6 Spots to Savor Seattle’s Cultural Culinary Offerings
From Scandinavian sweets to Spanish samplings, Seattle has a diverse sampling of restaurants.
Newcomers to Seattle might first think of the Pike Place Market or the city headquarters of that major coffee chain when it comes to feasting on local fare. Yet the Emerald City is where visitors can experience the city’s multicultural offerings through sights, sounds and tastes. Seattle’s many culinary heritages are reflected within the city’s unique neighborhoods, especially in its restaurants.
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ʔálʔal Cafe
In November 2022, ʔálʔal Cafe opened in Pioneer Square, on the first floor of the housing facility of the Chief Seattle Club, a Native-led housing and human services agency.
With ʔálʔal meaning “home” in the Lushootseed language, the fast-casual cafe has breakfast and lunch menu items made with traditional indigenous ingredients. Blue Corn Mush is a bowlful of Navajo Nation Blue Cornmeal and juniper ash that is topped with a berry Wojape sauce. For lunch, choices are abundant, including Bison barbacoa tacos and a 3-Sisters Rabbit Stew. There is also an espresso bar and a bakery case with items such as blue cornbread and Saskatoon berry scones.
Native art is also a big part of the café, with a gallery showing a rotation of works by Native artists and a case full of handcrafted items created by the club’s members for sale. “Changing of Worlds” by artist Roger Fernandes is a three-panel mural reflecting from the time before the signing of the Treaty of Point Elliott to what it means to be Native now, with the middle panel depicting Chief Seattle.
Hood Famous Bakeshop
As the foundation of Seattle’s Asian-American community, the Chinatown-International District reflects many Asian cultures through restaurants, bakeries, herbal shops, grocery stores and historic venues.
Baker and owner Chera Amlag started the Filipino bakery, Hood Famous Bakeshop, with her husband, Geo Quibuyen, as a pop-up in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood under a different name. At one of their dinners, Amlag prepared an ube cheesecake that developed a loyal fan base that has since become a menu staple.
Now located in the Chinatown-International District, Hood Famous offers cheesecakes in other flavors and Filipino classics include biko, a chicken arroz caldo and cassava cake.
While visiting the Chinatown-International District, be sure to visit the Fuji Bakery, a Japanese artisan bakery known for its crunchy cream malasada and signature beef curry bun, and Seattle Best Tea, which sells oolong, green, pu-erh and other tea varieties and conducts tea presentations. KoBO Seattle at Higo sells traditional and contemporary Japanese fine crafts and everyday objects. It is based within the Higo Variety Store, a former business owned and operated by the Murakami family from 1909 to 2003.
Fat’s Chicken and Waffles
Located in Seattle’s Central District, Fat’s Chicken and Waffles is a New Orleans-influenced soul food restaurant that serves not only its namesake (chicken and waffles!) but also fried catfish, shrimp and grits and a honey butter biscuit.
While Fat’s Chicken and Waffles is the brain-child of restaurateur Marcus Lalario and his team, Erika White, owner and manager, has become the face of the restaurant. According to White, the restaurant’s name is inspired by a friend’s nickname. White, a Seattle native whose father was a chef, went to college in Louisiana and said the restaurant pays homage to the culinary vibe of NOLA.
Métier Brewing Company
Founded in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville, but with its flagship location in Seattle’s Central District, the Métier Brewing Company was co-founded by business partners Rodney Hines and Todd Herriott. The mission of this Black-owned business is not only about brewing but fostering a stronger sense of community.
These co-owners partnered with Reuben’s Brews to launch Mosaic State Brewers Collective, a mentoring program for women and people of color to gain access to the brewing industry. Another milestone for this brewery has been the opening of Steelheads Alley, a bar developed in collaboration with the Seattle Mariners and named for the Negro Baseball League team, the Seattle Steelheads.
Along with beers like their citrusy Horizon IPA and Black Stripe Coconut Porter, Métier Brewing Company puts out a non-alcoholic Sparkling Hop Water.
MariPili Tapas Bar
Chef Grayson Corrales opened MariPili Tapas Bar in May 2022. Corrales’s family heavily influenced the spot, and its name even came from the family nickname for her aunt, Maria Pilar. This Galician dining spot reflects other family ties for Corrales, who credits her Galician grandmother in teaching her as a child how to cook.
As a young adult, Corrales became a trained pastry chef. Previously, she worked at Eden Hill and then JuneBaby. Corrales interned at Culler de Pau, a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Pontevedra, Spain. It was a move that also was inspired by her grandmother’s influence and wanting to learn more about Galician culture and cuisine. The Washington native later returned to Seattle and opened her Spanish bar food restaurant within Capitol Hill.
Today, MariPili Tapas Bar is a beloved favorite known for its authentic dishes, including Pulpo a la Gallega, which features octopus poached in orange and sliced and served with crispy potatoes, Spanish chili crisp and pickled onions.
Cafè Hagen
Seattle’s link to Nordic culture comes from the region’s immigrants to the Pacific Northwest arriving in the late 19th century. Today, one place to experience this legacy is at the Nordic eatery Cafè Hagen. Started by owner Maria Beck, Cafè Hagen has three locations in Seattle. They offer a hygge-like setting, with a menu of Scandinavian cuisine, their own brand of roasted coffee, and a wine/beer list.
According to Beck, the theme was to provide more of a feeling of an extended home where customers can grab a morning coffee or go and stay and hang out with friends. While there, choose from a selection of classic favorites or seasonal specialty drinks and pair them with one of the Scandinavian menu staples, like a breakfast bun.
