Seattle Restaurant Reviews

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Seattle, WA

Where does a San Francisco Foodie eat in Seattle? Follow our journey and learn from our experiences.

Last Visit: 7/25/25

Matt’s in the Market

94 Pike St #32
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 467-7909
https://places.singleplatform.com/matts-in-the-market-2/

Matt’s is a seafood focused restaurant on the upper floors of Seattle’s Pike Place market. We were here on vacation and wanted a seafood dinner without a long wait. Wanted to avoid a touristy spot. Ended up eating at the bar with no reservations. Good place to go if you are in this visitor’s Mecca. Tourist tax, Yes you are paying more for their location.

Clearly they are a mainstream spot, with tourists and locals dining.

Menu is nice and compact. Prices are not cheap but inline with fancier places like this.

The food was better than expected. This hidden spot above the market can take care of your seafood itch.

Service was decent even in the bar. The bar tender knew his stuff and was friendly.

Food Review:

Seattle Slew Cocktail ($16) jamaican rum, misterios mezcal, cherry heering, pineapple, lime. was strong and expertly crafted with top notch ingredients. 10/10

1/2 Dozen Oysters ($26) were small kummamodos. Fresh and accompanied with chili garnish. 8.5/10

Roasted beets salad ($22) ricotta, pistachio, orange, mint, honey vinaigrette had lots of fresh beets along with some light cheese. 8.5/10

Seattle Stew ($54) is a Pacific Northwest version of Cioppino. Clams, mussels, large piece of halibut, spicy italian sausage, creamy tomato broth, cannellini beans, grilled focaccia. Great for hearty appetites.  Really starchy bread. 9/10

Pan Seared Scallop Entree ($69) was basically 2 portions of the side scallop.  Cooked perfectly and included kale. 9.5/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Very Good
Service – Very Good
Value – Fair

Would we return? – Yes

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Last Visit: 7/25/25

TERIKing

718 Taylor Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 588-2689
https://www.terikingteriyaki.com

TERIKing is a casual eatery that has a variety of Asian dishes on its menu. It is in a small strip mall next to a Dominos. From Chicken Teriyaki to Noodle dishes.  It is not far from the Space Needle, Museum of pop area.  Rated 4.2 stars on Google.

We wanted to get some local teriyaki to see what the hubbub was all about.

Menu is wide ranging, making it scary that they are jack of all trades, master of none.

Order and wait for your food. The food was better than expected.

Service was okay.  We asked to use the bathroom and they said it was out of order.
It magically was fixed for the next customer.

Food Review:
Chicken Teriyaki ($15.99) comes with a simple side salad with forgettable dressing.  Lots of chicken in this order, cooked fine.  The teriyaki sauce was thick and sweet.  All in all solid. 8.5/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Fair
Service – Fair
Value – Very Good

Would we return? – Yes

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Last Visit: 7/25/25

Phocific Standard Time

1923 7th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
206-538-0191

Phocific Standard Time is upstairs from popular Pho Bac.  It is essentially a cocktail bar with some elevated dishes from the same kitchen. No reservations, you put your name on the tablet and get text’d when an opening is ready.

Menu is very compact with just a couple items including pho and Bahn mi.  Big emphasis on cocktails.

The food was actually better than expected and at prices that are VERY reasonable.  Food comes fast. Drinks are also inventive and well done. Be sure to try the egg coffee.

Service was friendly and very helpful in ordering and the like.

Food Review:
Em oi cocktail ($17) hey darling has a bitter profile and comes with a bitter melon infusion. Very interesting. 8.5/10

Nuoc Mat ($14) cooling water was a soju based cocktail that was light and fruity. 9/10

Pho cup beef ($15.50) comes in a big styrofoam cup a noodle.  Decent broth and meat.  Bean sprouts, jalapeños and basil on the side.  8.5/10

Bahn Mi Pork ($10) is pretty darn cheap.  Solid version with not a lot of meat. 8.5/10

Banh bot loc ($15) are chewy tapioca dumplings – mini tamales wrapped in lotus leaves.  Better than expected. 8.5/10

Goi Cuon ($7) fresh shrimp rolls had 3 large ones along with peanut dipping sauce.  Slightly above average. 8/10

Overall – Excellent
Food – Very Good
Decor – Excellent
Service – Very Good
Value – Excellent

Would we return? – Yes

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Last Visit: 7/26/25

The Garrison

2319 NW Market St
Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 695-2827
https://thegarrisonseattle.com

The Garrison is a casual seafood restaurant in northern Seattle, Ballard. 4.3 stars on Yelp. We were attracted by the seafood forward dishes and variety on the menu.

The food was very good with some inventive dishes making this a great bet if you are nearby.

Service was friendly and accessible but faded a little as the restaurant filled up.

Food Review:
Moxie Mule Highball ($14.00) Moxie Mule Strawberry Rhubarb Vermouth / Combier Watermelon / Strawberry Shrub Jarritos Mineraqua is a lower ABV cocktail. It was refreshing and hit the spot. 8.5/10

Alaska ($19.00) Chamomile Infused Ford’s Gin / Yellow Chartreuse / Honey Yogurt / Orange Bitters is a strong drink with interesting yogurt hint. 8.5/10

6 Local Oysters ($24.00) with Mignonette / Cocktail Sauce / Citrus were fresh and  creamy. 9/10

Local Clams ($18.00) Herbed Salami / Smoke Onion / Heirloom Grains / Cured Lemon Butter Grilled Bread was a great dish. Nice broth and salami that was not overwhelming. Be sure to get more bread to sop up the broth. 10/10

Greens Salad ($14.00) Shaved Carrots / Sunflower Seeds / Fromage Blanc / Red Wine Vinaigrette was large but fairly average. 8/10

