These Are Seattle's Best Restaurants For Salmon, Recommended By A Longtime Resident
The literary phrase "water, water everywhere" rings true about Seattle in so many ways. The city is defined by its water everywhere, from houseboat living to waterfront dining, and when romping around aquatic playgrounds, fishing lakes, and city-park waterfalls — not to mention when watching home-bound salmon return to local streams after years away. It's that magnificent salmon that forms the core of Seattle's seafood identity, with traditional salmon-cooking traditions handed down from generations of Pacific Northwest Native culture.
The salmon-centric culture of Seattle fascinated me when I first moved to the Emerald City — and continues to do so decades later. As you can imagine, diners flock to classic salmon-centric restaurants, seafood shacks, alder-smoked salmon houses, lakeside salmon spots, and a string of salmon-grilling cafes and fine dining destinations on Piers 54 and 57 at downtown's Elliot Bay.
As a big fan of both salmon and dining out, I've enjoyed many of these cultural culinary experiences over the years. Here are a few that currently draw me back over and over again, grounding me in the deep essence of Seattle living.
Ivar's Fish Bar at Pier 54
I'm personally convinced that Ivar's Fish Bar on Pier 54 earns a solid spot on any list declaring the best Seattle spots for salmon. That's partly because it was my earliest eating experience when moving to the Pacific Northwest — but it's truly the most authentically casual place imaginable for experiencing the sea-swarthy culinary vibe of this high-tech, water-centric city. After all these years, it's still my favorite place to pick up fresh salmon while walking the downtown waterfront.
Rather than a sit-down indoor restaurant, Ivar's on the pier is a walk-up fish bar, founded by renowned local character and folk singer Ivar Haglund in 1938. The menu centers on fish in general, but favorites are the fish and chips with wild Alaskan salmon, plus the renowned Alaska smoked salmon chowder, offered by the cup, bowl, tanker, or bread bowl. The Ivar's collection of restaurants has expanded across the Puget Sound area, including additional fish bar and seafood bar setups. But this original one still cradles the quintessential city energy with outdoor tables, briny bay breezes, buskers singing for their supper, and fishing boats and ferries coming and going.
When my son was younger, I'd gather up the neighborhood kids and head downtown for salmon or cod and chips at Ivar's — but the real treat for them was the "chips" part, since seagulls are more than happy to waddle into the dining area for french-fry handouts at the slightest indication of willing human collaborators. It's a vibrant spot for fresh, no-fuss salmon dining, and for visitors getting to know the waterfront area. For more formal, sit-down salmon dining, the Ivar's Acres of Clams restaurant is right next door.
Ray's Boathouse in Ballard
Seattle's thriving Ballard neighborhood is known for local dining and music clubs such as Connor Byrne, one of Seattle's most authentic Irish pubs. It's also home to the artsy-elegant Ray's Boathouse restaurant. Renowned for its cedar-planked salmon method, noted by the James Beard Foundation, this waterfront eatery is dear to locals as a respite from more trendy places in high-traffic sections of the city. The menu is deeply tied to Pacific Northwest dining culture, featuring directly sourced regional or Alaskan salmon.
Though salmon sits permanently on the menu, the preparation and flavors change seasonally with alternating species, including Copper River king, sockeye, coho, pinks, or keta from the Yukon River. I recently met friends at Ray's for dinner, where we ordered multiple entrees for sharing, including the featured applewood grilled wild Alaskan king salmon served with garlic whipped potatoes. But it's not all about salmon here; you can go wild with compatible sea creatures, including Dungeness crab, oysters, and clams, most often from local waterways.
What many people don't realize is that Ray's is much more versatile than its reputation for fine dining. There's actually a second, no-reservations dining room upstairs called Ray's Cafe, which I've frequented far more often than the main-floor Boathouse. The ambience is relaxed and casual, with a less-pricey menu for things like bites, salads, and sandwiches, including a current PNW Coho Salmon Sandwich. The deck literally hovers over Lake Union, perfect for deck-side cocktails and stunning views of Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, and Shilshole Bay. Ray's is also within walking distance of the Chittenden Ballard Locks with its Salmon Education Center for viewing salmon migrating through a 21-step fish ladder. It's no wonder that Ray's sits solidly on our Tasting Table roundup of the best Seattle-area spots for seafood.
Salmon House on Lake Union
The Salmon House on Lake Union is part of the Ivar's seafood group, but it stands out in significant ways, even earning founder Ivan Haglund an Award of Merit from the Seattle Historical Society for its authentic re-creation of a traditional cedar Northwest Native American longhouse. Every nook and cranny of the dining space comes alive with Native art, carvings, photographs, and artifacts, most significantly a recently carved totem pole by noted Alaskan Tsimshian artist, David Boxley.
