Established in 1907, the famous Pike Place Market is Seattle’s public market filled with 9 acres worth of bountiful farm tables, locally made specialty foods and crafts, and hundreds of shops and restaurants. It’s Seattle’s #1 tourist attraction that is also frequented and loved by locals.
Biscuit Bitch at Pike’s Place Market
This funky coffeehouse meets biscuit specialist seemed to be a breakfast staple in Pike Place Market. It was both recommended to me by friends and mentioned in Seattle articles. I read that they offer gluten-free biscuits in limited quantities, so we went first thing in the morning in hopes we wouldn’t be faced with a crazy line or miss the GF offerings. For a tiny place, it was packed! Just before we made it to the front of the line, they announced that the biscuits “weren’t coming out right” and it would be an hour wait! My boyfriend slipped his way to the front to ask about the gluten-free biscuits, which ended up being available (the ONE time being GF worked out in our favor)! The wait was still a bit long, but it was soooo worth it. I ordered the Bitchwich (your classic breakfast sandwich) and he ordered the Gritty Scrambled Cheesy Bitch (their top seller).
If these deluxe biscuits don’t excite you and you aren’t gluten-free, my family loved The Crumpet Shop and Piroshky Piroshky in the market. The Original Starbucks is also in the market, but you should anticipate a very long line at all times of the day.
Shopping at Pike Place Market
Beyond all the shops and restaurants, the market is made up of a farmers market and flea market with hundreds of stalls selling locally-made/locally-sourced goods. The most popular stall is the world famous fish market where employees playfully (and terrifyingly) throw fish around to attract a crowd. They sell enormous king crab legs, wild salmon, Alaskan halibut, dungeness crab and more. The market also has a huge display of fresh flower bouquets for sale at very low prices. Everyone was walking around with them in the neighborhood and now I understand why!
Must See Spots at Pike Place Market
At some point in your visit to Seattle, you need a picture of the Pike Market neon sign. If you don’t take one – were you really there? It’s especially beautiful at night! Another photo opportunity in the market is one of those “see it once and check it off the list forever” places — the Gum Wall. It’s an alley made up of people’s chewed gum from all over the world stuck onto the surrounding walls and while disgusting, it’s quite the sight to see. We did not partake in this activity.
Rachel’s Ginger Beer
The market is huge and can be tiring to explore! We found Rachel’s Ginger Beer to be not only delicious and GF-friendly, but refreshing on a warm afternoon. They offer an interesting variety of flavors (white peach, passion fruit & vanilla, etc.), as well as some alcoholic ginger beer based cocktails (Moscow Mule anyone?).
If you’re looking for beer in a more tucked away spot, Pike Brewing is downstairs in the market and larger than expected! For a mid-afternoon snack, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese has a great selection.
Steelhead Diner
Although it had a “homey” feel, this restaurant isn’t like the name suggests. The menu offerings were more elevated and more expensive than I thought it would be, but the food was good! We shared a pork belly appetizer and the Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls, which they were able to make gluten-free for us.
Can Can
The glow of the neon Pike Market sign at night led us to this hidden Burlesque show cocktail bar with some seriously well-crafted cocktails. Fortunately, buying a ticket to the show in a separate room was optional so we were able to grab two of the six or so seats at the bar for a nightcap. I had one of the best cocktails I’ve ever had, and the funny part is, I’ve never had another version of it as simple as it may sound – an Absinthe Mojito. While sitting at the bar, we saw behind the scenes action of the show and chatted with the bartender and performers.
Another cocktail bar in the market we didn’t make it to was Zig Zag, rated #1 on FourSquare! Needless to say, Pike Place Market is worth the hype. Add it to your bucket list!
Check out more from our Seattle trip here!