Each time I return, for the mortadella sandwich with whipped ricotta and “pistachio jazz” at lunch or the black garlic knots at dinner, I marvel that the massive crowds of Seattle dining scenesters have yet to find it.

Diaspora Cafe Yaupon Espresso roasts, serves, and sells yaupon, the only native North American caffeinated plant — and along with it, a message of celebrating Indigeneity. The dried green leaves, roasted, ground, and brewed like espresso, produce a drink somewhere between coffee and tea.

In a city that has long held hope for great bagels, the population is finally able to consistently expect it — and that sets the bar higher for everyone.

Among the 20 aisles of some 300 vendors selling everything from Native American beadwork to the classic flea market assortments of knickknacks and hardware, sits the Northwest’s biggest and best assortment of regional Mexican cuisine, street foods, and snacks.

Colorful strands of papel picado flutter above the new turquoise Alebrijes Oaxacan Kitchen food truck in White Center, as if flagging down bystanders to stop in for memelas, tlayudas, and masa-thickened mushroom soup.