A three-day Seattle itinerary built around food, wandering, and naps

Last fall, I spent a quick three-ish days in Seattle with my aunt. It was a fairly last-minute trip — she had planned it months in advance to see a Taj Mahal show with two of her girlfriends, but they had to back out, so I was called in.

Talk about my time to shine.

With my ticket booked just a couple of weeks in advance, there wasn’t much time to plan — which, honestly, is sometimes a blessing. We didn’t do everything Seattle has to offer, but we also didn’t feel any pressure to. Skipping the usual “must-do” attractions didn’t feel like a loss (we did go to Pike Place, but somehow missed the flying fish entirely!).

Instead, we did exactly what we felt like doing — eating well, wandering aimlessly, and resting when we needed to. We didn’t try to cram it all in, and that ended up being the magic of the trip.

In other words: Lots of Food and Naps in Seattle.

Capitol Hill Eats to Kick Off a Foodie Weekend in Seattle

We arrived at our flat in the Capitol Hill neighborhood on a Tuesday afternoon in early November. According to my cousin — who went to college out that way — this was the best and most central place to stay. I must say, she wasn’t wrong.

There were so many wonderful places to eat in the neighborhood.

That first afternoon, we stumbled upon an amazing little spot called Manao Thai, where the pad thai was so good that we ordered it to go another night for a chill evening in the flat. Then, after a stroll around the neighborhood and a bit of settling in, we had truly fantastic sushi at Momiji.

Day One: Pike Place Market Food Tour and Waterfront Wandering

The next day, we did one of my favorite activities in any city: a chef-guided market tour through Eat Seattle Tours. I’d been to Pike Place Market before, but this tour didn’t take us into the touristy raw seafood building at all, instead revealing a completely different side of the market that I’d never seen.

We learned the history of the market, marveled at (and tasted) regionally specific produce, and sampled incredible products from artisanal vendors throughout the market.

The best bite was easily the award-winning Pike Place Chowder, but the al pastor taco from Los Agaves and the smoked salmon from Totem Smokehouse were also standouts. As with every food tour I’ve ever taken, we also walked away with fantastic recommendations for other places to eat and shop around the city.

The absolute highlight was Truffle Queen, still within the market. Not only did we get to see a veritable mountain of freshly imported black truffles, but we also tasted an absurd number of products and had a truly delightful conversation about food in general.

After immersing ourselves in the flavors of the market, we wandered around the surrounding area — strolling along the waterfront, popping into charming little shops, and exploring one enormous antique mall.

It was a beautiful day, and I kind of wish we’d thrown in a ferry ride to nowhere, but our brains were muddled from food, hills, and walking, and we were sleepy. So instead of forcing it, we jumped in an Uber and headed back to nap town (aka the flat in Capitol Hill).

When we woke up, it was cool, breezy, and wet — perfect Seattle weather — and we just felt like being lazy with the evening. So we were.

It’s funny how I feel obligated to constantly do things when I’m traveling, when in reality I enjoy everything so much more when I give myself permission to just chill the fuck out sometimes.

If this sounds familiar, you’ll find plenty of practical reminders like this over on my Travel Tips page.

Day Two: Volunteer Park, Capitol Hill Wandering, and Lots of Snacks

Day two was all about the aimless wander, guided only by my cousin’s suggestion to visit Volunteer Park. Aunty and I love plants and architecture, and we are absolutely chock full of silly goosiosity (a term we invented that day), which turned this into a great little adventure.

The walk itself was a joy — big old houses, big old trees, lots to marvel at. Once we arrived, we moseyed over to the Water Tower. Despite how winded and elderly we felt by the time we reached the top, the views were absolutely worth it.

The 360° panorama gave us everything: mountains, lakes, trees, downtown Seattle, the bay — and even a great view of the Space Needle.

A bit further on, we came to the Seattle Asian Art Museum. While we didn’t feel like going inside, we enjoyed the statuary out front, poked around the gift shop, and admired the views overlooking the reservoir.

Continuing north, we reached the Volunteer Park Conservatory, a beautiful glass building filled with weird and wonderful plants. We had fun identifying things using Aunty’s plant app, took silly photos, and encountered a bird of paradise that actually looked like a bird. (Usually I have to squint and use a lot of imagination.)

As the cherry on top, we briefly befriended a delightful Australian woman visiting her dentist-daughter for a new tooth. In the course of conversation, she gifted us the phrase: “Don’t carry your mother on your shoulders.”

Truth bomb. I really need to remember that one.

