food in seattle

[whiteduv65]

Are there any pacific northwest chain restaurants in seattle area like In and out in california

[Urban trekker]

Ivar`s fish and chips is one that comes to mind.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Casagordita]

Are there any pacific northwest chain restaurants in seattle area like In and out in california

 

 

That's got to be Dick's!! Definitely the closest to In and Out--cheap and simple burgers (the meat is never frozen), fresh-cut fries made from actual potatoes, hand-dipped shakes. To get the full Dick's experience (and especially to appreciate the hardcore Dick's crowd), you'd probably need to go late at night and kind of drunk, but they're just fine in the daytime and sober. The nearest one to downtown is on Broadway on Capitol Hill.

 

Dick's Drive-Ins

[Gardyloo]

If we're talking burgers, then another couple of local (and quite small) chains are Kidd Valley (really quite good) and Burgermaster, the latter of which has a couple of drive-ins with car service. One, located just off SR520 in Bellevue, was frequented by a certain Gates chap (and apparently still is, but much more rarely). Neither Kidd Valley nor Burgermaster have stores in the downtown area.

 

Red Robin is now a national chain that started in a single restaurant near the University of Washington; there are a couple of RR stores downtown.

 

Oh, and there's this Starbucks outfit you might have heard of.

 

Otherwise Seattle really isn't that much of a chain restaurant city, which doesn't make too many of us weep.

[Casagordita]

Yet another small, local burger chain is Red Mill. They're a step up from Dicks and Kidd Valley, cheap but not quite so much, and a lot of people think their burgers are among the best. They just opened a new location across from the entrance to the Ballard Locks, in what used to be the Totem House fish & chips stand--so if you're visiting the locks and the fish ladders, you can easily combine it with a Red Mill burger. There are two other locations--one about ten blocks from the Woodland Park Zoo, and the other in Interbay, not so very far (although not really walking distance, unless you really like to walk) from the Pier 91 cruise terminal.

[TheCalicoCat]

How bout the opposite - near Amtrak or Pikes Market. (Hoping for fresh fish - maybe fish & chips - the awesome variety, not chain.) We will probably only have 4 to 5 hours in Seattle... (My husband chose the evening train to Vancouver, just in case!)

[Casagordita]

How bout the opposite - near Amtrak or Pikes Market. (Hoping for fresh fish - maybe fish & chips - the awesome variety, not chain.) We will probably only have 4 to 5 hours in Seattle... (My husband chose the evening train to Vancouver, just in case!)

 

You could do worse for fish and chips than Ivar's, which Urban trekker mentioned above. There's one on the waterfront, along Alaska Way which has both a walk-up fast food side and a sit-down restaurant (where you'll find a higher-end seafood menu as well). The view of Elliott Bay is great. It would be an easy walk from Amtrak. Ivar's is kind of a Seattle institution.

 

Inside Pike Place Market is the Market Grill, a little lunch counter with a handful of stools right on the main arcade. You have to wait and hover and grab a stool when one opens up (service is fast so that can be surprisingly quick), or else take your food to go. They just do grilled fish sandwiches and chowder, but they're both great, very fresh. You get the added bonus of a ringside seat to the madness that is Pike Place Market at high tourist season--not bad entertainment while you eat. VERY Seattle.

 

If you're an oyster fan, Emmet Watson's Oyster Bar is another good place. They have other things on the menu, but the fresh oysters are the star. They're also in the Market.

 

Another great seafood choice in that vicinity would be Etta's Seafood Kitchen, at the north end of the Market. It's a Tom Douglas restaurant--very good, not cheap. You might want to call ahead for a reservation during cruise season, even in the middle of the day--it's very popular.

[Gardyloo]

How bout the opposite - near Amtrak...

A couple of blocks from the King Street Station (maybe a 5 min. walk) is the fantastic Uwajimaya Asian grocery/department store - http://www.uwajimaya.com/locations.html#seattle

 

Uwajimaya has become a tourist attraction in itself - amazing selection of foods (including some great Japanese snacks and candy with remarkably strange labels) as well as gifts, housewares, etc. The store has by far the best fish selection in town - way beyond what you'll find at the Pike market - as well as a great produce section, home of many weird and wonderful things not found in most Piggly Wigglys. Browse away and you'll have a ball.

 

But best, there's a great pan-Asian food court with stalls selling Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Philippine, Hawaiian... food, with shared tables in the middle. It's cheap, the food is always excellent, and it's really fun. It closes at 5 or 6, so perfect before an Amtrak ride.

[TheCalicoCat]

you could do worse for fish and chips than ivar's, which urban trekker mentioned above. There's one on the waterfront, along alaska way which has both a walk-up fast food side and a sit-down restaurant (where you'll find a higher-end seafood menu as well). The view of elliott bay is great. It would be an easy walk from amtrak. Ivar's is kind of a seattle institution.

 

Inside pike place market is the market grill, a little lunch counter with a handful of stools right on the main arcade. You have to wait and hover and grab a stool when one opens up (service is fast so that can be surprisingly quick), or else take your food to go. They just do grilled fish sandwiches and chowder, but they're both great, very fresh. You get the added bonus of a ringside seat to the madness that is pike place market at high tourist season--not bad entertainment while you eat. Very seattle.

 

If you're an oyster fan, emmet watson's oyster bar is another good place. They have other things on the menu, but the fresh oysters are the star. They're also in the market.

 

Another great seafood choice in that vicinity would be etta's seafood kitchen, at the north end of the market. It's a tom douglas restaurant--very good, not cheap. You might want to call ahead for a reservation during cruise season, even in the middle of the day--it's very popular.

 

thanks!

