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Vegan Seattle Travel: Emerald City is awash with vegan options and tasty treats. Check out these highlights from No Bones Beach Club, Drizzle & Shine, Plum Bistro, Chaco Canyon Cafe and more.
In the weeks leading up to our Seattle getaway, David and I put ourselves in a Washington state of mind by watching Frasier. Seeing the Space Needle from Frasier’s balcony and rain beating against his window whetted our palates (and wetted their umbrellas) for the adventure to come.
(It also reminded me of why I had SUCH a crush on Niles when I was in high school. Smart and funny has always been my type.)
So after weeks of 20-minute episodes, it was time to see the Emerald City for ourselves. We hadn’t been there since our one-year wedding anniversary back in ’07.
(My wedding anniversary with David, not Niles. That love affair wasn’t meant to be. Alas.)
Vegan Seattle
After an outgoing flight in the wee hours of morning and a long layover with LAX airport food, we touched down in Seattle in the early afternoon. We picked up a rental car and headed to lunch.
(Tip: Did you know that if you get your rental car away from the airport in Seattle the taxes/fees are significantly lower? We saved $200 on our rental car by taking a short cab ride and getting it off site. Your results may vary, but it’s worth checking out.)
Chaco Canyon Organic Café
I checked out the Happy Cow app, and one of the closest lunch options was the west location of Chaco Canyon Café. I’d read about Chaco Canyon on many vegan Seattle sites & blogs. So I had high hopes for our visit.
Since we arrived after the normal lunch hour, we had the place mostly to ourselves. We ordered at the counter and found a table in their large dining area.
I ordered the reuben (surprise, surprise). They call it the Mighty Mofo. In addition to being topped with the usual suspects – seitan and sauerkraut – it also had sprouts and crisp cucumber.
Those touches gave the sandwich a freshness and crunch that is not always found in a reuben. Especially on a summer day, it really lightened up this comfort food.
(I liked it so much, it made my list of 10 best vegan reuben sandwiches.)
David ordered the Quinoa, Yam, and Kale Bowl. The roasted yams were a highlight, but what really took the bowl to another level was the garlicky tahini sauce on top.
Before we left I picked up one of the mini bottles of hot sauce they had for sale from a local vendor. Because when you put miniature things together with hot sauce, I really have no other choice than to take it home with me.
Next, we headed to our AirBnb, which was actually about a half hour outside of Seattle in Issaquah. (It was conveniently located for the Twin Peaks Festival.)
Plum Bistro
The next day I had plans to meet up at Plum Bistro with a long-time reader and fellow blogger, Mae.
She is working on starting an animal sanctuary in Washington. She reached out to me about getting together to tell me more about her exciting vision.
Very thoughtfully, she also brought me gifts of homemade chickpea salad and sauerkraut! Does she know my proclivities or what?
Plum is on the fancier end of the dining spectrum. It’s an intimate dining space with large windows along one wall. It was during a very busy lunch rush, and so we grabbed a couple of stools at the bar.
Small world story: While Mae and I were sitting at the bar and deciding on our order, a couple of other bloggers came up to say hi.
Jacks & Nick used to live in Iowa, but we had never met even though we blogged about a lot of the same places. Then they moved to Virginia a while back, and I figured my chances of running into them had passed.
Now they just happened to be in Seattle on vacation and at Plum at the same time! What are the odds? It was so great and fortuitous to finally meet them.
About that time our meals arrived. You’re never going to believe this, but… I ordered the reuben.
The reuben is only on Plum’s weekday lunch menu. It’s topped with a tofu pastrami, pickled cabbage, and thousand island dressing. I especially liked the layering of melted vegan cheese inside. On the side, a mixed green salad with lemon vinaigrette.
(I put this sandwich on my list of 10 vegan reubens you don’t want to miss!)
Mae ordered the Chipotle Grill. It typically comes as a sandwich, but there’s the option to order any of their sandwiches as a salad instead for a couple dollars more.
She said that the tempeh was perfect and reminiscent of teriyaki. She told me that the chipotle sauce was delicious as well, and the arugula and chives added a really nice flavor.
Drizzle & Shine
After lunch, Mae and I headed to nearby Drizzle and Shine, a vegan clothing and accessory store. They have clothes for women and men, shoes, and jewelry.
Owner Jean White was working when we were there. She was very friendly and happy to tell us about her store. (She was also kind enough to take the photo of me with Mae above.)
Drizzle and Shine is such a cute space and definitely somewhere I’d recommend visiting if you’re in the market for pretty things.
