5 Days Immersed in the Seattle Food Scene

If you didn’t know this about me, I’m a foodie. This is one of the reasons I chose to celebrate my birthday by experiencing the Seattle food scene firsthand.

Honestly, 5 days in Seattle isn’t a lot of time to fully experience the rich tapestry that is the Seattle food scene. But my husband and I were definitely game to try! So here are my thoughts on everything we ate (and drank) during my Seattle birthday trip!

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Melting Pot

This was my first time trying fondue, and I’m honestly surprised I hadn’t tried it before that night. It was a lot of fun! I’ve passed by a Melting Pot all the time before, but I’ve never gone in, since I thought it was more of a “grab a snack” type of place. 

My idea of it was a vague French version of a boba café (sorry, France). Turns out I was very wrong.

While our 4-course dinner did include the bread & cheese I anticipated, I was also pleasantly surprised – and delighted! – by the combination of green apples and cheese.

Technically there were also vegetables available for dipping (& a salad, I suppose), but let’s be honest, I don’t care about that. The main course was also pretty amazing and note-worthy of course, but I wouldn’t say that it’s what would draw me to go looking for a Melting Pot location near me.

Having experienced fondue, it was something I knew for a fact our group of friends would also enjoy. So I figured why not share that experience with them? So I suggested that’s what we do for a “Friendsgiving” night we’ve already decided to host, though the date & food wasn’t yet decided before that night. 

I don’t actually care about Thanksgiving, especially since I didn’t grow up in the US. But I’m more than willing to take advantage of the time off our friends might have to have dinner as a group.

The second-best part was, of course, the dessert. I did debate about the “Yin & Yang” (white & dark chocolate swirled together), but my husband made a good point that I would enjoy the Flaming Turtle more with its contrast of smooth chocolate & candied pecans. I’m glad I listened because it was perfect. 

While I don’t think I would go for candied pecans on its own, it gave everything we dipped in a delightful crunch – from the strawberries, bananas, and even the rice krispies.

Finally, can I just talk about that drink!? I’m not a fan of floral flavors, but for some reason, I’m always curious about lavender-flavored anything. Well, I’m glad to say that my curiosity worked in my favor this time because that drink tasted damn good.

Was it essentially just a fancy iced tea? Yes. But what I liked about it was that it had a lot of flavor going on, yet it remained balanced. It had just the right amount of sour, sweet, and even bitter from that lavender syrup. But I’ll be the first to admit that it’s more of an acquired taste than an instant love.

As far as an introduction to the Seattle food scene goes, this was a spectacular first impression.

The Social Bar & Grill

Of course, it’s not an immersive Seattle food scene experience if we don’t ask the locals for food recommendations. So we asked around while we were at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, and we were told that there was a great spot right around the corner.

I do love a conveniently located recommendation, so after my obligatory gift shop purchase, my husband and I walked over to The Social Bar & Grill.

The Mushrooms were gloriously creamy & cheesy, and I wouldn’t have minded an entrée-sized portion of it (if they offered one), rather than just an appetizer to share. Full disclosure, I also would’ve drank the gravy it left in the dish if we weren’t out in public.

HOT TIP: Don’t let them take away the leftover gravy from the Ode to Opus Mushrooms, if you got fries with your entrée! It makes a great dip for fries!

Now for my slightly embarrassing moment:

Despite the menu being perfectly clear, I was still surprised that biting into my Rueben had cleared my sinuses. I thought someone had made a mistake and put wasabi in there.

Either way, I’m glad I pointed it out to my husband who guessed horseradish, before I can embarrass myself by asking the waiter about accidental wasabi. I didn’t mind, I just wasn’t expecting it since my brain stopped at “Apple and Pork” before it got too excited about anything else.

The point is it was great, even though I was hoping the apple taste would be more prominent than it was since it just couldn’t even begin to compete with the horseradish. I do wish it didn’t bring my hopes up, and they just called it a Pork and Horseradish Rueben instead, and I still would’ve ordered it.

