If it seems like the best bites around town are gourmet twists on fast food classics, well, you’re onto something. Seattle Times writers Tan Vinh and David Gutman share their latest food finds from around Seattle– including what Gutman calls the best cheap breakfast sandwich in the city. Tan shares his pick for the best nachos in the entire Pacific Northwest. 

Recommendations in this episode:
Ken’s Market, Greenwood for $3.99 breakfast sandwich 
Grillbird, Phinney Ridge for a shrimp forward fast food twist
Due Cucina, Capitol Hill for fast casual pasta
Ben’s Bread, Phinney Ridge for chef-y cheese crackers
Friendship BBQ, Haller Lake for tiny, juicy lambs skewers
Delille Cellars, Woodinville for glistening, bougie nachos with carnitas

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

 

If it seems like the best bites around town are gourmet twists on fast food classics, well, you&rsquo;re onto something. Seattle Times writers Tan Vinh and David Gutman share their latest food finds from around Seattle&ndash; including what Gutman calls the best cheap breakfast sandwich in the city. Tan shares his pick for the best nachos in the entire Pacific Northwest.&nbsp;
Recommendations in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Ken&rsquo;s Market, Greenwood for $3.99 breakfast sandwich&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Grillbird, Phinney Ridge for a shrimp forward fast food twist</li>
<li aria-level="1">Due Cucina, Capitol Hill for fast casual pasta</li>
<li aria-level="1">Ben&rsquo;s Bread, Phinney Ridge for chef-y cheese crackers</li>
<li aria-level="1">Friendship BBQ, Haller Lake for tiny, juicy lambs skewers</li>
<li aria-level="1">Delille Cellars, Woodinville for glistening, bougie nachos with carnitas</li>
</ul>
Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at <a href="http://kuow.org/eats">kuow.org/eats</a> and <a href="http://seattletimes.com">seattletimes.com</a>.
&nbsp;

Seattle is a buffet of great food... if you know where to look. Seattle Times journalist Tan Vinh invites listeners to the area's hottest restaurants, road-side food stalls and everywhere in between to find the best meals in the city and to meet the people who make them sing.

New episodes every other Thursday.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to https://www.kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network

Seattle is a buffet of great food... if you know where to look. Seattle Times journalist Tan Vinh invites listeners to the area's hottest restaurants, road-side food stalls and everywhere in between to find the best meals in the city and to meet the people who make them sing.
New episodes every other Thursday.
<hr>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes">https://www.kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes</a> 
Seattle Eats is a production of <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/">The Seattle Times</a> and <a href="https://www.kuow.org/">KUOW</a>, part of the NPR Network

Seattle Eats with Tan Vinh

Seattle Times writers share their latest food finds from around Seattle– including maybe the cheapest breakfast sandwich in the city and the best nachos in the entire Pacific Northwest. 

My sixth sense for cheap eats

For decades Seattle fine dining has been synonymous with Canlis. But things have changed since 1950 when Canlis first hit the scene creating dishes that highlighted Pacific Northwest cuisine. Seattle Times food critics weigh in on their controversial review of a beloved special occasion spot as Canlis rings in its 75th anniversary on December 11th this year. Plus, they tell you where they’re seeing Seattle better celebrated on the plate.

Read the Canlis review in The Seattle Times:https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/review-why-our-critic-no-longer-recommends-seattles-famous-canlis/ 

Recommendations in this episode:
Tomo, White Center
Houlme, Orcas Island
La Marea, Ballard
Ramie, Capitol Hill


Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

For decades Seattle fine dining has been synonymous with Canlis. But things have changed since 1950 when Canlis first hit the scene creating dishes that highlighted Pacific Northwest cuisine. Seattle Times food critics weigh in on their controversial review of a beloved special occasion spot as Canlis rings in its 75th anniversary on December 11th this year.&nbsp;Plus, they tell you where they&rsquo;re seeing Seattle better celebrated on the plate.
Read the Canlis review in The Seattle Times: <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/review-why-our-critic-no-longer-recommends-seattles-famous-canlis/">https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/review-why-our-critic-no-longer-recommends-seattles-famous-canlis/</a>&nbsp;
Recommendations in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Tomo, White Center</li>
<li aria-level="1">Houlme, Orcas Island</li>
<li aria-level="1">La Marea, Ballard</li>
<li aria-level="1">Ramie, Capitol Hill</li>
</ul>
 Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at <a href="http://kuow.org/eats">kuow.org/eats</a> and <a href="http://seattletimes.com">seattletimes.com</a>.

