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The Great Foodening - PAX Foodie Destinations
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See that bolded part? There is nothing awesome about JJ's. They make decent sandwiches for the price, but there is absolutely nothing that stands out about them. They're a slightly upscale Subway. And the claim that "foodies" swear by JJ's is just absurd.
Cheap? Yes. Tasty? So is Taco Bell.
The point of this thread is to suggest stuff that's local and unique. That you won't find somewhere else. JJ's is precisely not that. Please people, however much you like Cheesecake Factory, Denny's or Wendy's, this isn't the place for them. If you want to start a separate thread (hell there may already be one) to talk about fast food near the Con, go for it.
Really cheap and really tasty burritos and tacos. Nothing outside the ordinary but worlds better than any of the regular burrito shops (Chipotles, Taco Del Mar, Taco Bell) you come across. *EDIT* warning: Cash only. No cards, no checks.
Gallerias - Mexican - $$ ~ 2 miles
Not so cheap Mexican. Very fancy. Very tasty. Excellent drinks, although weak enough and expensive enough that its a bad place to drink solely for the purposes of intoxication. Further away than most other restaurants, worth the trip if you can make it.
Piroshky Piroshky - Russian Baked Thingies - $ ~ 1/2 mile
I don't really know what Piroshky Piroshky means, but they have delicious baked sandwhich thingies. Its like a sandwhich roll. They're really good and about $4 each.
Ett'as - Seafood - $$$ ~ 1/2 mile
Etta's isn't cheap. Seriously, unless you've got a trust fund you're probably not used to paying $20 - 30 or more per plate. But you do get a plate of food worth that much. Probably the best salmon in Seattle, highly recommended for super fancypants dinners.
Pizza Pro - Pizza - $ ~ 1.5 miles
Pizza Pro isn't open on weekends or late evenings and doesn't deliver, so a Friday lunch is your best bet. Their pizza is absolutely fantastic and a slice is around $3-4, worth the trip if you absolutely need great pizza. Decent but unremarkable calzones, fantastic breadsticks.
Anna Purna Cafe - Tibetian - $$ ~ 1.5 miles
Great dishes, fantastic curry, good food, actually spicy. Highly recommended.
Its a relaxed atmosphere. If you're there to sit around and chill and eat slowly and have a drink and nothing else, its great. The place isn't really designed for "get in, eat, get out." I've found the service to be generally very good but also very relaxed. It isn't a good place to go for a 30 minute meal.
So yeah, not a place to grab a quick dinner outside of PAX. Go with a group and plan to spend 1-2 hours.
Also Comet Dogs get a vote from me. I don't think they have a website. There's a hotdog stand that goes up outside The Comet Tavern that has delicious hot dogs (and veggie dogs) for $5. Get them with saurkraut and cream cheese. So good.
JJ isn't local and unique, but it does stand out for food less likely to make people sick (looking at you, Taco Bell and Subway!) if they need a quick meal. Food so fast you will freak is a pretty accurate slogan for them. I also
Thank you for not acting, as this forum's rules would have me describe, like a "silly goose". I really appreciate it.
Really? I'm pretty sure Subway and JJ's use exactly the same ingredients, bar the bread. It might be quick, cheap and easy, but it's still going to give you the shits the same as other fast-food joints.
In any case, I don't really think that it's in the spirit of this thread to be talking about chain sammich places, especially when Salumi and Paseo are both infinitely better and excellent showcases of local food.
I would say it's up to the OP to decide what the standards are, but it looks like he stopped updating the list in April. I do agree though that is is more of a thread for unique Seattle flavor restaurants than anything. JJs is tasty, but I wouldn't qualify it as a Foodie Destination.
Was anything going to happen with this hash tag? I think it's a great idea, especially if people just have quick questions like "where is a great place to get hammered tonight?" Should we try to add it to the official twitter thread?
You have such unhappy posts. Here have a happy pill.