Starbucks (The Lodge)

Was it basic of me to pop in at a Starbucks in Washington? Probably. Would I do it again? Absolutely.

But I mean, Seattle is where Starbucks was born. How could I not go to a Starbucks, while I was here? I’m pretty sure I can’t have the full Seattle food scene experience if I don’t grab anything from a Starbucks there.

Granted, yeah, it tastes about the same as the ones I had in California, but that’s kind of the point. It was gloriously green and mixed with extra matcha, exactly the way I prefer (& order) it

Solarium Kitchen & Bar

I know hotel restaurants are more of a convenience or an afterthought at best. Certainly, there won’t be a lot of people who see it as a part of the Seattle food scene. But honestly, though it was overpriced, it was surprisingly not bad. I said what I said.

It’s no Las Vegas buffet, which is a whole beast on its own, but you know what? Their food was better than Panera so I figured it deserved a space on this blog.

I’m not normally a huge fan of fried seafood, but this one came highly recommended so I gave it a try. I don’t necessarily dislike it, but I have to be in the mood for it (unless it’s tempura, then I’m always in the mood for that). I typically prefer my seafood raw, grilled, or at least sautéed.

But from my personal experience in the US, unless the restaurant specializes in seafood, Asian, or Hispanic, their seafood is…Well, I find it rather lacking at best. Let’s just leave it at that.

I’d say these crab cakes had more flavor than most I’ve tried, but it still felt a little dry after a few bites.

I keep forgetting how much I dislike tartar sauce. Overall, while I didn’t mind it, I’m pretty sure I’ve had better for the same price (or less). The vegetables on the side were fine, but not outstanding, and certainly still not worth the price.

I found this surprisingly better than the crab cakes. Granted, it was still typical of something I would expect from a hotel restaurant – I’m obviously paying for the convenience rather than the outstanding quality of the food. I swear we planned to pick up food from somewhere else, but we underestimated how tired we were after a full day of walking around.

I believe that the flatbread is also technically an appetizer, so if you’re looking for a full meal, rather than a heavy snack/light meal that I wanted, then I would not recommend the flatbread. I was only a little hungry, so I only managed to eat half of mine that night.

But at least the combination of ricotta cheese and prosciutto was a good, tasty choice. I’m also a fan of the taste of arugula, but I agree it’s not for everyone. I believe the tomato is mostly there for the acidity, rather than flavor since it didn’t make as much of an impact.

But the best (& unexpected) benefit of the flatbread was that it kept reasonably well, so it was still edible the morning after, even without a microwave.

The Athenian

The clam chowder was good. I wish I could compare it side by side with the one I had in San Francisco a few years ago, but I’d like to think it would be a tough call to decide which is better. 

Either way, I highly recommend the bread bowl option – may as well go for the whole shebang.

The bread bowl it came in was also pretty tasty, though I wouldn’t have minded a stronger yeasty taste to it. That’s just a personal preference though, not because their bread wasn’t up to snuff. It was delicious.

The Seafood Sauté was delicious, and the vegetables had the perfect texture: not hard as if undercooked, and not soggy as if it’s been sitting forever. The flavor was buttery, but otherwise subtle, which is great if that’s how you prefer your seafood.

I generally prefer stronger flavors myself, but this dish is great if you’re in the mood for a light, refreshing lunch.

This just seemed like a great counterpoint to all the heavy, fried options you typically see at a pier (or fairs). Not to say they didn’t have those, and their fish & chips are probably amazing as well. But I think a light (non-salad) seafood option is a lot harder to find in the US than it was in the Philippines.

My husband’s theory is that most Americans don’t know how to treat and cook fish, as it’s not a staple outside of coastal areas. This makes a lot of sense, but still definitely gives me more nostalgia for the seafood dishes I ate growing up.

