A Seattle Food Itinerary: 2 Days of Pike Place Market, Seafood, and Wine

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Plan a Seattle food itinerary packed with Pike Place Market favorites, fresh seafood, Washington wine, coffee, pastries, and waterfront dining.

I love Seattle! Lucky for me, my wife does too. After 6 years since our last visit, we planned a Seattle-only trip to see what’s new. I had been exposed to downtown Seattle in 1986 when I lived and worked as a chef in Auburn, WA. Upon my first trip to downtown and the Pike Place Market, I was blown away by the incredible restaurants, seafood, veggies, meats, and fruit. That’s all it took to get me hooked on Seattle’s food scene.

This two-day Seattle food itinerary takes in some of our favorite finds, from fresh seafood and Pike Place Market treats to Washington wine and waterfront dining.

On this recent trip, my wife and I landed in Seattle on a Sunday morning and made our way by Link light rail to the Westlake Shopping Center. From there, we caught an Uber to the Mediterranean Inn, an oasis near the Space Needle. The Inn was a great new hotel for us. We found the location quiet, close to dozens of restaurants and the Pacific Science Center. We were able to get downtown by walking 25 minutes, or by grabbing the free Waterfront Bus near the Space Needle, or taking the Monorail from the Pacific Science Center.

Eating Your Way Through Pike Place Market

When we got to the market, it was already buzzing with cruise ship passengers, other tourists, and locals. Our first stop was to grab a croissant at Le Panier, which I think is the best French bakery in the US. The buttery croissant was just an appetizer, and we went into the market, where Market Grill caught my attention, boasting their world-famous blackened salmon sandwich. The sandwich was paired with their clam chowder, which turned out to be way too thick but kind of tasty. The salmon sandwich was delicious, and I appreciated the lettuce, tomato, and grilled onions on a wonderful French baguette.

After strolling past possibly the most gorgeous display of fresh-cut flowers in the PNW area, we gawked at the fresh seafood at City Fish and made plans to visit later.

I noted that Holmquist Hazelnut Orchards still had a stall and would be back to buy some of the tastiest hazelnuts I’ve ever had. Free samples of their hazelnuts seal the deal. Cyrus Saffron was a surprise stall, and I stopped to chat with the vendor and bought some locally-grown saffron. 

Washington State cherries are amazing, and part of the reason for the timing of our trip was for cherries and salmon that come to market about the same time each year. Several vendors displayed both Bing and Rainier cherries that didn’t disappoint. For dried cherries coated in chocolate, plain cherries, or their jams and jellies, Chukar Cherries has a loyal following.

Where to Drink Washington Wine at Pike Place Market

With lunch out of the way, we headed behind the famous flying fish stall to lay eyes on our dinner place for the evening. Place Pigalle is a French bistro that provides excellent cuisine, Elliot Bay views, and a good wine list. The sun had come out minutes before we arrived at the Market, and it was beckoning us to have a seat outdoors for wine and a rest. The wine we chose was Les Dauphins, a Côtes du Rhône still rosé that put us in a very happy mood.

After our midday happy hour, we went deep into the Market to see what else would be part of our food-and-wine trip. Pike Place Chowder is famous, and the line of some 25 people made that obvious. Luckily, we stopped at the Market Info Booth, and the guy told us, “Don’t wait in line. Scan the QR code and order your chowder, then go behind the restaurant where the small line cues up for paid takeaway orders.” Brilliant! 

For more wine research, we stopped in at The Tasting Room: Wines of Washington. This wine shop is hidden in Post Alley, a part of the Pike Place market in an alley, and features eight boutique wineries you probably haven’t heard of. Look for the big pig out front that’s made from wine corks to find this wine bar. We tasted four red wines and found them all very good. The Solesce was a red blend I’d love to take home with me on a future trip.

Shopping for Local Food at Pike Place Market

Before going to dinner, we stopped at the Martin Family Orchards stand to buy Rainier cherries. This year’s crop is sweet, juicy, and some cherries approach golf ball size! A 16-ounce plastic tumbler set us back $10 but was worth it. Try a free sample to see if you like the Bing or Rainier cherries best, and beware that if you are on certain cruise ships, they don’t allow fruit to be brought on board. 

Travel Tip: If you are visiting Pike Place Market on a cruise, be aware that some cruise ships do not allow you to bring fruit back on board.

Our last stop before dinner was MarketSpice, my favorite spice shop in the world. I bought jalapeño powder, black peppercorns, cinnamon, a very fragrant ground cumin, and their ranch dressing mix. Check out their spices, ground hot pepper powders, and tea for souvenirs to take home.

Seattle Seafood Dinner with an Elliott Bay View

It was time for dinner at Place Pigalle, and we were seated at a two-top with great views. The NW Bouillabaisse with clams, squid, salmon, Dungeness crab, and prawns in a saffron-tomato broth was to die for. Paired with the Dauphins rosé, it was a meal to remember. The Grand Central Bakery baguette with butter was a must for dipping into the rich bouillabaisse broth. Duck, pork, pasta, and lamb rounded out the menu for customers wanting land-based items.

