Emerald City Eats

A Day of Eating at Pike Place Market in Seattle

When I was growing up, if you would’ve said Emerald City, my mind immediately would’ve gone to Dorothy, Toto, and The Wizard of Oz.  I watched The Wizard of Oz all the time growing up. I loved that movie.  Our mom needed something to keep me entertained when my sister was born so she would put on The Wizard of Oz and I’d be content.

Well, nowadays, when I hear Emerald City, not only do I think of The Wizard of Oz but I think of Seattle.  Yes, if you didn’t know, Seattle is also known as the Emerald City.  It is surrounded by evergreens and greenery that blooms year-round.  If you have never been to Seattle, it really is surrounded by evergreens.  You are in a metropolis and you’ve got greenery around you too.    Kayla and I absolutely loved Seattle.  One of the best parts was the food!  

Now, here’s the deal, I love food.  I’ll eat pretty much anything (except olives).  I have a bad habit of eating too much and then I’m so full, I’m miserable and my metabolism definitely isn’t what it used to be.  Regardless, none of that stops me from eating and enjoying every minute of it.  The great thing about Seattle is that you walk everywhere so I felt no guilt whatsoever in eating.  (Now, when I got back and started my workouts consistently again, boy…it was a struggle but I don’t regret one bit of indulgence in eating at Seattle.)

The iconic Pike Place Market is the place to be. Well, honestly there is so much about Seattle to see and do it was almost as if we didn’t have enough time there.  Anyway, back to Pike Place Market.  It is the place you see in the movies and shows and yes it is exactly like you see it. On weekends, it is so busy it’s hard to move through the market. 

Gosh, there is so much I want to tell you about Seattle and Pike Place Market but for now, I’ll start with some of my favorite places to eat at the market that will get you through a day of eating. Then you can follow the brown, old brick road out of the market back to where you’re staying.

So, let’s get started!

Start your day with some doughnuts from the Daily Dozen Doughnut Company.  They are famous for making their mini doughnuts with their “Doughnut Robot.”  You can get different flavors such as plain, cinnamon and sugar, powdered sugar, and more.  You can choose to get an assorted dozen or half dozen.  They are delicious!  Just carry your bag eating your mini doughnuts and walk around enjoying the sights of the markets.  You’ll be close to the fish market and Rachel the brass pig so you can stop for a photo op and hopefully, you can catch them throwing the fish at the market!

There are so many vendors on the top level of the market. After you’ve walked around and shopped a bit, grab an early lunch at Piroshky Piroshky.  This was my and Kayla’s favorite place to eat at the market!  A piroshky is a yeasty pastry that can have any savory or sweet filling.  Kayla had their famous beef and cheese.  I had their jalapeno cheddar sausage.  The piroshkys at Piroshky Piroshky are DELICIOUS!!  We also got some sweet ones.  They have their usuals, seasonals, and monthly piroshkys.  It is a must-try!

Before you start on the other levels of the market, grab some organic apple cider to drink as you walk around. The cider has different flavors such as peach, cherry, blackberry, and even lavender.  It will definitely quench your thirst!  You can see so many other stores.  Book stores, souvenir stores, a record store, comic book store, knick-knack antiques, and so much more!  You will be able to spend the day shopping!

For your midday snack, stop at Hellenika for some gelato.  OH MY GOODNESS, friends!  Do you want some yummy, healthy “ice cream”?  (Side note:  it is not ice cream, it is cultured custard.  So….it’s healthy!)  There are different flavors and you can try them before you make your decision.  And, if you’re like me and struggle with decision-making, size up and get two flavors in one!  

Keep walking up and down those levels and shops of the market. Yes, I said LEVELS! Find the famous Gum Wall and snap a few photos. Grab some fresh flowers before you leave the market, that is a must! The vendors work so hard to make their beautiful bouquets and Kayla and I each left with a bouquet.

Finally, make sure before it closes, you grab some chowder from Pike Place Chowder!  The line can get long, but here is some advice.  Call ahead and order to skip the line.  The New England Clam Chowder is what they are known for and for good reason!  You know how bacon makes everything better?  They put bacon in their chowder!  YUM-O people!  Now, are you feeling like you can’t choose just one of their chowder choices?  You can get a flight of chowders!  A FLIGHT OF CHOWDERS!  Try them all, and pick your favorite!  They serve the chowder with sourdough bread and oyster crackers and let me tell you, it will not disappoint!

Hey, guess what, if you run out of time…just go back again and try one of the places the next day OR….try a new one!  We did try so many other places, but these were our favorites!

Oh and if you’re a coffee-loving person like me…you can visit the oldest Starbucks.  However, the line gets soooooo long!!  The best time to visit and not wait too long in a long line is mid-week very late afternoon, early evening.  I went on a Thursday evening and didn’t wait in line but 5 minutes.

I was able to eat at all of those places in one day at Pike Place Market.  Morning to Market close.  Don’t worry, if you can’t eat them all in a day, you can order to go and take it with you!  Just spend the day eating and enjoying it! 

I will definitely be writing more about the Emerald City like more places to visit and best outfits to pack but I wanted to start with some places to eat.

Visit Seattle, visit the iconic Pike Place Market, be prepared for some rain, and then “Somewhere over the rainbow” you can eat your way through the day!

So tell me, if you’ve been to Pike Place Market, where do you love to eat?  If you haven’t been where have you heard of that you’re dying to try?

Have a good one and I can’t wait to share more!

-Joelle