Not For Tourists Guide to Seattle (2016)

West & South Seattle

Map 39

This part of town is kind of like the one on the ‘90s sitcom, Roseanne; an industrial community that loves their burgers, BBQ, and Mexican food. Townies gather in dive bars after work for beer and conversation. They are so proudly blue-collar that their park houses beloved Sea-Town landmark, Hat n’ Boots. This precious sculpture was rescued from an old Texico station and stands proudly next to a children’s play structure. Ain’t that America.

✵ Hat ‘n’ Boots ✵ 6430 Corson Ave S

Former roadside attraction now safely ensconced in Oxbow Park.

✵ SoDo Freewall ✵ 2250 Occidental Ave S

Graffiti on a wall.

✵ Starbucks Headquarters ✵ 2401 Utah Ave S

Still waiting for that giant mermaid to jump out and go Godzilla on downtown.

✵ All City Coffee ✵ 1205 S Vale St

206-767-7146

Where Georgetown caffeinates.

✵ The Daily Coffee & Tea ✵ 5400 E Marginal Way S

206-486-6088

A nice little coffee oasis in a vast industrial dessert.

✵ Espresso by Design ✵ 511 S Mead St

206-768-1061

Plus food.

✵ The Station ✵ 2533 16th Ave S

206-453-4892

A nice Light Rail stop. Fill up on coffee before standing in the TSA line.

✵ Victrola Coffee ✵ 3215 Beacon Ave S

206-860-7767

From a time before coffee was good.

✵ 9lb. Hammer ✵ 6009 Airport Way S

206-762-3373

More fun than you can shake a hammer at. Plus free peanuts!

✵ Aston Manor ✵ 2946 1st Ave S

206-382-7866

Just the place for folks who long for the exclusivity and superficiality of Vegas clubs.

✵ Bogart’s Airport Way ✵ 3924 Airport Way S

206-622-1119

Guitar Hero Tuesdays and karaoke with trannies.

✵ Brass Tacks ✵ 6031 Airport Way S

206-397-3821

Perpetuating the bacchanalian celebration of meat and alcohol.

✵ Georgetown Liquor Company ✵

5501 Airport Way S

206-763-6764

Atari 2600 and beer. Can life get any better?

✵ Hooverville Bar ✵ 1721 1st Ave S

206-264-2428

A bar for recovering corporate junkies.

✵ Jules Maes Saloon ✵ 5919 Airport Way S

206-957-7766

Century-old tavern where punk meets country.

✵ Marco Polo Bar & Grill ✵ 5613 4th Ave S

206-762-3964

Blue collar dive bar with all the fixins. You’ll be happy you found it.

✵ The Oak ✵ 3019 Beacon Ave S

206-535-7070

The folks from Redwood present a family-friendly pub for grownup hipsters.

✵ Showbox SoDo ✵ 1700 1st Ave S

206-628-3151

Where the Showbox is concerned, bigger is NOT better.

✵ Siren Tavern ✵ 3403 4th Ave S

206-223-9167

Both firemen and longshoremen answer the call of the Siren.

✵ Studio Seven ✵ 110 S Horton St

206-286-1312

Jam to live music with grandma and your teenager.

✵ Baja Bistro ✵ 2414 Beacon Ave S

206-323-0953 ✵ $

Housemade Mexican food in charming cafe.

✵ Bar del Corso ✵ 3057 Beacon Ave S

206-395-2069 ✵ $$

Wood-fired pizza and wine to share with your (adult) family.

✵ Brass Tacks ✵ 6031 Airport Way S

206-397-3821 ✵ $$

Perpetuating the bacchanalian celebration of meat and alcohol.

✵ Bread and Circuses ✵ 4700 Ohio Ave S

206-374-3081 ✵ $

A delicious food freak show.

✵ By’s Drive-In ✵ 2901 4th Ave S

206-622-9901 ✵ $

It’s no Dick’s, but it’s better than the chains.

✵ Calozzi’s Cheesesteaks ✵ 7016 E Marginal Way S

206-762-1777 ✵ $$

Tough-to-please Chicago ex-pats say these are ALMOST as good as the real thing.

✵ Caravan Crêpes ✵

$

Crepes. But, like, REALLY good ones.

✵ Dahlak Eritrean Cuisine ✵ 2007 S State St

206-860-0400 ✵ $$

Complex and layered dishes that outshine most. Superfun with friends.

✵ Denny’s ✵ 2762 4th Ave S

206-623-8375 ✵ $

Putting moons over Seattle’s hammies once again.

✵ El Sabroso ✵ 2524 16th Ave S

206-551-1432 ✵ $

Best damn tortas in town.

✵ The Essential Baking Company ✵ 5601 1st Ave S

206-876-3746 ✵ $

Essentially delicious.

✵ Ezell’s Express ✵

$

Oprah’s favorite chicken joint goes mobile.

✵ Fonda La Catrina ✵ 5905 Airport Way S

206-767-2787 ✵ $$

Enjoy their small but solid menu in an adorable Dia de los Muertos shrine.

✵ Georgetown Liquor Company ✵

5501 Airport Way S

206-763-6764 ✵ $

Veggie sandwiches that Yoda would approve of.

✵ Hudson ✵ 5000 E Marginal Way S

206-767-4777 ✵ $$

Food good enough to die for, luckily located next to a mortuary.

✵ Katsu Burger ✵ 6538 4th Ave S

206-762-0752 ✵ $$

Exactly what it sounds like, but way better than you might imagine.

✵ Matt’s Famous Chili Dogs ✵ 6615 E Marginal Way S

206-768-0418 ✵ $

Midwestern folks affirm this is a true Chicago dog.

