There is something very magical about visiting Pike Place Market, Seattle’s farmers market that is the #1 tourist destination that draws in over 10 million people a year! What makes it so magical? It’s eccentric, cozy (especially when it’s chilly and rainy), there are hundreds of fresh flowers to buy, a ton of the best places to eat, and how often do you see people throwing fish across the air to put on a show for the people?
As soon as we checked into our hotel (only 250 feet away from Pike Place Market), we decided to head straight to Pike Place Market to embark on our own Pike Place Market food tour to find the best places to eat at Pike Place Market. Much to our surprise, we were greeted with complete and total emptiness (aside from vendors)! Lots of food and no lines? This is a foodies paradise.
Here are some of the best places to eat at Pike Place Market!
Best Places to Eat at Pike Place Market
Pikes Pit Bar-B-Que
Where are my BBQ lovers at?! Pikes Pit Bar-B-Que was made for you! Slow roasted wood smoked BBQ…. say no more, am I right?
We decided to split the #1, Pike “Spike It” and good thing we did, because that bad boy was BIG. The bun was loaded with chopped pork, topped with an all-beef spicy HOT LINK! I was convinced we would have to stop our Pike Place Market food tour right then and there, but alas, we powered on to many more little best place places to eat at Pike Place Market.
The area to eat is small! Bright red stools that wrap around their counter.
Market Grill
Up next, Market Grill for some chowder! Because when you’re in a place like the Pacific Northwest… seafood is a MUST. The whole menu looked delicious, but the New England Clam Chowder was calling my name. We split the five ounce cup, which was a perfect (small) size to share. We would definitely order the clam chowder again! That’s one of my all time favorite soups.
The area to eat is SMALL! There are maybe 8-10 seats that wrap around their counter.
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
Cheese lovers…. GET READY! Beecher’s Handmade Cheese will make you think you’re in cheese heaven. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is not inside of Pike Place, but right across the street (near the original Starbucks). When you approach Beecher’s, they have a viewing area for you to watch them make all these cheese (OMGGGGG)! This is normally a packed house, but luckily there were only a few people in there!
We split the smallest size of the original macaroni and cheese. It was so ooey, gooey, and rich.. we definitely indulged. We split the smallest size and that was plenty! Beecher’s was also sampling two different cheeses and I would die for those cheese samples.
Le Panier
Le Panier has to be one of the best places to eat at Pike Place Market – all the pastries are made fresh everyday… and you can tell! Le Panier’s intent is to bring the taste of France to Seattle (can they please bring the taste to Cincinnati also?!). I even went a second time by myself while Chase was asleep (shhh). This is another spot where the line will be out the door on a regular day. Take advantage if you see a short line!
It was nice getting out of the cold rain to sit inside their cute little cafe that had an aroma of fresh pastries and espresso. I swear though, the croissant I had is one that I will never stop thinking about! It was buttery and flaky… and just overall, perfection. We enjoyed our cortados, ham croissant, buttery OG croissant, and a pear pastry. 1000% one of the best places to eat at Pike Place Market!
We sat near the windows to watch all the people stroll by in the rain. That’s when we noticed a lot of people walking around with food in yellow bags and that was our cue: operation find yellow bag restaurant! Chase said once he saw the baby with a yellow bag, he knew we needed it also (lol).
Piroshky Piroshky Bakery
Yes, we found the yellow bag place aka Piroshky Piroshky, which is right next door to Le Panier. Piroshky Piroshky is bringing the taste of Russia to Seattle as well! Piroshkis are hand held pies and the fillings are diverse depending on who is making them. We split a chocolate hazelnut pastry topped with some powdered sugar…. oh sweet heavens. My regret of 2019: not ordering more Piroshkis.
Piroshky Piroshky will be celebrating their 20th anniversary at Pike Place Market in two years (2022)!
Rachel’s Ginger Beer
I didn’t know I needed a bar dedicated to ginger beer until we popped into Rachel’s Ginger Beer! The best part is that I ordered a cocktail on tap — Storm Clouds (Rachel’s ginger beer and dark rum). It was so tasty and refreshing. The ambiance in Rachel’s Ginger Beer was refreshing too! Lots of plants, open space, windows, and airy. The plus was that it was decorated for the holidays!
