best sushi restaurants in the United States.
One thing that makes Sushi Kashiba stand out is that it has a heavy focus on northwest ingredients. The menu changes with available ingredients, but don’t be surprised if you find Northwest ingredients like geoduck on your plate.
Our recommendation for Northwest omakasse is Shiro’s, as it’s a cheaper option. However, if you’re going for the full Northwest sushi experience and are willing to spend more money, we recommend dining at Sushi Kashiba. Just keep in mind, there are no reservations for its chef’s counter so you’ll need to be prepared to line up a couple of hours before opening to assure your spot!
4. Seattle Dog
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Monster Dogs
It’s kind of weird that Seattle has its own style of hot dog, right? After all, you’d expect hot dogs to be associated with grittier cities, or from Midwest cities like Chicago.
And yet, the Seattle dog is one of Seattle’s most famous foods. The quintessential ingredient in a Seattle dog is cream cheese. You plunk down a hot dog, slather cream cheese across the sides of the buns, and then top it with grilled onions, extras like jalapenos, and you’ve got a Seattle dog.
As someone whose eaten approximately 50 Seattle dogs after leaving concerts in Capitol Hill and bars in Pioneer Square, I can attest that they’re delicious. If you’re looking to try a Seattle dog without hitting late-night street vendors, grab one before a Seattle Mariners game. Numerous vendors around the stadium serve them.
5. Dick’s Burgers
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Dick’s Drive-In (See locations here)
California has In-N-Out, Texas has Whataburger, and the Midwest has Culver’s.
Across the United States, you’ll find regional burger chains that are beloved icons. In Seattle, the favorite is Dick’s Drive-In. The menu at Dick’s is spartan. There are burgers (ranging from their double patty deluxe down to hamburgers), fries, and shakes.
And, that’s pretty much the entire menu! However, every burger at Dick’s is made with the highest-quality ingredients and they’re legitimately great. Our recommendation: if you’ve got a car, try the Wallingford location. It’s located close to the University of Washington and on a weekend night can be extremely entertaining!
6. Coffee
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: The original Starbucks
In the 1950s Seattle gained the nickname “Jet City” as Boeing drove the local economy. Today, the economy is driven by another force, and that’s coffee.
Starbucks’ first store opened in Seattle in 1971. Today, the coffee company has its headquarters in the city. If you go to a Mariners game south of downtown, you’ll likely see the iconic Mermaid logo adorning the top of one of the largest buildings in the area.
Beyond Starbucks, Seattle is rich in independent coffee shops. Redfin estimates that there’s one coffee shop per 843 people in the city! If you’re looking for some of the best, make sure to check out our full review of the best under-the-radar coffee shops in the city.
7. Teriyaki
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Toshi’s Teriyaki in Mill Creek
Teriyaki is one of Seattle’s most iconic comfort foods. Across the city and suburbs, it’s hard to be far from teriyaki restaurants that are generally 1.) pretty affordable and 2.) deliver food that’s comforting and delicious.
The city’s teriyaki scene is thanks to one pioneer: Toshi Kasahara. In 1976, he opened the first teriyaki restaurant in the city. In the decades that followed, its popularity boomed. Today, there are hundreds of teriyaki restaurants across the region with many in strip malls that are local favorites for families across the area.
It’s safe to say, there are more teriyaki restaurants in Seattle than you’ll find in any other US city!
8. Craft Beer
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Georgetown Brewery
At this point, it’s harder to find a city without craft beer than with it. Yet, Seattle was one of the early pioneers in the space. The first craft brewery in the area opened in 1982.
Early pioneers included Hale’s Ales, Pyramid Brewing, Red Hook, and Pike Brewing. Today, there’s been an incredible amount of turnover in local brewers. Many of the original local icons are gone, but new breweries continue taking their place. A personal favorite is heading down to Georgetown Brewing for a tour. Their Manny’s Pale Ale is delicious and an iconic Seattle beer.
9. Hom Bows
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Me Sum Bakery
A hom bow is a roll that’s filled with meat and other fillings like vegetables. They’re popular across the Seattle area, but aren’t a food you’ll find in most major cities.
Hom bows can be steamed or baked, but my personal favorite is the baked BBQ pork bun. The place that makes the best BBQ hom bows in the area is definitely Mee Sum Pasty, which is a small storefront in Pike Place Market.
A stop by Mee Sum should be on any list of food to try at Pike Place Market. Each hom bow is cheap, and there are a variety of flavors beyond BBQ pork that include curry and vegetarian options like coconut.