✵ The Oak ✵ 3019 Beacon Ave S

206-535-7070 ✵ $$

The folks from Redwood present a family-friendly pub for grownup hipsters.

✵ Papa Bois ✵ 2401 Utah Ave S

425-341-3657 ✵ $$

The sandwiches that Caribbean/Asian Fusion dreams are made of.

✵ Pecos Pit BBQ ✵ 2260 1st Ave S

206-623-0629 ✵ $

Spicy sandwiches for hardworkin’ tongues.

✵ Pho Cyclo ✵ 2414 1st Ave S

206-382-9256 ✵ $

The fragrant pho ga really is chicken soup for the soul.

✵ Pig Iron Bar-B-Q ✵ 5602 1st Ave S

206-768-1009 ✵ $$

Southern-style eats and a tattooed ambiance.

✵ The Sammich Truck ✵ 6100 4th Ave S

206-992-6255 ✵ $

Simple American classics.

✵ Slim’s Last Chance ✵ 5606 1st Ave S

206-762-7900 ✵ $$

Rockabilly chili.

✵ Smarty Pants ✵ 6017 Airport Way S

206-762-4777 ✵ $$

Covering all the bases from knockout veg grub to roasted pork. Smart!

✵ SODO Deli ✵ 3228 1st Ave S

206-467-0306 ✵ $

The food is Sodo-licious.

✵ The Square Knot Diner ✵ 6015 Airport Way S

206-915-5244 ✵ $

There’s nothing square about this ice-cream laden 24-hour diner.

SoDo is great for pork lovers (Pecos Pit BBQ), those who worship at the temple of the mermaid (Starbucks’ corporate headquarters is located here), and hardware store junkies. Georgetown is for the urban cowboy/girl. It contains a 9lb. Hammer (a biker/punk hangout), a Stellar pizza joint, and a Liquor Company.

✵ The Station ✵ 2533 16th Ave S

206-453-4892 ✵ $

A nice Light Rail stop. Fill up on coffee before standing in the TSA line.

✵ Stellar Pizza, Ale & Cocktails ✵ 5513 Airport Way S

206-763-1660 ✵ $

Stellar. Really.

✵ Viengthong ✵ 2820 Martin Luther King Jr Way S

206-725-3884 ✵ $

Quality Thai-Laotian dishes that tend toward fire-engine spiciness.

✵ Willie’s Taste of Soul BBQ ✵ 3427 Rainier Ave S

206-722-3229 ✵ $

Soul-satisfying baby backs and some insanely buttery yams.

✵ A Dog’s Dream Natural Pet Supply ✵

5913 Airport Way S

206-763-1546

It’s a good thing dogs don’t have credit cards.

✵ Borracchini’s Bakery ✵ 2307 Rainier Ave S

206-325-1550

An adored local bakery with an emphasis on affordable.

✵ Cannabis City ✵ 2733 4th Ave S

206-682-1332

Some of the cheapest grams in town.

✵ Counterbalance Brewing Company ✵

503 S Michigan St

206-453-3615

10 rotating, seasonal taps, lovingly curated from former coffee guys.

✵ Daniel Smith ✵ 4150 1st Ave S

206-223-9599

Mega mart art supplies. Make an artist happy.

✵ Dockside Cannabis ✵ 1728 4th Ave S

206-223-3724

Well appointed, sustainable and professsional.

✵ Earthwise Architectural Salvage ✵ 3447 4th Ave S

206-624-4510

”Junk can be beautiful.”

✵ Epic Ales ✵ 3201 1st Ave S

206-351-3637

Seasonal microbrewery with a gourmet snack bar in their tasting room. Epic, indeed.

✵ Esquin Wine Merchants ✵ 2700 4th Ave S

206-682-7374

Guess what they sell?

✵ Ganja Goddess ✵ 3207 1st Ave S

206-682-7220

Boutique weed for the high-rolling stoner.

✵ Georgetown Music Store ✵ 6111 13th Ave S

206-767-2718

Supplying the next generation of G-town artists with axes.

✵ Georgetown Records / Fantagraphics ✵

1201 S Vale St

206-762-5638

Cool record store that now shares a space with the Fantagraphics flagship store.

✵ Ghostfish Brewing Company ✵ 2942 1st Ave S

206-397-3898

Gluten free beer that doesn’t taste like a compromise.

✵ Goodwill Outlet ✵ 1765 6th Ave S

206-957-5516

Paw thru bins of cast offs from the unwashed masses.

✵ Grocery Outlet ✵ 1702 4th Ave S

206-812-6622

Why is the food so cheap? Don’t ask, just buy.

✵ JC Marble & Granite ✵ 2920 1st Ave S

206-388-0909

Stone good enough for Jesus Christ’s tomb.

✵ Maruta Shoten ✵ 1024 S Bailey St

206-767-5002

Ultra-authentic japanese grocery; like a tiny Uwajimaya without the foreign influence.

✵ Northwest Shower Door ✵ 3223 1st Ave S

206-264-1010

Elegant doors for clean people.

✵ Seattle Cannabis Co. ✵ 3230 1st Ave S

206-294-5839

Over 30 unique strains for around $14 a gram.

✵ Seattle Pottery Supply ✵ 35 S Hanford St

206-587-0570

When you want to recreate that scene from Ghost.

✵ Second Use ✵ 3223 6th Ave S

206-763-6929

A (living) museum of old appliances.

✵ Silver Platters ✵ 2930 1st Ave S

206-283-3472

No, it wasn’t named after The Brady Bunch’s band.

✵ Visions Espresso Service ✵ 2737 1st Ave S

206-623-6709

The Wizard of Oz would be jealous of their

coffee machine collection.