Restaurant Roundup: Icelandic Food Fest and Hot Chicken

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

By Ben McBee March 20, 2026

A chef with a tattooed arm drizzles sauce over slices of meat on a white plate, garnished with vegetables and berries, in a professional kitchen.

Icelandic Chef Ísak Aron Jóhannsson and Palace Kitchen chef Ron Anderson will prepare Icelandic lamb and fish during Taste of Iceland.

Photo courtesy of Taste of Iceland

Excitement is building for this summer’s World Cup, and while the beautiful game is important, the event’s organizers are also preparing to spotlight Seattle’s status as a food city for the thousands of fans visiting from around the world. They won’t have to look very far, as SeaTac’s World Table District and its 30+ restaurants, cafes, and markets are just steps from the airport.

If you’re planning your trip and happen to be reading this, here are a few more spots to bookmark.

Late-night tacos, enjoyed in daylight

Tacos Cometa is back with a bang in Capitol Hill, marking the culmination of a months-long wait for the popular late-night Mexican food cart’s transition to a brick-and-mortar taqueria. No longer do we have to settle for teasing window tacos; the restaurant opened on Tuesday serving tacos, “machete” quesadillas, and vampiros. But know this: carne asada is king. The Sinaloa-style beef is the only meat choice offered.

Everything’s bigger in Texas

And fittingly, the fanfare for Houston TX Hot Chicken’s first Seattle location is quite large. Tomorrow, the Belltown restaurant will host a party from 12 p.m.-3 p.m., complete with an exotic car meet, free food and beverages for the first 250 people, and a $1,000 prize for the first person who can consume—and keep down, we imagine—three “Houston, We Have A Problem!” chicken tenders, the spiciest on the menu. At 2 million Scoville heat units, a waiver is required.

Hello, Moto

A Pioneer Square landmark is the new home for Moto Pizza, which recently added its seventh Seattle-area location inside Smith Tower. The local brand, which also has shops in Southern California, keeps people coming back with its square, Detroit-style pies with thick crust and crispy-cheese edges, and outside-the-box toppings, like the “Beef Adobo” and “Clam Chowdah.”

The best in the field

Lumen Field is poised to host top soccer teams in the World Cup this summer, but this weekend it welcomes 200 of the state’s top wineries for Taste Washington. The Grand Tasting (March 21-22) is the food and wine lover’s dream, featuring 75 West Coast restaurants as well as attractions like Bubbles & Bingo and CenterStage, a chance to interact with industry experts.

From Reykjavik, with love

It’s a hot weekend for food festivals, but one in particular is celebrating cuisine from (only slightly) colder climes. Taste of Iceland is underway through Saturday, offering people the chance to soak up the country’s culture and honor the 40th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Seattle and Reykjavik. Palace Kitchen will host a three-course, prix fixe dinner inspired by Iceland’s natural beauty and local flavors, including smoked cod and grilled lamb filet.

Brunch at Duke’s

It’s an occasion that comes only twice a year, Easter and Mother’s Day. With the former just about two weeks away, reservations to enjoy sustainable seafood for breakfast are filling up fast. Highlights include three different eggs Benedict dishes made with either Dungeness crab, Nova Scotia lobster, or wild Mexican prawns, a Royal Ranch filet mignon, and a local wine collaboration that’s raising money for salmon population restoration efforts.