Mostly, in my crazy head, I feel that all great food also must have great drinks. So if I have finished up a nice meal I tend to want to go someplace to get a nightcap. I apologize if the phrase "getting hammered" offended you.
Other recommendations:
The Chocolate Box - not like "food food" but local sweets. It's a heaven for chocolate lovers. They have all of the major local chocolate makers.
Cherry Street - it's a local cafe chain with several locations downtown. The coffee is decent but my favorite thing on the menu is the BLT (one of the best sandwiches in Seattle, imo.) Also, the artisanal marzipan is decent.
Good coffee houses in the area: Migliore, Belle Epicurean (their mochas omg), Bauhaus, Stumptown, and of course Cafe Vita
Caffe Umbria - down in Pioneer Square, great Italian sandwiches and the best coffee in Seattle, imo
Any Tom Douglas Restaurant (Etta's, Dahlia, Serious Pie, Palace Kitchen) - good and relatively affordable NW cuisine
Taberna del Alaberdero - one of the best Spanish restaurants you'll find in the USA, this is actually a chain from Spain
Mee Sum - AMAZING hom bows (Chinese stuffed meat breads) in Pike Place, try the BBQ
The Confectional - also in Pike Place, bite size cheesecakes and sipping chocolate
Tap House - the food is mediocre, but they have a ton of great beers. Stick to the bar standards (the burger and reuben are good.)
Elliot's - decent seafood
El Gaucho - spendy, but decent steaks and amazing service
The Met Grill - great steakhouse
Red Mill Burger - kind of far from downtown but amazing (and cheap)
Dilettante - great local chocolates, the Capitol Hill location has an expanded menu but is not walking distance
Pike Place - a must see for a foodie. Check out some of the less trafficked shops like Market Spice, Bavarian Meats, the fruit stands, etc.
Fran's - another great local chocolate company... their sea salt caramels are heaven
Red Robin on the waterfront - mediocre food, but the cheapest "sit down" place to eat on the water
Ivar's on the waterfront - nothing amazing, but still decent, plus it's a cheap place to "eat on the water"
Gelatiamo - great gelato
Molly Moon - great Seattle ice cream chain
Good local brew pubs: Six Arms and Elysian
Pagliacci and Zeeks - great local pizza chains
Top Pot Donuts - donuts!
Bonus: Elliot Bay Books - great local book store, lots of great foodie books
Stuff to try here: salumi, wine, beer, artisanal cheese, fancy pastries, fish (duh), oysters, dungeness crab, coffee (duh), chocolate, bacon+anything, hom bow, bahn mi (vietnamese sandiwiches), artisanal sausage, pho, vietnamese coffee, takoyaki, taco trucks, falafel, wagyu beef, mangalesa pork, house pate, fancy pizza, sweet onions, etc etc
In addition to being a huge geek, me and my friends are passionate college football fans. We wanted to get up around 9am on Saturday and watch our teams' games at a sportsbar (they both have noon EST kickoffs). But being from Georgia, we don't know if any sportsbar would open that early. Also, we like food that's usually better than regular bar food. =/
Anyone know any places near the Convention Center that fit this profile? I'd really like to see my Georgia Bulldogs play without haveing to choke down warmed over chicken fingers...Thanks!
Give these guys a try (give them a call to see if they'll be showing your game).
http://www.spitfireseattle.com/
They're about 10 blocks from the convention center and have pretty good food.
It would help consolidate all the restaurants and provide a good geographical picture of where each place is in relation to the convention center. I found myself getting frustrated by having to look up each foodie place suggested...
Not trying to be rude, but if you want it, do it. Kind of reminds me of a guy in my old scuba club who would complain that we never planned dives where he wanted to go, but when we told him to plan a dive he clammed up.
Keep in mind I'm only using that as an analogy. I know you're not trying to pass the work onto someone else, but if you're motivated enough to want it, then make it happen because you may be one of the few who cares enough.