Sugar Plum
With that, I said goodbye to Mae and walked around the Capitol Hill area. In addition to shops and restaurants, there’s a small vegan ice cream shop, Sugar Plum. As you might have guessed, it’s part of the Plum chain.
I was still pretty full from lunch, but there’s always room for ice cream, right?
I went with vanilla soft serve in a sugar cone. The bar for vegan ice cream is pretty high these days. It’s hard to beat Ben & Jerry’s PB & Cookies or So Delicious’ Snickerdoodle. But the soft serve was a pleasant treat while walking around the neighborhood on a sunny summer day.
After that, I met up with long-time blogging friend, Richa, at her house. Richa made us tangy mango & basil drinks. We chatted for a while about blog stuff and things to see and do in Seattle. Sadly, we forgot to take a picture!
No Bones Beach Club
Then it was time to head to No Bones Beach Club to meet up with Sarah from Fried Dandelions.
Sarah and I have been blogging friends for years and years. She was even in a video series I put together back in 2013. But this was our first time meeting in person.
Sarah highly recommended No Bones Beach Club.
No Bones started as a food truck and is now an adorable vegan restaurant and bar with a tiki theme. How fun is that? They just recently celebrated their 6-month anniversary of being open.
With food photos in mind, Sarah had already grabbed a seat by the window by the time I’d gotten there. (That’s some good blogging mojo.) She’d also already put in an order for nachos. (That’s just good sense.)
These nachos were massive. They were covered in a cashew cheese sauce that very much reminded me of the cashew queso I make at home.
They were also smothered with black bean and corn salsa, a charred tomato salsa, and a drizzling of cilantro crema.
Because Sarah is friends with the owner, they also brought us an appetizer on the house of smoked golden beet poke.
Typical poke is made with raw fish, but this plant-based version is made with roasted local beets. It’s served cold along with avocado, toasted macadamia nuts, and sprouts. On the side, rice crisps to use as a delivery system.
For my main course, I ordered a reuben. No, I kid. I kid.
I got the jackfruit flautas. These crisp tortilla rolls were filled with spicy jackfruit, fire roasted chiles, and Chao cheese. Then they were covered in tomatillo avocado salsa and cashew cream.
It had been so long since I’d had fried flautas, and they were ridiculously good.
By this point we were well past full, but we couldn’t leave without dessert. So we shared these fried bananas with coconut ice cream and whip.
With a very full belly, it was time to head back to Issaquah for the night.
Mae says
Sugar Plum and No Bones are still on my “must visit” list! Your pictures make me want to go even more now… Thanks again for meeting up with me! Glad you made it home safe 🙂
Cadry says
I’m so glad you asked! It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. I look forward to seeing what’s next for Cupid’s Landing. 😀
Trinity Bourne says
Oh my goodness – I am headed to Seattle in October and you’ve got me beyond excited now!!!
Thanks for pulling all this together and sharing your journey with us. I’m going to pin this in my vegan travel folder so that I can pull it up in a flash right before I go.
Love
x
Cadry says
Oh, you’re going to have the best time! I didn’t get to spend as much time in Seattle as I’d hoped. (I basically had a day and a half.) I would love to go back and do more in depth exploring. It is such a beautiful place.
Susan says
Oh, Seattle! My love! My heart!
No Bones and Sugar Plum are new since my last visit, but I am definitely planning on getting to know them at my next visit! Also Drizzle and Shine. I met Jean last year at VVC and in Seattle and am really excited to visit her shop!
I can’t wait to see the rest of your Seattle adventures. I wish I could be there!
Cadry says
I can definitely see why you are so enamored with Seattle. Not only does it have loads of vegan restaurants and stores, the scenery is breathtaking. That’s very cool that you met Jean at VVC last year. I didn’t realize she was there. I would have mentioned it when we chatted at her shop. I hope you’re able to return to Seattle soon!
Becky Striepe says
Oh man, this post makes me feel like I need to get over to Seattle, ASAP! It has been way too long, and there is so much that I need to eat there!
Cadry says
You really do, Becky! On my first and only other trip to Seattle, I thought it was nice, but I wasn’t blown away. I don’t know if my expectations were misplaced, or if I was so used to Los Angeles and San Francisco that mountains and oceans didn’t wow me in the same way. But this time I thought, “What was I thinking? This place is STUNNING.” I’d love to go back again and spend more time exploring.
