Savor Seattle Pike Place Food Tour

It seems like I’ve been spending a lot of time at Pike Place Market lately. In all honesty, with or without being invited to attend events there, I do spend a lot of my free time there. It is one of the few places I’ve been to that acts not only as a tourist attraction but as a local attraction as well. The food in the market is legitimately good! I’ve been to a handful of countries and states in my travels, and whenever I visit somewhere new, I always avoid eating near the tourist attractions. The food always tends to be mediocre at best BUT Pike Place Market, and it’s vendors take pride in their craft, and everything is always so fresh and delicious.

I was recently invited to join a Pike Place Market Food Tour by a local company called Savor Seattle. Since the weather has been so fantastic lately, I felt this was a great excuse to get out of the house and take a little morning break. To be completely transparent, I did not pay for the tour. But as always all of my opinions are my own, and I would not want to lead my fellow food lovers astray!

The tour group met down Post Alley right past the gum wall. Which is impressively full, considering it was cleaned for the first time in 25 years just a few months ago. I decided I hadn’t sufficiently caffeinated myself that morning, so I popped into Ghost Alley Espresso for a refreshing cup of cold brew (not included in the tour).

The second stop on this tour brought us to Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt, which happens to be a favorite staple in Seattle. I always describe the yogurt at Ellenos as a less sweet cheesecake. It’s so rich and creamy. Plus the fruit topping makes for a nice touch of sweetness without being overpowering. We tried the passion fruit and marionberry which are both fantastic. 

After this, our guide LeRoy gave us a little history lesson on Pike Place Market that I never knew. During the 40’s a large percentage of farmers in Seattle were Japanese-American but because of WWII many of them were sent to internment camps. As an homage to these citizens who never returned to the market, there was a mural created right underneath the entry sign. My photo below does not capture the mural well, so I would encourage you to go check it out for yourself.

Next, we headed to the bustling market to try some tasty bites from Chukar Cherries. This was my first time sampling their handmade snacks and candies. One surprising item was the cherry salsa. It was so good! The mix of savory, sweet and spice was a perfect balance. I could totally imagine myself chowing down on this during a Seahawks game. We also sampled other various cherry offerings, all which they farm themselves.

The last and final stop on our epic Savor Seattle Pike Place Market Tour was the Tom Douglas eatery Etta’s Seafood.  Here we got to try their best-selling crabcake, and like our guide LeRoy told us, I found it filled to the brim with crab and very little fillers. 

I enjoyed my morning on the Savor Seattle Food Tour. With prices starting at $42, I would easily spend the extra few dollars to do this versus the Duck Tours, which are around $35 a person. But then again I LOVE food. What I enjoyed the most about the tour was the upbeat personality of our tour guide and all of the fantastic historical knowledge he shared. For someone who lives in Seattle and frequents the market, it brought a newfound respect and admiration for this lively attraction.