Restaurants around SeaTac

[theriac]

I'm cruising in June out of Seattle and will be there 3 days before we sail. I'm planning on eating downtown, but if I'm around my hotel for dinner, don't want the hotel breakfast or go back to take a nap during the day, what are my options.

 

I'm right across the street from the airport entrance and have done a Google search but it's overwhelming so I'd like to get some suggestions. If I'm by the airport I'm ok with chili's type restaurants or some local flavor. Downtown I'd like to eat local and casual. I'm fine with whatever as long as its not like $100 per person as my dad and I would never want to eat somewhere like that. Also eating light would be preferred as we still have 7 days on a cruise ship after our time in Seattle and that never seems to be light eating.

 

Thanks in advance!

[VibeGuy]

Take a look at the bar food menu for Copperleaf, in the Cedarbrook Lodge, which is right behind the Doubletree.

 

http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/copperleaf_bar_food_menu.php

 

This is one of my favorite places in all of the Seattle area, despite being at what appears to be an airport hotel (it was once the executive conference center for WaMu and was disposed of by Chase). It is *incredibly* Seattle and incredibly good.

 

Otherwise, there is not a lot of non-hotel dining other than fast food or the overpriced, overhyped 13 Coins. The *one* exception to my near-fatal antipathy about 13 Coins is their Happy Hour in the retrotastic lounge is very much to my liking - cheap strong drinks and good bar food.

 

Two of my other favorites are about a $10 UberX/Lyft ride from the airport hotel strip - Wally's Chowder House & Broiler and Via Marina - both are across the street from each other near the water in Des Moines. Wally's is my go-to place for fried seafood in the entire greater Seattle area - I much prefer it to any of the bigger names, and they own their own Alaska fishing boat, so the seafood is perfectly handled. Via Marina is a cute neighborhood Italian place - pizza/pastas/salads with a nice bar area.

[martincath]

We quite often pull off I5 to hit Dave's Burgers & Brews right outside Seatac when we're passing through the Seattle area.

 

It's a bit schmaltzy with the decor, license plates and records all over the walls, but it offers good home-style grub in generous portions for a very reasonable price. I'm a big fan of their meatloaf (blended pork sausage & ground beef) and chicken-fried steak.

Edited April 17, 2015 by martincath

[Casagordita]

Take a look at the bar food menu for Copperleaf, in the Cedarbrook Lodge, which is right behind the Doubletree.

 

http://www.cedarbrooklodge.com/copperleaf_bar_food_menu.php

 

This is one of my favorite places in all of the Seattle area, despite being at what appears to be an airport hotel (it was once the executive conference center for WaMu and was disposed of by Chase). It is *incredibly* Seattle and incredibly good.

 

Otherwise, there is not a lot of non-hotel dining other than fast food or the overpriced, overhyped 13 Coins. The *one* exception to my near-fatal antipathy about 13 Coins is their Happy Hour in the retrotastic lounge is very much to my liking - cheap strong drinks and good bar food.

 

Two of my other favorites are about a $10 UberX/Lyft ride from the airport hotel strip - Wally's Chowder House & Broiler and Via Marina - both are across the street from each other near the water in Des Moines. Wally's is my go-to place for fried seafood in the entire greater Seattle area - I much prefer it to any of the bigger names, and they own their own Alaska fishing boat, so the seafood is perfectly handled. Via Marina is a cute neighborhood Italian place - pizza/pastas/salads with a nice bar area.

 

I'm not a big 13 Coins fan, either--overpriced and overhyped is a good way to put it--but they do a couple of things well. The French onion soup is excellent. And they're open 24/7, so they're probably the best option when it's either them, Denny's, or Taco Bell.

 

And I'll second Wally's--casual, good chowder and fish & chips and the like. I've heard great things about Copperleaf. And I'll have to try Via Marina--sounds like a place we'd enjoy!

 

Another good place in Des Moines is Scotch & Vine--very good steaks and seafood and the like, great selection of whisky (Scotch, obviously, and others).

 

Des Moines is south and west from the airport. If you go due west, another area within reasonable taxi range, with a lot of good restaurants, is Burien. There are several good Italian places there--Bistro Baffi, Osteria da Primo, Filiberto's, and Angelo's. Our favorite is Angelo's--nothing trendy or innovative, just good, solid, old-school Italian food. Another place we like in Burien is La Costa. Again, nothing fancy or trendy, just basic, good Mexican food, great service, and a butt-kicking Mariachi band on Friday nights. Still another really popular place in Burien is the Tin Room. It's a cozy little local hangout with good food and quality booze.