Jackie says
It was so crazy running into you! I love when fun things like that happen. Your pictures are making my mouth water, and making me want to go back to Seattle RIGHT NOW! Although, my brand new niece could be a part of that feeling, too! 😉
Cadry says
So crazy! Seriously, what are the chances that we’d live in the same state, never run into each other, and then when we’re both on the opposite coast from where you live, we finally meet? I’m so glad you both came up and said hi. It was so fun to finally meet in person! Congratulations on your new niece!! I hope you’re able to go back again and see her before too long.
Melanie says
It’s been too long since I’ve been in Seattle, I’ve never tried any of those places! High time for another road trip, obviously – those nachos!
Cadry says
It looks like new things are popping up there all the time! I think veganism has truly hit its tipping point in Seattle. A road trip sounds like an excellent idea!
KZ says
Wow I really can’t wait to visit Seattle! Looks like a great place to be vegan <3
Cadry says
Absolutely! They’ve got a great vegan scene.
Bianca says
Oh my! I need to get back to Seattle! So many new places since I was there last March (2015)! I LOVE Plum Bistro (their vegan mac is my fave anywhere —- and just like you have to order the reuben everywhere, I have to order the mac!). 🙂 Love all the blogger meetups! Can’t wait to see what else you ate.
Cadry says
I was really impressed with how many new places they had popping up in recent history, in addition to the standards that have been around for a while. If the reuben wasn’t so filling, it would have been fun to try the mac & cheese too at Plum. I’ve heard lots of good things. It was so fun to meet up with blogging buddies; although, I wasn’t even able to see everyone I would have liked. There are lots of cool people in the Seattle area! All the more reason to go back again. 🙂
Mandy says
I am drooling over all of these food pics!! Especially those nachos! Oh, my! How fun that you got to meet up with so many amazing people – sounds like you had a great trip. We’ve been itching to take another road trip up to WA and I’ll definitely refer back to this post when it comes time to eat 🙂 Oh, and Drizzle & Shine sounds super cool!
p.s. – Frasier is the BEST show, ever!
Cadry says
Seattle is a wealth of good food, good people, and amazing sights! I hope you’re able to work in a road trip sometime soon. I can’t wait to make a return visit someday too!
P.S. I totally agree on Frasier! Not all shows from that time period hold up. However, it stands the test of time incredibly well. The characters feel like well-rounded humans who are flawed in the most endearing ways. It’s such a cozy show to re-watch.
Jean White says
Thanks for including Drizzle & Shine in your Seattle write-up! It was great to meet you and Mae and I’m happy you liked the store. You visited all my favorite places in Seattle! Glad you had a good visit!
Cadry says
It was wonderful meeting you and seeing your beautiful shop! I’m glad to hear that I visited your favorite places in Seattle. That’s a very good sign. 🙂
Shell says
Cad, I can’t believe all of the delicious food and great people! Also, I think I recall you loving little bottles of hot sauce from Louisiana way back in the 1980s. 🙂
Cadry says
That’s what started my love affair! I remember coveting those tiny bottles of hot sauce… You know, like a totally normal sixth grader. 😉
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition says
I have always wanted to visit Seattle – so glad you’ve done a post so I know where to go!
We always try to watch a movie or tv show that is set in the place we’re visiting too! It really does make the time before your travels fun!
Those rubens looks incredible! I need to check those out! And it’s so wonderful meeting blogging friends. I have yet to meet any of my blogging buddies but can’t wait to get the chance.
Cadry says
Oh, I hope you’re able to get to Seattle. I was really blown away by the beauty, and of course, the excellent vegan options.
That’s awesome that you watch TV shows & movies about places where you travel too. It’s really fun as a way to whet your palate for the trip, and then once you’ve arrived, to walk around in your characters’ world. 🙂
Laloofah says
Oh man, I’m just finding out you were literally just down the road from us and I missed any possibility of getting to meet you?!? Teach me to not keep up with your blog!? I know in reality it wouldn’t have worked out – your visit brief, your dance card full, our lives consumed with the care of our ailing dog and inability to venture even the paltry distance to Seattle (we’ve only made it there once since moving here a year ago, so you’ve probably seen – and definitely eaten at – more of it than we have!)… but here’s hoping for future opportunities that come sooner than every 9 years!? A very Happy Belated Anniversary to you and David! So glad you got to celebrate it in such a wonderful place with such delightful friends and delicious food!????
Cadry says
Oh, no! I’m so bummed that I missed the chance to see you! I didn’t know/forgot that you were close to Seattle. I know that you moved a while back, but in my mind, you were still somewhere in Wyoming. I would have loved finally meeting you in person after all of these years! I adored Seattle, and so with any luck, it won’t be another 9 years before we’re back again. Hopefully next time it will work out!