The 12s Football Fans Flock to Fresh Food and Sailgating in Seattle

The NFL’s Pacific Northwest city specializes in seafood with international flavors.

As a steady stream of 68,000 blue-clad Seattle Seahawks fans fill Lumen Field, they don’t do so hungry. Whether fans make a stop in nearby Pioneer Square or the Chinatown-International District, decide to hit a local restaurant opening shop on the stadium’s concourse or enjoy an experience in the greater Seattle area, they'll find fresh, seasonal ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. The waters of the Puget Sound serve as inspiration.

“Seattle football fans really enjoy a great meal, no matter where they are,” says Shubert Ho, CEO of Feedme Hospitality & Restaurant Group, which owns Bar Dojo, one of the most popular Seattle-area restaurants to offer up cuisine inside Lumen Field stadium. “Given its population size and plentiful natural resources from mountain to sea, our area is likely the most underrated culinary destination in the nation. I feel that the fans are always looking for bold flavors to satisfy their taste buds while keeping with the PNW outdoor lifestyles of balance and healthy options.”

Stadium food at Lumen Field

Bar Dojo is known for its birria ramen, poke nachos, and steamed xiao long bao. Ho says they evolved those offerings to be unique and easy to eat in a stadium environment for the Lumen Field outpost. That meant the birria ramen, a mashup of the Chino Latino cuisine that Bar Dojo serves, which is ideal for cold weather. The warming bowl features spicy Mexican-style braised beef soup over Japanese-style ramen noodles.

Ho says that Seattle is experiencing a renaissance of teriyaki and dumpling dishes, so the restaurant has incorporated local dumpling partner MìLà into the pork xiao long bao that also features soy chili oil and scallions. “Growing up with Taiwanese American heritage, I so frequently ate XLB, and it’s incredible to see a dish like this go prime time,” Ho says. “I call it the ‘chicken wings’ of dumplings.” 

Where to eat near Lumen Field

A hefty portion of Seahawks fans dine in the Pioneer Square or Chinatown-International District neighborhoods prior to the game thanks to the walkable locations.

Find Taylor Shellfish Farms' oyster bar steps from the stadium in Pioneer Square. The nation’s largest aquaculture shellfish farm has been farming shellfish off the Washington coast since 1890 through five generations of family. Expect to see platters of “oysters getting shucked in the fast-paced and high-energy setting,” says Jada Pearson, the marketing manager for the farms.

The oyster bar's Salish Sampler is a popular game day choice, with a shuckers dozen, prawns, geoduck sashimi, a half Dungeness crab, and a tin of the farms’ Ekone smoked oysters and accoutrements. “It’s all about the perfect blend of history, charm, and the unbeatable Seattle energy,” Pearson says about the locale, which also serves up oyster or shrimp po'boys, baked oysters, hot clam steamers, and bloody Marys aplenty on game days.

For those traveling through the Chinatown-International District, don’t miss the Uwajimaya Asian Market. Sure, there’s a 35,000-square-foot grocer, but it’s the food hall that attracts fans needing a bite from more than 10 stalls.

Where to eat in Seattle

Seattle’s hillside overlooking Elliott Bay above Pike Place Market features Aerlume. Born from an idea grown on a Walla Walla farm, a rotating mix of seasonal ingredients sparks the rotating menu served to diners at the indoor fire table.

To strike a full-blown tasting menu experience, 84 Yesler in Pioneer Square features a five-course tasting menu paired with five wines. It's updated every 10 days with new seasonal ingredients, so football fans can have a new experience each time they visit. If you’re in a hurry, the a la carte menu still comes full of Northwest seafood.

At the Purple Café and Wine Bar, the 120-bottle wine list is stocked in a visually striking tower. The downtown Seattle location originated in nearby Woodinville in 2001 debuting this location in 2022.

No true Seattle stop is complete without a visit to Pike Place Market. Take it all in yourself, from cheering for fish tosses to watching fresh curd making across the street at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. If you want a tailored experience, take the Eat Seattle Tours guided food or coffee tour through the market or choose Atrium Kitchen for a tour filled with history followed by an interactive cooking class.

If you’re in town to double dip on football — combining the Washington Huskies of the NCAA and the NFL Seahawks — no football culinary experience quite matches the tradition of sailgating since Husky Stadium is located on the shore of Lake Washington. If you don’t have your own boat, sign up for a UW Dawg Boat ride and grab some food to go at Chinook’s at Salmon Bay. If you do find a friend with a boat, enjoy dockside takeout thanks to Bowriders Grill.

When experiencing PNW cuisine in Seattle, you’ll never be far from seafood, whether inside Lumen Field, overlooking Elliott Bay at Pike Place Market, or sailgating at Husky Stadium.