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A sunset over the red “Public Market” sign at Pike Place Market.
Pike Place Market is a magnet for tourists, but the dining options delight all visitors.
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20 Great Restaurants Near Pike Place Market

With expert omakase, pillowy quiche, knockout tapas, and more

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Pike Place Market is a magnet for tourists, but the dining options delight all visitors.
| Getty Images

A joy for tourists and locals alike, Pike Place Market is a vibrant collection of stalls and permanent establishments offering crafts and flowers; arts and entertainment; vegetables, fruits, and meat; bars and restaurants; and, yes, the famous flying fish.

The market, which has been open since 1907, is often crowded and sometimes overwhelming, but among maze of stalls and throngs of tourists are some treasures for food lovers: tamales, tortillas, and gorditas made from heirloom corn masa, seafood dishes prepared from fresh-caught fish and live bivalves from the market, and satisfying sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches, among other options. Here are some favorites, including snacks to grab and eat while perusing the market’s offerings as well as restaurants perfect for sit-down meals after long days of shopping.

A tip for tourists: Pike Place gets extremely crowded and hard to navigate on weekends, especially during the summer, so visit on a weekday if at all possible. And if you want to sound like a local, remember, it’s “Pike Place,” not “Pike’s Place.”

Know of a spot that should be on our radar? Send us a tip by emailing seattle@eater.com. As usual, this list is not ranked; it’s organized geographically.

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Le Pichet

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This French bistro and café a couple of blocks from the center of Pike Place is a good spot for a breather from the market’s bustle. Lunch, with perfectly-executed baguette sandwiches like ham and gruyere on bread slathered with butter blended with mustard, as well as charcuterie and wine, is simple and delicious, as are the pillowy quiches. The restaurant also serves entrees like duck leg confit, steak frites, and whole roasted chicken for dinner.

The Pink Door

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One of Seattle’s enduring Italian restaurants, located at Post Alley, offers plenty of well-crafted pasta selections, including linguini with baby clams and pancetta in a white wine sauce and a popular spinach lasagna. Diners who plan ahead should try to score a spot on the outdoor deck, which fills up quickly on sunny days.

Maíz, a new tortilleria and counter-service shop in the heart of Pike Place Market, is a temple to corn: kernels of varieties like red cónico, blue chalqueño, and yellow bolita line the counter above the griddle, and heirloom corn is the base of every dish. The tamales pair nicely with a warm cup of atole, and the multicolored corn brings striking colors to the tortillas (sold by the half-dozen), gorditas, and sopes.

Sushi Kashiba

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Diners have long flocked to the upscale Pike Place restaurant to watch master sushi chef Shiro Kashiba at work, with seats at the bar among the most coveted. Its meticulous attention to detail remains a big draw, as does chef Kashiba, who is credited for bringing edomae-style sushi to Seattle and has opened some of the city’s best-respected sushi restaurants, including the self-titled Shiro’s Sushi Restaurant in Belltown. The omakase offering features the best seasonal ingredients, though a meal, with drinks, tax, and tip, can easily cost $200 per person.

Piroshky Piroshky

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A portable delight, the impeccable buns at this incredibly popular chain usually draws long lines. The subtly spiced beef and potato versions are off-the-chart good, and the smoked salmon pate is wrapped in the adorable shape of a fish. There are lots of sweet treats, too, including a cinnamon cardamom braid.

Le Panier

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The scent of buttery, soft, flakey croissants draws diners inevitably to one of the city’s best French bakeries, but don’t be discouraged by the long lines, as they move quickly. From macarons to savory feuilletes, filled with vegetables like champignons or asparagus depending on the season, everything here is incredible, particularly the baguettes.

Cafe Campagne

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This longtime Pike Place wonder from chef Daisley Gordon is well-regarded for its dedication to classic Parisian fare, served in a warmly lit dining room. Start dinner with escargot or calamari, order the roasted chicken with natural jus for an entree and finish with a delightful chocolate cognac mousse. Lunch and weekend brunch menus offer house-made croissants and a popular quiche with Comtè cheese, which can be taken to-go or enjoyed in the dining room.c

Beecher's Handmade Cheese

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This world-renowned cheesemaker offers grab-and-go dairy delights and a show. Customers can watch the fascinating cheesemaking process through a large window while eating cups of perfectly piquant mac and cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches made with super-sharp cheddar oozing between crispy slices of tangy sourdough bread, best enjoyed with a cup of tomato soup. There are also many other retail options around the city.

