7 Must Try Foods In Seattle

If you’re in Seattle and you’re not trying to feast on local seafood at every opportunity, why are you here? But if you only try one shellfish, make it the Dungeness crab, the regional species of the Pacific Northwest. Coincidentally, Pacific Northwesteners will tell you it’s the most delicious variety of crab out there; not that they’re biased or anything. You’ll find it cooked up in hundreds of diverse ways here, from flaking its delicate meat into a chowder to Creole classics to Asian inspired fusion dishes. But as is often the case, there's nothing like keeping things simple. Try it unadulterated at Taylor Shellfish and Oyster Bar; just steamed, chilled and cracked (and the sides aren’t bad either). 

Not exactly a shocking revelation to anyone whose either looked at a map of Seattle, has been to Seattle or has done a shred of research about the city - but the seafood here is good as anything you’ve ever tasted. Better, probably. For a city surrounded by water, it follows that the seafood forms a large part of its culinary identity. For freshly shucked oysters and a glass of something cold and sparkling, you can’t beat The Walrus and The Carpenter. It’s regarded as the best oyster bar in the country, and with a menu which changes as often as the tides - taking advantage of the very best of each day’s catch - you’re spoiled for choice with the varieties of oyster and the innovative twists they serve (or cook) them with. The only certainty is there will be oysters, and they will taste out of this world. 

The name might say New England, but the clam chowder here is all Seattle. You can’t really argue with that when the clams come straight out of the Sound. There’s only one place to eat it (okay, there are a few but life’s too short to waste on mediocre chowder) and that’s at Pike Place Chowder. This tiny joint makes five varieties of chowder, but the New England Clam has won awards in New England (we’re not joking) so this is the one to try. Creamy, packed with flavour and with the freshest clams around, you’ll want to head straight back for another bowl and hunk of bread to dip as soon as you’ve finished it. 

Ask any Seattleite about hom bow and they’ll promptly point you in the direction of Mee Sum Pastry in Pike Place Market. Inspired by the Chinese bao bun - a dim sum staple - Seattle’s version is a slightly sweeter dough stuffed with a juicy bbq pork filling. At Mee Sum they make both steamed and baked buns, but the baked version with its crispy outer she'll encasing lighter than air dough and a sweet, tangy, salty bbq filling is the one to try.

Photo: thisanomallife.com 

A uniquely Seattle quirk, the Seattle dog is the city’s version of the all-American food cart classic. Exactly as it sounds, it’s a hot dog whose toasted bun has been slathered in cream cheese, with some caramelised onions thrown in for good measure. You won’t find it anywhere else, so of course you need to try one while you’re in town. Tip: they make the perfect snack on the way home after a night of bopping your way around the bars of Capitol Hill.