Fairmont Olympic Hotel’s Shuckers
Photo Courtesy of FRHI Hotels & Resorts
Looking for tasty ways to explore Seattle? You’re in luck — there are a slew of creative (and insider) avenues for exploring the Emerald City’s famous eats. We’ve got the dish on five of its most delectable food and drink adventures.
A chef-led walk through Pike Place Market
Almost every Seattle tourist find his way to the city’s jam-packed Pike Place Market. But to get a behind-the-scenes look at this foodie mecca, take a tour with a local chef. Founded by chef Liz McCune, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Eat Seattle tours include tasting stops at vendors, ranging from an artisan pickle shop to a hidden Greek yogurt maker and a fourth-generation fish vendor.
A Tasty Tour with Eat Seattle, Photo Courtesy of Chuck Sires
McCune will clue you into Seattle’s food culture and highlight unique, locally made products. Tip: Don’t eat before joining this food-filled two-hour excursion.
Touring and eating in Bruce Lee’s Chinatown
Late actor and martial artist Bruce Lee attended the University of Washington in Seattle and set up his first martial arts studio in the city’s International District, where he also met his future wife, Linda Emery.
The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience is in the midst of a multi-year exhibit about Lee and, in conjunction with the showing, you can take a guided tour through the neighborhood and through Lee’s Seattle past.
The tour wraps up with lunch at Seattle’s oldest Chinese restaurant, Tai Tung, where Lee dined on Chinese-American classics like shrimp in black bean sauce and oyster sauce beef — and you can, too.
Wine tasting and travel inspiration
Would you like to sip locally produced wine while learning about faraway destinations? Then add The Adventure Hub & Winery, in the industrial SoDo (south of downtown) district, to your Seattle itinerary. The address is home to three businesses — Elsom Cellars winery, Evergreen Escapes tours and Kaf Adventures (an outdoor education and adventure company).
You can stop in for a variety of travel or culinary events or simply to taste some great vino. Another option while you’re there is to book a private urban winery tour, where you can try out pours from several of the growing number of SoDo wineries.
Road Dog Tours, Photo Courtesy of Road Dog Tours Seattle
Sampling Seattle’s craft breweries
Microbrewing has become a big business in Seattle, with more than 50 craft brewers now operating in the metro area. Leave the driving to Road Dog Tours as you explore the local beer scene on one of its craft brewery tours.
You’ll visit three local breweries, typically varying in size and style, and you’ll taste an ample amount at each stop. If you have particular requests for the type of place you’d like to sample or the neighborhood you want to visit, Red Dog can customize an itinerary to your specifications. And if you’d rather check out the growing local distillery or coffee scenes, Road Dog offers spirits and java tours, too.
A self-guided seafood crawl
Another must-do in Seattle is to sample the bounty of the local seas. And with so many appetizing options around town, you can easily organize your own Pacific Northwest seafood crawl. For instance, at Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Fairmont Olympic Hotel’s classic oyster house Shuckers, a restaurant outfitted with hard-carved dark oak paneling, you can sample from a changing selection of locally sourced bivalves and seasonal fresh fish.
Also, the stylish Goldfinch Tavern, an eatery inside the Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel Seattle that overlooks the waterfront, has a raw bar that serves fresh oysters, salmon tartare and seafood crudo.
