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A pancake-like Dutch baby
The noble Dutch baby in its natural habitat
Harry Cheadle

9 Iconic Dishes That Define Seattle Cuisine

A history lesson you can eat

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The noble Dutch baby in its natural habitat
| Harry Cheadle

When you try to define what makes Seattle a special city for food, what you end up with is a history lesson. From the northern European influence on the city’s early history you get the Dutch baby, invented at the defunct Manca’s Cafe in the early 20th century. The Japanese population that has been here since the 19th century has made Seattle a sushi destination; in the 1970s, a Japanese immigrant introduced American-style teriyaki and Korean immigrants helped spread it across the city.

Vietnamese immigrants who came here in the later half of the 20th century, many of them as refugees, are responsible for two iconic Seattle lunches in banh mi and pho. A collection of coffee entrepreneurs, including Vivace’s David Schomer, brought espresso drinks from Italy to Seattle. The Seattle dog... exists.

These are the dishes that have made Seattle famous, the bedrock foundations of the local cuisine. We’ll update this map, so if you have issues or questions, please email us at seattle@eater.com.

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Toshi's Teriyaki Grill

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American-style teriyaki (which shares only a name with Japanese-style teriyaki) has murky origins but one of its leading popularizers is Toshi Kasahara, who opened Toshi’s Teriyaki in 1976. The teriyaki he served then established the genre — slightly charred meat, rice and salad on the side, a sweet, addictive sauce. Most importantly, a filling teriyaki meal should be cheap: $1.85 back in 1976, or around $11 in 2023. You can find teriyaki nearly everywhere, which is sort of the point of teriyaki, but if you want to find the originator, take a trip up to Mill Creek, where Kasahara’s latest spot is.   

A salad, iconic? It is when it’s the most famous dish at Seattle’s most famous fine dining restaurant: Chilled romaine, olive oil, lemon juice, chopped bacon, a coddled egg, cherry tomatoes, croutons, and slivered green onions showered with Romano cheese, mint, and oregano. Though new head chef Aisha Ibrahim doesn’t emphasize the salad, it’s still part of the Canlis experience even as the restaurant has changed with the times.

A salad with the fixings separated Courtesy of Brian Canlis

Espresso Vivace Capitol Hill

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You can get espresso pretty much anywhere in Seattle — including shipping centers and the dentist’s office — and the reason why is Espresso Vivace. Founder David Schomer wasn’t the one who brought espresso to Seattle, but he is widely credited with elevating the form through his attention to details like water temperature, the size of the grind, and tamping technique. In the ‘90s he trained a generation of baristas and wrote a book on espresso drinks that spread his ideas across the country. He even brought latte art from Italy to America. A trip to Vivace on Capitol Hill (its famed sidewalk bar is gone but its flagship location remains) is worth it for any espresso buff for the historical value alone. 

A cup of coffee Harry Cheadle

Tilikum Place Cafe

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Hardly anyone knows that the Dutch baby was invented in Seattle, maybe because not many people even know what a Dutch baby is. Educate yourself and get a brunch reservation at Belltown’s Tilikum Place Cafe, a delightful old-school place that serves French press coffee and quiche along with Dutch babies. These are like a cross between a Yorkshire pudding and a pancake, eggy and thick and somewhat savory, carried out to you on a hot cast iron skillet with all the pomp and circumstance of breakfast fajitas. The classic comes with lemon and syrup, but Tilikum Place also serves sweet and savory variations that change with the seasons.

A Dutch baby Harry Cheadle

Dog In the Park

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The Seattle dog isn’t exactly a delicacy; combining a hot dog with cream cheese and onion isn’t high culinary art. But there’s something about the creamy-sweet-meaty combination that makes the perfect food-truck meal. The dish’s origins are somewhat disputed, and you can get Seattle dogs all over the city, especially downtown. A particularly good one can be found at Dog in the Park outside of Westlake Center, which adds some cabbage to the mix. That counts as fusion cuisine, right?

Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar

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“It is given to some men to know a love so profound, so pure, so all-enrapturing, that their spirits can soar to the heavens and their passions flame at the very sight of their consuming desires. I have been given such a love,” wrote the journalist Emmett Watson in 1990. “I refer, of course, to my ardor for the family Ostreidae. This seductive love object can be found, as a general rule, between tidal levels or in shallow waters along the coasts of all continents.”

Watson, who was probably paid by the word and it shows, opened Seattle’s first oyster bar in 1979, and when you walk in to this Pike Place Market hole-in-the-wall it seems like Seattle’s first oyster bar. Unglamorous, old-school, never crowded, simple. Just order the oysters, which come garnished with lemon and hot sauce, and enjoy a trip back in time.

Sushi Kashiba

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Shiro Kashiba is the god emperor in Seattle sushi. When the city’s first real sushi bar opened at Maneki in 1969, he was the man standing behind it, and his apprentices have gone on to open some of the region’s most notable omakase places, like Takai by Kashiba and Sushi Suzuki. The fact that you can watch the octogenarian Kashiba work at Pike Place’s Sushi Kashiba is somewhat incredible. The chef’s counter here doesn’t take reservations, so block off an evening to show up, get your name on the list, and experience nigiri made by a true master.

Pho Bac Súp Shop

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On rainy days there’s nothing like a big warm bowl of pho, the noodle soup that’s ubiquitous in Seattle. Inexpensive, filling, and customizable depending on what sauces or toppings you throw in your bowl, it’s hard to find a bad pho. But one of the best is surely Pho Bac Sup Shop, owned by the James Beard–nominated Pham family. 

