As Seen On Food TV

Whether you’re a fan of Top Chef, Anthony Bourdain, or even Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, you can sample the best of Seattle’s many moments in the food spotlight.

Top Chef

Chef Shota Nakajima Photo: Noah Forbes

Seattle hosted Top Chef in 2012—notable stops included Pike Place Market and the Space Needle—and is home to several former competitors. In fall 2017, Zoi Antonitsas of season four fame launched a restaurant called Little Fish (1501 Western Ave, Ste F; littlefishseattle.com) in the new MarketFront expansion at Pike Place Market. As the name implies, it celebrates cured, smoked, and otherwise preserved seafood. Jason Stratton, who appeared on the show’s 13th season, serves a truly global menu (from Pacific octopus to roasted cauliflower hummus) in South Lake Union at Mbar (400 Fairview Ave N; mbarseattle.com). And if you want to tuck into the 67-year-old salad recipe from Canlis (*2576 Aurora Ave N; canlis.com) that was one contestant’s demise on Top Chef, you’re in luck—the impeccable salad is still on the menu.

Other Competitions

Find chef Shota Nakajima, the very appealing underdog from Iron Chef Gauntlet, at Adana (1449 E Pine St; adanaseattle.com) on Capitol Hill. The restaurant serves a casual three-course menu of Japanese-inspired comfort food like pork cheeks, tempura okra, and smoked-cedar gelato. Anyone who caught the Beat Bobby Flay episode with Seattle chef Vuong Loc shouldn’t miss his chicken pho soup dumplings and unexpectedly tasty pizza combos (foie gras, quail egg, and hoisin) at ChinaPie (125 N 36th St; chinapieseattle.com) in Fremont. And the sisters behind local food truck Anchor End Pretzel Shoppe (anchorendseattle.com) won big on an all-twin episode of Guy’s Grocery Games—no surprise to anyone who has tried their savory-sweet pretzel sandwiches.

TV-Worthy Dishes

Guy Fieri’s Seattle tours for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives included a stop at Slim’s Last Chance (5606 First Ave S; slimslastchance.com) for a taste of the Georgetown roadhouse’s fiery chili verde made with smoked pork. Culinary bad boy Anthony Bourdain has made a few trips to Seattle as well; whether he’s filming Parts Unknown or in town for an event, he can’t pass up a stop at Salumi (309 Third Ave S; salumicuredmeats.com) to savor the salami-stuffed sandwiches and cured meats from this much-loved Italian deli in Pioneer Square. And anyone seeking a fuel-up near Pike Place Market should hit up Tom Douglas’s Seatown Seabar (2010 Western Ave; seatownrestaurant.com) for its breakfast sandwich stuffed with avocado, Dungeness crab, and a fried egg (Bourdain deemed it “Seattle in an English muffin” on The Layover) or its lunchtime BLT with Dungeness crab, pickled green tomatoes, and bacon.

*Visit Seattle Partner