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>.

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 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 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>&nbsp;
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
&nbsp;

Seattle Eats with Tan Vinh

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!

From fancy street food to, yes, even more pizza – Seattle Times food critic Tan Vinh highlights the most anticipated restaurants of 2026 with two-time Emmy-winning journalist, filmmaker Thanh Tân. Plus, he gives tips on how to navigate the never-ending list of new restaurants from the best ones.

Read more about the top picks so far for 2026 in The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/20-seattle-area-restaurants-and-bars-were-most-excited-about-in-2026/ 

Check out Second Wave with Thanh Tân’s episode on Pho: https://www.kuow.org/stories/pho-second-wave 

Recommendations in this episode:
Roma Roma, Capitol Hill
Tacos Cometa, Capitol Hill
Ilmu, Bothell
Baiana, Pike Place

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible:

Become a member today at kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotesSubscribe today at seattletimes.com

From fancy street food to, yes, even more pizza &ndash; Seattle Times food critic Tan Vinh highlights the most anticipated restaurants of 2026 with two-time Emmy-winning journalist, filmmaker Thanh T&acirc;n. Plus, he gives tips on how to navigate the never-ending list of new restaurants from the best ones.
Read more about the top picks so far for 2026 in The Seattle Times: <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/20-seattle-area-restaurants-and-bars-were-most-excited-about-in-2026/">https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/20-seattle-area-restaurants-and-bars-were-most-excited-about-in-2026/</a>&nbsp;
Check out Second Wave with Thanh T&acirc;n&rsquo;s episode on Pho: <a href="https://www.kuow.org/stories/pho-second-wave">https://www.kuow.org/stories/pho-second-wave</a>&nbsp;
Recommendations in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Roma Roma, Capitol Hill</li>
<li aria-level="1">Tacos Cometa, Capitol Hill</li>
<li aria-level="1">Ilmu, Bothell</li>
<li aria-level="1">Baiana, Pike Place</li>
</ul>
Seattle Eats is a production of<a href="http://seattletimes.com/"> The Seattle Times</a> and<a href="http://kuow.org/"> KUOW</a>. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible:
Become a member today at<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes"> kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes</a>Subscribe today at<a href="http://seattletimes.com"> seattletimes.com</a>

Seattle Times food critic Tan Vinh highlights the most anticipated restaurants of 2026 Plus, he gives tips on how to navigate the neverending list of new restaurants from the best ones.

Seattle (and Bothell’s) most anticipated restaurants of 2026

Introduction

Home meals on a budget

Favorite bagel spot

Favorite sandwich

Best pizza

Favorite date night place

Favorite pasta shape

Hot pot etiquette

Favorite place to hang

Favorite places south of Seattle

Vegetarian food

What's up in 2026

Pizza, bagels, best date night spots and the unwritten rules of hot pot etiquette. Culinary luminaries J Kenji López-Alt and Rachel Belle covered a wide range of topics with Tan at Seattle Eats live event at Town Hall Seattle on November 10, 2025. 

Recommendations in this episode:

Favorite bagel spot
Hey Bagel - University Village
Backyard bagel - Fremont
Mt. Bagel - Madison Valley

Favorite sandwich
Post Alley Pizza - Pike Place Market - try the hoagie with side of hoagie jazz 
Fortuna - Greenwood - mortadella sandwich
Tivoli - Fremont - mortadella sandwich

Favorite pizza:
Lupo - Fremont
The Independent - Madison Park
my friend derek’s - Tangletown
AK Pizza - Othello 
Ben’s Bread - Phinney Ridge
Windy City Pie - Phinney Ridge 
Sunny Hill - Ballard 

Best date night spot:
The Tin Hat (Taco Tuesday) - Phinney Ridge
Hattie’s Hat - Ballard
Sushi Kappo Tamura - Eastlake
Serafina - Eastlake
Canlis - Queen Anne

Favorite third place
Open Form - Capitol Hill
Olympia Pizza III - Capitol Hill
Metropolitan Grill - Downtown Seattle  
Empire Roosters and Records - Columbia City
Standard Brewing - Central District

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:
Become a member today at kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes
Subscribe today at seattletimes.com