We passed on their dessert menu, but our waitress Alex recommended we try the Bottega Gelato on 1st Avenue. After dinner, we made our way towards this gelato happiness. After a short wait, we ordered the hazelnut and Nutella. My hazelnut choice proved to be the winner, and it was only after we ordered that we found out that when you order a single, you can get two flavors. Pleasantly stuffed, we headed back to the Mediterranean Inn for a good night’s rest and dreamed of a full day ahead of us.

Day Two: Coffee, Crab, and More Pike Place Favorites

To start day two, we walked to the Market and went upstairs to Storyville Coffee. The Info booth guy recommended Storyville and said, “They are famous and ship their coffee all over the US.”

I don’t drink coffee, so my wife was the taste tester. She liked their latte and got it free when she bought a package of their coffee beans. I liked the super comfy, well-decorated lounge full of happy coffee drinkers.

Our next stop was Le Panier, again, for a grab-and-go breakfast. We got a spinach, a mushroom, and a ham-and-cheese pastry, then took these food treasures to an outdoor picnic area the Market provides overlooking Elliot Bay. The pastries were fabulous, as usual, and we enjoyed watching the boat traffic on the bay.

I’m usually fish- and produce-minded when visiting the Pike Place Market, but on this trip I stopped by Don and Joe’s Meats. This butcher’s stall has been at the Market since 1906 in one form or another and is still going strong. I bought some of their peppercorn beef jerky and tried it when we got home. It was a sweet-and-spicy beef treat, perfect for snacking.

Dinner on our second night was at the Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar at Pier 57. We were to meet my local friend Janice, who recommended this eatery on the waterfront. We started with steamed clams, a must for seafood lovers. For the main, I ordered the Pacific Crab Boil with both Dungeness and Bairdi crab. This was a delicious feast that I gladly shared with my wife. With potatoes and corn on the cob, it was a full-meal deal that paired well with the Crowded House Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. 

More Pike Place Market Food Favorites

Taking the monorail to downtown was a blast from the past. For $2 each, we got the senior rate and enjoyed the five-minute ride. At the Market, we stopped at Tiny’s Organic Apple Cider tent and tried all 13 of their creative flavors. The regular organic apple cider was the winner, and we had it with breakfast.

Lowell’s is a well-known restaurant at the Market, but since we had never tried it, we decided to correct that omission. We were seated on the second floor; the only waiter/waitress served all three floors. The Dungeness crab omelet was $40, but since we split the dish, it wasn’t too pricey. This crab-and-cheese-packed omelet was superb, and the hash browns were perfectly crispy. For research purposes, we ordered their clam chowder and found it to be good also. 

Beecher’s Cheese was too busy to get in on Monday, so we enjoyed a break in the action and went in to buy some cheese and a breadzel. The breadzel is a delicious pretzel-bread treat that looks like a whole-wheat pastry. It was amazing, and the toasty cheese on top makes it worth buying the next time we’re in town. As I was finishing this story, I found out the Breadzel is made by Grand Central Bakery, a Seattle wholesale bakery. They all make the amazing baguette we had at Place Pigale. Very impressive baked goods!

On a tip from a local, we tried Anchorhead Coffee Co so my wife could get a taste of another Seattle coffee shop. She thought it was a good-quality latte and reasonably priced at only $6.50.

Our last stop was to pick up a slab of amazing alder-smoked king salmon from City Fish after a free sample of their smoked salmon choices earlier. At $44 per pound, this was not cheap, but we love smoked king salmon, and it’s best to buy at the source. Seattle Fish is the oldest continuously operated fish market in Seattle!

More Wander Articles Related to Visiting Seattle

Food and Wine of Bainbridge Island, WA
Savor Washington Wine in Seattle’s Urban Wine Scene
Ultimate Guide to 2 Days in Seattle
10 Wow Things to Do South of Seattle
Hotel Max: A Creative Gem in Seattle
Wandering Seattle’s Amazing Pike Place Market

Planning a Seattle Food and Wine Getaway

We tried many new things and places on this trip, like the free Waterfront Bus, Lowell’s, Gelato Lab, Washington St Wine Bar, and two coffee shops. The Mediterranean Inn turned out to be the perfect base camp. Seattle is one of the best cities I know of to spend two to three days for food and wine. I hope you find your own bliss in this historic waterfront city and have reasons to return many times.

Ready to taste more of the Pacific Northwest? Explore Wander With Wonder for more ideas on where to eat, sip, stay, and play throughout Seattle, Washington State, and beyond. Whether you’re planning a foodie weekend, a wine-filled getaway, or your next great city escape, let Wander inspire your next journey.

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