Yup. We took a food tour in Seattle. And it was fantastic. Take a look at our journey and tons of foodie recommendations for your own visit to town!
We booked our tour online about 2 weeks before our trip through Savor Seattle Food Tours. We initially planned to do this on Saturday, but all the slots were filled! Definitely book ahead to make sure you get a spot that works with your travel plans. There are several tours to choose from and we took the Gourmet Seattle tour.
The tour began at The Yellow Leaf Cupcake Co. We met the rest of our group (7 individuals in total plus our tour guide) and went over the map for the day before getting our first course!
Things kicked off with something sweet: the spice cake with now-not-so-secret-ingredient Campbell’s tomato soup (yup) and the bacon pancake cupcake with Italian buttercream frosting.
The inclusion of the tomato soup dates back to the Depression era and the need to get crafty with ingredients. It sounds weird but adds a creaminess to the cake flavor (and doesn’t taste at all tomato-y).
Both cakes were divine, but if I had to pick a winner it would be the bacon pancake cupcake. Something about that salty/sweet combo leaves any competitors in the dust.
Next we headed to Serious Pie, one of Tom Douglas’ many delicious restaurants.
The group split two pizzas: the buffalo mozzarella with tomato sauce and fresh basil, and the roasted seasonal mushroom (king trumpets and porinis) with truffle cheese. As a Chicagoan I think I have a pretty high standard for pizza. And Serious Pie nails it! These were the perfect balance of ingredients, the dough was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and overall these were fab.
I feel like such a traitor saying this since I am an avid mushroom fan, but my favorite of the two was the buffalo mozzarella! So simple but so good.
The third stop was Cutter’s Crabhouse for Cedergreen Cellars Sauvignon Blanc and the Dungeness crab stuffed tiger prawn over greens. Cedergreen Cellars is a Washington-based winery and the wine was very crisp and light. It was a little too light for my taste but still tasty. The stuffed tiger prawn was also tasty, though not the highlight of the tour for me.
Afterwards we headed to La Buona Tavola, not pictured, a small shop in the thick of Pike Place Market. Here we sampled truffle oils and potato leek soup topped with white truffle.
At Steelhead Diner we sat down to wine and their fantastic chicken and andouille sausage gumbo. The cajun spices give this dish a subtle yet distinguished kick, and the steamed rice on top really sets this apart from other gumbos you may have had before. Despite our tour being mid-afternoon, this Pike Place restaurant was hopping!
The next stop, Von’s Gustobistro, may have been my favorite. We were served Northwest-Styled Salmon Cakes, crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The dollop of sauce on top added a nice touch, and the bed of greens balanced the rich flavors of the cake.
By oh my. The margarita.
Von’s distilles spirits in house, and poured us the most amazing margaritas I have ever had. The tequila is so smooth (I am not normally a tequila fan) and blends perfectly with fresh juices. It’s the Mayahuel Margarita and is worth returning to the restaurant just for a round.
I’d love to return one day to try out their signature sourdough pasta and pizza!
Our last stop of the day was Fran’s Chocolates. Little did I know that this is the official chocolatier of the White House! When President Obama was campaigning he visited Seattle and received a ‘Welcome to Seattle’ basket filled with local goodies, including chocolates from Fran’s. Now Fran’s has a standing order from the White House to stock all their chocolate needs!
The employees at Fran’s really know their stuff. They are so helpful in curating customized boxes of chocolate (for friends or, let’s be honest, for yourself!).
My favorites at Fran’s are the grey salt caramels and the orange confit; deliciously balanced with dark chocolate for a sweet treat.
The afternoon was amazing and I definitely would love to experience a food tour again! It’s such a fun culinary ride, filled with great foodie facts and obviously tons of yummy eats. A food tour really lets you get a finger on the food pulse of a city, and is now high on my tourist to do list when I travel!
Logan’s Tips and Tricks-
-Book your food tour early in your trip. There were tons of spots we wanted to return to and recommendations from our tour guide. We had to choose the best since our tour was on our last full day; I would have liked to have a few days to fill with all the great eats we discovered!
-If a 3 hour food tour seems intimidating don’t worry. The portions are smaller than the place typically serves and each place is spaced well with walking and talking. We ate a medium sized lunch 2 hours before starting the food tour and we made in through like champs! (Schedule a late dinner though!)
-Many spots will feature behind the scenes seating and a chance to really interact with the management/servers of a restaurant. It’s a great chance to ask loads of questions!
