New Food Tour Makes The Case For Seattle Center As A Culinary Hot Spot

Forbes

10-05-2025

Here's a welcome shot in the arm for the neighborhood that's home to the world famous Space Needle. Let's take a sweet sneak peek at the latest offering from Eat Seattle Food Tours.
The Space Needle, Seattle's most iconic landmark, was built for the 1962 World's Fair. A walking ... More food tour of the Seattle Center makes a convincing case that the neighborhood's a culinary destination worth exploring.
There's no doubt that the expansive area that hosted the 1962 World's Fair is a thriving arts district. A calendar full festivals, celebrations of cultures from across the globe, cutting edge plays at Seattle Rep, the wildly entertaining Museum of Pop Culture opened by the late Paul Allen in 2000 and exquisite ballet makes the case nearly every day of the year. (BTW, the lineup of for Bumbershoot 2025 has just been announced and it's exceptional. Can't wait to see Car Seat Headrest, Janelle Monáe, Say She She and so many more during this celebration of music, art and chef-driven food over Labor Day weekend.)
But when it comes to a serving as a dining destination, that's a bit of a tough sell. Well, Eat Seattle Tours recently introduced a new offering that makes a convincing case there's some tasty spots to explore.
Dog in the Park under the Space Needle serves the original cream cheese-smeared Seattle Dog. It's ... More featured on a new culinary walking tour from Eat Seattle Food Tours.
First up, these walking tours are led by folks who have backgrounds working in the professional kitchen leading to some juicy insider dish. Bet you didn't know the famous cream cheese adorned Seattle Dog dates back to a street vendor hawking bagels in the city's historic Pioneer Square way back in the late 1980s.
That's where this ramble begins, under the soaring Space Needle, in front of a steamy Seattle Dog from Dog in the Park. While savoring those satisfying bites, the tour guide will walk you through some fascinating history of this vast campus, built on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people. Lots of good info, and what kind of buns do they use for those dogs?
Eat Seattle Tours founder Liz Philpot was looking to explore neighborhoods beyond the highly popular wanderings around Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. For the thousands of cruise shippers flooding Seattle during the summer season, this is a welcome detour. Wondering how to get to this tour? Take the Monorail, of course. That World's Fair relic offers a quick ride from downtown to the Center, landing dramatically with a slide through the magnificent Frank Gehry-designed home of MoPOP.
Premier Meat Pies uses local ingredients in its British-style creations. It's featured on the new ... More Eat Seattle Food Tour of the Seattle Center and environs.
Premier Meat Pies in the Seattle Center Armory – once home to the region's National Guard – serves up an extensive lineup that features traditional Scottish pies stuffed with beef and oats to the jaw-dropping mac-and-cheese pie that's begging to be featured on your Instagram feed.
Now with four locations, the original debuted in the Center's food court in 2015, and yes, the devotion to that European pastime/obsession known as football is palpable.
While noshing on this satisfying savory pie, your tour guide will pepper the group with some little known facts about this space. There's a secret pool downstairs, originally built for those serving in the National Guard. And, guess what? Today, it's also home to the Center School, a small arts and college prep program that's part of the Seattle School District.
While strolling past the International Fountain and Climate Pledge Arena – home of the Seattle Storm and the Kraken – your tour guide might spill some tea about the high profile partner involved in the branding of that popular venue. Yup, it's none other than Amazon.
Sure wish this ramble included a stop at Caffe Vita's outpost at the fantastic KEXP Gathering Space, but apparently, that space isn't exactly accommodating to tour groups. Circle back for an expertly crafted espresso drink, OK?
Eat Seattle Food Tours founder Liz Philpot wanted to introduce visitors to the culinary highlights ... More of the Seattle Center neighborhood, including Taylor Shellfish's Oyster Bar.
Just outside the Seattle Center, Taylor Shellfish Farms has been schooling oyster slurping beginners and thrilling seasoned bivalve enthusiasts for more than a decade in this location.
The well-versed staff walks newbies through the basics of growing oysters and, most importantly, eating them like a pro. Before you say ewww, no way, give it a shot. But if you cannot go there, alternative bites are offered.
Consider yourself fortunate if they're shucking the famous Sumo Kumos – an extra large-ish version of Kumamoto oysters – or the delicately flavored Sunseeker oysters from the frigid waters off Vancouver Island. So good.
Little known kernel: Visionary food pioneer Jon Rowley was one of the first to sing the praises of this Pacific Northwest oyster producer.
The Uptown Hophouse near Seattle Center features a Philly-style pretzel. It's a stop on the Eat ... More Seattle Food Tours ramble through the neighborhood that launched in the spring of 2025.
After picking up some treats at Sugar Bakery & Coffeehouse, the tour concludes on a high note, at the Uptown Hophouse. This sport bar pours an impressive lineup of local craft brews and a beer-friendly menu that includes what is possibly the best Philly-inspired pretzel west of the Mississippi. It's served with spicy queso and if you're still hungry after this action-packed food tour, consider taking a side trip to the top of Queen Anne Hill for something sweet at Moonrise Bakery or go savory at Just Poke and grab some delicious Seattle souvenirs at La Pasta.
Listen to Eat Seattle's Liz Philpot discuss with Tom Douglas and co-host Bridget Charters her inspiration for this new tour on a recent episode of Hot Stove Radio show.