The most important meal of the day? Seattle knows how to prepare it. Seattle is a city that is on the move from dawn to dusk, a creative city fuelled by iconic coffee shops and all the rest. You can’t live on coffee (unfortunately), and the best breakfast spots in Seattle are here to provide serious sustenance in the early hours.
Like many of the best restaurants here, Seattle’s breakfast culture celebrates the city’s diversity. You’ll find everything from classic diner fare to burritos on the menu, with more biscuits than you may have thought possible. Whether you are fuelling or indulging, you’ll find plenty to devour here before working off the calories with a brisk walk in the beautiful parks. Good morning, Seattle!
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Located on one of Seattle’s best eating streets—alongside plant-based ice cream company Frankie & Jo’s, Rosellini’s Bakery, and Delancey for pizza—this Italian-influenced spot turns out stunning egg bakes served in sizzling skillets, thick toast spread lushly with ricotta, and Benedicts topped with local seafood. The lines get long, but house-made pastries and fresh-squeezed juices will remove any memory of the wait.
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Farm-to-table? Try "trailer park-to-table". That's the sassy vibe Biscuit Bitch is going for. Their straight-up "big ass biscuits" are sure to please on their own, customizable and topped with a secret recipe gravy. Otherwise, go for house faves like the Hot Mess Bitch (cheddar, grits, two eggs, a grilled Louisiana Hot Link, and pickled jalapeños) or a Sausage Bitchwich.
Like a brand-new biscuit pulled from the oven, this brick-and-mortar location of the food truck popped up in Fremont, white as flour. The adorable spot serves the same fluffy biscuits that gained fame on the truck—now within the subway-tiled walls, on grandma’s old dishes, by the fryer, and the bar. Sit down for a fried chicken biscuit sandwich, Beecher’s cheese grits, and a Tang mimosa.
It doesn’t get any more classic diner than this: set up on the shore of Lake Union, this café has been feeding fishermen the kind of hearty breakfast that starts the day with a jolt (or was that a heart attack?) for decades. While there are fewer fishermen today than in the ‘50s, when the spot first opened, you can still expect big crowds to kick around for the Greek hobo scramble, plate-sized pancakes, and three-egg mix of “Smokey the salmon.”
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The name hides this tiny stall’s true specialty: when the door rolls up, and the four yellow stools are set out, this spot is the only game in town for a New York-style bacon-egg-and-cheese on a roll. Just like the bodega-made, except made with local eggs and a house-made roll. It makes sense that a place preparing this platonic ideal of a hangover-killing specialty sits just steps from the best nightlife neighborhood in town, Capitol Hill.
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French toast is the name of the game at this Columbia City spot. It's always a delicious choice, with toppings changing daily. Classics like pancakes, omelets, scrambles, and biscuits and gravy are always excellent choices.
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Though this bistro lives within the bounds of Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market, it feels like stepping into a Parisian café. The simple, elegant breakfasts—from a half baguette with butter to house-made yogurt with honey and walnuts—are served overlooking Elliott Bay while ferry boats roam to and fro. Oh, and the coffee is oh-so-good.
It’s impossible not to get a little Willy Wonka-like when stepping into Bakery Nouveau (especially the flagship Burien location), with its shelves full of French bread, rainbows of macarons and chocolate in the case, and the smell of fresh-baked morning pastries wafting from the oven. Whether it’s a sweet signature twice-baked almond croissant or savory junction croissant with scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, cheddar, and béchamel, the baking here is literally gold-medal winning—in the 2005 World Cup of Baking, of course.
This iconic greasy spoon in Capitol Hill is the best place to get an omelet the morning after a long night out. They serve an eggs benedict variation for every mood, and stacks of buttermilk pancakes can't be beaten. Even vegetarians have it made with creamy vegetarian mushroom gravy.
The convenient thing about Taco Street’s location, directly across from Othello Station, is that you could stop by straight from the airport, which isn’t a terrible idea: you won’t find a better breakfast taco in the state. The fresh tortillas, deep flavors from chiles imported from the owner’s Chihuahua hometown, and colorful salsa bar make this quick-serve spot an ideal pause on your journey into town.
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Just steps from Ballard’s cool kids nightlife scene, fancy restaurants, and Sunday farmers’ market, the line snakes out the door of this awesome spot. The dishes served here cover all of Mexico in a single menu, each labeled with the state from which it hails. Diners can choose from Zacatecan machaca con huevos, sopes con platanos from Nayarit, or Oaxacan entomadas, but there are no wrong answers when you wash it all down with a horchata latte.
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Seasonal, sustainable, and locally-sourced ingredients make this breakfast spot with four locations a standout. Hearty egg benedicts range from classic to carnitas to Dungeness crab cake. Other hearty options include a tasty breakfast hash and a mole verde burrito. Don't miss the breakfast bar, where you can customize your pancakes and french toast with a range of delightful toppings.
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