Pike Place Chowder

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Those lucky enough to arrive at this award-winning spot before the lines start forming should seize the opportunity to experience why the hype is justified. The standard New England chowder is satisfying, but for a truly Northwest experience, best to go for the smoked salmon and seafood bisque.

The Crumpet Shop

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On First and Pike Place, a bit outside of the main tourist fray, the Crumpet Shop has been slinging English-inspired sweet and savory crumpets for more than 40 years. Everything’s organic, right down to the loose-leaf teas, and one of those piled-up crumpets can serve as an affordable, light lunch. Great breakfast sandwiches include the egg topped with wild smoked salmon and cream cheese, and the Green Eggs and Ham (blended with pesto).

Radiator Whiskey

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Though the name suggests rotgut moonshine, the drink selection at this popular rustic sibling to Matt’s in the Market is spectacular, and the menu is a dream for carnivores, with large portions of dishes like fried pork shank and smoked and fried chicken. You can even preorder half of a smoked pig head, which is served with a variety of dipping sauces.

Matt's in the Market

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Overlooking the giant neon Public Market Center sign and boasting expertly-crafted Northwest seafood, this Pike Place seafood restaurant is a must for out-of-towners (the seared scallops with cauliflower puree and pan roasted halibut are standouts, though menus change seasonally). Those who plan ahead should try to reserve a window seat to enjoy the view of the Puget Sound.

Oriental Mart

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Steps away from all the foot traffic, this part-market, part-deli quietly cooks some of the finest Filipino cuisine in the city. After years going without a menu, the three generation family-owned lunch counter got a little more structure. Not changing is the famed salmon collar sinigang from chef Leila Rosas, which helped earn this spot a James Beard Classics Award.

Pasta Casalinga

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This Pike Place star has a rotating menu of simple, yet thoughtful, made-to-order pasta plates that all cost less than $15. Dishes typically include a bowl of handmade pasta tossed with a light sauce and locally caught or foraged ingredients, such as creste di gallo pasta morels, pancetta, ricotta, and safron or classic pomodoro. You can eat at a small counter in the restaurant or take the food to go.

DeLaurenti Food & Wine

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DeLaurenti is an excellent Italian deli with a large selection of prosciutto and salami, pastas, olive oils, wines, olives, cheeses, and more Italian staples and snacks. You could easily put together a great lunch by buying a loaf of bread, some sliced meat, cheese, and pickles, but DeLaurenti also sells hot and cold sandwiches. The Parma, made with sweet prosciutto di Parma brightened with arugula, drizzled with white truffle oil and sprinkled with shaved Parmesan on an Italian sandwich roll, is among many excellent choices.

This Moroccan fine dining restaurant opened in March in Pike Place Market in a space overlooking Western Avenue. Inside Shama, the dining room features indigo-blue walls, intricate tile mosaic on the sides of the bar, and gold-trimmed mirrors. Owner Hamid Majdi, a Seattle restaurant-industry veteran, wants to introduce the city to the flavors of his home country with his first restaurant through dishes like m’rouzia, a meltingly tender lamb shank with honey, almonds, prunes and saffron, and a chicken dish cooked with bitingly sour preserved lemons and briny green olives, both served with fluffy couscous.

A dish with an upright lamb shank covered in shaved nuts and brown sauce and garnished with micro greens.
The m’rouzia at Shama is a meltingly tender lamb shank with honey, almonds, prunes and saffron.
Courtesy of Shama

Zig Zag Cafe

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This classic Seattle haunt in Pike Place Market is best known for former bartender Murray Stenson, who was named the best bartender in America by Tales of the Cocktail in 2010 and who is credited with repopularizing the Prohibition-era gin and green chartreuse cocktail called The Last Word. Stenson has moved on from Zig Zag, but the cocktails continue to impress, and come with excellent drinking snacks like fermented jalapeno hushpuppies, duck confit tostadas with salsa macha, and local oysters on the half shell. There are also a few dinner entrees including a burger, steak frites, and king salmon.

Jarrbar

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This tapas bar off Western Avenue rivals any other in the city. The candlelit tables and soulful grooves playing over the speakers make it an excellent spot to sip its inventive cocktails and snack on small bites like boquerones, cheeses, and cured meats. There’s also some outside seats that make for great people watching.

