September 30, 2019

Seattle, WA Vegan Travel Guide

I’ve visited Seattle a handful of times traveling from Denver to Hawaii and vice versa throughout college because it was cheap and resulted in 30 hour layovers, but my brother lived in Seattle and it made for a great visit with him. I never had a decent amount of time to do much, but this last trip I managed to finally get some quality time in Seattle. I hope you enjoy my Seattle Vegan Travel Guide!

Cafes

Bang Bang Cafe

On our last morning in Seattle we quickly grabbed a bite to eat at a small and cute cafe. It was not a completely vegan place, but they had terrific vegan options. I got to try the Vegan Burrito (roasted veggies, tofu chorizo, pinto beans, home fries, green and red hatch chile sauce) and Shawn’s Vegan Mac (secret family recipe served with a side salad). Safe to say everything was amazing. It wasn’t anything fancy, but I enjoyed the nice comfort food before heading to the airport.

Brunch

Cafe Flora

Covered in vines, bushes, and plants, Cafe Flora set the mood starting from the outside of the building, as the inside was openly spaced with a zen sort of vibe and vast amounts of natural light. All the vegan food options looked delicious and I ended up going with the Huevos Platanos (blue corn tortilla, black beans, avocado-pepita piston, fried plantain, pickled red onion, micro cilantro, seasoned tofu), Rhubarb Pepita Waffle (cornmeal waffle, roasted rhubarb, sweet tahini peptic butter, pecan granola), and Walnut Currant Scones (served with whipped vegan butter and housemate strawberry jam). My brother ordered the Biscuits & Gravy, which I got to sample, and it was amazing. I was blown away by their vegan country gravy. The food was delicious and healthy, as you could tell everything was made with fresh ingredients. I felt light, happy, and perfectly content after this amazing brunch!

No Bones Beach Club

Located in Ballard, this chain was a fun place to stop in for some brunch after visiting the Farmer’s Market. The interior was decorated in theme of a beach club. It was difficult to narrow down what to order with the menu being fully vegan, but I ended up getting the Sesame Ginger Wings (battered cauliflower, sesame ginger sauce, creamy sriracha dipping sauce), Crab Cake Benedict (grilled tofu, spinach, tomato, hollandaise sauce, avocado), and Breakfast Chili Relleno (roasted poblano pepper, filled with white beans, on a bed of refried white beans, spinach, red cabbage, scrambled tofu, jackfruit carnitas, cashew crema, tomatillo avocado sauce). I read their Buffalo style wings were amazing, but I was tempted to try the Ginger Miso style and I didn’t regret my decision one bit. All the food was amazing, but it did sit heavy and I had a decent amount of fried food, so it was more of a splurging type of meal.

Lunch

Heartbeat Organics

Located in Queen Anne, I was able to quickly find this great place to get a nice healthy bite to eat. It is a Raw Vegan restaurant and had such an amazing menu that I had a hard time narrowing down what to get. I ended up getting the Joyful Bowl (kale, teriyaki sea kelp noodles, cabbage, ginger miso dressing, avocado, bell pepper, scallions, black sesame seeds), Awaken (red rice, quinoa, cucumber, zucchini, carrot, avocado, mushroom, kale, nori, scallions, black sesame seeds, red bell pepper, sesame-ginger sauce), Key Lime Eclipse (key lime pie), and the Truffles (espresso, gogi berry, almond, and snobby mint). My favorite dishes were hands down the Joyful Bowl because the kelp noodles were delicious and the Snobby Mint truffle because it was rich. Their truffles were recommended as their #1 signature best selling dessert.

Dinner

Plum Bistro

Located in Capital Hill, is this amazing vegan restaurant serving up some gourmet fine foods. I love when it’s a nice warm day because they open up the front and it makes for a great time. In the two times that I’ve come I have been able to try their Charred Brussel Sprouts (baconish, garlic, olive oil, lemon, chili flakes), Veggie Monster Pizza (marinara, pesto, pepeprs, mushroom, onion, cheese, broccoli, basil, parsley, kale), Sweet Potato Gnocchi (broccoli rabe, wild mushroom, garlic, sage, white wine butter sauce), BBQ Glazed Plant Loaf (mashed potato, skillet bbq shrimp, mushroom, peas, carrot, white wine bbq butter sauce), Shrimp Scampi (liguine pasta, garlic, caper, vermouth, white wine, butter, black pepper & sea salt, parsley, grilled garlic bread), Ginger Pomegranate Fish (brown sugar acorn squash, boy choy, pomegranate seeds, crispy tofu noodle), and Dry Rubbed Moroccan Spiced Seitan (eggplant puree, toasted pearl couscous, fire blasted broccoli lemon butter sauce). My favorite dish was the Veggie Monster Pizza because they didn’t overload on cheese and the toppings were very generous!

