Seattle Restaurant Roundup: Tourists, Canadians, Hot Honey, and Cider
By Ben McBee May 2, 2025
Remember when hot honey burst onto the dining scene last year? You’d find it drizzled on pizza, slathered on fried chicken, even as a dipping option for cornbread. But if the temperature has turned down a bit for you on this trendy condiment, let Queen Bee’s Hot Honey — made and served up with Caribbean cuisine at Trey Lamont’s Jerk Shack Kitchen in the Central District — reignite your appetite.
And if that doesn’t do it, perhaps these hot headlines will.
Virginia Inn lives again
The historic cornerstone of Pike Place Market, which was set to close on April 27, will instead resume business as usual following a resolution over the status of the business’ lease. Current owner Craig Perez and the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority will work together to find a new operator who ideally will take over in September, continuing the restaurant’s 122-year legacy.
Cruise season has arrived
Earlier this month, scores of hungry, ocean-faring tourists started to come ashore from the Puget Sound, looking to get a taste of what Seattle’s cooking. Local restaurants such as Place Pigalle and Pasta Casalinga are preparing for the influx of visitors — up to 1.9 million of them over the course of the season — but that doesn’t mean you should leave these dining destinations off your summer to-eat list.
Sorry, eh?
Without diving too deep into recent American-Canadian relations… things are tense, as trips across the border from Canada to the U.S. are down some 30%. Some Seattle restaurant owners want to extend an olive branch of sorts to our neighbors to the north, along with a message: Please keep visiting. So, during the weekend of Friday, May 9, when the Toronto Blue Jays are in town to play the Mariners, Ivar’s, Ethan Stowell Restaurants, and various hotels will offer a 30% discount (lining up with the Canadian dollar exchange rate) to customers with a Canadian ID. See more locations participating in the Open Arms for Canada campaign.
Two words
Cider. Slushies. Schilling Cider’s Fremont location is bringing back the blended boozy bevvies in two flavors — Dreamsicle and Strawberry Pink Lemonade. You’ll also find a new lineup of hard ciders and lemonades to enjoy. So, grab your friends (tell them to bring their dogs) and your favorite bites (yes, outside food is allowed) to celebrate the arrival of the sunny season.
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