Looking for the best food, drinks, and things to do in Seattle? We’ve got you covered!
Before living on the road in our Sprinter van, we called Seattle home for 3 years and fell madly in love with this city and surrounding areas. The mix of nature, city life, coffee shops, and proximity to many other amazing cities truly makes it, in our biased opinion, one of the best cities in the United States! We are so, so excited to partner with our friend Allie from Adventures After Coffee for our biggest content piece ever: a 10 page Seattle Bucket List!
While we have many Seattle and Washington blogs and travel guides, we have always wanted to create a huge resource with all of the must-visit restaurants, coffee shops, dessert spots, bars, weekend trips, and best things to do in Seattle. Itโs JAM PACKED yโall!
And we couldnโt have done it without Allie! Partnering with her was a no brainer: we both love this city and love to explore it as much as we possibly can. It was awesome to be able to combine our brains, preferences, and favorite spots to make a well rounded list that everyone can enjoy!
We hope that whether youโre visiting and want a huge list of things to do or are a local looking to visit more spots around town, that this bucket list helps you eat, drink, and sightsee your way around the Emerald City! Keep on scrolling to see the full list orย download your own copy!
Pro tip: to keep track of all of the spots you visit on this list, download the guide, screenshot each page, and use the โmarkupโ tool (if you have an iPhone) to cross off the spots you visit!
For a pre-made Seattle itinerary that features a lot of these spots, check out our 3 Days in Seattle guide! And to get more Seattle and Washington ideas, read the rest of our guides and blogs.
Neighborhoods
Check out our blog post about our 5 favorite Seattle neighborhoods, with list of the best sights and places to eat in each one here!
Ballard
Great for: Breweries, boutiques, beach, farmers market
Belltown
Great for: Bars, shopping, food
Capitol Hill
Great for: Bars, food, coffee, nightlife, parks
Downtown
Great for: Pike Place Market, water views, piers, shopping
Fremont + Wallingford
Great for: Fremont Trail, views, art, breweries, trails, Lake Union
Pioneer Square
Great for: History, happy hours, professional sports
Queen Anne
Great for: Views, hills, Space Needle, Seattle Center
West Seattle
Great for: Water activities, Alki beach, farmers markets, mountain and skyline views
Restaurants
There are so many great restaurants in Seattle, varying in price and cuisine. Read about our favorite cheap eats in Seattle here!
Ballard
- Un Bien
- Asadero
- Biscuit and Bean
- 8 oz Burger
- Walrus and the Carpenter
- Stoneburner
- Pestle Rock
- No Bones Beach Club
- Porkchop & Co
- La Carta de Oaxaca
- The Fat Hen
- Brimmer & Heeltop
Belltown
- Black Bottle
- FOB Poke Bar
- Meekong Bar
- Petra Mediterranean Bistro
- Tilikum Place Cafe
- List
- Jerk Shack
- Serious Pie
- Shaker and Spear
- Lola
Capitol Hill
- Skillet
- Witness
- Fogรณn Cocina Mexicana
- Mamnoon
- Cascina Spinasse
- Stateside
- Annapurna Cafe
- Kedai Makan
- Due’ Cucina Italiana
- Ramen Danbo
- D’ La Santa
- Plum Bustro
- Aviv Hummus Bar
Downtown
- Pike Place Chowder
- Beecher’s
- Piroshky Piroshky
- Daily Dozen Doughnuts
- The Pink Door
- Biscuit Bitch
- Matt’s in the Market
- Palace Kitchen
- Japonessa Sushi Cocina
Fremont + Wallingford
Green Lake
Pioneer Square
Queen Anne
U District
West Seattle
Multiple Locations
- Tacos Chukis (Our favorite spot!)
- Portage Bay
- Dick’s Drive In
- Bounty Kitchen
- Homegrown
- The Matador
- Red Mill Burgers
- Cactus
- Din Tai Fung
- Ivar’s
- Pagliacci Pizza
- Macrina Bakery
Coffee
Seattle has no shortage of amazing coffee shops! Curious which coffee shops are our absolute favorite? Check out our must-visit coffee shop list!