By this point, we were starving. After all the walking, climbing, and laughing, we made a beeline for Taurus Ox for Laotian cuisine.

The fried spring rolls were excellent, and the N/A mojito — flavored with makrut lime leaf — was refreshing and not too sweet. Finding thoughtful non-alcoholic options like this is one of the small things that makes traveling sober feel not just manageable, but genuinely enjoyable.But the Lao sausage entrée was off the fucking charts. Packed with flavor, gently spicy, perfectly textured, and served with cooling rice and chilled vegetables.

So, so good.

For dessert, we wandered south on 19th Avenue to Hello Robin for cookies with unusual flavors. My favorites were the orange habanero chocolate chip and the salted butterscotch — though there truly wasn’t a bad choice.

That evening was a personal highlight for me, as I reconnected with the woman who 12th-stepped me back in New Orleans. Despite how close we once were, I was nervous to see her — which is ridiculous, considering she called me out at the worst of my alcoholism.

I’m an idiot sometimes.

Thankfully, the evening was easy, warm, and fun — and involved excellent food to boot: ramen from Ramen Danbo, followed by ice cream from Molly Moon’s, which was absolutely to die for.

Day Three: Seafood, Chihuly Glass, and Live Music in Seattle

Day three dawned with more perfect weather (apparently, we brought the sunshine with us). After a solid lie-in, we headed out on foot to Taylor Shellfish Farms, a spot I’d found on an Eater list and that was also recommended by our chef-tour guide.

With shellfish coming directly from their own farms and a layout that reminded me of the fish market where I briefly worked in my youth, this place was my happy place.

We ate marinated Castelvetrano olives, raw oysters of several varieties, a Caesar salad with boquerones and Dungeness crab, geoduck sashimi, and caramelized black cod — all balanced with fresh, sweet-tart lemonade.

Honestly? My personal heaven on fucking earth.

Everything was done simply, allowing each ingredient to shine. The geoduck sashimi was my top pick, showcasing two distinct textures and flavor profiles from different parts of the mollusk — with bonus experience points for being something I’ve only encountered once or twice before.

After walking off the worst of the food coma through downtown Seattle’s dazzling architecture and refueling with some ubiquitous Seattle coffee, we made our way to Seattle Center.

We sat beneath the Space Needle, finished our drinks, people-watched, and listened to an incredible violinist street performer whose name I desperately wish I remembered. The whole scene was perfect.

Still riding that whimsical high, we headed into the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum.

If you’ve never encountered Chihuly’s work, go Google that shit right now. Or just look at the pictures — though they don’t come close to capturing the magic of being immersed in this otherworldly explosion of color, light, and delightful nonsense.

It felt like being inside a snowflake, a coral reef, or a twisted Wonderland garden. I was filled with awe, wonder, and pure fucking delight.

Between the museum and the seafood feast that started the day, my joy reached a level that required a nap. Which worked out nicely, since we were preparing for a rare night out on the town.

That night, we headed to Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley for the main event and focal point of the trip: The Taj Mahal Quintet.

The Last Hurrah: Final Seattle Food Stops Before Heading Home

The next morning, we packed up and prepared to head home — but not before one final round of eating.

We started with donuts from Dough Joy, perfect raised donuts with just the right amount of frosting and a bit of pizzazz. A small appetizer, if you will, before lunch at Nue.

Nue is an absolute gem, serving street-food-inspired dishes from around the world. We warmed up with Vietnamese coffee, then dove into a World Butter Plate (because who doesn’t want a butter flight?), Barbadian pig ears, Brazilian acarajé stuffed with spicy shrimp magic, and Filipino tosilog — sweet-cured grilled pork with garlic fried rice and a perfect sunny egg.

To fortify ourselves for the airport slog, we stopped at Espresso Vivace for one last coffee and tea — delicious, though very crowded.

I didn’t fully realize it until writing this, but Seattle is a foodie paradise. We saw art, plants, and phenomenal live music — but I keep coming back to the food.

Seattle’s international influences felt different from what I’m used to on the East Coast. While every major city has its Chinatown and pockets of global cuisine, Seattle’s food scene reflects a broader range of Asian cultures and smaller countries, which makes sense given what lies across the ocean.

Still, it surprised me.

Just like the whole trip — goofy, unplanned, and filled with delightful silliness. And it’s surprises like these, cities that reveal themselves in unexpected ways, that keep my wanderlust alive and well.

If you’re looking for more cities that surprised me in all the best ways, you can browse the rest of my travel stories on the Destinations page.