The Best Seafood in Seattle

The chandelier alone is worth pausing on, a sprawling coral-reef of a thing hanging over one of Seattle's most coveted oyster bar stools. This lively Ballard neighborhood spot runs on meticulously sourced oysters and a short, focused seafood menu, and the wait for a table is long enough that the tile-clad bar next door exists partly as a waiting room. A James Beard nominee for Outstanding Restaurant, it's the place locals bring visitors who ask where to eat in Seattle.

1. James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurant
2. AAA Three Diamonds
3. James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant

Counter-service seafood in Fremont, where the chef sources directly from local fisheries, a supply-chain headache most spots at this price point don't bother with. The menu reads like Pacific Northwest bar food done with actual conviction: rockfish banh mi, salmon teriyaki, home fries tangled with smoked cod. The crab roll on a split-top bun comes out only on weekends, so plan accordingly. The New York Times put it on their Seattle list, which tracks.

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Ray's Cafe is the casual upstairs sibling of Ray's Boathouse, a seafood spot on Shilshole Bay where the view does a good share of the work. Expect grilled salmon, fish and chips, and the kind of plate that would also be at home at a gala, only with a lower dress code and a lower bill. It's the move for a sunset dessert, and it carries three AAA diamonds.

1. AAA Three Diamonds
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1. AAA Three Diamonds

1. AAA Three Diamonds

1. AAA Three Diamonds

1. AAA Three Diamonds

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A seafood counter tucked inside Fair Isle Brewing, La Marea brings Mexican coastal cooking to a city that usually prefers its seafood left alone. Hamachi and tuna arrive over tostadas, sliced with a precision that suggests sushi somewhere in the team's past. The scallop aguachile and chile morita aioli do not shy from heat. The brewery's farmhouse ales and saisons make good company, and the shared space keeps the whole thing loose.

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