 

One thing this area is lacking is a really good, old-school breakfast place. There are a few decent diners and coffee shops (Dave's Diner & Brew, just south of the airport, comes to mind), but I haven't found anything really memorable or worth seeking out. I'd love to hear some new suggestions, too!

[West Coast Gal]

I give you a second vote on Cedarbrook . . . it is back in a neighborhood, so is an entirely different environment than the rest of the SeaTac area. Breakfast there is not as great, but it is a 4 star rating for other meals. In fact Cedarbrook IS the place to stay in SeaTac, exceptional place with living rooms and free goodies in the living room refrigerators [ice cream, water, malted milk balls, etc] The other place that I like to eat in that area is Sharps Roasthouse. There is a lot of mediocre restaurants in the area.

 

By the way, SeaTac can be unsafe, be very careful after dark.

[theriac]

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to look into cedarbrook for lodging as well since my current hotel allows me to cancel up to a day before.

 

I'm interested if anyone has any suggestions too for while downtown and in the city center. As I feel that's where we'll be most of the time. Except for the baseball game where gonna go to at SafeCo field. Speaking of SafeCo, do they have any specialties there or is it just normal ballpark cuisine. I ask because I know some stadiums offer speciality local food you can only get there.

[VibeGuy]

Check out the Cheap Eats thread for some solid ideas. Non-cheap but not "foofy", I really like Ethan Stowell's places. You will be very aware you're in Seattle when you eat there. He just "gets it".

 

Another very Seattle spot is near the ballpark: Quality Athletics. It's a foodie sports bar.

 

Our ballpark cuisine is pretty epic and you can bring food in as well. I usually get Kau Kau chinese BBQ take-out, but there are lots of local specialties. People go wild for the garlic fries and you will certainly smell them.

[theriac]

Thanks I will definitely search that thread. Also thanks for the tips about being able to bring food into SafeCo. I'm only in Seattle for 2.5 days before my cruise and I want to try a lot of different stuff. I'm used to seafood, being from FL, but I'm looking forward to trying your local seafood a lot. It's good to know I can get something and bring it in. I also have to try those garlic fries. I love garlic and I love fries so that sounds like it will be a hit. Any other must trys at the the ball park. I'm going to be there on Sunday 6/21, which is Fathers day so maybe some specials.

 

Also how are Top Pot donuts? Are they cake or yeast? I've really only seen this as the place to get donuts in Seattle, but I make it a point to find a good donut in every city I go to in the world and if there's any suggestions I would love to hear about them. Believe it or not my favorite is still here in St. Petersburg FL.

 

Thanks

[VibeGuy]

Top Ppt does both cake and raised. Until the arrival of Top Pot, I used to drive to White Rock, BC and endure the border crossing just to get donuts. Of course, I hadn't discovered Larsen's yet.

 

Larsen's is north of downtown in Crown Hill, which is like Outer Ballard. They sell their stuff at some local grocery stores and it is not great. What's magical is when they're fresh. They are one of the best Danish-American-style bakeries I've ever tasted, and I am a fat Scandinavian who loves baked goods. Their donuts are awesome, but they excel at laminated doughs.

 

While we are on the topic of baked goods, Bakery Nouveau and Crumble & Flake need to be mentioned. I think Nouveau, especially their West Seattle location, is the best all-around bakery in the West. Other places may have better single items (for example, i really groove on the Larsen's cheese Danish), but across breads, pizza, sandwiches, cakes, tarts, laminated doughs, quiches, cookies, candy and jams, it is impossible to find anyplace else that hits it out of the park so consistently. Their vanilla bean Kouign Amman is one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. Crumble and Flake has a more limited menu and also sells out early, but has similar levels of execution. finally, if you're making the schlepp to Larsen's, might as well stop at Cafe Besalu (same street, 25 blocks closer to downtown) for an exceptional croissant.

 

At the ballpark, fish and chips are always good. The purveyor is very popular with a couple dozen fish bars in the area. The sushi is merely grocery-store quality. I don't drink beer but the wine bar options are pretty awesome. My 7th inning snack is usually a milkshake from Kidd Valley, but there's also a pay-by-weight froyo stand.

