Skip to content

Starbucks’ New Lunch Menu Launching in Seattle, No More Sad Paninis

Seattle's coffee empire hits refresh on its lunch offerings.

By Chelsea Lin July 27, 2017

SBX20170206_82196.tif
SBX20170206_82196.tif

I eat more meals at Starbucks than I’d care to admit—mostly those irresistible bacon-and-gruyere sous vide egg bites gobbled in traffic (glamorous, I know). Doesn’t it seem that every time you get attached to a menu item there that it disappears? Hopefully those sad wheat sandwiches or paninis weren’t your thing because today Starbucks is announcing a new lunch menu concept launching in 200 local stores: Mercato will feature “vibrant, hearty grab-and-go salads, sandwiches and sides” made fresh every day. 

The new menu will all be priced under $10 before tax. A few examples: za’atar chicken and lemon tahini salad with freekah (a whole grain superfood) and cucumber tzatziki, green goddess avocado salad with rice and orzo, roasted chicken sandwich with fig spread and a Cubano sandwich with both pulled pork and smoked loin. Those stores selling the Mercato line will keep their breakfast pastries—so thankfully my egg bites aren’t going anywhere anytime soon—but won’t have the existing salad-and-sandwich lunch options.

Perhaps the most exciting part, from a grand perspective anyway, is that Starbucks will be donating leftover food at the end of the night to Food Lifeline, via the Starbucks FoodShare program.

Starbucks launched Mercato in Chicago in April—Seattle will be the second market. The company has grown its food business by 1.5 times since 2013, with plans to double it by 2021. Listening to what customers want—clearly more grab-and-go options, and healthy, tasty ones at that—seems like a good way to do it. 

Follow Us

Restaurant Roundup: Christmas Dining and Copine Closing

Restaurant Roundup: Christmas Dining and Copine Closing

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Sometimes the best gift you can receive (or even treat yourself to) is to not have to cook during the holidays, so why not take advantage of the restaurants that are staying open? From Blue Water Bistro in Leschi to Ben Paris downtown and Maximilien in Pike Place Market, there are plenty of options on…

Counter Culture: Road Trip Edition—Sea J’s Cafe

Counter Culture: Road Trip Edition—Sea J’s Cafe

A winter drive to Port Townsend reveals a humble spot that’s worth the miles for its cod and chips.

Winter in Seattle has a way of convincing you to stay home, to hunker down and forget the gems just beyond the city limits. But winter is exactly when Port Townsend shines its most authentic light. Gone are the summer crowds—what remains is a charming, windswept seaside town that feels like it’s yours alone. Before…

Neighbors helping neighbors: The door-to-door fight against hunger
Sponsored

Neighbors helping neighbors: The door-to-door fight against hunger

Photos by United Way of King County Donate: Our neighborhood Fund If you see fresh produce or hot meals being delivered in your neighborhood, don’t be surprised to learn that the order came from a local food bank, not a pizza parlor or supermarket. Nonprofits are changing the way they make food available to people…

Restaurant Roundup: Remembering Legends and Late-Night Tacos

Restaurant Roundup: Remembering Legends and Late-Night Tacos

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

A lot of Seattle stories seem to be coming to a close as we near the year’s end, with some iconic eateries going out on their own terms and others fighting to survive. Sadly, we’ve also lost some truly outsized figures on the culinary scene, including Ms. Helen Coleman, the “Queen of Seattle Soul Food,”…