Saigon Deli

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We’re not going to argue with you about banh mi. Everyone has their favorite place to get these Vietnamese sandwiches and there are endless varieties. (Ba Sa even has high-end banh mi for $16!) Our candidate for essential, can’t-miss banh mi, though, can be found at Saigon Deli (the one in Chinatown-International District, not the University District joint of the same name). The hard crust of the bread, the heat from the chiles, the meaty sweetness of the pork, the herbal hit from the cilantro — it all adds up to a sandwich that is somehow still around $6, even with inflation.  

Toshi's Teriyaki Grill

American-style teriyaki (which shares only a name with Japanese-style teriyaki) has murky origins but one of its leading popularizers is Toshi Kasahara, who opened Toshi’s Teriyaki in 1976. The teriyaki he served then established the genre — slightly charred meat, rice and salad on the side, a sweet, addictive sauce. Most importantly, a filling teriyaki meal should be cheap: $1.85 back in 1976, or around $11 in 2023. You can find teriyaki nearly everywhere, which is sort of the point of teriyaki, but if you want to find the originator, take a trip up to Mill Creek, where Kasahara’s latest spot is.   

Canlis

A salad, iconic? It is when it’s the most famous dish at Seattle’s most famous fine dining restaurant: Chilled romaine, olive oil, lemon juice, chopped bacon, a coddled egg, cherry tomatoes, croutons, and slivered green onions showered with Romano cheese, mint, and oregano. Though new head chef Aisha Ibrahim doesn’t emphasize the salad, it’s still part of the Canlis experience even as the restaurant has changed with the times.

A salad with the fixings separated Courtesy of Brian Canlis

Espresso Vivace Capitol Hill

You can get espresso pretty much anywhere in Seattle — including shipping centers and the dentist’s office — and the reason why is Espresso Vivace. Founder David Schomer wasn’t the one who brought espresso to Seattle, but he is widely credited with elevating the form through his attention to details like water temperature, the size of the grind, and tamping technique. In the ‘90s he trained a generation of baristas and wrote a book on espresso drinks that spread his ideas across the country. He even brought latte art from Italy to America. A trip to Vivace on Capitol Hill (its famed sidewalk bar is gone but its flagship location remains) is worth it for any espresso buff for the historical value alone. 

A cup of coffee Harry Cheadle

Tilikum Place Cafe

Hardly anyone knows that the Dutch baby was invented in Seattle, maybe because not many people even know what a Dutch baby is. Educate yourself and get a brunch reservation at Belltown’s Tilikum Place Cafe, a delightful old-school place that serves French press coffee and quiche along with Dutch babies. These are like a cross between a Yorkshire pudding and a pancake, eggy and thick and somewhat savory, carried out to you on a hot cast iron skillet with all the pomp and circumstance of breakfast fajitas. The classic comes with lemon and syrup, but Tilikum Place also serves sweet and savory variations that change with the seasons.

A Dutch baby Harry Cheadle

Dog In the Park

The Seattle dog isn’t exactly a delicacy; combining a hot dog with cream cheese and onion isn’t high culinary art. But there’s something about the creamy-sweet-meaty combination that makes the perfect food-truck meal. The dish’s origins are somewhat disputed, and you can get Seattle dogs all over the city, especially downtown. A particularly good one can be found at Dog in the Park outside of Westlake Center, which adds some cabbage to the mix. That counts as fusion cuisine, right?

Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar

“It is given to some men to know a love so profound, so pure, so all-enrapturing, that their spirits can soar to the heavens and their passions flame at the very sight of their consuming desires. I have been given such a love,” wrote the journalist Emmett Watson in 1990. “I refer, of course, to my ardor for the family Ostreidae. This seductive love object can be found, as a general rule, between tidal levels or in shallow waters along the coasts of all continents.”

Watson, who was probably paid by the word and it shows, opened Seattle’s first oyster bar in 1979, and when you walk in to this Pike Place Market hole-in-the-wall it seems like Seattle’s first oyster bar. Unglamorous, old-school, never crowded, simple. Just order the oysters, which come garnished with lemon and hot sauce, and enjoy a trip back in time.

Sushi Kashiba

Shiro Kashiba is the god emperor in Seattle sushi. When the city’s first real sushi bar opened at Maneki in 1969, he was the man standing behind it, and his apprentices have gone on to open some of the region’s most notable omakase places, like Takai by Kashiba and Sushi Suzuki. The fact that you can watch the octogenarian Kashiba work at Pike Place’s Sushi Kashiba is somewhat incredible. The chef’s counter here doesn’t take reservations, so block off an evening to show up, get your name on the list, and experience nigiri made by a true master.

Pho Bac Súp Shop

On rainy days there’s nothing like a big warm bowl of pho, the noodle soup that’s ubiquitous in Seattle. Inexpensive, filling, and customizable depending on what sauces or toppings you throw in your bowl, it’s hard to find a bad pho. But one of the best is surely Pho Bac Sup Shop, owned by the James Beard–nominated Pham family. 

Saigon Deli

We’re not going to argue with you about banh mi. Everyone has their favorite place to get these Vietnamese sandwiches and there are endless varieties. (Ba Sa even has high-end banh mi for $16!) Our candidate for essential, can’t-miss banh mi, though, can be found at Saigon Deli (the one in Chinatown-International District, not the University District joint of the same name). The hard crust of the bread, the heat from the chiles, the meaty sweetness of the pork, the herbal hit from the cilantro — it all adds up to a sandwich that is somehow still around $6, even with inflation.  

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