One of the best parts about being located in the heart of a city is having access to amazing food and drink. As a student, you’ll likely begin to long for the times when you can break out of class and go grab a bite or a drink with a friend to decompress and have fun. Thankfully, there is no shortage of good spots to head within a short radius of the school. Here are some of our Admissions team’s favorite spots in the Belltown/Downtown area:

Pike Place Market
1900-ish Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98121
You’ve probably heard of it! Pike Place Market is less than a 10-minute walk from The Seattle School and offers food and drink selections from all over the world. A few of our favorites include La Panier, a French bakery with one of the top chocolate-almond croissants in Seattle. Also Piroshky Piroshky, a delicious spot that bakes Russian pastries, although you should probably be prepared to wait in line for a bit! We recommend setting aside some time to experience all the market has to offer.

Macrina Bakery
2408 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
Delicious pastries and coffee! A relaxed environment great for meeting one-on-one or venturing off by yourself in between classes. They also serve soup, sandwiches, and salads, but they are best known for their delicious baked treats.

Bang Bang Café
2408 Western Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
This café is directly up the hill on Wall Street, about 1.5 blocks from The Seattle School. They offer great espresso drinks, breakfast sandwiches and burritos. They also have a killer mac and cheese, soups, and sandwiches that come in half and full options. It is the closest café to school which is convenient during breaks from class when you need a little pick-me-up.

Belltown Pub
2322 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
Belltown Pub has happy hour every day from 4:00-6:30pm. They have a great selection of drinks and pretty great food as well. We also love that you can bring dogs inside!

Chili & Sesame Korean Kitchen 
2429 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
Need an affordable, filling, and delicious lunch between classes? Look no further. Chili & Sesame’s got you covered. Generous portions and great prices make this a favorite spot among students and staff alike. Just make sure you put your order in before 2:00! They close between 2:00 and 4:00pm each day to make the transition to dinner service.

Jerk Shack
2510 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
Jerk Shack is a super close walk and offers delicious Caribbean food made with so much love! They have a wide selection of beer, wine, and constantly shifting creative cocktails made in house. We personally love their rum punch and happy hour food bowls!

The Edgewater Hotel
2411 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121
A great spot right across the street from school and right on the water. They have a nice, slightly fancier happy hour, but most important is the amazing view of the Puget Sound from their lobby and lounge.

Belltown Pizza
2422 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
Happy hour is Monday-Friday, 4:00-6:00pm. This spot offers delicious pizza and fun weekday specials such as Microbrew Monday, Twenty Buck Tuesday and Wino Wednesday (large pizza and bottle of wine for $25!). A great place to go with a small-to-medium sized group.

Anthony’s Fish Bar
2201 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121
Craving some fish and chips or some good chowder? Anthony’s is just a block away on the waterfront, and their fish bar has sidewalk access.

Other places to explore:
Starbucks – right down the street from the school near Zulily
Uptown Espresso – 2801 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121
Local 360 – 2234 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121 (not open for lunch, sadly)