Of course, the ultimate Seattle view dining experience is dining at Sky City on the top of the Space Needle. Minimum purchase of $25 is required at the restaurant, but this includes your elevator ride and admission to the observation deck ($14) so there is a bit of a savings to have a meal up there. Lunch entrees run $23-$28, dinner entrees $32-$52.
There are many, many places to eat with a view. Most views will be some combination of water, hills, mountains, skyline and people. The place to get all five of those views, is along Alki Beach, specifically along Harbor Ave SW. Salty's on Alki Beach is the most expensive of the restaurants along Alki Beach, but is well worth it for their excellent seafood and weekend brunches. Alki Beach (along Alki Ave SW) doesn't provide the skyline view but provides a great view of Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains and the people-watching of a typical beach town. Most of the restaurants along Alki Ave SW are decent. Standouts include the Alki Bakery, Pegasus Pizza, Sunfish Seafood, and Dukes Alki.
There are many restaurants that offer views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Those that are the easiest for the downtown visitor to get to will be located along the waterfront or in the Pike Place Market area. On the waterfront, the standouts are Ivar's Acres of Clams (on Pier 54) and the Anthony's Restaurants on Pier 66 (Anthony's Pier 66, Bell Street Diner & Anthony's Fish Bar). In addition, Pier 57 has the Crab Pot, Fisherman's, and the Salmon Cooker. The Crab Pot is known for it seafood feasts that are served family style on butcher paper tableclothes. Mallets are provided.
Pike Place Market has a number of restaurants that offer classic views of Elliott Bay, Harbor Island, West Seattle and Puget Sound. For casual family dining, right next to each other in the main market are
Lowell's, and the
Athenian (made famous by the movie
Sleepless in Seattle). The
Sound View Cafe is inside the market and down one floor. Offerings are a little healthier here and better for breakfast than lunch. For that romantic dinner, try
Place Pigalle or
Maximilien in the Market
(Maximilien's also serves a wonderful brunch). For mid-range American cuisine,
Cutter's Bayhouse is located at the end of the Market, next to Victor Steinbruck park (you can find the park by looking for the totem pole). When the weather's nice, several restaurants in the Market (including the
Pink Door and the
Copacabana Cafe) will provide outdoor seating with a view.
If you prefer your water views without mountains, there are also several restaurants located around Lake Union, just north of downtown. The best known of these is
Ivar's Salmon House and Fish Bar. Located on the north shore of Lake Union (in the shadow of Interstate 5), they are best known for their grilled salmon. Dockside seating allows customers to get fish and chips or chowder from the Fish Bar and watch the kayakers go by and the float planes take off from Lake Union. On the east side of Lake Union, the outdoor deck at
Sam's Steakhouse is one of the best. In addition, there are at least a dozen restaurants located along Fairview Avenue, all with good views of the Lake. Primarily, that specialize in seafood (Benjamin's, Chandler's Crabhouse, Daniel's Broiler, BluWater Bistro and I Love Sushi) and there is even a Hooter's (talk about a view!). On the west side of Lake Union (along Westlake Avenue) are scattered half a dozen restaurants also offering views.
McCormick & Schmick's Harborside offers the best (and most expensive) seafood on Lake Union. The most unique offering on Lake Union is
Agua Verde, on the north shore of Lake Union next to the University of Washington campus. Not only does it offer authentic Mexican food with a view, but when you're finished, you can rent a kayak and paddle those calories off!
If you're in Ballard or visiting the Hiram Chittendam Locks (aka, Ballard Locks), drive along the water a little farther in order to dine at two Seattle institutions. Ray's Boathouse offers excellent seafood with views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. The quintessential Seattle dining experience is to sit on the cafe deck and as the boats go by, watch the sun set behind the Olympic Mountains. Waitstaff even bring blankets in case you get chilly! Right next door, Anthony's Homeport has excellent seafood and also offers outdoor dining.
For a view of a working fisherman's terminal, try Chinook's. Part of the Anthony's chain, it offers quality, affordable seafood in a casual environment. Little Chinook's offers take-out so you can sit outside, feed the seagulls and watch commercial fisherman on their fishing boats.
This just scratches the surface of view dining experiences in Seattle. However, if you want to have the real view experience, make it yourself. Put together a picnic of seafood, salad, fresh sourdough bread, Washington wine and dessert at the Pike Place Market and make yourself a memorable meal at one of the many city parks that sit on Puget Sound or Lake Washington. Many parks have grills so if you have the time and energy, you can grill your own salmon! If this doesn't appeal, you can still get already cooked Dungeness Crab (crack and serve) and enjoy the sunset over Puget Sound without the paying for white linens and fancy silverware. Bon appetit.
Off-Site Links:
http://www.spaceneedle.com/restaurant/
http://www.spaceneedle.com
http://www.saltys.com/index.asp
http://www.alkibakery.com/index.html
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile...
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile...
http://dukeschowderhouse.com/DeckDini...
http://www.ivars.net/Acres_Home/acres...
http://www.anthonys.com/restaurants/i...
http://www.pier57seattle.com/restaura...
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile...
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile...
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile...
http://www.savvydiner.com/details.php...
http://www.maximilienrestaurant.com/
http://www.cuttersbayhouse.com/
http://www.thepinkdoor.net/
http://dinesite.com/info/rstrnt-24527...
http://www.ivars.net/Salmon_House_Hom...
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile...
http://mandsharborside.com/
http://www.aguaverde.com/
http://www.rays.com/
http://www.anthonys.com/restaurants/i...
http://www.anthonys.com/restaurants/i...
http://www.ivars.net/