Post Alley Pizza

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This low-lit pizza den near the gum wall in Pike Place Market is easy to overlook (literally, since it’s tucked into Post Alley). But a recent menu revamp, with improved doughs and higher quality ingredients, has made this low-key Seattle standby one of the best pizzerias in town. You can’t go wrong with the margherita or the classic pepperoni, made with the Ezzo type that curls up to make those classic grease-covered cups.

This Georgian cafe a few blocks south of the market specializes in kachapuri, cheesy bread boats popular in Eastern Europe. The classic “adjaruli” version is simply served with a runny egg yolk and butter. The “lobiani” version— filled with beans, bacon, red chili, cheese, and egg is another good bet. These kachapuri are defined by dairy, and no vegan versions are served.

Le Pichet

This French bistro and café a couple of blocks from the center of Pike Place is a good spot for a breather from the market’s bustle. Lunch, with perfectly-executed baguette sandwiches like ham and gruyere on bread slathered with butter blended with mustard, as well as charcuterie and wine, is simple and delicious, as are the pillowy quiches. The restaurant also serves entrees like duck leg confit, steak frites, and whole roasted chicken for dinner.

The Pink Door

One of Seattle’s enduring Italian restaurants, located at Post Alley, offers plenty of well-crafted pasta selections, including linguini with baby clams and pancetta in a white wine sauce and a popular spinach lasagna. Diners who plan ahead should try to score a spot on the outdoor deck, which fills up quickly on sunny days.

Maíz

Maíz, a new tortilleria and counter-service shop in the heart of Pike Place Market, is a temple to corn: kernels of varieties like red cónico, blue chalqueño, and yellow bolita line the counter above the griddle, and heirloom corn is the base of every dish. The tamales pair nicely with a warm cup of atole, and the multicolored corn brings striking colors to the tortillas (sold by the half-dozen), gorditas, and sopes.

Sushi Kashiba

Diners have long flocked to the upscale Pike Place restaurant to watch master sushi chef Shiro Kashiba at work, with seats at the bar among the most coveted. Its meticulous attention to detail remains a big draw, as does chef Kashiba, who is credited for bringing edomae-style sushi to Seattle and has opened some of the city’s best-respected sushi restaurants, including the self-titled Shiro’s Sushi Restaurant in Belltown. The omakase offering features the best seasonal ingredients, though a meal, with drinks, tax, and tip, can easily cost $200 per person.

Piroshky Piroshky

A portable delight, the impeccable buns at this incredibly popular chain usually draws long lines. The subtly spiced beef and potato versions are off-the-chart good, and the smoked salmon pate is wrapped in the adorable shape of a fish. There are lots of sweet treats, too, including a cinnamon cardamom braid.

Le Panier

The scent of buttery, soft, flakey croissants draws diners inevitably to one of the city’s best French bakeries, but don’t be discouraged by the long lines, as they move quickly. From macarons to savory feuilletes, filled with vegetables like champignons or asparagus depending on the season, everything here is incredible, particularly the baguettes.

Cafe Campagne

This longtime Pike Place wonder from chef Daisley Gordon is well-regarded for its dedication to classic Parisian fare, served in a warmly lit dining room. Start dinner with escargot or calamari, order the roasted chicken with natural jus for an entree and finish with a delightful chocolate cognac mousse. Lunch and weekend brunch menus offer house-made croissants and a popular quiche with Comtè cheese, which can be taken to-go or enjoyed in the dining room.c

Beecher's Handmade Cheese

This world-renowned cheesemaker offers grab-and-go dairy delights and a show. Customers can watch the fascinating cheesemaking process through a large window while eating cups of perfectly piquant mac and cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches made with super-sharp cheddar oozing between crispy slices of tangy sourdough bread, best enjoyed with a cup of tomato soup. There are also many other retail options around the city.

Pike Place Chowder

Those lucky enough to arrive at this award-winning spot before the lines start forming should seize the opportunity to experience why the hype is justified. The standard New England chowder is satisfying, but for a truly Northwest experience, best to go for the smoked salmon and seafood bisque.

The Crumpet Shop

On First and Pike Place, a bit outside of the main tourist fray, the Crumpet Shop has been slinging English-inspired sweet and savory crumpets for more than 40 years. Everything’s organic, right down to the loose-leaf teas, and one of those piled-up crumpets can serve as an affordable, light lunch. Great breakfast sandwiches include the egg topped with wild smoked salmon and cream cheese, and the Green Eggs and Ham (blended with pesto).

