restaurants near the north end of the University of Washington campus

August 20, 2023 9:13 PM

Looking for recommendations of good restaurants - preferably that do take-out and/or have outdoor seating - within easy walking distance of the north end of the University of Washington campus.

My company is sending me to a grad school-level program and I'm living on the UW campus for the next two weeks in a dorm! Our meal plan covers breakfast and lunch but dinners are mostly on us. I went to the UW for undergrad but so much has changed so I'm coming to you for recommendations!

I'd imagine most places are going to be on the Ave or in U village. I'm still very covid-cautious so my preference is to get food to go or eat outside. Cheap is good! Vegetarian options are good but not required. Thai, Indian, and spicy foods often don't play well with my digestive system. I don't eat beef and despise peppers (bell or otherwise) in all forms. I am planning a sentimental trip to Than Brothers pho, but otherwise am kind of at sea here (the Pagliacci's is gone? What??)

Thanks!

posted by skycrashesdown to Travel & Transportation around Seattle, WA (11 answers total)

Xi'an Noodles! Address: 5259 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105.

I don't know about now, but as late as three months ago, they had their own outdoor seating area. I get their vegetarian tofu broccoli noodle soup quite often, and it comes without any spice in it. It is also delicious! You purchase the condiments you want to add to it.
posted by spinifex23 at 9:26 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

Check out Saint Bread, which is actually on the south side of campus, on Boat Street by the ship canal. Great option for lunch and early dinner (closes at 6), with completely outdoor seating. Thursdays through Saturdays they're also running a wood-fired food truck, Hinoki, from 4-8 pm.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 9:44 PM on August 20, 2023

Agua verde
posted by tristeza at 10:12 PM on August 20, 2023 [1 favorite]

I think you will have the most choices in the U Village: I can think of Ba Bar, Joey Kitchen, and Elemental Pizza with outdoor seating, and there are many more options for takeout.
posted by oxisos at 8:52 AM on August 21, 2023

Veggie Grill in U Village has some outdoor seating and definitely meets the "vegetarian options" criterion.
posted by mosst at 10:01 AM on August 21, 2023

It’s been a few years for me but Cedars and Thai Tom are on the north ish end of the Ave and were reliably good. (Sorry, just saw your note about spicy, but will leave this here in case anyone else wants spicy food on the Ave.)
posted by matildaben at 10:21 AM on August 21, 2023

Third Place Books on 65th and 20th has an outdoor patio.
posted by brookeb at 11:19 AM on August 21, 2023

The light rail now extends to northgate, so there is a convenient stop on 45th and Brooklyn (by the Neptune theater) that will bring you to Roosevelt or Capitol Hill in 5 minutes or so, or downtown in 10. That opens your dining options quite a bit.

If you want to stick closer to the UW, I like Schultzy's on the Ave. Portage Bay on Roosevelt does a good brunch (with patio seating). Lots of good suggestions above, with thai and indian options (though I see that's not your preference) - Taste of India or Cedars are very good. St. Bread mentioned above is worth a trip.

The University Village is reasonably close and has lots of dining. Din Tai Fung is excellent and does takeout. There's a Shake Shack for burgers, or a Burgermaster if you want a bit more old school.

There's an Ezell's chicken on 45th that's a short walk or bus ride away in Wallingford.
posted by owls at 11:37 AM on August 21, 2023

U Village is going to be a boon for you - lots of good restaurants there now, and they are mostly pretty well-set-up for takeout or outdoor seating. I like Ba Bar, Din Tai Fung, and Shake Shack (they have non-beef options). Up the hill in Ravenna (around 65th and 20th), there are a bunch of good restaurants: Oasis has my favorite bagels in Seattle.

You will also have an H Mart, Target, and huge QFC close by which will all have good dorm food options.

My favorite Vietnamese/pho place in the U District is Thanh Vi.
posted by lunasol at 12:19 PM on August 21, 2023

Sadly, there aren't very many places with outdoor seating on the Ave proper between 40th and 55th or so! And there are a lot of Asian restaurants of various varieties, which it sounds like is not 100% ideal for you. But I think everywhere can do takeout, because college students.

Seconding:
Xi'an Noodles
Agua Verde -- Mexican, has outdoor seating
Shultzy's -- sausages / German food + beer, veg options, full bar, back patio
Portage Bay -- a bit spendier than most places in the U-Dist, but tasty. But I don't think they do dinner?
Thanh Vi -- if you've been even once, even if it was years ago, Iris might well remember you and your order. Their veg pho has more veggies in it than many places, and their veg broth is tasty.

I also quite like:
Tofu House -- Korean, no outdoor seating, check the menu for non-spicy options
Byrek and Baguette -- not exactly super dinner-y, but good sandwiches and salads and baked goods. Indoor only
Costa's -- Greek / diner -- indoor only
U:Don -- made-to-order, customizable udon soups with an a la carte tempura bar too, indoor only
Mod Pizza -- pretty decent quick pizzas, small patio
Supreme -- fancy pizza, fancy cocktails dive bar (?), indoor only
The Big Time Brewery has stepped up the quality of their menu -- still pizzas and calzones and bar-type food, but it's gotten better overall, and the beers are still good. Indoor only.

Have heard good things about St. Bread.

Angkor Wok is new-ish, I haven't been but have been meaning to.

There's still a Pagliacci on campus, in the HUB. IME it's not as good as a standalone Pagliacci, but it's still Pagliacci.

I haven't been to U Village since before covid, but Din Tai Fung is always good, and Ba Bar is nice.

But owls is right -- if you haven't been on campus since the light rail opened, your whole approach might be different now that it's easy and quick to get to Capitol Hill, downtown, and beyond, and to Northgate in the other direction.

Oh, and in addition to H Mart and Target, there's Trader Joe's at 45th and Brooklyn, which of course has lots of prepared food.
posted by librarina at 3:26 PM on August 22, 2023

I just saw this Eater article come across my social feed: https://seattle.eater.com/maps/where-to-eat-u-district-university-of-washington-seattle
posted by matildaben at 8:07 AM on August 27, 2023