The Great Foodening - PAX Food Destinations 2014
Ok lets get this thing started... Right now its a duplicate of 2013 mostly and i'll be cleaning up the list as I can check them. This weekend lots of Watchdogs will be played and not much listings will be checked though 
Another year, another PAX Prime and what would that be without the great food destination list!
This list is not meant to be a list of the snobby foofoo only places but rather a list of places somewhat unique to the Seattle or upper Pacific NW area AND somewhat close to PAX. Unless it is REALLY awesome and unique if it is not within a reasonable no car distance to PAX it may not make the list. If you are just interested in places like McDonald's, Taco, Bell, etc I have linked a map by another user at the bottom of this post.
Over the past 4 years of doing this list it has grown really big and instead of listing it all out here in 1 big column like it originally used to be it has been moved to a Google docs spreadsheet which has allowed me to add more features to it. Additionally I started including hours open and special notes. This new format makes the list look cleaner and it is much easier for people to sort however they want. So please check this link for the listing which will continue to be updated. This year time permitting I may be adding it to the wiki.
Some notes about the columns in the spreadsheet:
Distance from the WSCC is in the column marked distance. This is calculated by entering the WSCC and the eatery into Google maps. I choose the WALK option so distance by car will be farther due to all the one way streets.
The "Show Me!" column has a"GMap" label this is for those of us looking at the map on a mobile device that want to be able to get a map to the location from your current location. Clicking this link will open up Google maps with a pin of the address and let you get directions.
Price Scale:
I have done my best to put the pricing in the following scale please let me know if pricing is wrong as I mostly go off what people tell me or yelp or some other review says.
$ = less than $10
$$ = $10 - $20
$$$ = > $30
$$$$ = Crazy expensive
A notice to all out of towners going in large groups. Most places will charge an automatic gratuity of around 18% for groups 6 or more even if your service is subpar.
Disclaimer: I have not gone to all of these places they are all from users posts. If you feel a price level or description is wrong please let me know and I will adjust it.
I have been asked a few times what my "can't miss" places are. Well every year I make it a point to visit Molly Moon's ice cream the hill is a hike but they have some awesome flavors. While I was up there last year I stopped by Po Dog just down the street and was pleasantly surprised and plan to stop by again this year. You also cannot go wrong heading down to pikes place market and visiting one of the many small shops there.
Making suggestions and or corrections, places closed etc (and please do!!)
I am very busy at work this year but want to keep this list as updated as possible so please give us as many details as possible if you want your suggestion added. I just won't have as much research time this year as past years. As people post places in the thread I will update the spreadsheet listing about once a week or 2 with those that make sense and have enough details. PLEASE include what you think the pricing is like in the $-$$$ format if you suggest a listing. If you don't give me details chances are I will say oh sounds cool but not list it because I don't know enough about it. Please at least give the pricing and type of food. If you can include the address, website, and distance that is even more helpful. It may take me awhile to add some places but I review this thread often.
Listing
Oh look here is a crazy busy map I made of all the places in the list!
And here are extra maps of places other members have created.
Gluten Free places map by ?
Fast Food map by Initialdor (updated 8/11)
Another year, another PAX Prime and what would that be without the great food destination list!
This list is not meant to be a list of the snobby foofoo only places but rather a list of places somewhat unique to the Seattle or upper Pacific NW area AND somewhat close to PAX. Unless it is REALLY awesome and unique if it is not within a reasonable no car distance to PAX it may not make the list. If you are just interested in places like McDonald's, Taco, Bell, etc I have linked a map by another user at the bottom of this post.
Over the past 4 years of doing this list it has grown really big and instead of listing it all out here in 1 big column like it originally used to be it has been moved to a Google docs spreadsheet which has allowed me to add more features to it. Additionally I started including hours open and special notes. This new format makes the list look cleaner and it is much easier for people to sort however they want. So please check this link for the listing which will continue to be updated. This year time permitting I may be adding it to the wiki.
Some notes about the columns in the spreadsheet:
Distance from the WSCC is in the column marked distance. This is calculated by entering the WSCC and the eatery into Google maps. I choose the WALK option so distance by car will be farther due to all the one way streets.
The "Show Me!" column has a"GMap" label this is for those of us looking at the map on a mobile device that want to be able to get a map to the location from your current location. Clicking this link will open up Google maps with a pin of the address and let you get directions.