Either way, while The Athenian was more of a spur-of-the-moment choice, I’m glad we decided to eat here. They seem to have a long history of being part of the Seattle food scene.

Our lunch choices were filling without bloating – perfect if you want to save space for dessert. In my case, 2 drinks’ worth of dessert…

Nana’s Green Tea

If I don’t go looking for a local matcha café whenever I’m somewhere new, then I don’t know who I am.

I chose Nana’s Green Tea mainly for its location, plus its hours. We had plans to visit Pike Place Market, but I wasn’t sure how long we would be. Luckily their café was open until 9 pm so it was perfect!

Though given how that day turned out, a better order of operations would’ve been coming here first, before shopping at the Pike Place Market. Oh, well.

I swear, while I was waiting in line, I was planning to only order a medium-sized drink because 1-it was late, and 2-we were supposed to go to Chocolati Café not too long after. But my mouth betrayed me because I very clearly asked for a large when I got to the counter.

I curse my muscle memory, which only knows how to order matcha drinks in LARGE, and large sizes alone. It’s a burden I’ll carry to my grave, I’m sure.

The drink (float?) was gloriously green and tasted strongly of matcha. Yes, some would assume should be a given for drink that has the word “matcha” in it, but some would be surprised (& wrong) because that’s not always the case. 

But anyway, the latté itself was also smooth and well-blended. The soft serve was creamy & sweet, but it was balanced out by the bitter notes from the matcha and the chocolate crunch. Plus, the crunch was a good way to break up the thick, creamy textures!

As for the matcha gateaux, it was definitely dense, from the very first bite! It was both matcha-y (is that a word?) and chocolate-y at the same time. I will say that the more you eat it, the chocolate flavor becomes more prominent.

The gateaux might be a little too dense for some, but I prefer dense pastries to light & airy ones. It’s also pretty rich, but the slice is small enough that it wasn’t overwhelming for me.

SIDENOTE: At the time of writing this, I looked up the menu online to make sure I remembered it right, and I can’t find a “gateaux” but I’m 93% sure it’s just called “Matcha Chocolate Cake” online.

The café was rather busy & packed though, so while it’s great to be in while you’re working on your drink or pastry, this isn’t a place to linger when you’re done. The vibe I got was that it’s more of a “take food pics & selfies, eat, and go” type of place.

Chocolati Café

I’m not sure exactly how long Chocolati Café has been operating and how long it’s been part of the Seattle food scene, but the Wallingford location definitely had a lot of charm! 

It looked a little small at first, but it seemed like they had more seating in the back. I probably should’ve explored that more, but it was such a nice afternoon that my husband and I opted for outdoor seats.

Did I still have half of my matcha latte? Yes.

Was I going to let the half-full matcha latte in the rental car’s cup holder stop me from ordering the House Blend hot chocolate? Absolutely not.

In the car, I told myself I wasn’t going to order a hot chocolate, since, well, I was still drinking from a large half-full cup of matcha latté. “It’s a chocolate cafe,” I told myself, “Ordering the chocolate truffles makes more sense!”

That was, of course, until I saw the word “house” right next to “hot chocolate.” Then it made more sense to order that too on top of the truffles I was getting, so I could learn what it tasted like. Clearly, I have a problem. Luckily, that problem doesn’t include not knowing what Chocolati café’s hot chocolate tastes like.

Their hot chocolate tastes pretty good, by the way. A great blend of bitter, sweet, and creamy!

I did manage to order only the top 3 truffles that caught my attention though. I got only 1 of the chocolate-filled & covered fig because it was huge, and 2 each of the strawberries & cream, and raspberry truffles to share with my husband.

Unexpectedly, the fig was my favorite out of all the 3 truffles I got, and I don’t think I even like figs that much on their own. I was glad I had my husband to split it with though, as it was very decadent and I don’t think I could’ve finished it on my own. Not in one sitting, anyway.