Ballard
Belltown
Capitol Hill
- Starbucks Reserve Roastery
- Victrola Coffee
- Espresso Vivace
- Ada’s Technical Books & Cafe
- Little Oddfellows
- Capitol Coffee Works
- Atulea
Downtown
- Seattle Coffee Works
- Moore Coffee Shop
- Anchorhead Coffee
- Monorail Espresso
- Mr. West Cafe
- The First Starbucks
Fremont + Wallingford
Green Lake
Queen Anne
South Lake Union
West Seattle
Multiple Locations
- Storyville Coffee
- Elm Coffee Roasters
- Caffe Umbria
- Herkimer Coffee
- Cafe Ladro
- Broadcast Coffee
- Slate Coffee
Sweets
From the best vegan ice cream ever, molten chocolate cakes, to pies, here are some of the best spots to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Ballard
Belltown
Capitol Hill
Denny Triangle
Downtown
- Shug’s Soda Fountain & Ice Cream
- Elleno’s
- The Confectional
- Gelatiamo
- Cinnamon Works
- Le Panier French Bakery
- Fran’s Chocolates
Fremont + Wallingford
Green Lake
University District
West Seattle
Multiple Locations
- General Porpoise
- Frankie & Jo’s (Our absolute favorite!)
- Salt & Straw (Our other favorite!)
- Molly Moon’s
- Hot Cakes
- A la Mode Pies
- Cupcake Royale
- Mighty-O Donuts
- Top Pot Donuts
- Verve Bowls
- Full Tilt Ice Cream
Drinks
While we don’t drink, all of these spots have come highly recommended by Allie, our friends, and from our research!
Ballard
- Reuben’s Brews
- Stoup Brewing
- Percy’s & Co.
- Little Tin Goods & Apothecary Cabinet
- Mox Boarding House
- Chuck’s Hop Shop
- Hazlewood
Belltown
Capitol Hill
Downtown
Fremont + Wallingford
- Fremont Brewing
- Add-a-Ball
- The Ballroom
- Triangle Spirits
- The Backdoor
- The Octopus Bar
- Schilling Cider House
Georgetown
Pioneer Square
Queen Anne
West Seattle
Things to do
Looking specifically for free and cheap things to do in Seattle? See our top 30 recommendations!
Ballard
Belltown
- Pier 66 views
- Cinerama
- Olympic Sculpture Park
- Waterfront
Capitol Hill
Downtown
Fremont + Wallingford
Green Lake
Madrona
Magnolia
Pioneer Square
Queen Anne
South Lake Union
- Sea plane ride
Sodo
- Mariners game
- Sounders game
- Seahawks game
U District
- Explore the UW Campus (especially during Cherry Blossom season)
- Go to a UW game
West Seattle
Multiple Locations
- Flatstick Pub
- Kayak or paddleboard
- Farmers markets
Weekend Trips
Want more details about these areas and suggestions of things to do? Check out our 6 Seattle Day Trips and 37 Favorite Hikes in Washington blog posts, as well as our Olympic Peninsula and North Cascades guides!
Olympic Peninsula
- Rialto Beach
- Ruby Beach
- Hoh Rainforest
- Hurricane Ridge
- Sol Duc Falls
- Mount Storm King
- Murhut Falls
- Lake Crescent
- Lena Lake
- Cape Flattery
- Mount Ellinor
Islands
- Moran State Park
- Cascade Falls
- Mount Constitution
- Deception Pass State Park
- Fort Casey
- The town of Langley
- The town of Bainbridge
Stevens Pass
- Blanca Lake
- Barclay Lake
- Wallace Falls
- Lake Serene
- Bridal Veil Falls
- Heybrook Lookout
- Colchuck Lake
- Eightmile Lake
- Icicle Ridge
- Lake Wenatchee
- The town of Leavenworth
Mount Rainier
- Naches Peak Loop
- Tolmie Peak
- Myrtle Falls
- Comet Falls
- Mount Fremont Lookout
- Glacier Basin
Mountain Loop Hwy
- Big Four Ice Caves
- Heather lake
- Lake 22
North Bend + Snoqualmie
- Mailbox Peak
- Twin Fall
- Navaho Pas
- Lake Annette
- Rattlesnake Ledge
- Snoqualmie Falls
- Franklin Falls
North Cascades
- Washington Pass
- Diablo Lake
- Heather Maple Pass Loop
- Blue Lake
Ready to explore Seattle?
Click the image below to download our Seattle bucket list with the best things to do in Seattle!
Lots of good stuff!
Thank you! ๐ We hope everyone finds it helpful!
Thank you! So glad I found this guide before my anniversary trip this weekend!
Happy Anniversary!!! We hope you have an amazing trip and let us know if you have any Seattle questions ๐