Radiator Whiskey

Though the name suggests rotgut moonshine, the drink selection at this popular rustic sibling to Matt’s in the Market is spectacular, and the menu is a dream for carnivores, with large portions of dishes like fried pork shank and smoked and fried chicken. You can even preorder half of a smoked pig head, which is served with a variety of dipping sauces.

Matt's in the Market

Overlooking the giant neon Public Market Center sign and boasting expertly-crafted Northwest seafood, this Pike Place seafood restaurant is a must for out-of-towners (the seared scallops with cauliflower puree and pan roasted halibut are standouts, though menus change seasonally). Those who plan ahead should try to reserve a window seat to enjoy the view of the Puget Sound.

Oriental Mart

Steps away from all the foot traffic, this part-market, part-deli quietly cooks some of the finest Filipino cuisine in the city. After years going without a menu, the three generation family-owned lunch counter got a little more structure. Not changing is the famed salmon collar sinigang from chef Leila Rosas, which helped earn this spot a James Beard Classics Award.

Pasta Casalinga

This Pike Place star has a rotating menu of simple, yet thoughtful, made-to-order pasta plates that all cost less than $15. Dishes typically include a bowl of handmade pasta tossed with a light sauce and locally caught or foraged ingredients, such as creste di gallo pasta morels, pancetta, ricotta, and safron or classic pomodoro. You can eat at a small counter in the restaurant or take the food to go.

DeLaurenti Food & Wine

DeLaurenti is an excellent Italian deli with a large selection of prosciutto and salami, pastas, olive oils, wines, olives, cheeses, and more Italian staples and snacks. You could easily put together a great lunch by buying a loaf of bread, some sliced meat, cheese, and pickles, but DeLaurenti also sells hot and cold sandwiches. The Parma, made with sweet prosciutto di Parma brightened with arugula, drizzled with white truffle oil and sprinkled with shaved Parmesan on an Italian sandwich roll, is among many excellent choices.

Related Maps

Shama

This Moroccan fine dining restaurant opened in March in Pike Place Market in a space overlooking Western Avenue. Inside Shama, the dining room features indigo-blue walls, intricate tile mosaic on the sides of the bar, and gold-trimmed mirrors. Owner Hamid Majdi, a Seattle restaurant-industry veteran, wants to introduce the city to the flavors of his home country with his first restaurant through dishes like m’rouzia, a meltingly tender lamb shank with honey, almonds, prunes and saffron, and a chicken dish cooked with bitingly sour preserved lemons and briny green olives, both served with fluffy couscous.

A dish with an upright lamb shank covered in shaved nuts and brown sauce and garnished with micro greens.
The m’rouzia at Shama is a meltingly tender lamb shank with honey, almonds, prunes and saffron.
Courtesy of Shama

Zig Zag Cafe

This classic Seattle haunt in Pike Place Market is best known for former bartender Murray Stenson, who was named the best bartender in America by Tales of the Cocktail in 2010 and who is credited with repopularizing the Prohibition-era gin and green chartreuse cocktail called The Last Word. Stenson has moved on from Zig Zag, but the cocktails continue to impress, and come with excellent drinking snacks like fermented jalapeno hushpuppies, duck confit tostadas with salsa macha, and local oysters on the half shell. There are also a few dinner entrees including a burger, steak frites, and king salmon.

Jarrbar

This tapas bar off Western Avenue rivals any other in the city. The candlelit tables and soulful grooves playing over the speakers make it an excellent spot to sip its inventive cocktails and snack on small bites like boquerones, cheeses, and cured meats. There’s also some outside seats that make for great people watching.

Post Alley Pizza

This low-lit pizza den near the gum wall in Pike Place Market is easy to overlook (literally, since it’s tucked into Post Alley). But a recent menu revamp, with improved doughs and higher quality ingredients, has made this low-key Seattle standby one of the best pizzerias in town. You can’t go wrong with the margherita or the classic pepperoni, made with the Ezzo type that curls up to make those classic grease-covered cups.

Skalka

This Georgian cafe a few blocks south of the market specializes in kachapuri, cheesy bread boats popular in Eastern Europe. The classic “adjaruli” version is simply served with a runny egg yolk and butter. The “lobiani” version— filled with beans, bacon, red chili, cheese, and egg is another good bet. These kachapuri are defined by dairy, and no vegan versions are served.

Related Maps