Food History of Seattle

Key eras

Pre-1850, Coast Salish salmon trade

The Duwamish, Suquamish and Muckleshoot ran weirs and traps on the rivers draining into Puget Sound for thousands of years before any city existed. Salmon was the staple food, supplemented by camas roots, berries and shellfish from the tideflats.

1907, the founding of Pike Place Market

On 17 August 1907, the city set aside a hillside bluff at 1st Avenue and Pike Street for a public market where Washington farmers could sell direct. Eight farmers showed up the first Saturday and the 10,000 customers cleared them out by noon.

1904 to 1942, Japantown and the rise of sushi

Maneki opened on 6th Avenue South in 1904 as the city's first sushi bar. Seattle's Nihonmachi grew into one of the largest Japantown in the United States until Executive Order 9066 in 1942 forced the entire community into internment camps.

1976, the invention of Seattle teriyaki

Toshihiro Kasahara opened Toshi's Teriyaki on Roy Street in March 1976. He swapped sugar for mirin in the marinade, basted it on yakitori-style chicken thighs and topped a rice plate with shredded iceberg. The format spread to 200+ shops citywide.

1982, the first pho restaurant

The Pham family opened Cat's Submarine on South Jackson Street in 1982. Theresa Pham's weekend pho sold faster than the sandwiches; within four months they had switched the menu to pho. The shop renamed itself Pho Bac and now operates as The Boat.

1988, the third wave of coffee starts here

David Schomer opened Espresso Vivace on Broadway in 1988, then Caffe Vita opened in 1995 and Victrola in 2000 within ten blocks. The three roasters codified Northern Italian espresso technique and micro-foam latte art for American specialty coffee.

Immigrant influences

• Japanese American: Maneki since 1904 established the first sushi bar on the West Coast. Today Sushi Kashiba, Wataru and Rondo continue the lineage, with edomae-style omakase rooted in 1970 Seattle.
• Cantonese and Chinese American: The International District has held the city's longest-running Cantonese kitchens since the 1880s. Mike's Noodle House, Tai Tung and Hong Kong Bistro carry the bowls into the 2020s.
• Vietnamese American: Post-1975 Vietnamese refugees built Little Saigon along Jackson and 12th. The Phams' first family of pho started here, and modern Vietnamese rooms like Ramie now write the second chapter on Capitol Hill.
• Cambodian American: The Sam family opened Phnom Penh Noodle House in 1987, the city's pillar Cambodian kitchen for hu tieu, bai sach chrouk and cha houy teuk.
• Russian and Eastern European: Piroshky Piroshky has hand-folded Russian buns at Pike Place since 1992, the city's signature savoury bun next to the chowder.
• Italian American: Salumi opened on Occidental in 1999 with Armandino Batali curing house charcuterie. Spinasse and Cafe Juanita carry the formal Italian thread.
• Filipino American: Aisha Ibrahim took over the Canlis kitchen in 2021 and now writes Pacific Northwest fine dining through a Filipino lens: dashi, calamansi, longanisa work into the tasting menu.
• African American: Kristi Brown's Communion in the Central District codified Seattle Soul in 2020: catfish, hood sushi, berbere chicken, anchored to the historic Black neighbourhood.

Signature innovations

• Pike Place Market: the first municipal public market in the US
• Pike Place Fish Market fish-throwing, codified 1986
• Seattle-style teriyaki, sugar-sweetened, invented 1976
• Third-wave specialty coffee espresso technique, codified at Espresso Vivace
• Pike Place Chowder: eight national chowder cook-off wins
• Dutch baby pancake: popularised at Manca's Cafe in the 1920s
• Salmon throwing at Pike Place Fish: viral marketing avant la lettre