The last two times I’ve been to the market I’ve regretted spending my time fighting through literal throngs of people. The best eats there have such long lines that it’s just not worth the time. If you must, walk just outside and check out the crowds and the atmosphere. Just across the street, if the lines aren’t too bad, Beecher’s mac n cheese or a grilled cheese sammy is good eating, but just not worth waiting even an hour for.
If you choose to go, there are now many more local artisans in the “new” section. We also did stop by the pink door after we had a wine tasting at the excellent tasting room just across the alley from the famous unmarked pink door.
Yes, it can be kind of a nightmare when packed with tourists, and no, you don’t need to go to the “original” starbucks. But since OP will be here after Labor day, it won’t be as bad.
I would appreciate some feedback on the cocktails/drinks list. The ones that I’ve ticked off are bars we’d like to prioritize. Question marks are maybes. The others are backup. I struck Bathtub Gin & Co from the list because of the dumb name! (seriously, what’s with the & Co?? and why is a poseur craft cocktail lounge calling itself bathtub gin?)
Itinerary is prioritized by green text, dark yellow is maybe/time dependent. If I’m overlooking anything that you feel we ought to see/do as first-time visitors, please let me know!
I’ve also got a list of backup food options that looked pretty good which I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on, if only for future visits…
Thanks again for all of your help/tips/suggestions!
PS - my wife really likes the look of Stateside but we’ve got pretty solid Vietnamese around the Bay Area. Is it anything special; what about their sister bar? (I forget the name but it’s on the list)
Is a table for 4 at Walrus + Carpenter difficult to pull off? Interior photos on yelp seem to be mostly two-tops and counter seating. I guess it’s easy to push 2 together but I wonder what that’d mean for the wait time.
Also, is there typically a long queue for Barnacle bar next door; does a long wait at W+C generally mean the same for Barnacle, or is there more space to accommodate ppl inside the bar?
My wife’s friends (another couple) are meeting us for dinner either Fri or Sat night.
I’d prefer to do Le Pichet w/o them as the quaint bistro setting seems better suited to a date night.
I could always switch Le Pichet to Wed. night and Kedai Mekan to Sat. night, but then I wonder if the wait will be crazy long, since it’s walk-in only?
Another thing that could possibly be on your sightseeing list (from the perspective of another tourist) is a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island and back. Doesn’t take too long - about a 30 min trip each way, with nice views of Puget Sound and the Seattle skyline from the water. There are things to see and do on Bainbridge Island as well but when I went I just took the same ferry back.
Re: the lines at Pike Place market, specifically the one at Pike Place Chowder - I went on a weekend and indeed the line was quite long. It was even broken into two parts so as to not block a walkway. However, it moved pretty quickly as they are mostly just scooping out various soups from containers into bowls and such. This was kind of the case at Piroshky Piroshky as well, where the line was cordoned off and went into the street. The piroshky there are already made, and line moved fairly quickly IIRC.
I ate at Un Bien last weekend – was my best meal in Seattle. We went to the Shilshole location. I have braces on my teeth currently, so couldn’t have the “Press”, but my host did. I sawed off a couple of slices at her urging, and it tasted quite good. I had the roast pork with rice and pickled cabbage, with sides of caramelized onion and black beans. The pork was quite impressive and the onions were in long, thick strips. But the black beans were the surprise; deeply flavoured and complex. I’d return just for those, and to try the jerk. Seating is fixed benches at long fixed tables, some inside a sort of shack and some outside facing the road, so not the most comfortable. Pleasant service at the counter.