Here is a map that someone had set up already. Only problem with it is that it's a little cluttered now that everyone has been adding their restuarants to it.
http://paxcess.com/index.php?title=Eating/Drinking
That was my next plan... but apparently I dont' have to make one... one already exists... thanks Prabs!
And yeah I agree with Prabs Druhim, your posts could be a little happier...
(Not much of an internet person so I hadn't heard of PAX till a guy in my Pathfinder Group had to sell his ticket last week, explained PAX was basicly a weekend where Gamers take over downtown Seattle, so I knew I had to come)
I was reading though this thread and was dissapointed that White Horse Trading hasn't come up, Small little place, coupled with a small drink selection might steer people away, but I found it had a very nice feel to it. Its only a couple of doors down from Kells.
But don't take my word for it.
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-white-horse-trading-co/Location?oid=178254
Tweet me @journies_end
Yeah I was wondering the same thing...
Although after looking around, I couldn't find anything... sadface D-:
Shoulda gone with the homewood suites. Free continental Breakfast! Yay!
Their security/checking of people was pretty much non-existent though... you could probably just walk in and grab breakfast. Not that I'm encouraging it...
Ooo, that is where I am staying, score!
This will depend on your definition of "walking distance" but there are one or two spots in Pike Place market which will serve sit-down breakfast reasonably quickly, allowing you to get in and out and back to the convention center in time. I've found that the area of downtown where most of the hotels are centered is pretty much lacking any decent breakfast place that isn't in the market, but that's only two PAXes and 8 days total of experience talking so there may be a good find I missed.
The name escapes me now, but there's a spot on the main floor of the market (ie: approaching from the convention center), within the main building which will do standard breakfast stuff. From the Sheraton it's maybe ~10 minutes to walk down there, and I was there a couple times last year; if you are staying further north than the Sheraton then you may not want to walk down that way though, since the round trip time might be considerable. Depends on how early you want to get up for your eggs!
Similarly, the Crumpet Shop is in the same building and it's definitely worth a try if you haven't gone there before. Even if you don't like crumpets. It'll convert you.
I've walked to the international district (to the ramen shop "Samurai Noodle") +1 mile from the convention center (and that was way way waaaaaaay down near the water, the convention center is way way waaaaaay up a hill, the treck back was... a climb!) it looks like Pike Place is >1 mile away so that's not so bad (but it does look like its down by the water, I'll be sure to pack my hiking boots!)
Thanks for the info!
Tweet me @journies_end
Good news everybody; Glo's opens for breakfast at MIDNIGHT. For all those people wanting a good sitdown breakfast that's a short jaunt up Olive Way. I'll update you with facts and shit tomorrow.
Here are the facts adn shit: it starts september 3rd.
Charlie's and Broadway Grill don't really warrant a trek for foodies. They're just kinda ho hum (although I will admit I fucking love Charlie's more than healthy. Happy hour is good for bar food and the breakfast is decent but when you're hung over it's awesome)
Ah ok, prefect, I am actually staying AT the Sheraton so that's alright then...
If I have time on Thursday before the bar hop, I'll go out and scout some good breakfast places I think...
I'll probably need a good recovery breakfast Friday morning, lol!
Under a mile away, at 1st and Stewart (downhill and to the right from the convention center)
The actually place is called Caffe Lieto, but Biscuit Bitch is what the cafe becomes Friday and Saturday nights after 10pm (Bonus for being late night food and not a bar!)
Food: every kind of biscuits and gravy you can think of; delicious.
I believe that the Cafe also serves biscuits and gravy during it's normal hours (8am-3pm) but I don't know if it's the full spread that the Biscuit Bitches cover.
you had me at gravy...that is all
The only way it could be any more useful is if it had Foodie destinations in SLU, which is still in walking distance. (Hint, hint. :P)
Organizer of the Post-PAX Party. You should come!
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