Sweets

Frankie & Jo’s

To this day this is the best vegan ice cream joint I’ve ever been to because all of their flavors are dairy-free and absolutely delicious. Every month they come out with 3 fun new flavors and I have yet to try a flavor that I haven’t enjoyed. This visit I was fortunate enough to be here at the end of June to try their delicious Strawberry Milk and Banana Foster in their homemade vegan waffle cones. I then came back in the beginning of July to have their new special flavor. If you have to pick one place to get dessert I can’t stress it enough that you need to come to Frankie & Jo’s!

Mighty O Donuts

Located throughout Seattle, these delicious vegan cake donuts are dangerously addictive. I stopped by twice in one visit because I couldn’t get enough. I was able to try their Apple Fritter, Lemon Poppy, French Toast, Coffee Bomb, Raspberry Riot, Grasshopper (chocolate mint), and Cocoloco (Mexican chocolate). My favorites were their Lemon Poppy, Coffee Bomb, and Grasshopper.

Cinnaholic

On our first night, we arrived just a little after 9pm and after opening a bottle of wine to enjoy before bed we made a quick decision to order some cinnamon rolls from Cinnaholic. It was difficult to narrow down our decision, but we ended up going with Strawberry Shortcake and Banana Creme Pie. It’s safe to say it was delicious because it didn’t last long. The cinnamon rolls were soft, warm, and gooey in the middle. The toppings were portioned perfectly. I loved it all.

Drinks

There are great bars all located in Capital Hill, but we actually spent the day wine tasting in Woodinville. If you love wine and beautiful scenery, then you’ll absolutely love this area.

JM Cellars

We started here and this was my favorite of the three places we visited. Theres beautiful places to sit outside amongst the fresh air and forest of trees. They even have Corn Hole and Bochi Ball set up for you to play. The wine tasting was $20 per person and served one White, one Rose, and 3 Red wines. My favorite was their 2018 Bramble Bump White and 2016 Tre Fanciulli.

Efeste

The second place we visited was set up in a warehouse and we were even able to see the Barrel room in the back. The wine tasting was #15 per person and they had complementary cheese, meat, and crackers out for you to enjoy with your wine. The tasting consisted of a White, Rose, Syrah Red, Red Blend, and Cabernet Sauvignon. My favorite was their 2015 Evergreen (white) and 2016 Big Papa (cabernet Sauvignon).

Novelty Hill

Our final destination we ended up buying a bottle of wine to share and ended up deciding on the Januik 2017 Bacchus Vineyard Riesling for only $20. The outside area was fairly large and had seating dispersed with some Bochi Ball to play as well.

Areas to Explore

Pikes Place Market

This iconic attraction is definitely a great place to stop by if you have never been before, but be warned it is always very crowded and busy. It is fun to watch the guys in the very front entrance toss around some fish and if you walk down the alley on the right hand side you’ll find the famous gum wall as well. If you are visiting during Strawberry or Cherry season, then I highly recommend picking up some!

Ballard Farmer’s Market

I love Farmer’s Markets and I always love to see what they are like in the places that I visit. This Farmer’s Market was fairly large and I loved how they shut down the streets to allow tents to be set up. There was a great mixture of fresh produce, artisan goods, and my favorite desserts. I picked up delicious vegan cookies from Miracle Cookies. The flavors they had were Pinckney Original (chocolate chips, walnut, coconut), Dark Chocolate Oatmeal (chocolate chip, oatmeal, coconut, orange), Bling Bling (chocolate chip, Bing cherries, coconut, chocolate dough), Classic Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Espresso (brownie and coffee), Apple Pie (oatmeal, fresh apples, dried apples, walnuts, coconut). My favorites were the Double Chocolate Espresso and Apple Pie.

Lake Union

If you are lucky enough to visit Seattle on a nice, warm, and sunny day, then I highly recommend getting out to Lake Union. You can easily rent an electric boat (no boating license required) or some kayaks to explore the lake. My brother and I rented a kayak for a couple of hours and went around the lake and had fun looking at all the boathouses

Remlinger Farms

I was able to visit during Strawberry season and if you happen to be too, then I highly recommend making your way over to this farm to pick some fresh strawberries! It was so much fun and they have a little market attached for you to explore and roam around as well.

I have visited Seattle numerous times whether winter or summer and it’s a small, yet spunky city. There is definitely a good vegan presence and there were so many vegan joints that I didn’t get to check out. But my trip was only a weekend and my stomach is only so big haha. This was also the first time I truly got to enjoy just how beautiful the summer can be in Seattle and I must say it almost made me want to live there… almost haha. I hope you get to take some time to visit this great place and enjoy it as much as I did!

– Janelle