The other 2 truffles were good, but I don’t know if I would call them remarkable. I did enjoy the quality of the chocolate, though: a good balance of creamy smooth, with a bite of dark chocolate.

Otherwise, the café has a chill vibe, and if you’re looking for a place to sit down, relax, and enjoy a treat, it’s Chocolati café.

Woodin’ Creek Kitchen & Tap

As a kid, I thought I was a picky eater – and in a way, I was. But it turns out I have the opposite problem most kids do: instead of wanting bland, tasteless food, I wanted flavor!!! 

Of course, I loved extreme sweet, but I was also a fan of extreme salty, and I needed extreme vinegar-level sour. I’m talking Warheads candy-level sour.

So upon seeing a Gorgonzola Cajun Spiced Burger on the menu, my mind was made up. I was sold at “Gorgonzola”.

The one flavor I would say I don’t seek is spicy, but I don’t mind it in low levels. Plus, nothing beats the allure of “funky” cheese, so there wasn’t even a doubt in my mind that I would order anything else but a burger that had gorgonzola cheese.

While I certainly felt the “bite” of gorgonzola, I would say that it was mild enough that even other less adventurous customers could eat the whole burger. Especially as it was balanced out by the hint of Cajun spice (not as hot as I feared) and the side of pickle is there if you want a strong, yet familiar flavor.

However, if you don’t have a hint of adventure in your bones, I would not recommend starting to develop one with either mine or my husband’s burger choice…

Sidekick Coffee

The only thing I would say I was disappointed in consuming, this whole trip. Not even the crab cakes were this sad. Maybe I should’ve asked them to remake it, but it was a Saturday and while it wasn’t overly busy, it wasn’t idling either.

But yeah, I essentially got an iced green milk. The taste of matcha was negligible at best, and non-existent at worst. 

This reminded me why I prefer to look for local matcha cafés when I can – they either have better quality matcha, or they understand how many scoops it takes to make a drink taste like matcha. 

On the one hand, while I’m glad I got to try a local café while traveling to a new (for me) location, a part of me also regrets I didn’t go for the Starbucks a block or two away. At least at Starbucks, I know how many extra scoops to ask for, based on the matcha they carry.

Exit 5 (Korean BBQ)

It was a cute place, and I was pleasantly surprised at how open the restaurant was. I’m too used to Asian restaurants being tight, being crammed by as many tables & seats as they can fit in. I usually have a problem trying to find a place for my purse where it won’t get splattered with food or oil, but not at Exit 5.

The quality of the meat was pretty good, though I question the recommended serving size.

Even with the rice and sides, I would say that the amount of food is only good to fill a max of 2 people. If we had another adult with us, who hadn’t had breakfast either, the amount of food wouldn’t have been enough for all of us to feel full. We most likely would’ve needed to order one or two more dishes à la carte.

I also know for a fact that we could find an all-you-can-eat option for the same price in LA, though I would say that I don’t think the meat would’ve been as good. So while I would say it’s a cute place for a date, it’s a little pricy for a casual or impromptu night out, if you’re on a budget.

As far as a send-off goes, for our Seattle food scene adventure, we ended on a bright note. While it wasn’t quite what we were hoping for, it was still another data point to consider.

Starbucks (Sea-Tac)

I mean, it was right there next to our gate. Plus I still wanted to get my cheesy little Seattle Starbucks mug. My mistake though, was that I left it for the last day – not that it was deliberate.

I was hoping to get a cute mug from a local Seattle café, but alas, it wasn’t to be.

Nana’s Green Tea didn’t have any mugs that I could find, Chocolati café only had tumblers, and the mug I did see at Sidekick Coffee was underwhelming.

I was hoping for a Seattle one, but the Starbucks next to our gate only had the University of Washington & a Washington one. So in the end, I got myself a cheesy little Washington Starbucks mug. Plus a drink for my husband and I, of course.

Getting one more Starbucks drink for the plane journey home seemed like a fitting “Goodbye,” to Seattle, for now…