Crispy Prawns ($18.00) Crispy Sweet Onion / Pickled Fresno Chili Aioli hit the mark with light batter, crispy profile and fresh prawns. 8.5/10

Seared Sablefish ($36.00) Potato Croquettes / White Truffled Celeriac Purée / Herb Pistou was recommended by our server. Very fresh fish that was cooked perfectly.  Potato Croquettes have a hint of crispiness and gnocchi soft interiors. 9/10

Bread Service ($9.00) Seasonal Accompaniments was solid. Not the best bet around but passable. 8/10

Sautéed Veg Plate ($10.00) was created for us and hit the mark with lots of different veggies. 9/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Very Good
Service – Very Good
Value – Good

Would we return? – Yes

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Last Visit: 7/27/25

Biscuit Bitch Pike Place

1909 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101

Biscuit Bitch is a popular breakfast place with 2 locations. We hit the nearby Pike Place spot.  You order online and waiting for a text to go pick it up.  Wait times are long mid morning.  We opted for the simple biscuit, having eaten way too much on this trip.

Menu is pretty wide ranging with all sorts of variations.

The food was as expected.  More of a tourist draw.

Food Review:
Buttered up Bitch ($4.65) was their plain and simple biscuit without all the stuff on top.  It was fairly flat and good sized. Nice crust but nothing amazing. 7.5/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Very Good
Service – Very Good
Value – Good

Would we return? – No

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Last Visit: 7/26/25

Burgermaster

98 NE Gilman Blvd
Issaquah, WA 98027
(425) 832-2874
https://burgermaster.com/menus/issaquah/

Burgermaster has 5 locations in the greater Seattle area.  Bill Gates eats here! The issaquah location was being rebuilt, so they serve and cook in mobile trailers. We were biking at nearby Duthie Park, so this was convenient.  3.7 stars on Yelp.

Menu has various burgers including a burger melt. No antibiotics or hormones in the local beef. Changing shake variety.

The food was as expected. Nothing special.

Service was friendly and the food came fast.

Food Review:
Burgermaster ($8.50) 1/4 beef, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes was a solid burger. Free fixings. Not exactly very big but it fulfilled our burger itch. 8/10

Fries ($4.50 regular) were thin and decent. 8.5/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Very Good
Service – Very Good
Value – Good

Would we return? – Maybe

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Last Visit: 7/27/25

Half Shell

2020 Western Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
(206)829-7535

Half Shell is a tourist focus restaurant right on Seattle’s busy Western Ave near Pikes Market.  They have some nice Happy Hour deals.

Menu is not large and pretty concise. Few options for vegetarians.

The food was about what we expected.  Nothing super fancy, but some good deals.

Service at the bar was fine.  Server did miss two items.

Food Review:

Overall – Very Good
Food – Good
Decor – Very Good
Service – Good
Value – Good

Would we return? – Maybe

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Last Visit: 7/28/25

New Day Eatery

102 West Front Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362
(360) 504-2924

Home

New Day Eatery is a breakfast and lunch spot in Port Angeles, Washington. We ate here before heading up the mountain to beautiful Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park.
Lots of options for Vegan and Gluten free diets including many baked items.  Rated 4.4 on Google.
If you like this place, Country Aire Natural Foods is a great local grocery store.

Menu is very wide ranging to options for everyone including carnivores.

The food was solid and great for vegans/vegetarians.

Service was slightly above average. They did not roam around too often.

Food Review:
Vegan Breakfast Poutine ($16.50) with  Vegan Sausage ($4) hit the mark. About as well as you can do for this.  8.5/10

Golden Dream smoothie ($9.50) was really good, but not too tall. Slurped it up fast. 9/10

The Chicken Banh Mi ($18.00) with Fries was about average. Bread and meat were fair. 7/10

The Green One ($8.50) is a great juice for vegetable forward seekers. Not tall. 8.5/10

Peanut Butter Brownie(GF)(V) ($6.00) is one of those versions that is about as good as it gets for a gluten free bakery item. No powdery texture. 9.5/10

Sticky Bun (V) ($7.50) is very messy but very good for a vegan baked item. Pretty sweet. 8.5/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor –  Good
Service – Good
Value – Good

Would we return? – Yes

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Last Visit: 7/30/25

The Pink Door

1919 Post Alley Walk Way
Seattle, WA 98101
206-443-3241
https://www.thepinkdoor.net

The Pink Door is a super popular Italian restaurant near Pike Market in Seattle.  It has a pink door outside with no name, yet it is very hard to get a reservation and we had to wait hours for a walk-in table.  Best bet is to leave your name, walk around, and wait for a text in an hour or two.

They have nightly entertainment.  We saw a show in the bar area while we were waiting. Entertainment changes nightly. (Patio can’t see the show)

Menu is classic Italian with all the usual favorites.  Couple options for vegetarians. We stuck to seafood to draw upon the area’s freshest.

The food was about what we expected.  Solid good Italian, nothing amazing.

Service was very good. Friendly knowledgeable server, never a dry water glass.

Food Review:
MISTICANZA Salad ($15) Tender organic lettuces from the farm, carrots, radish, soft herbs was okay but frankly looked pretty ho hum. 7.5/10

GRAND CENTRAL CIABATTA BREAD ($3)  Serves 2–3 with house infused olive oil was nothing special. 7/10

LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE ($29) Baby clams in their shell, pancetta, garlic, chilis, white wine was smothered in very fresh clams.  Almost not enough noodles! 8.5/10

Pasta Marinara ($17) with gluten free pene was simple and good. 7.5/10

Harvest Vegetable ($14) was chard with raisins and nuts.  Solid. 8/10

Overall – Very Good
Food – Very Good
Decor – Very Good
Service – Very Good
Value – Good

Would we return? – Yes

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