It seems fitting that my journey of remembrance should begin here.
Queen Anne South manages all at once to be wonderfully relaxed and
vibrant. During our stay we were based here in the MEDITERRANEAN INN and didn't even come close to exploring all that the area had to
offer. Whilst only a stone's through from the SEATTLE CENTER, which
houses the city's iconic Space Needle landmark, the main reason to
visit Queen Anne South is … the food!
the view of the Space Needle from Mediterranean Inn's rooftop terrace
Misconception #1: American dining is synonymous with Fast Food
Queen Anne South is home to the most varied cuisine I have ever
experienced in one relatively small neighbourhood. Not only do they
have it all, but the quality is also phenomenal. Having experienced
this fairly consistently throughout Seattle I can only
conclude that quality of the ingredients used makes every difference.
Sour cream is tangy and fresh, not bland, and served at room
temperature, not straight from the fridge; barbecue sauce is not
simply sweet, but also has a nice smoky, tangy kick to it. I could go on.
There are many cuisines that I did not get around to sampling in
Queen Anne – I have heard that they have amazing Spanish and French restaurants – but here are a couple of the places that
we did try and loved:
T.S. MCHUGHS
21 Mercer St | http://tsmchughs.com
photo from venue's own website
This little Irish gem is definitely to blame for my limited scope of the food on offer in Queen Anne. Jet-Lagged and luggage-less, on our first evening in Seattle we stumbled out in search of nourishment not served in foil trays and ended up picking the least ambitious establishment imaginable for two English tourists with Irish heritage. How glad I am that we were so unambitious! T.S. McHughs became our “local” for the duration of our stay and we came back here several times.
21 Mercer St | http://tsmchughs.com
photo from venue's own website
This little Irish gem is definitely to blame for my limited scope of the food on offer in Queen Anne. Jet-Lagged and luggage-less, on our first evening in Seattle we stumbled out in search of nourishment not served in foil trays and ended up picking the least ambitious establishment imaginable for two English tourists with Irish heritage. How glad I am that we were so unambitious! T.S. McHughs became our “local” for the duration of our stay and we came back here several times.
Misconception #2: American manners are a product of customer service
requirements and always geared towards a sale.
...either that or they have become experts in persuading the consumer
to the contrary. The people of Seattle are without a doubt the
friendliest that I have ever met, and my introduction to them began
with the staff at T.S. McHughs.
Not only were they friendly and welcoming, but they were happy to
recommend food from the menu and talk to us about the qualities of
the various craft beers available (a local specialty), without being
even the slightest bit patronising or reeling off a sales pitch.
They asked questions to judge our tastes and even advised us to carry
our passports about with us as local bars would be likely not to
serve us without them, and might not recognise a UK drivers' license
as a valid ID.
On top of that the beers were great (if a little pricey, though this
is fairly standard in Seattle) and the food was hearty and wholesome:
battered local-caught fish, fries and freshly-baked soda bread.
Suffice to say we returned to T.S. McHughs on our final night in
Seattle to end our vacation exactly as it had begun: with great
food, great beer and a friendly, warm atmosphere. Our hosts seemed
genuinely sad to see us leave.
ROTI
530 Queen Anne Ave N | http://rotirestaurantseattle.com
Roti, an Indian restaurant just around the corner from T.S. McHughs was not one that we initially had high hopes for. Being British, we rather assumed that our own country ran the monopoly on authentic, high quality Indian cuisine outside of India itself. We weren't convinced that America would be able to impress our cultivated taste buds; sensitive to the complex flavours and spices of the now-British staple. Additionally the exterior was very understated and could have done with a bit of attention. I now feel foolish for judging it on this point, as the less showy Indian restaurants that I have frequented in the UK have often offered the best dishes.
530 Queen Anne Ave N | http://rotirestaurantseattle.com
Roti, an Indian restaurant just around the corner from T.S. McHughs was not one that we initially had high hopes for. Being British, we rather assumed that our own country ran the monopoly on authentic, high quality Indian cuisine outside of India itself. We weren't convinced that America would be able to impress our cultivated taste buds; sensitive to the complex flavours and spices of the now-British staple. Additionally the exterior was very understated and could have done with a bit of attention. I now feel foolish for judging it on this point, as the less showy Indian restaurants that I have frequented in the UK have often offered the best dishes.
There's not much really that I can say to express, once again, how
wrong I was. The food was esquisite, flavoursome and complex, and
the interior was actually richly coloured and ostentatious in just
the right way, with lanterns uplighting beautifully crafted,
intricate wooden and brass features on the walls and ceilings;
separating the vibrant oranges, regal reds and luscious greens. Roti
is a restaurant where you feel entirely justified taking a photo of
both the venue and your food.
PLAZA GARIBALDI
(basically I'm running out of food adjectives, but do go here!)
PLAZA GARIBALDI
129 1st Ave N | http://www.pgaribaldi.com/
Wonderful, tasty, colourful Mexican cuisine...and lots of it!
There's not much more to say than that!
(basically I'm running out of food adjectives, but do go here!)
Other
Attractions
Whilst Lower Queen Anne is definitely an area best known as a hotspot
for wining and dining, it does have other attractions worth checking
out. I loved the second-hand book shop, MERCER STREET BOOKS, which
had an impressive american crime section for such a small boutique.
The SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN is also a must visit for any hard-core film
fan. As well as the current blockbusters they will also show
retro/cult films that are often hard to come by, with the added
occasional bonus of a Q&A session with members of the cast.
If you're travelling without a car I'd also encourage any travelling Brits to pay a visit to the local Safeway, as it is the only authentically American supermarket that I came across within walking distance of our Hotel...and we walked a lot. It is therefore one of the only opportunities you will have to giggle at the stereotypically American sized portions of those who bulk buy – enormous plastic jugs of milk that wouldn't even fit in a British fridge; ice cream priced and sold by the pint (commonly with three pints to one tub); bags of crisps twice the largest size sold in the UK.
If you're travelling without a car I'd also encourage any travelling Brits to pay a visit to the local Safeway, as it is the only authentically American supermarket that I came across within walking distance of our Hotel...and we walked a lot. It is therefore one of the only opportunities you will have to giggle at the stereotypically American sized portions of those who bulk buy – enormous plastic jugs of milk that wouldn't even fit in a British fridge; ice cream priced and sold by the pint (commonly with three pints to one tub); bags of crisps twice the largest size sold in the UK.
Fremont – coming soon
Belltown – coming
soon
Downtown Seattle –
coming soon
Pioneer Square – coming soon
