Ivar's Acres of Clams in Seattle on Pier 54 is Ivar Haglund's 1946 waterfront fish house: a wood-walled dining room over Elliott Bay with institutional pan-fried oysters.
Signature dishes: Pan-fried oysters, Clam chowder, Alderwood-smoked salmon
Must order: Pan-fried Olympia oysters with the alderwood-smoked salmon at a window table.
Tip: The Pier 54 fish bar to the side is the cheap counter: same clams, lower price, ferry views.
Address: 1001 Alaskan Way, Pier 54, Seattle, WA 98104
Tat's Delicatessen in Seattle's Pioneer Square is the East Coast deli proxy: cheesesteaks, pastrami subs and in-house brining since 2004, run by Brian Tatman.
Signature: Cheesesteak, Pastrami sub, Tat's bomb
Order: The Philly cheesesteak with house-brined pastrami on the side; bring cash for the bomb.
Tip: Closed Sundays; the Tat's Bomb is a sandwich with everything plus a fried egg, on a custom roll.
Tacos Chukis Capitol Hill in Seattle is the Broadway taco counter that opens until 22:00: al pastor off the trompo, adobada, mulitas and salsas built fresh daily.
Signature: Al pastor taco, Adobada quesadilla, Mulita
Order: Al pastor with pineapple, two with adobada, and a mulita to split.
Tip: Cash and card; the al pastor turns out fastest between 17:00 and 19:00 when the trompo is hottest.
Ba Bar Capitol Hill in Seattle is Eric Banh's 2011 Vietnamese street-food room: pho running until 02:00 weeknights, 03:30 weekends, banh mi at the front counter.
Signature: Pho ga, Bun cha, Banh mi
Order: Pho ga at 02:00 with a side of bun cha and a Vietnamese iced coffee.
Tip: Late-night menu after midnight is shorter and faster; the front counter does banh mi to-go.
Kedai Makan in Seattle's Capitol Hill is the Malaysian street-food kitchen rebooted at 15th and Pine: nasi lemak, char kway teow and roti canai with kaya butter.
Signature: Nasi lemak, Char kway teow, Roti canai
Order: Nasi lemak with the rendang, plus an order of char kway teow for the table.
Tip: The Belltown second location at 2234 1st Avenue opened May 2025 and is calmer at lunch.
The Pink Door in Seattle's Pike Place is the unmarked Post Alley Italian since 1981: red-sauce kitchen, Elliott Bay deck, nightly cabaret on Thursday to Saturday.
Signature: Lasagne alla Bolognese, Ricotta gnocchi, Cioppino
Order: The Bolognese lasagne with a glass of Sangiovese on the deck overlooking Elliott Bay.
Tip: The deck takes Resy only April through October; aerial cabaret runs Thursday to Saturday at 21:30.
Matt's in the Market in Seattle is the Pike Place Corner Market room with windows on the clock: a Pacific Northwest kitchen sourcing five floors down at the stalls.
Signature: Catfish sandwich, Salmon plate, Half-pound mac
Order: The catfish sandwich at lunch, on Macrina sourdough with house remoulade.
Tip: Lunch counter seats walk in at 11:30 and turn fast; dinner needs a reservation for window tables.
