The best things to happen in Seattle's food scene in 2021

Beyond the best new restaurants, best pop-ups and best bites, this year brought many less tangible trends and benefits to Seattle’s food scene.

Changes in culture, in conversation, and sometimes in actual laws improved the way people buy food, dine out and eat in. Here’s an overview of the best things that happened in Seattle’s food scene this year.

Soul food streamed back to the Central District

Two beloved community institutions found new homes at opposite sides of the intersection of 23^rd and Jackson.

Simply Soulful announced their planned move to bigger, better digs in the new Vulcan development, though delays have pushed that back and they are currently still in their location off Madison. Across the street on the northwest corner, Jackson’s Catfish Corner, opened by the grandson of the owners of the original Catfish Corner, started serving their fantastic fried fish on Juneteenth from the ground floor of the Patricia K. apartments.

Home-based businesses, parklets and cocktails to-go became semi-permanent

Many of the coolest temporary additions to the Seattle restaurant world during the pandemic received at least some legalization moving forward, even if the long-term future is still up in the air.

Yonder Cider in Greenwood led the battle for home-based businesses to be allowed, though the city council bill allows for reconsideration after one year. Takeout booze got two years, with to-go cocktails remaining on the table (or in the bag) until at least July 2023, thanks to the Washington State legislature. Seattle’s city council only extended the streamlined free outdoor dining permits for restaurants through May of 2022, but the bill is intended as a stopgap while an ongoing plan is made.

The New York Times named three Seattle restaurants among the 50 most exciting in the country

Seattle’s Communion, Paju, and Archipelago all made the New York Times’s list of the most exciting restaurants in the country – a great showing that tied it with San Francisco and Philadelphia for the city with the second most spots on the list (following New York City).

South Park got its own farmers market

The geographic isolation of South Park compounds the neighborhood’s struggles with food apartheid and lack of fresh, affordable food for the mostly Latinx area. El Mercadito began as a food distribution site, getting free produce and other supplies to those who needed it. This summer, the weekly Tuesday event expanded to also include the market, turning it into a gathering place for the neighborhood, supporting local entrepreneurs, and offering a dazzling array of meals and crafts from various cultures.

Pop-ups went permanent         

As restaurants around the city filled back up during the post-vaccination period of the pandemic, Seattle’s successful pop-ups began to put down more permanent roots.

Cookie’s Country Chicken found a home in Ballard, Situ Tacos took up residence in Jupiter Bar, and Ohsun Banchan is still in search of its final home. While part of the fun of pop-ups comes in the ephemeral nature, it’s also great to always know where to find a unique bite to eat.

Seattle became a tortilla town

Seattle got its first from-scratch tortilleria when Milpa Masa began nixtamalizing corn in West Seattle this spring, and then sped right into the second when Maiz opened its doors this fall in the heart of Pike Place Market. With freshly made masa becoming more widely available, Seattle might someday finally silence those pesky newcomers from Texas and California complaining about the city’s Mexican food.

Seattle stars shone on tasty TV

Two stalwarts of the Seattle restaurant scene took a star turn on food television this year, with Shota Nakajima, of Capitol Hill’s Taku, taking the fan favorite and runner-up spot for the title of Top Chef on the show’s 18^th season – and really becoming de facto champion after the winner was exposed as a sexual harasser. Nakajima promises that he has big plans for next year, so keep an eye out for his next move.

Meanwhile, Emme Ribiero Collins, a one-time competitor on "MasterChef" and the current executive chef for Seattle Public Schools, showed up on "Chopped" to destroy the competition in the “shakes and fries”-themed episode – and she did it while showing off her knowledge of Brazilian and Latin American food. Find her sharing more of that on her new YouTube channel, launching this weekend.

Suds and ciders combined forces

Yonder Cider and Bale Breaker Brewing realized that they could circumvent the rules against cider and beer sharing a tasting room by combining forces on a distillery that served all of their products, opening a beautiful Ballard space. The brilliant idea caught on fast with other folks looking for cool collaboration and a second cider and beer spot opened nearby just after: Pour Decisions, from Crucible Brewing and Soundbite Cider.