Pizza, bagels, best date night spots and the unwritten rules of hot pot etiquette. Culinary luminaries J Kenji L&oacute;pez-Alt and Rachel Belle covered a wide range of topics with Tan at Seattle Eats live event at Town Hall Seattle on November 10, 2025.&nbsp;
Recommendations in this episode:
Favorite bagel spot
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.heybagel.net/">Hey Bagel</a> - University Village</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://backyardbagel.com/">Backyard bagel</a> - Fremont</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mtbagel.com/">Mt. Bagel</a> - Madison Valley</li>
</ul>
Favorite sandwich
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.postalley.pizza/">Post Alley Pizza</a> - Pike Place Market - try the hoagie with side of hoagie jazz&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.fortunasandwichshop.com/">Fortuna</a> - Greenwood - mortadella sandwich</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.tivoliseattle.com/">Tivoli</a> - Fremont - mortadella sandwich</li>
</ul>
Favorite pizza:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.lupofremont.com/">Lupo</a> - Fremont</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://theindiepizzeria.com/">The Independent</a> - Madison Park</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://myfrienddereks.com/">my friend derek&rsquo;s</a> - Tangletown</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ak-pizza.com/">AK Pizza</a> - Othello&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://bensbread.com/">Ben&rsquo;s Bread</a> - Phinney Ridge</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.windycitypie.com/">Windy City Pie</a> - Phinney Ridge&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.sunnyhillseattle.com/">Sunny Hill</a> - Ballard&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Best date night spot:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">The Tin Hat (Taco Tuesday) - Phinney Ridge</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://hatties-hat.com/">Hattie&rsquo;s Hat</a>&nbsp;- Ballard</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.sushikappotamura.com/">Sushi Kappo Tamura</a> - Eastlake</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://serafinaseattle.com/">Serafina</a> - Eastlake</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://canlis.com/">Canlis</a> - Queen Anne</li>
</ul>
Favorite third place
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://openform.space/pages/about">Open Form</a> - Capitol Hill</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.olympiapizza3.com/">Olympia Pizza III</a> - Capitol Hill</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.themetropolitangrill.com/">Metropolitan Grill</a> - Downtown Seattle&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.empireroastersandrecords.com/">Empire Roosters and Records</a> - Columbia City</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.standardbrew.com/">Standard Brewing</a> - Central District</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:
<ul>
<li>Become a member today at<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes"> kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes</a></li>
<li>Subscribe today at<a href="http://seattletimes.com"> seattletimes.com</a></li>
</ul>

At a special live event at Town Hall Seattle, culinary luminaries J Kenji López-Alt and Rachel Belle talk about their favorite local places to grab a slice of pizza or bagel, have a date night or just hang out. And most important of all they discussed hot pot etiquette.

Live from Town Hall: A conversation with Kenji Lopez-Alt and Rachel Belle

Our town was made for soup. The sooty dusks of December. The dampness of March. We dive into caldrons of smoking pho and ramen.

So, why not udon?

On today’s episode, Tan ventures out to find some of the best udon in Seattle. He visits Azuki in Madison Valley to learn about how Chef Ryuji Miyata makes his noodles by hand. Later, Tan recommends some more casual and budget-friendly udon places.

Read more about Tan’s udon picks.

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible:
Become a member today at kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes
Subscribe today at seattletimes.com

Recommendations in this episode:
Azuki, Madison Valley
Marugame Udon, Tukwila
U:Don, University District and Capitol Hill
Onibaba, Chinatown International District

Our town was made for soup. The sooty dusks of December. The dampness of March. We dive into caldrons of smoking pho and ramen.
So, why not udon?
On today&rsquo;s episode, Tan ventures out to find some of the best udon in Seattle. He visits Azuki in Madison Valley to learn about how Chef Ryuji Miyata makes his noodles by hand. Later, Tan recommends some more casual and budget-friendly udon places.
Read more about <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/marugame-udon-and-3-other-seattle-soup-spots-reviewed-by-our-writer/">Tan&rsquo;s udon picks</a>.
Seattle Eats is a production of<a href="http://seattletimes.com/"> The Seattle Times</a> and<a href="http://kuow.org/"> KUOW</a>. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Become a member today at<a href="http://kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes"> kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Subscribe today at<a href="http://seattletimes.com"> seattletimes.com</a></li>
</ul>
Recommendations in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="http://azukimadison.com">Azuki</a>, Madison Valley</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.marugameudon.com/?olonwp=JjBtp_vMLk25gkYh_bnoiQ">Marugame Udon</a>, Tukwila</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="http://freshudon.com">U:Don</a>, University District and Capitol Hill</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="http://onibabaseattle.com">Onibaba</a>, Chinatown International District</li>
</ul>

Tan visits udon noodle house Azuki in Madison Valley to learn about how Chef Ryuji Miyata makes his noodles by hand. Later, Tan recommends some more casual and budget-friendly udon places.

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

In 1 playlist(s)

Seattle Eats with Tan Vinh

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips