Seattle Restaurant Recommendation Please

[Lois R]

Hello friends🙂yes, I already used Trip Advisor but I thought this would be the best place to get some dinner recommendations.  I am sailing out of Seattle in 3 weeks😃. I have been there multiple times over the years, but not recently.  I am staying at the Fairmont and would love to know what any of you locals would recommend for dinner pre-cruise. I will be there during the week......on a Wednesday night.  And something walkable would help. My flight gets in around 3:30 and my transport to the hotel is already taken care of so just thought I would see what any of you would recommend for dinner.

 

Thanks🙂

[rkacruiser]

Not a local, but have visited Seattle many times.  Anthony's Pier 66 has never disappointed me.  Walkable from the Fairmont?  I am not sure.  The restaurant is on the waterfront across the street from the Seattle Marriott.  

 

A Pike Place Restaurant that I have enjoyed is Place Pigalle.  It may be more walkable from the Fairmont.  I am not sure.  

[Lois R]

Hi rka, thanks.........have been to Anthony's before and I agree, it is quite good.  Will Google the one at Pike's.

 

I should have said, anyone can give recommendations🙂

[nowornever]

Hi Lois - BTW, I "know" you from the "Silversea board also.  You are staying in a lovely hotel in a great location.  It was the Four Seasons before it moved a few blocks away. Please trust the concierge to make a good recommendation.  You may have read a lot about the homeless situation up & down the west coast & it's frightful downtown.  I'm certainly not bringing this up as any sort of statement or to start a heated discussion,  but it's hard not to recognize that it's real & unpleasant for visitors & locals alike.  It's being addressed but who knows?  You will need to use extreme caution at night.  Allow your bellman to get you a cab or use Uber or Lyft to whichever restaurant you choose....and there are so many fine ones - sadly many were devastated over the last year.  Google Tom Douglas restaurants or Ethan Stowell or Maria Hines ones (James Beard winner.)   You won't go wrong but we're blessed with amazing seafood & you'll be here in the peak of beautiful NW fruits & vegetables so go somewhere featuring LOCAL bounty - not some chain place.  I wouldn't trust tripadvisor with this since you only have one shot at it...I'd rely on your hotel but tell him/her that you want a local place featuring farm-to-table food. You could even call the concierge a few days in advance to solicit advice & have reservations made for you.  I will mention one place that's local & off the beaten track - Ray's Boathouse in Ballard/Golden Gardens that's been around forever & relies on locally sourced food - not particularly "gourmet'ish: but reliably high quality & very good.  You won't run into a lot of tourists there.  It's at the entrance to the Locks with great views (there is an Anthony's next door) - upstairs is the "Cafe" & downstairs is the more "serious" restaurant.  You would definitely need transportation.   BTW,  the farmers were badly hurt with the horrid heat wave...so many crops destroyed & the local seafood suffered also.  People said that walking on the beach smelled like a clam bake.  If you have any other questions about the area, I'll be happy to answer as best I can, either here or on the Silversea board or I'll give you my e-mail.  Have fun researching  & BTW, whatever you do, try it with a Columbia Valley or Walla Walla wine (or if push comes to shove, an Oregon Pinot.) Cheers

[Lois R]

Hi, thanks so much for all that information. I appreciate it for sure.😃 How far a walk is it to

Pike Place from the hotel?  Many years ago I stayed at The Westin and another time I stayed at The Renaissance. I can't think of the name of the restaurant but I ate at place across from the Westin that was really funky and fun inside......wish I could recall the name. 

[nowornever]

about the same distance from the Fairmont & the Westin to PPM but from different directions. Suggest you go via 4th N to Pike & then W to the Market.  Again, trust the concierge as things might change.  

[Lois R]

10 hours ago, nowornever said:

about the same distance from the Fairmont & the Westin to PPM but from different directions. Suggest you go via 4th N to Pike & then W to the Market.  Again, trust the concierge as things might change.  

Good morning 🙂 I will take your advice and speak to the Concierge.  Thank you again🙂

I have to say I was looking on line at "restaurants near the Fairmont"........lots of them show up.

One really stood out to me......called The Purple Cafe and Wine Bar.......looks really cool😃

[nowornever]

Hi again, Lois.  I've not been to the Purple downtown but until very recently we had one close to our community on the eastside & I always enjoyed it.  It's owned by a group called "Heavy Restaurants" if you want to google it. More & more restaurants are requiring proof of vax to dine & you'll probably see more masks here than in FL.  Happy planning - it's half the fun of cruising.  Ours is approaching also but not as quickly as yours.

[Lois R]

3 minutes ago, nowornever said:

Hi again, Lois.  I've not been to the Purple downtown but until very recently we had one close to our community on the eastside & I always enjoyed it.  It's owned by a group called "Heavy Restaurants" if you want to google it. More & more restaurants are requiring proof of vax to dine & you'll probably see more masks here than in FL.  Happy planning - it's half the fun of cruising.  Ours is approaching also but not as quickly as yours.

Hi again,  I will have my vax card with me.......need it for the cruise line so no issue for me on that and not a problem with masking......you do what you have to do.🙂 as for Florida....can you say DELTA?👎

 

[Lois R]

I googled the Heavy Group.......their restaurants look really good😃

[nowornever]

check these out also, Lois

 

https://www.tomdouglas.com/

[Lois R]

3 minutes ago, nowornever said:

check these out also, Lois

 

https://www.tomdouglas.com/

Hi, I looked at his places yesterday.

[Lois R]

Hi nowornever, I didn't realize you had been posting on the SS board. This cruise will be my 5th with them.🙂 Have you sailed with them in the past?