10. Geoduck
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Taylor Shellfish
Look, if you take one look at geoducks and decide they’re not for you, I get it. They’re a bizarre-looking clam that happens to be abundant across Puget Sound waters. The most notable feature of the geoduck is its large “siphon” which protrudes from its shell and helps the geoduck burrow.
Geoducks are an extremely popular dish in Asia, but many restaurants in the Northwest are beginning to embrace them. You’ll often find them at both Shiro’s Sushi and Sushi Kashiba. The clam can be sliced as sashimi and packs an incredible amount of flavor. Another option to try geoducks is at seafood restaurants. Taylor Shellfish is an excellent option and normally keeps a variety of dishes with geoduck on its menu.
11. Mussels
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Coupeville, WA (Try Toby’s Tavern or Front Street Grill)
Ready to take a little drive from Seattle? A short ferry ride from the city will take you to Whidbey Island, where you can stop in the town of Coupeville.
Coupeville isn’t a large town, but it’s the home of Penn Cove Shellfish, which farms some of the best-tasting mussels you’ll ever eat. Waterfront restaurants like Front Street Grill and Toby’s Tavern have sprung up to serve fresh mussels from Penn Cove as close to the source as possible.
Trust me when I say, the mussels from these restaurants are worth the trip. Beyond just incredible food, Coupeville is also a beautiful setting. You’ll be able to dine on fresh pots of mussels while staring at incredibly lush views of Camano Island and the snow-capped Cascade Mountains.
12. Cuban Sandwiches
Bet you didn’t expect Cuban sandwiches to make this list! After all, Seattle is as far away as you can get from Havana (or Miami) in the United States.
Yet, one of the quintessential restaurants in the city is named Paseo, which serves a number of delicious Caribbean sandwiches. In 2014, the store abruptly closed and declared bankruptcy in a move that shocked local diners. Paseo was purchased by new owners which led to a dispute where the original owners’ sons set up a competing restaurant named Un Bien.
The result of this rivalry? Simply put: there are a lot more great places to buy Cuban sandwiches around the city now! Un Bien maintains two locations (Ballard and Shilshole) while Paseo has locations in Fremont and near the stadiums in SoDo. It’s even expanded into the suburbs with a store in Issaquah.
13. Mac and Cheese
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Beecher’s Cheese in Pike Place
Once again, one of the iconic Seattle foods comes from Pike Place Market. Beecher’s Cheese opened in Pike Place Market in 2003 and was instantly a hit. The store produced incredibly rich cheese on-site and lines began forming around the corner to get a taste of their mac and cheese.
If you pop into Beecher’s original location in Pike Place, you’ll have the option of either getting it plain or with smoked salmon (it is Seattle after all). You can also get sandwiches with Beecher’s famous cheese, but the star of the show is trying the mac and cheese.
If you don’t get a chance to try Beecher’s in Pike Place and are flying out of town, Beecher’s Cafes are now open in both SeaTac Airport and Paine Field.
14. Crisp Beef Burrito
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Any Taco Time Northwest location
The crisp beef burrito is weird. It comes from the local chain Taco Time Northwest, which is the same name as “Taco Times” you’ll see in other states but run by an entirely different company. The store serves Mexican food that’s heavily Americanized. There’s ranch on burritos, meals come with tater tots, and their iconic menu item is a deep-fried tortilla that’s filled with beef and cheddar cheese.
Like I said, it’s weird. And yet, it’s beloved. Taco Time Northwest sits alongside Dick’s Drive-In as Seattle’s favorite “native fast food” chain. If you head to a Taco Time around Seattle, you’ll find they take much more care with ingredients versus competing options like Taco Bell (or Taco Times operated outside Western Washington). Beyond the crisp beef burrito, other options I’m a fan of include the Baja fish tacos and the habanero soft burrito.
15. Dungeness Crab
- Best Place to Buy This Famous Food: Ray’s Boathouse
Every summer, I spend a week catching Dungeness crabs off Camano Island (see the picture above, you can catch an incredible amount of crabs in the waters near Seattle!). It’s the best week of the year.
If you’ve tried smaller crabs like the East Coast’s variety of blue crabs, you’re in for a real treat with local Dungeness crabs. The sections of meat from their legs are large and extremely flavorful. Best of all, many of Seattle’s best seafood restaurants have freshly caught Dungeness crab that’s as good as any you’ll taste in the world.
One recommendation, try some Dungeness crab itself as an entree. Then don’t skip on the inventive ways Dungeness is used in appetizers and side dishes at many of Seattle’s best restaurants. A well-prepared Dungeness crab dip is the perfect way to start off a seafood dinner in Seattle.
