GiuliaPiraino

I noticed there isn't a lot of current information on the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, I'm sure because it's not a common tourist destination. Hoping there's a local out there that can chime in and recommend some great restaurants in the area?? We're staying around 6th ave & Garfield for about a week. We wont have a car but we're avid walkers. I'm aware there are some steep hills in the area, we will use public transportation as well. I'd love some good recommendations! I've had a bunch of people tell me about Top Pot Donuts, but then one can't survive on donuts alone, well I could but my husband not so much

Thanks!

happytrailstoyou

Good places that may be new to you include How to Cook A Wolf, Toulouse Petit, Via Tribunali, Peso’s, Mezcaleria Oaxaca, Macrina Bakery, and Le Reve Bakery. You also might enjoy places such as Ten Mercer and The 5 Spot.

HTTY

GiuliaPiraino

Thank you so much! We've only been to Seattle one other time and we stayed down at the harbor steps so this is a totally new area to us. I love the idea that it's residential and away from the action, call me weird, I like to experience what it's like to live in a different city, as much as you can in a week anyway! We rented a lovely apartment on in a gorgeous area, really looking forward to checking out the neighborhood. Thanks for the suggestions I'm going to look them all up!

happytrailstoyou

There are a couple dozen restaurants on Queen Anne Avenue North between West Galer Street and West McGraw Street--a short walk from where you will be staying.

Via Tribunali is next door to Top Pot Donuts--and not far from Trader Joe's.

Metropolitan Market is a great place for groceries (and gelato) on lower Queen Anne, where there are also many restaurants.

HTTY

lenlu

Agreed, Top Pot is not a staple for food!
Upper QA:
Betty
Paragon
Via Tribunali
How to Cook a Wolf
Portage (I love)

Lower QA:
Peso's Mexican
Toulouse
The Sitting Room for snacks and wine
Tup Tim Thai
Crow
Panos Kleftikos by Crow and Caffe Vita for Coffee. : )

GiuliaPiraino

Lenlu, thank you! I was of course speaking in jest about the donuts, wink, wink

GiuliaPiraino

Is it true the bus system in Seattle isn't great or not reliable??? I read this on a few different "visit Seattle" websites. I hope that's not the case since we are staying on a hill and banking on riding the bus for getting around.

Gardyloo

The bus system is fine, provided it goes where you want. At 6th Ave. W and W Garfield you ought to have the No. 2 bus at the front door. That will take you downtown, where you can transfer to virtually any bus going anywhere else.

Seattle's bus system is very downtown-centric, i.e. you often have to travel into the core in order to travel out somewhere else. That will add a lot of time to trips to other neighborhoods, and getting to places of interest outside Seattle (e.g. the mountains, islands, waterfalls, some parks and scenic areas) will be complicated or impossible. Depends on what you want.

And because of the hills and lakes, there aren't many cross-town lines that are super convenient; Queen Anne is probably one of the areas where that matters most - predominantly you'll have north/south routes, with a few exceptions.

But it's very reliable - the only real disruptions on Queen Anne are when it snows - the hills are too steep - but presumably that won't apply in your case.

Gardyloo

Meant to add, the "W" and NW" etc. prefixes/suffixes on street names is ultra important - the city is blocked off into sectors. There can be several intersections with the same street/avenue names, miles apart if one is NW and the other is SE. (Like New York, avenues are north/south, streets are east/west. The geographic designation - NE, SW etc - comes before street names/numbers and after avenues, e.g. W. Garfield Street and Sixth Avenue W.)

GiuliaPiraino

Gardyloo thank you so much! So that makes sense about having to travel into downtown to get to other routes, I suspect that's what they meant. We'll mostly be going to Capitol Hill to see family, to Seattle Center for the children's museum and downtown to the aquarium. So it sounds like Seattle Center and downtown should be easy but what about getting over to Capitol Hill? Will that be a pain?

happytrailstoyou

The #8 bus travels between lower Queen Anne and Capitol Hill. Here is the map: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/cftempla...oute=8&I1=Find

HTTY

GiuliaPiraino

Would the area we are in be considered upper Queen Anne or somewhere in the middle? Can we walk to this #7 bus or do we have to take a bus to get to that bus?