Price Scale:
I have done my best to put the pricing in the following scale please let me know if pricing is wrong as I mostly go off what people tell me or yelp or some other review says.
$ = less than $10
$$ = $10 - $20
$$$ = > $30
$$$$ = Crazy expensive
A notice to all out of towners going in large groups. Most places will charge an automatic gratuity of around 18% for groups 6 or more even if your service is subpar.
Disclaimer: I have not gone to all of these places they are all from users posts. If you feel a price level or description is wrong please let me know and I will adjust it.
I have been asked a few times what my "can't miss" places are. Well every year I make it a point to visit Molly Moon's ice cream the hill is a hike but they have some awesome flavors. While I was up there last year I stopped by Po Dog just down the street and was pleasantly surprised and plan to stop by again this year. You also cannot go wrong heading down to pikes place market and visiting one of the many small shops there.
Making suggestions and or corrections, places closed etc (and please do!!)
I am very busy at work this year but want to keep this list as updated as possible so please give us as many details as possible if you want your suggestion added. I just won't have as much research time this year as past years. As people post places in the thread I will update the spreadsheet listing about once a week or 2 with those that make sense and have enough details. PLEASE include what you think the pricing is like in the $-$$$ format if you suggest a listing. If you don't give me details chances are I will say oh sounds cool but not list it because I don't know enough about it. Please at least give the pricing and type of food. If you can include the address, website, and distance that is even more helpful. It may take me awhile to add some places but I review this thread often.
Listing
Oh look here is a crazy busy map I made of all the places in the list!
And here are extra maps of places other members have created.
Gluten Free places map by ?
Fast Food map by Initialdor (updated 8/11)
Go for the eyes Boo, GO FOR THE EYES!
ElmoFuntz on
+5
Posts
Update: I see MOD on the fast food list- I consider it above fast food but just glad its on one of the lists
I updated the fast food map for last year (and it will be updated within this post for 2014 after I do another downtown walkthrough this summer.) Currently, the venues dots are just every spot from 2012 plus Benaroya. There will certainly be a few new food spots to add this year; that cheesesteak place near Rainier Tower, for example. (Edit1: The theme will probably remain the same. I know it doesn't mesh with this thread's goals, but I've always had a soft spot for fast food. I'll try to include as many database items as I can if they're in the map's area. General disclaimer: Fast doesn't automatically mean low quality.)
Edit2: My latest Fast Food Map is ready for 2014; link above. (I've PM'd ElmoFuntz; maybe get that link in the OP updated
Edit3: Paramount is not the Main Stage this year; Benaroya is. (No need to update the actual map again unless major food updates come along... that being said, Lil Woody's burgers is just barely off the map, on Pine, due north of 'hill' in "Lot's of good stuff up the hill".)
Edit4: Fixed the venues for 2014. Have fun; see you at PAX!
"Fantasy football still counts as fantasy." -DnD Greg
We also tried Tulio for the first time last year with some friends. It's some of the best Italian I've had in ages. Sooooo good. We'll likely go again this year.
If you can provide more details I will add these. Surprisingly I don't live in Seattle and work has got me super busy this year so I don't have as much free time to research as I used to.
I sent you a message with a link to a Google Doc with some updated places if you want to copy into your doc. Places I added:
Tanakasan
Home Remedy
Shanik
Portage Bay Cafe
Serious Biscuit
Cascina Spinasse
Aragona
Loulay
Dahlia Bakery
Dahlia Lounge
As I think of more, I'll keep updating.
And as such, if any Seattle-dwellers can tell @elmofuntz if any of these places have closed/started sucking/whatever, it'll help him and all of us.
1211 pine st Seattle wa 98101
$$-$$$ for price, depending on how much you get
Mon- Thurs 11am-11pm
Fri and Sat 11am-3am
Sun 11am-10pm
Menu with fixings are on lilwoodys.com. if you want me to send you a menu, just let me know. Not sure what all you need for the list.
The dinner can be expensive. BUT I know you can find some less expensive main dishes (that Wagyu beef striploin is amazing but I would never pay that much out of my own pocket). Looking over their brunch menu, it's $15-$17 a plate, and with their quality of food, I'd say it's totally worth it. Looks like they have a happy hour, too!
Oh, and it's located at the bottom of Hotel Max, so it's a little hard to find, but just remember that and you're golden.
