Food & Drink

5 Seattle Food Vendors You Must Try This Farmers’ Market Season

Now that we’re in the thick of farmers’ market season, these are the food vendor bites you shouldn’t miss

By Lena Beck July 2, 2019

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This article originally appeared in the July 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.

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This article appears in print in the July 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

Although some of the city’s best farmers’ markets run year around, summer brings one to almost every Seattle neighborhood, giving you easy access to gorgeous seasonal fruits and vegetables. Perusing all of that produce can work up an appetite, and it’s perfectly permissible—even encouraged—to stop for a snack. These new food vendors will ensure that you make a meal out of your next market visit; they’re worth seeking out in their own right.


Handmade noodles are topped with pork belly and market veggies

Brothers & Co.
This sibling-run vendor has a little something for everyone. Whether you go with the fusion tacos on made-from-scratch tortillas or the ramen featuring handmade noodles (get both!), you are in for a treat. They’ll also pack uncooked noodles for you to take home.
Our Pick: There are a lot of ways to customize each dish, but we recommend that you start with the seared pork belly ramen ($14). A side of tangy kimchi complements the savory broth of soy sauce and miso, and the pork that melts in your mouth. Multiple markets; 206.550.2409

Lily’s Salvadorean Catering
If you can’t get to one of Seattle’s few great Salvadoran restaurants, Lily’s is a staple at multiple farmers’ markets around town. On the other side of the counter is a giant bowl of handmade masa dough, and you can watch as pupusas (like a thick stuffed corn tortilla; the national dish of El Salvador) are made to order. Memorize Lily’s market schedule and you can have these delicious doughy pockets several days each week.
Our Pick: Showcasing market-fresh vegetables, the zucchini and cheese pupusas ($9.50 for two) are best hot off the griddle, eaten with the accompanying tart coleslaw and salsa. Multiple markets; 206.963.1602

Poulet Galore
Chef Josh Henderson (of Huxley Wallace Collective) closed his South Lake Union takeout rotisserie chicken shop in the summer of 2017, but his excellent birds are back this summer, via a farmers’ market stand. Whole chickens are brined, air-dried for 48 hours, then liberally seasoned with salt and pepper before roasting on-site; grab one to go ($22) and compose your own quick meal from the abundance of local produce at other stands, or choose a ready-to-eat option from the menu.
Our Pick: The chicken sandwich ($11) continues to be a hit thanks, in part, to the addition of crispy chicken skin atop the juicy roasted meat. Multiple markets


BAGEL BITES: Be sure to try the onion-topped bialy (center)at Beep Boop Bagel

Beep Boop Bagel
Local baker Jordan Clark started this bagel business last October. Flavorful and chewy, Clark’s bagels ($2 each) are the stars of the show, but you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t try one of his delicious house-made cream cheese spreads. With flavors like peach ginger and chive black pepper, you’ll probably want to buy a whole container—which, thankfully, you can ($5 per half pint).
Our Pick: An East Coast staple not easily found in Seattle, the bialy ($2.50) is similar to a bagel. Clark’s is made from an onion dough and topped with poppy seeds and caramelized onions. It’s great on its own, no schmear necessary. Sundays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. West Seattle Farmers Market; 206.632.5264

Phorale
When Phorale’s brick-and-mortar South Park location closed more than a year ago, its fans were crushed. Reincarnated this spring in food-truck form, Phorale is hitting the seasonal Wednesday lunchtime market in the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) parking lot in South Lake Union. Followers can expect some of the old favorites (looking at you, Siesta fries) as well as exciting new additions, all with the bold signature mash-up of Asian and Tex-Mex flavors.
Our Pick: If you’re looking for a lunch that packs some heat, try the What the Heo wings ($4 for one, $7 for two), deliciously tender pork “wings” served with sautéed kimchi and Dragon’s Breath sauce for a kick. Wednesdays, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. South Lake Union Farmers Market

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