6 best restaurants in Seattle to try on an Alaska cruise

Seattle cruises give you the chance to add on a stay before or after your sailing in this glorious Washington city.

Foodies with a Port of Seattle cruise booked, perhaps to the wilds to Alaska, can combine dining at amazing restaurants in Seattle and around the area with their voyage for the sheer joy of indulging in delicious local food.

With the surrounding waters of the Pacific Ocean, rivers, lakes, and bays, the area’s menus brim with fresh oysters, Dungeness crab, salmon, halibut, mussels and — yes — geoduck, a saltwater clam native to the Pacific Northwest.

Pair this freshness of seafood with the farm-to-fork movement and you’ll find Seattle restaurants and chefs who pride themselves on sourcing local ingredients. It’s not too difficult when you consider Washington’s crops include acres of apples, pears, cherries, berries, rhubarb, and lentils.

Local Seattle chefs not only have the best ingredients to work with, but a certain freedom to push their culinary boundaries. The choices for delicious taste and artistic flair are incredible, making a foodie’s dream come true.

But as you venture out, you’ll discover gifted, talented chefs who serve up meals to satisfy and delight the most discerning palates.

So, whether you choose to tuck in before your Seattle cruise or after, you’re guaranteed a feast. We combed through list after list of the best finds for delicious eateries and here are six farm-to-fork favorites from around the greater Seattle area.

Copine in Seattle combines classic French techniques with local ingredients in a breezy, sophisticated space you won’t want to miss. And they won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2023.

The Herbfarm in Woodinville, is multi-award-winning – including the prestigious AAA Five Diamond Award. Their focus is to highlight the astonishing bounty from nearby, including their own gardens and farm, celebrating the best of the Pacific Northwest’s food and wine. Advance reservations are required.

JuneBaby located in Seattle, was named a James Beard Award Winner for Best New Restaurant in the US in 2018 and Chef Edouardo Jordan was also crowned 2018 James Beard Best Chef: NW. He focuses on foods from the American South merging influences from West Africa, Western Europe and North America made with heirloom ingredients — food with roots.

May Kitchen + Bar on Vashon Island, recently named one of the Top 100 Restaurants in America by Open Table Diners, features fresh, aromatic Thai cuisine. Chef May Chaleoy is known for her talent in developing depth and complexity in all her dishes. Enjoy the tranquil, lovely interior with 150-year-old carved and teak mahogany panels in the dining room.

The Oyster Bar [above, right], located on Chuckanut Drive en route to Bellingham, is a longtime favorite fine-dining eatery housed in an elegant lodge with stunning water and island views. The seasonally inspired menu boasts a variety of locally sourced ingredients and an award-winning wine list.

Seabird [above, left] on Bainbridge Island (a 30-minute ferry ride from Seattle), is a seafood and vegetable-focused dinner house that explores the bounty of the region’s seas and waterways, fields and forests. Esquire also named Seabird one of the best new restaurants in 2022.