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=w+6th...98119&t=m&z=16

happytrailstoyou

West Galer and 6th Avenue West is on the top of QA Hill--over half a mile from where Lower QA starts and about a .8 mile walk to the #8 bus. You could take a bus on QA Ave N to West Mercer and transfer to #8.

HTTY

GiuliaPiraino

Thank you HTTY!~

Gardyloo

The No. 2 bus runs on 6th Ave. W. (heading south toward town) and connects to the No. 8 bus at the bottom of Queen Anne Hill next to Seattle Center. When you get on, you ask the driver to tell you where to transfer to the No. 8, get a paper transfer slip, and you're good to go.

travelingnomad13

when are you here? You got some really good information. htty gave you all the best Queen Anne restaurants in the first post.

ArtistGu3

Queen Anne is a fantastic neighborhood and you are staying in a great locale. My hubs and I just moved here a few months ago and live in Queen Anne and are really enjoying exploring this great livable part of Seattle.

The bus system is very good (I have a car and rarely drive - we fill the tank once every 4 months!). If you are taking the bus regularly while here, it's worth getting an ORCA pass - which is the bus pass. You pay $5 and can add money to it online or at one of the ORCA stations (larger bus stations/light rail) - it works on buses, light rail, trolleys, and ferries too. If you are coming from the airport - take the light rail and a bus to Queen Anne. A taxi will run you $50-60 for that distance.

You will hear references to Upper and Lower Queen Anne. What lies between is a pretty residential neighborhood and one of the steeper hills in town. There are steps that run up and down the hill through the neighborhoods, so if you get tired of busing/walking up and down Queen Anne Ave - go east or west into the neighborhoods a bit and explore. If there isn't a north/south road shown on the map, no worries there are stairs so pedestrians have easy mobility up and down the hill

So Upper QA restaurants...
Top Pot Doughnuts in Upper Queen Anne is conveniently close to Kerry Park on 3rd/Highland. Walk from your place, get a doughnut and coffee, and then enjoy both with the best view of the city in Kerry Park.
8th Avenue West Boulevard - one of the prettiest walks in the city. After you have enjoyed your doughnut and Kerry Park view, continue along Highland heading West and walk along 8th Ave boulevard, designed by Olmstead. Beautiful street and views. You can take Blaine back to the main drag.

Portage - excellent - be sure to reserve if going on a Friday or Saturday

Betty - haven't been here (yet) and it gets excellent reviews

5 Spot - YOU MUST GO HERE FOR BREAKFAST - it is outstanding. They rotate the theme every quarter - right now they have a Creole theme - and the menu has traditional favorites too. Fun place that fills up around 10/11 am - so go early or have a doughnut while you wait in line!

In Lower Queen Anne
We love happy hour in Lower Queen Anne! Here are some local faves (also great for "regular" meals too!)

Toulouse Petit - YOU MUST EAT HERE AT LEAST ONCE. Without question some of the best food in the city and good value - esp for lunch/happy hour! Oh and they do a breakfast happy hour too!

Pesos - right next door to Toulouse - same owners. DIfferent menu and very good. Also happy hours

Crow - this is a bit further away from where you are staying at 5th and Valley North (in Lower Queen Anne) and is well worth it -- especially for their happy hour! We go here about every other week the food is that good

Pho Viet Anh - Lower Queen Anne - Roy and 4th. It is cool and rainy a LOT in Seattle which makes a piping hot bowl of Pho a staple. This neighborhood gem offers terrific Pho - recommend the chicken especially. Great value and service.

Sky City Restaurant at the Space Needle for BRUNCH - Lower Queen Anne/Seattle Center. I know, I know. It seems touristy but you get a multi-million dollar view plus access to the observatory deck and excellent brunch (3 courses prix fixe) for $45 a head. When you consider it costs $19 just to ride up to the observatory deck, this becomes a great value. Recommend going right when they open so you can get a window-side table. Be sure to book ahead. It spins - oh it's so cool.

And Yelp! is very good in Seattle for restaurant recommendations. I rely on it and it has yet to lead me astray!

And in the realm of you didn't ask and I want to be sure you know about these other neighborhood/city features, consider adding the following to your list of fun.