Seattle Times food critics weigh in on their controversial review of Canlis, a beloved special occasion spot. Plus, they tell you where they’re seeing Seattle better celebrated on the plate.

What the heck is happening at Canlis?

The holiday season is a great time to hit happy hour with co-workers, friends or out-of-town visitors. But where should you go? Tan and friends of Seattle Eats share their favorite happy hour spots. 

Happy Hour recommendations: 
Lupe Situ Tacos (Ballard, all day Mondays) – Bethany Jean Clement
Vindictive Wings (Belltown, 99c Wing Wednesdays) — Jackie Varriano
Rumba (Capitol Hill) – Adam Weintraub
Oyster Happy Hour at The Garrison (Ballard) Half Shell (Pike Place) Taylor’s Shellfish and  Kokkaku (Wallingford) –Rachel Belle 
Tamari Bar –  (Capitol Hill) Trevor Lenzmeier 
Donna’s (Capitol Hill, every day from 4-6PM and 10PM-12am) –Brandi Fullwood 
Rockcreek (Fremont and Kirkland) –Tan Vinh 

 

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

The holiday season is a great time to hit happy hour with co-workers, friends or out-of-town visitors. But where should you go? Tan and friends of Seattle Eats share their favorite happy hour spots.&nbsp;
Happy Hour recommendations:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Lupe Situ Tacos (Ballard, all day Mondays) &ndash; Bethany Jean Clement</li>
<li aria-level="1">Vindictive Wings (Belltown, 99c Wing Wednesdays) &mdash; Jackie Varriano</li>
<li aria-level="1">Rumba (Capitol Hill) &ndash; Adam Weintraub</li>
<li aria-level="1">Oyster Happy Hour at The Garrison (Ballard) Half Shell (Pike Place) Taylor&rsquo;s Shellfish and&nbsp; Kokkaku (Wallingford) &ndash;Rachel Belle&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Tamari Bar &ndash;&nbsp; (Capitol Hill) Trevor Lenzmeier&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Donna&rsquo;s (Capitol Hill, every day from 4-6PM and 10PM-12am) &ndash;Brandi Fullwood&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Rockcreek (Fremont and Kirkland) &ndash;Tan Vinh&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at <a href="http://kuow.org/eats">kuow.org/eats</a> and <a href="http://seattletimes.com">seattletimes.com</a>.

The holiday season is a great time to hit happy hour with co-workers, friends or out-of-town visitors. But where should you go? Tan and friends of Seattle Eats share their favorite happy hour spots. 

Our favorite happy hours have $10 pasta, 99¢ wings, and tons of oysters!

This is an excerpt from Tan’s conversation with J Kenji Lopez-Alt and Rachel Belle about their Thanksgiving meal preparation tips. But mostly it’s about green bean casserole.This was recorded at a Seattle Eats live event at Town Hall Seattle on Nov 10, 2025.

References from this episode:
The recipe for Tan’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish, green bean casserole.
In Memory of Dorkus Reilly inventor of the green bean casserole


Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

This is an excerpt from Tan&rsquo;s conversation with J Kenji Lopez-Alt and Rachel Belle about their Thanksgiving meal preparation tips. But mostly it&rsquo;s about green bean casserole.This was recorded at a Seattle Eats live event at Town Hall Seattle on Nov 10, 2025.
References from this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">The recipe for Tan&rsquo;s favorite Thanksgiving side dish, <a href="https://www.campbells.com/recipes/green-bean-casserole/">green bean casserole</a>.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.thecampbellscompany.com/newsroom/nutrition/memory-american-inventor-dorcas-reilly/">In Memory of Dorkus Reilly inventor of the green bean casserole</a></li>
</ul>
 Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Please consider joining and subscribing at&nbsp;<a href="http://kuow.org/eats">kuow.org/eats</a> and <a href="http://seattletimes.com">seattletimes.com</a>.

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Rachel Belle share their Thanksgiving dinner tips with Tan Vinh at the Seattle Eats live event from Town Hall Seattle. 

My sixth sense for cheap eats

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