[theriac]

I'm making note of all of this. I'm going to definitely look into those bakeries. I've just always loved bakery type items.

 

I'm also very excited I can fish & chips and a milkshake at a baseball game. Here the best you'll get is a scoop of ice cream in a miniature Rays helmet.

 

Also as a local what kind of weather should I expect to encounter in mid to late june. I'm there the same time as the US Open. I've looked at what it's been historically, but that only tells you so much so I'd like to get an idea from a local what it's like during the day and at night. I know in Alaska its layers and am wondering if Seattle is the same. I know it rains quite a bit, but is it really humid, is it generally overcast or sunny. I am generally always warm and don't mind shorts as long as its over 60. So I should be fine, but being literally the complete opposite side of the country from where I am I'm trying to get an idea what to expect.

[VibeGuy]

During the MLB regular season, Seattle is the driest city in the league, outside California. Really.

 

I'm gonna get killed for saying this, but the last week of June is probably my favorite time of the year here. It almost never rains, and if it does, it's less than an eighth of an inch. We sometimes have morning fog, but it burns off by 11:00 or so and is limited to areas right near the water. It's light enough to do anything outdoors by 0430 and it's still light out at 2200.

 

 

Coming from a warm climate, you may be chilly. It won't be muggy and it's unlikely to be so much as breezy. The challenge is just predicting which one it will be.

[Casagordita]

Thanks I will definitely search that thread. Also thanks for the tips about being able to bring food into SafeCo. I'm only in Seattle for 2.5 days before my cruise and I want to try a lot of different stuff. I'm used to seafood, being from FL, but I'm looking forward to trying your local seafood a lot. It's good to know I can get something and bring it in. I also have to try those garlic fries. I love garlic and I love fries so that sounds like it will be a hit. Any other must trys at the the ball park. I'm going to be there on Sunday 6/21, which is Fathers day so maybe some specials.

 

Ethan Stowell, one of our local celebrity chefs, consulted on a few of the of the food options at Safeco Field. Most of his stuff is located in The 'Pen, which is out beyond center field and the bullpen. The stadium opens two hours before the game, but some of the gates on that side (off Royal Broughm Way) open a half-hour earlier. It gets crowded closer to game time, so if you want to do some quality grazing over there, you might want to go early. A lot of people hang out there for most of the game. The view is good if you don't mind standing, and I don't just mean the view of the game--The 'Pen has become a place to see and be seen, and kind of a meat market! ;)

 

Another option is the Terrace Club, on the 200 level, first base side. The seats are more comfy, they offer food service at your seat, and they have some food options (carved-to-order roast beef and turkey sandwiches, pasta, a full bar) that you can't get elsewhere in the park. You need to buy tickets in that section to access it.

 

Then there's the Hit It Here Cafe, 200 level, right field. You can buy tickets there and watch the whole game from your table.

 

Other local favorites, scattered around the park: Kidd Valley burgers, Ivar's fish & chips and chowder, and Safeco Field Sushi (home of the Ichi Roll).

 

And don't miss my favorite...a shishkaberry! They're chocolate-dipped strawberries (and/or bananas) on a stick. I can't go to a game without one! There are two places to get them, one on the 300 level at section 338, one on the 100 level at section 132.

[theriac]

That all sounds great. Is this the Pen entrance on the side of the light rail(east) or the other side(west)? I'm getting more excited with every new post.

[Casagordita]

That all sounds great. Is this the Pen entrance on the side of the light rail(east) or the other side(west)? I'm getting more excited with every new post.

 

The entrance nearest the 'Pen is on the north side of the stadium. The Stadium light rail station is to the east of the stadium, but there aren't any entrances on that side (they're mostly on the north and south sides). You'll walk west from there, up and over the railroad tracks on a pedestrian overpass, and you'll come down on the north side, near the entrance that opens early.

[theriac]

Thank you

[PNW Traveler]

Near the airport - Mango Thai is very good, with nice décor, and is reasonably priced. It's next to the Doubletree hotel just south of the airport (cross street 186th.) There's free parking in the small covered parking garage just steps from the restaurant entrance.

 

Wally's in Des Moines is a favorite lunch spot for us (we're locals) if you want well-priced seafood from a family owned restaurant. There is usually a line for lunch seating.