Here is their menu page: http://millersguild.com/menu
Brunch is from 8am-2pm
Dinner is from 5pm-10pm
Happy hour is from 2pm-5pm and 10pm-midnight.
Another vote for serious biscuit. My husband ate there for the first time a few weeks ago and went back just about every morning of his trip.
I ate there last year ran into it walking around. Was pretty good. Thought I had them on the list i'll make sure they get added this year.
Challenge accepted. Now to go add some elastic to the waist bands of my jeans.
Happy hour is a big, big deal in Seattle. It's more about inexpensive small plates than the booze and I strongly recommend checking a few out while you're in Seattle.
Elmo - are you including ID (Chinatown) restaurants? If so, I'd like to throw in Kau Kau for Chinese BBQ and House of Hong for Dim Sum.
http://www.houseofhong.info/rmation/
http://www.kaukaubbq.com
Lastly, for the list: KushiBar is Izakaya. That's small-plate Japanese street food like grilled skewers or Takoyaki. They also do ramen.
Local 360
...is a really great, nice-ish restaurant that sources all of its stuff within 360 miles. They have Seattle's largest selection of locally produced craft spirits (only 4 beer taps, but hundreds of local distillery products!!) and a beautiful, casual space, lunch specials and a great happy hour. It's about 10 blocks from the con and a nice walk. The area it's in has hundreds of restaurants within a few blocks - many more than just this list. It's a popular spot and you can occasionally spot a celebrity there (I swear the bar manager popped a bro-boner when Ryan Lewis walked in one day during a delivery I was making.)
http://local360.org
*I know, 3 in a row, but I rarely post anymore, so when I'm logged on I try to get the most out of my time. Mea Culpa.
Holy crap, I just looked at their site and now I'm actualfax drooling.
Lil' Woody's
Local 360
Kau Kau BBQ
House of Hong
and added to the same doc I mailed to you earlier, @ElmoFuntz, so you can just copy and paste into the list whenever you get a chance.
I also added Jade Garden, which my group likes for Dim Sum but you've got to go early or be prepared for a wait.
If we're considering the International District, though, there are a bunch of places that people would probably want to look at that I can document if wanted. Our family likes Fuji Sushi for large groups and consistency, Tsukushinbo is another local favorite, and there are a bunch of great Vietnamese places, like Green Leaf or Tamarind Tree for sit down, and there are a bunch of places selling Bahn Mi sandwiches...
As for what I add to the list I cover most of that in the main topic but I try to keep it within about a mile as I figure that's about as far as most people will be willing to walk 1 way for food and sometimes I wonder/hesitate when I know its up one of those nice 30% plus incline hills Seattle is famous for. I will sprinkle a few places farther out for those crazy enough to spend $35 a night for parking. Ok mass transit is also fairly accessible although i swear the bus drivers have to take and pass a crazy test
I will add those additional entries "soon". For some odd reason the GMap links are not copying I've had to go in and copy the cell values and paste those to make them work but no matter it still helps a ton.
Yeah, if there's any demand for something related specifically to the International District, maybe I can work on a subguide, but most of these places will be > 1 mile from the Convention Center. There's the bus tunnel to get there, but the free ride zone went away a while ago.
On a side train of thought, every year my husband and I have the worst time just trying to narrow the selections down to a small list. Might be a fun activity to do a what's your favorite restaurant in different food categories (eg sushi, bakery, burgers, etc) and do a top two or three list for a few of them.
I know I'll be back to Pike Place Chowder. Damn good stuff. Oh, I'll pass on a shortcut I found -- everyone knows about Pike Place Chowder at, well, Pike Place, a groovy market/restaurant area everyone should go to. But it's a minor hike if you're looking to duck out for lunch during PAX and get back quick. Fortunately, there's a second Pike Place Chowder at Pacific Place, just a block away from the convention center on Pine. You can duck out, have chowdery goodness, and get back to PAXing.
Off the top of my head, Seastar , Seatown, Dahlia Lounge. Last two are Tom Douglas restaurants that will generally have good seafood options, while Seastar is a John Howie restaurant that is more specifically seafood focused with a good raw bar.
Haven't really had good service experience at Blueacre. Many other restaurants will offer good fish options as well, like Steelhead Diner.
Just noticed that Seastar and Seatown aren't on the list.
Sushi, I think the closest would by Shiro's. Most of my other favorites are outside of walking distance to the Convention Center.
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