[nowornever]

Hi Lois, on this cruise we will be over 400 days.  First was in 2007, last was the S. Am. Shadow Grand Voyage last Jan that didn't end well.

[Lois R]

Just now, nowornever said:

Hi Lois, on this cruise we will be over 400 days.  First was in 2007, last was the S. Am. Shadow Grand Voyage last Jan that didn't end well.

OMG....400 days? WOW!!!!!!!!  I will just be over 100 in 2022!  So you know lots of crew/staff I am sure😃..they are awesome!  So are you sailing Muse since you live right there?

[nowornever]

It was tempting but we did the Spirit Vancouver to Tokyo in 2019 & this is more or less a carbon copy of that itinerary. Plus we've done it a couple of times on HAL.  Hope your weather will be as wonderful as it was in 2019 - just superb.  I can't wait to see the crew & hope I will know many of them.  Can't imagine nicer, more hardworking & constantly cheerful people anywhere on earth.

[Lois R]

Good morning,🙂 I have a good friend who just returned home from sailing to Alaska (not on SS) but anyway, he said the weather was warm and sunny every day!  No rain in any of the ports!  I know that is not normal and now I have to re-think my packing strategy😲.......but I will just keep checking the weather and maybe by the time I get to you, temps will drop (one can hope LOL).

[nowornever]

It was super warm in Sept. in 2019 until we got to Seward.  Definitely cropped pants & shorter shirt weather.  You're so right about continuing to check the weather - those storms form in the Gulf of Alaska very quickly.  Here's hoping you have great weather here & there...I just want it to cool down to NW temperate, not SW heat!  bah humbug

[Lois R]

Hi again,🙂 I just used Google Maps and the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar is just 1 block from the Fairmont......

The Hotel is on 5th and the restaurant on 4th......really would not need a car for that one. I will speak with the Concierge but it really looks close.

[psuboater]

Summers in Seattle are our best kept secret - we get little to no rain from July until about September. When we do get rain the other times of the year, it's mostly misty or light - we rarely get downpours(and seem to be decreasing as my years here go by).

 

Purple is a good option. Our favorite "splurge" restaurant is Butcher's Table, which, if you are a steak lover, is the best in the city. Butcher's Table would require an uber or taxi as it's in South Lake Union, but worth it. Another good option in the city but still not walkable (depending on fitness level) is Aqua by El Gaucho. Beautiful views (right on the pier) and it reminds me of a cruise ship dining room atmosphere.  Bateau is in Capitol Hill and also another fantastic option for steak. After Bateau, my favorite cocktail bar I've been to in my travels is Canon. Drinks are pricey but worth it- the presentations are amazing!  Taylor's Shellfish I'm told is great for oysters, even if a bit touristy (I just don't eat oysters, but I have been to dinners here)

 

If you want to venture 15 minutes outside of the city (still technically Seattle but not downtown), I'd recommend Ballard for a true local neighborhood feel. Ray's Boathouse is on the water and will give you the seafood options that we're known for. Then I recommend walking to Salt and Straw for ice cream if you're from the East Coast and haven't tried it yet. If you're into beer, checking out Reuben's Beer, Holy Mountain Brewing and Fremont Brewing is a must stop.

 

Don't sleep on the International District. Everyone knows Din Tai Fung for dumplings, but DoughZone I think is even better and less expensive. 

 

For a casual pizza option - Dino's Tomato Pie is the best pizza we've found on the West Coast. Windy City Pie is a really great Chicago style option. 

 

Don't be afraid to get an Uber out of downtown - where most people stay downtown is really business or tourist focused - which is fine, but you'll have to do a bit of exploring to find the locals 🙂

[Lois R]

Hi PSUboater, thanks for the reply🙂.   There is another thread on here and I received a reply from someone who just recently went to the Purple Cafe......I am waiting for another reply from them. They did not recommend it. I was wondering what they didn't like about it.  It looks good to me (on the net anyway).

I will Google a few of the places you mentioned. And I get it, about trying something outside of the hotel but to be honest, I am not a big Uber person.....actually I have never taken one. We have a company called Ztrip that does the same thing but you can actually call them on the phone. Isn't Uber only app? I prefer knowing I can talk to someone if need be.

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, Lois R said:

Isn't Uber only app? I prefer knowing I can talk to someone if need be.

 

Speaking with a real live, breathing person?  Yes, that's what I prefer as well.  

[FauxNom]

You said you had been to Anthony's, but if you haven't tried the Bell Street Diner (downstairs from the more formal restaurant), that might be a good option. You can eat outside and you are right on the water. They have nice happy hour options too.

 

Cafe Campagne in the Market used to be good if you like French, but it's been a long time since I personally eaten there.

 

I think Ray's Boathouse is a treasure, but it is a long taxi ride away.

 

This link has loads of tempting options. Any of the ones on Capitol Hill are walkable if you don't mind walking up a hill 🙂 https://seattle.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-seattle-38

 

 

[Glaciers]

The Purple Café did have a better menu in the past. They used to have an a la carte cheese menu that was fantastic, scaled down now to just about nothing.  Although the food isn’t exactly what it used to be it can still be a good experience. The bar is neat, centered in the restaurant next to the wine tower. It has big windows and high ceilings and is very open and non-compartmentalized.  We enjoy sitting at the bar over the tables there. If you don’t need to make a reservation some place, take a peek inside before making a decision.  I agree there are better food options but considering being across the street from the Fairmont, it’s good.

[princeton123211]

The Fairmont had a really pretty lobby bar that just opened-- was able to get a sneak peak at it right before it opened when we were in Seattle a few months ago. Major improvement over the tinny cubby hole the bar was in prior. 

 

If you are in the mood for steaks, Metropolitan Grill has always been a go to for us. Not far from the hotel.