Before I moved to Seattle over 20 years ago now, I used to live in Vancouver Canada and we would often come to visit Seattle on shopping trips. Most of these adventures took us to downtown Seattle or Northgate or to eat at the Fisherman’s restaurant on the Waterfront. But I didn’t really get to know a lot of the neighborhoods until we actually moved here and even now, we mostly frequent areas where we have school, soccer or other sports events. So this year, because it seems like we’re sticking closer to home with all the teens’ activities, I’ll start sharing a little more about where we frequent just in case you’re looking for cute Seattle neighborhoods to find coffee, fun stores and good food too. (most of these will be near soccer fields, just so you know…. and it’s also going to take me a while to finish this list so I’ll publish it as a work in progress and you can always message if you want more details about a neighborhood I haven’t comprehensively updated yet.)
Bainbridge Island
If you ever watched Grey’s Anatomy you must visit Bainbridge Island, it’s a great day trip from Seattle. Sometimes we even bike there from our house and take the ferry. Most recently we are there often for soccer or Ultimate and there is a Thomas Dambo troll on the island now too. You can find U-pick Dahlias there in late summer as well.
Capitol Hill
This area is really cool and it’s where we used to hang out a ton when we were young and first moved to Seattle and now I go there mostly to eat at Oddfellows as often as I can (and shop next door at Elliott Bay Books and across the street at Glossier) but I can never find parking at night so we don’t go here anymore because it takes time we don’t have so hopefully one day we’ll get here again. Mostly Starbucks big fancy Roastery and best store in the world is here so I walk here from my medical appointments if I’m in the area during the day because this is one of my most favorite places in Seattle.
Downtown Seattle
We go downtown Seattle for shows at the Paramount, shopping Nordstrom, dinner at Din Tai Fung, touring Pike Place Market (I love Hellenika Yogurt and Kitchen and Market) and hanging out at the Seattle Art Museum. I have a Seattle Art Museum membership and it’s great for encouraging us to stop there while we visit the market. I love “robot coffee” and it’s close by the museum and we always stop at Fran’s chocolates too. Also we recently visited Pioneer Square and hung out there for the first time in a while and it’s such a great part of downtown Seattle that we all need to hang out in more often-I was on a tour in the area with my family and couldn’t believe we were the only Seattleites in the group. Pioneer Square even has its own National Park!
Magnolia
Mura has excellent Bibimbap and there is a Nutty Squirrel, Starbucks and Petit Pierre Bakery for a treat if you are at one of the nearby playgrounds. Ella Bailey has some of the best views of the city. Nikos Gyros is a place we’ve been going for years as well as Time for Pho and I’ve only had delivery from Slice Box but I think they have pinball machines so one day I want to eat in.
Queen Anne
This is just one of those quintessential shopping streets where you can wander for blocks and pop into restaurants, bakeries, stores and coffee shops. There is a Trader Joe’s and Paper Source here but also small local stores like Vixen Collection and Queen Anne Dispatch. Queen Anne Coffee Co is a great place to get a cup ( we used to go to the same spot when it was Cafe Diablo for years and years) and it’s right next door to the Queen Anne Books Company too.
Seattle Center
I love Seattle Center because it houses the Pacific Science Center, Children’s Museum, MoPOP and Chihuly Garden and Glass as well as the Space Needle and it has the best playground and the Monorail too. But also we go there for concerts at Climate Pledge Arena (they also have cool tours) and food at the Seattle Center Armory (Mod Pizza and Starbucks are there). Walkable from Seattle Center is Cafe Hagen as well as Coba (a place we takeout food from often-it’s delicious).
And I’m still working on…..
Edmonds
This is where you can take a ferry to Kingston on Bremerton Island and it’s a really beautiful place to hang out. I’ve been to Walnut Street Coffee there a few times now because of soccer and I’ve had great coffee each visit. The Market that also has a location inside the Seattle Art Museum is there too and they are famous for lobster rolls. Ristorante Machiavelli an old favorite from Capitol Hill is here now too and I hope we have a soccer game this way soon so we make it dinner and a game.
Seattle Waterfront
The same architect who worked on the High Line in New York is working on the new Seattle Waterfront and it’s going to be incredible. I recently renewed my Seattle Aquarium membership and I’ve been meaning to go so hopefully I’ll update this part soon. We often bike from Magnolia to the Waterfront and it’s a really gorgeous bike ride and we drive this area daily to go to school so it’s really neat watching everything change this year. Ivar’s and Fisherman’s restaurants are both ones we go to the most.
Wallingford
I keep meaning to get to Indigo Cow here but I’m always nearby at the wrong time. We go here often for Tutta Bella as well as Evo for shopping for outdoor gear and Gas Works Park. I also need to visit Kamonegi.
West Seattle-typically we visit for Alki Beach and the Husky Deli but more often we’ve been here lately for soccer. And there is a Thomas Dambo troll here I want to go and check out now too in Lincoln Park.
Laurelhurst-I just started coming here again recently for piano and there are many cute shops and eateries. I’ve stopped at the PCC a few times and it’s got a convenient parking lot.
Greenwood-we drive through this area often and Coyle’s Bakeshop is here.
Phinneywood-I’m not entirely sure what this neighborhood is called. I tend to call it pastry street because it’s right near the zoo and you can walk from A la Mode pies(this looks under construction recently so I’m not sure where it is right now) Fresh Flours to Petit Pierre (there is another Petite Pierre in Magnolia) and now to Ben’s Bread and there are cute little shops and stops along the way. You could even pair this with a trip to Woodland Park Zoo, especially if you have a membership.
Beacon Hill-Flora Bakehouse always beckons me to this area. Another mom at soccer told me about a tamale shop in this area called Cafetal Quilombo Cafe that is absolutely delicious and we’ve had them a couple times now (they’re perfect)
Central District-also we are here for soccer and food.
Seattle Southside-because we are at the Museum of Flight for school this whole area has reopened up to us again and we are here often.
Ballard-this neighborhood might be the most famous for its seafood festival or weekend farmers market. It also is where you’ll find the Nordic Museum.
University District and University Village-this is near a lot of soccer and where the guys take their driving lessons (there are two places for driving near here-Defensive Driving and Seattle 911 and Uvillage is about a 6 minute drive away.)
(PS I should have warned you this list is primarily a food list maybe not as much a Seattle neighborhood list…)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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