SIFF Uptown. If you are here between May 15-June 9 you will be here during the largest film festival in the country (take that Sundance!) with over 700 films screened city wide. If you are here at other times, you will get access to really excellent interesting films - some mainstream, many independents. You can almost pick anything and go. Check their website for show times - recommend pairing with lunch, happy hour or dinner at Toulouse Petit or Pesos -- or dinner at Roti, the Indian place across the street. Oh and get the popcorn. Best. Ever.

Blue Highway Games in Upper Queen Anne. They have just about every board game in print and a large library of games to play. If you want to expand beyond Monopoly and Scrabble, this is the place to go. Tables are set up so you can try out new games - staff are very friendly and will help teach.

Columbia Tower View Deck (downtown) Another way to see great views of Seattle and surrounding mountains - especially if it is a clear day - 73rd floor with a 125 mile view. It's about $9 without senior/military discount so well worth if it is clear, less so if not. Space needle looks so tiny up there.

Volunteer Park, Capitol Hill - gorgeous park designed by Olmstead - includes a Water tower at one end with a great (free) view of the city. Seattle Art Museum's Asian Art branch is here, along with great views of downtown.

Oh and one place not to miss if you love fish and chips -
Pike Street Fish Fry on Capitol Hill. Literally a hole in the wall but the BEST fish and chips in the USA and a great value ($9 plus you can get beer too). Well worth the diversion if you like fish and chips. If you love them, you must go here!

Pike Place Market favorites
If you are downtown at the art museum or doing other things, Pike Market can be a great place to grab a quick bite to eat. I recommend two places:

Peroshki Peroshki - these are basically croissants filled with whatever your heart could desire - potato and onion, spinach, egg and cheese, rhubarb, nutella, etc etc. Don't worry about the line - it moves quickly. Not perogies - peroshkis! Great value snack - grab and go food.

Lowell's Restaurant and Bar - it doesn't look like much but the food is excellent casual dining with totally fantastic views of ferries coming and going. Great value.

Okay, I think that covers it. Have a great stay. Hope this was helpful!!

ArtistGu3

Oh shoot. I knew I forgot something. If you are here and using buses, there are two apps that are must haves (assuming you have a smart phone or Ipad or some such):

- Google maps (use the public transportation setting to figure out the closest bus route/walk)
- One Bus Away - free app that tells you when the next bus is *actually* coming

Use google maps/public transport to figure out your bus stop/route then hop over to One Bus Away and click on the map to find out when the next bus(es) are coming

Okay! Have a great trip!

GiuliaPiraino

ArtistGu3, wow thank you so much! I am making notes to take with us!!! I am very excited, I think Queen Anne is going to be a great location for our family!! Thanks so much for the advice!!

SB_Travlr

Not sure when you are travelling, Giulia. We are just back from a great visit to our family in lower Queen Anne -- we had two rainy days at the start, then a week of warm, sunny, gorgeous weather...

Places we liked a lot:
Our favorite food was at Toulouse Petit: especially the happy hour brunch, and the beignets (awesome!)
We also really enjoyed brunch at the Space Needle: food was really good, a nice 3-course menu with plenty of choices. Afterwards, you can spend as much time as you like upstairs, out on the viewing platform. It was a beautiful sunny clear day, and all the mountains were out.
Breakfast at the 5-Spot (reminded us of Busboys and Poets in Arlington VA), and donuts from Top Pot.
Pho Viet Anh -- especially if you want something tasty, fast, and inexpensive.
We did try Pike St Fish Fry -- they may have been having an off night, and it did not come up to our expectations.
Peroshky at Pike Place: long line moves fast. They are HUGE -- I should have shared!

Public transportation is good, but would have taken some figuring out if we did not have our guide!

We enjoyed City Center -- big green space with the biggest rhododendron blooms I ever saw, and a musical fountain that kids love to play in. They have lots of weekend festivals there: we were there the weekend of the Japanese festival, heard some terrific drumming.
At City Center, you will also find the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit: http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/ It is breathtaking, and best seen on a sunny day.

View from the Columbia Tower was also great, on another lovely day.

As you can tell, we had a great visit. And I also ate too much... ;-)