[TheCalicoCat]

A couple of blocks from the King Street Station (maybe a 5 min. walk) is the fantastic Uwajimaya Asian grocery/department store - http://www.uwajimaya.com/locations.html#seattle

 

Uwajimaya has become a tourist attraction in itself - amazing selection of foods (including some great Japanese snacks and candy with remarkably strange labels) as well as gifts, housewares, etc. The store has by far the best fish selection in town - way beyond what you'll find at the Pike market - as well as a great produce section, home of many weird and wonderful things not found in most Piggly Wigglys. Browse away and you'll have a ball.

 

But best, there's a great pan-Asian food court with stalls selling Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Philippine, Hawaiian... food, with shared tables in the middle. It's cheap, the food is always excellent, and it's really fun. It closes at 5 or 6, so perfect before an Amtrak ride.

 

Now that is tempting. Just one question: King Street Station = Amtrak? (We are getting off the "light rail" at International to get to the Amtrak...) I love LOVE LoVe lOvE sushi!

[Gardyloo]

Now that is tempting. Just one question: King Street Station = Amtrak? (We are getting off the "light rail" at International to get to the Amtrak...) I love LOVE LoVe lOvE sushi!

Sorry, yes - King Street Station is where Amtrak departs. The International District light rail station is about a block from the Amtrak entrance. You can store your bags at the (Amtrak) station, then walk to Uwajimaya, or, if time permits, you can take a free city bus up to the Pike Market, or the no. 99 bus (also free) which runs along the central waterfront, past several seafood restaurants (including Ivar's) as well as the aquarium, a couple of marvelous waterfront parks, and the "hillclimb" stairs (and nearby elevator) to get up to the Pike Market, which sits on a bluff above the waterfront.

[DDMau]

That's got to be Dick's!! Definitely the closest to In and Out--cheap and simple burgers (the meat is never frozen), fresh-cut fries made from actual potatoes, hand-dipped shakes. To get the full Dick's experience (and especially to appreciate the hardcore Dick's crowd), you'd probably need to go late at night and kind of drunk, but they're just fine in the daytime and sober. The nearest one to downtown is on Broadway on Capitol Hill.

 

Dick's Drive-Ins

 

[whiteduv65]

thanks for the ideas

[Putterdude]

I didn't realize that Dick's was still around. If I recall correctly they had a store in Bellingham....long since closed and remember the 19 cent hamburger. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

[mapleleaves]

There's a Dick's near the Seattle Center, lower Queen Anne that can be a handy location.

Our out of town guests always want Ivar's. We like Ivar's Salmon House at the north end of Lake Union for a sit down restaurant.

[Casagordita]

I didn't realize that Dick's was still around. If I recall correctly they had a store in Bellingham....long since closed and remember the 19 cent hamburger. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

 

 

Nope, no Bellingham Dick's. They've never expanded beyond greater Seattle. The only store they ever closed was one in Bellevue, and the one they just opened in Edmonds is the first new one since 1974.

 

I actually interviewed Dick, years ago, for a class project. Lovely man, very generous with his time, and truly inspiring in the values behind the way he operates. His story was remarkably close to Ray Kroc's, up to a point--but when it came time to decide whether to franchise and expand beyond the local area, he and his partners decided not to. They figured that they could make enough money with a local chain, and still have time for their families. So Dick's stayed local, and McDonald's...well, you know. What a concept--enough money!! ;)

[Putterdude]

Nope, no Bellingham Dick's. They've never expanded beyond greater Seattle. The only store they ever closed was one in Bellevue, and the one they just opened in Edmonds is the first new one since 1974.

 

 

Yep, there was a Dick's in Bellingham in fact there may have been more than one. I am going back to the late 50's on this, as I recall it was on Northwest Ave. Now it may have not been associated with the Dick's of Seattle much like the Dick's Drive-In that operates in Spokane.

[Gardyloo]

Taken by my wife on a visit to some public health project sites in western Kenya the year before last. (This was in a village on Lake Victoria not far from where President Obama's grandmother lives.) The man didn't remember where he got the T-shirt, but said it didn't come with fries...

 

[Niele da Kine]

Seafood Bisque in a bread bowl. Even the oyster crackers are superb here:

http://www.pikeplacechowder.com/ They are at Pike's Place Market in the part that is sort of in the middle and across the alley. Just ask for "the chowder place" at Pike's Market, they'll point you the way.

[Putterdude]

Seafood Bisque in a bread bowl. Even the oyster crackers are superb here:

http://www.pikeplacechowder.com/ They are at Pike's Place Market in the part that is sort of in the middle and across the alley. Just ask for "the chowder place" at Pike's Market, they'll point you the way.

 

Wow, all the time I have spent in Seattle I have never heard of this place, must have even walked by it in May but it is now definitely on my "to-do" list for the next time we are in Seattle. Thanks!

[Casagordita]

Wow, all the time I have spent in Seattle I have never heard of this place, must have even walked by it in May but it is now definitely on my "to-do" list for the next time we are in Seattle. Thanks!

 

They're tucked away back in Post Alley, next to the Made in Washington store. The chowder has won national awards, and the crab and shrimp rolls are good, too. Definitely worth a stop!

[SelectSys]

A somewhat recent comparison of Dick's and In-N-Out:

http://satisfythecraving.com/2010/09/29/in-n-out-burger-versus-dicks-drive-in/

 

Dick's is probably the closest comparison to In-N-Out in terms of a limited, burger-centric menu. However, Dick's still is mostly old school in terms of just a stand and no sit down dining - except if memory serves me correctly in the local close to the Seattle Center. Also, as the link above reports - no special menu at Dick's.

 

I think Dick's and the Burgermaster where the first fast food locations I ever went to as a kid.