Epic Market Time, Pike Place Edition: 10 Photos From A Seattle Institution

No trip to Seattle would be complete without a long, lingering wander through Pike Place Market, watching your head for flying salmon. One of the oldest farmers markets in the United States, it was founded in 1907 with a key tenet in mind: Meeting the producer. Sound familiar? Food Republic recently stopped in at the height of Dungeness crab season, and had a chance to go behind the counter with the guys of the world famous Pike Place Fish Market tossing their wares. They released a new cookbook this month, In the Kitchen with the Pike Place Fish Guys, so that you can learn how to cook like fishmongering pros, with dishes like Anders Miller’s Dungeness crab and bacon quiche.

The scene at the market is pretty overwhelming, but the smells are even better. Stand in line on a weekend morning for something delicious from The Crumpet Shop. If you can resist, keep on walking by to Piroshky Piroshky, which pipes the tailwinds of its Russian pastries straight into the waiting crowds. Or grab a cheesecake on a stick from The Confectional for dessert. If you’re still around for lunch, stop in at the Athenian Inn for a beer and seafood. Bring home some sausage from Uli’s Famous Sausage Company, and don’t forget to pick up one of hundreds of Latin condiments from El Mercado Latino. And if you fancy like that, try an unusual dessert at Pappardelle’s: Chocolate linguine. Watch the crew at Beecher’s as they make cheese on site, and then don’t forget to go in and try some. And before you head out, stop for coffee at the original Starbucks and get a bag of doughnuts from the Daily Dozen.

Epic Market Time, Pike Place Edition: 10 Photos From A Seattle Institution

To The Seafood!

See this? This is Dungeness crab. You like this. We heard a story from a couple who decided to give up city living for a year and head to Orcas Island. They said these guys walk up the beach into their backyard. Totally jealous.

The Ocean's Bounty

When in the Pacific Northwest, you really have to eat lots and lots of King Crab and Coho salmon, and there's no place better to get it than fresh from the Pike Place Fish Market. 

Papardelle's

Papardelle's sells dozens of kinds of pasta, all shapes, all sizes and some pretty weird flavor combos. Are you a glutard? They'll take care of you as well.

Flower Vendors

Pike Place Market sells some of the most beautiful bouquets of flowers we've ever seen. Have you made someone in the Pacific Northwest mad? Bring them one of these and we're sure they'll forgive you.

Crumpet Shop

This is one of the most popular spots at the market for breakfast. People cheerily line up all the way out to the sidewalk for a chance to order classic British crumpets. These ain't Thomas' English Muffins!

Mercado Latino

This place stocks all kinds of hard to find hot sauces and Latin ingredients. See those big bottles of Salsa Lizano from Costa Rica (basically Costa Rican ketchup)? We brought back two in our luggage.

Piroshky Piroshky

The longtime seller pipes the tailwinds of its Russian pastries straight into the waiting crowds.

Starbucks

Seattle is a coffee town, and no place better reflects this than one of the city's biggest ambassadors, Starbucks. If you can't get through the day without your grande skim latte mocchachino with pumpkin spice, then you'll probably want to stop by the "original" Starbucks at Pike Place Market, complete with the original branding and logos. But heads up: although this is the "original" Starbucks, it's actually a recreation; the original burned down some time ago.

Loback Meat Co.

With a two-sided display that covers the main arcade, the Loback Meat Co. sign is a historically protected icon. The butcher shop that it used to grace, however, was less fortunate. It shut down in the late 1980s.

Home Cooking

There are lots of places to cozy up to a counter and order something tasty to get you through your day of wandering Pike Place Market.

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Read about more farmers markets on Food Republic:

• St. Croix: La Reine Farmers Market
• Summer's Bounty At A Farmer's Market In Tasmania
• San Luis Obispo Farmer's Market