Shortly after the new work of art appeared, I paddled my kayak over the lake to view the sculpted beauty while feasting on alder-smoked salmon and overlooking the sailboat-scattered waters. Salmon House sits on land that once hosted Indigenous gatherings, and you can almost feel the weight of history and community spirit permeating the cedar and smoke while salmon cooks barbecue-style over an open pit. The dinner menu features dishes like cedar plank wild Alaska sockeye salmon with macerated berries, cornbread, and seasonal veggies; Cajun-style Alaskan salmon and chips; and the Salmon House Salmon Sampler with Alder-grilled sockeye, king, and coho salmon in lemon-thyme beurre blanc.
For daytime dining, I'd recommend renting a kayak from a Lake Union vendor and paddling across the water, gliding past iconic Seattle houseboats from films like "Sleepless in Seattle," and stopping on the north end for lunch at Salmon House. A walk-up lakeside fish bar makes it easy to snag takeout seafood for a picnic at Gasworks Park, just a five-minute paddle away, and then roam the quirky Fremont neighborhood. If you still have a salmon appetite after all that exercise, this neighborhood also harbors the tiny Local Tide sandwich shop, home to my personal favorite salmon sando with slow-poached sockeye salmon tucked inside a brioche bun.
Salmon Cooker on Pier 57
The Salmon Cooker on Pier 57 is another bustling day-on-the-pier kind of place: full of energy, fresh air, and a whole lot of smoked salmon. Chinook, coho, and seasonal sockeye salmon are smoked in an alder wood fire, visible when entering the open-format counter and seating areas. Dangling blackboard menus reflect Seattle's love for our ray-finned residents, appearing in sweet, smoky incarnations such as smoked salmon Caesar salads, alder-cooker tacos, crispy salmon sandwiches on sourdough, salmon and chips, or a smoked salmon dinner plate with sides.
This eatery is Seattle fast-casual at its best, with both indoor or fresh-air patio seating. I'm partial to tucking inside the wood-centric cozy dining room, which nods to Native fishing culture with a life-sized wooden canoe featuring hand-carved figurines depicting traditional tribal fishing customs. It's nice to rest here a bit before jumping back into the energy of Pier 57. Since the Salmon Cooker sits in the heart of Miner's Landing, it's a perfect launchpad for visitors heading to the giant Seattle Great Wheel. With so much attention on the larger-than-life spinning wonder, many folks don't realize that a throwback retro-style arcade room tucks into a quiet-ish corner of the pier, complete with an old-fashioned carousel ride for the little ones.
Also on Pier 57 is another thriving seafood spot, the Crab Pot, famous for its Northwest take on Low Country and Cajun seafood boils. When taking visitors to dinner in Seattle, I like to tag-team with margaritas and smoked salmon tacos at Salmon Cooker, then meander over to Crab Pot for an extended sit-down meal. It's a fun way to get a sea-fest infusion with two iconic Seattle eateries, as the sun sets over Elliott Bay.
Chinook's at Salmon Bay, Fishermen's Terminal
Not to be overlooked on the Lake Union dining scene is Chinook's at Salmon Bay, which is part of the highly regarded Anthony's family of seafood restaurants. It sits solidly on Fisherman's Terminal at the bay, named for the working commercial terminal teeming with activity for more than 100 years. This serves as home base for the North Pacific fishing fleet, with hundreds of working boats weaving in and out bearing loads of fresh-caught fish, including salmon.
The seafood at Chinook's is about as fresh as you can get, though most of it comes from Anthony's own seafood company, located at Seattle's Pier 91 at the Magnolia Bridge. The Anthony's fleet focuses of sustainably caught wild runs of fresh silver, sockeye, and chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, from Alaska and the Northwest region. Over at its Chinook's Salmon Bay restaurant, that translates into menus brimming with daily wild salmon specials and dishes like smoked salmon fettuccine, blackened salmon Caesar, and chargrilled salmon burgers. A popular item on the dinner menu, which I've actually ordered as a shared starter, is the duet platter of wild alder-planked salmon and Dungeness crab cakes.
I first discovered Chinook's when seeking an easily accessible place to buy fresh whole salmon for grilling. As a working port, Fishermen's Terminal is an excellent way to snag seafood straight off the boats, and you'll meet plenty of fishing folks when lingering for a bowl of chowder at Chinook's. A big plus for football fans is the Chinooks Dawg Boat that offers rides straight to Husky Stadium at my alma mater, the University of Washington. You can feast your way through Chinook's seafood, then cruise straight to the big game with no worries about traffic and parking.