INDUSTRIAL TURNS TRENDY IN TWO SEATTLE NEIGHBORHOODS

13 seltzer taps mounted on a grey wall. One hand pulls down a tap while the other holds a glass under.

San Juan Seltzery Jenna Lynn Photography

SODO

This hip strip of former warehouses and factories now buzzes with some of the city’s most exciting craft beverage makers and eclectic restaurants and retailers.

By Andrew Collins

Dozens of intriguing businesses line First Avenue, the main thoroughfare of this neighborhood south of downtown. A little beyond Lumen Field (800 Occidental Ave S) football and soccer stadium and T-Mobile Park (1250 First Ave S) baseball stadium, Efeste (1730 First Ave S) pours native-fermented wines in the high-ceilinged tasting room it shares with acclaimed Side Hustle Brewery. A few doors down, sample grape-based vodkas, which are sold in gorgeously crafted crystal bottles, in the sleek Glass Distillery (1712 First Ave S) taproom next to the celebrated Showbox SoDo (1700 First Ave S) music club. Across the street is the handsome flagship of Filson (1741 First Ave S), which began outfitting outdoors adventurers—and waves of early Klondike Gold Rush prospectors—in 1897. More than two-thirds of its products are made right here in Seattle.

Continue south past Starbucks’ world headquarters, which occupies a stately 1915 building and contains the airy Starbucks Reserve Roastery (2401 Utah Ave S). Beneath a polished walnut-beam ceiling and amid beautiful cast-iron ovens and copper and glass brewing vessels, you can try the company’s latest coffee drink innovations along with brioche pastries and pizzas—there’s even a mixology bar dispensing cocktails. Next door to the popular beer garden of gluten-free Ghostfish Brewing (2942 First Ave S), behold the stunning Nirvana and Prince album cover murals on the side of Silver Platters (2930 First Ave S), a legendary indie music and movie store. At the neighborhood’s southern end, SoDo Urbanworks (3931 First Ave S) houses a cluster of winery tasting rooms, many with outdoor terraces, including Rôtie Cellars and Latta Wines. You can munch on marinated olives, hot calzones, and thin-crust pizzas at Nine Pies, or Ethan Stowell’s San Juan Seltzery, which pairs light noshables (spicy wings, fish and chips) and spiked seltzers infused with Pacific Northwest fruit, like huckleberries and Rainier cherries.
—Andrew Collins

13 plates of different colored cakes sit on a wood table surrounded by flowers and drinks. Five hands reach for bites of the cake from different sides of the table.

Deep Sea Sarah Flotard

GEORGETOWN

A quirky, art-filled neighborhood beckons with delicious eats and enchanting green spaces.

By Aleenah Ansari

Georgetown is full of offbeat hangouts—there’s even a giant cowboy hat and boots sculpture to prove the neighborhood’s creative cred. What was once a warren of factories, warehouses, and railroad tracks has morphed into a thriving urban village with inspired entrepreneurial enterprises specializing in interesting food and retail. Sip a pint at Georgetown Brewery (5200 Denver Ave S) or Machine House Brewery (5840 Airport Way S). You can also savor a Georgetown Mule prepared with pepper vodka from Oola (6005 S 12th Ave), the city’s oldest distillery, and then snack on deviled eggs with cured fish roe next door at Electric Cello (6003 S 12th Ave). Just be sure to save room for a slice of the famed London Fog cake—with Earl Grey syrup, bergamot mascarpone cream, and a touch of honey—from Deep Sea Sugar & Salt (6601 Carelton Ave S).

More terrific tastes await you at Fonda La Catrina (5905 Airport Way S)—the queso fundido and other flavorful dishes come from family recipes. Or indulge in handmade pastas and well-chosen Italian wines at Mezzanotte (1210 S Bailey St), a sister restaurant to the Mediterranean-style neighborhood favorite, Ciudad (6118 12th Ave S). If you’re looking for bibimbap and bento, check out BOPBOX (5633 Airport Way S), which also serves matcha shortbread and raspberry jam-almond bars from Lá Liath Bakery. Discover pop-up shops, unique art galleries, and more at the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall (5805 Airport Way S), where Lowrider Cookie Company dispenses chewy treats in novel flavors, like s’mores and salted-toffee pecan. The second Saturday of each month, the mall hosts Georgetown Art Attack, which is an awesome time to chat with the neighborhood’s many artists and makers. Score comics and graphic novels, maybe even some rare editions, at the Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery (1201 S Vale St), which shares a space with popular Georgetown Records. And be sure to visit Oxbow Park to snap a photo of the giant cowboy hat and boots (Hat ‘n’ Boots) sculpture, designed in 1954 by Lewis Nasmyth for a Western-themed gas station.