There are several RGB locations in Seattle. The one at Pike Place Market is located right next to Steelhead Diner and the famous Pike Place Chowder.
The Confectional
Need to satisfy your sweet tooth quickly? The Confectional serves miniature cheesecakes that look like like cupcakes! The Confectional makes their cheesecake dips and truffles right there on site and they like to refer to it as their Chocolate Theatre. SIGN ME UP!
This will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth, and if you decide you want more sugar… keep reading, because we went to two more sugary places!
The Joe Chocolate Co. Cafe
After our mini cheesecake, we decided coffee and more sweets sounded like a delight, so we stopped into The Joe Chocolate Co. cafe for a creamy eggnog mocha and a massive chocolate bar with nuts in it! Similar to Beecher’s Cheese, Joe’s Chocolate Co had a viewing area to watch them make the chocolate.
The spot is very narrow, but we had no problem finding a seat.
The Chocolate Market
So, we really like sweets… and decided we would stop into this cute little spot called The Chocolate Market. It caught our attention when we were walking around and it was off one of the beaten paths near Pike Place Market. We bought cookies n cream fudge and it was delicious and rich. Sadly, no pictures of it! We saved it for a snack later.
Pike Place Chowder
Based on the multi-award winning chowders, the iconic Pike Place Chowder has to be at the top of one of the best places to eat at Pike Place Market. They will even ship their soup to you! You absolutely HAVE to go early to avoid lines. There is no way around it. People start lining up before they open. The first time I was in Seattle, the line was wrapped through the whole building, I would guess there was 75+ people in line (and yeah… I waited…). Below: Clam chowder, market chowder, salmon chowder, and seafood bisque.
Very limited seating!
Shugs Soda Fountain & Ice Cream
So, not QUITE in Pike Place Market, but just a few hundred feet away on First Street is Shugs Soda Fountain and Ice Cream – it looks like an old school ice cream parlor with pastel blue colored walls. It’s so cute inside and I had the BEST blueberry milkshake ever. There are so many things on the menu I want to try and definitely will come back to Shugs!
Elliott’s Oyster House – Bonus restaurant near Pike Place, not at Pike Place
I wanted to include Elliott’s Oyster House because it’s only a hop and a skip past the gum wall and short walk down to the iconic ferris wheel and boom, you’re at Elliott’s Oyster House. I went to Elliott’s Oyster House twice (2016 and 2020) and I had a pleasant experience each time! 2016 was the first time I tried oysters (I am a fan).
I will say that 2020 was the best of the two because Chase and I split to-die-for massive crab legs. They were seriously sooo tender and once they were dredged in melted butter… just wow. Elliott’s Oyster House is right on the water, so there is a nice view and it’s right next to the aquarium and ferris wheel, so you can have a little fun after lunch.
Addresses for our ‘best places to eat at Pike Place Market’!
Inside Pike Places Market:
- Pikes Pit Bar-B-Que – 1505 Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA 98101
- Market Grill – 509 Pike Pl Ste 3, Seattle, WA 98101
Pikes Pit BBQ and Market Grill are in the same hall, diagonal from each other.
Outside Pike Place Market:
- Beecher’s Handmade Cheese – 1600 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101
- Le Panier – 1902 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101
- Piroshky Piroshky – 1908 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101
- The Confectional: mini cheesecakes – 1530 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101
- The Joe Chocolate co. Cafe – 1606 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101
- The Chocolate Market – 1906 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101
- Pike Place Chowder – 1530 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101
- Rachel’s Ginger Beer – 1530 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101
Not considered part of of Pike Place Market, but very very close:
- Shug’s Soda Fountain and Ice Cream – 1525 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
- Elliott’s Oyster house – 1201 Alaskan Way Ste 100, Seattle, WA 98101
Until next time, Pike Place Market!
Pike Place Market is one of my favorite places and now you can see why! There were so many other places we want to squeeze in, but we physically could not. Something that’s on my list for next time is Crepe De France! We tried going the next day, but the wait was 45 minutes (see what I mean? we got LUCKY)! Enjoy eating your way through Pike Place Market!
Leave a comment below or tweet me (@twoweekspaidvac) sharing your ‘best places to eat at Pike Place Market’! I’d love to know what your favorite is or if you’ve tried any of the restaurants on my list! Here is my guide to Seattle in three days!
