Secret Spots in Beacon Hill
Image: Jordan Kay
SOuth seattle’s high ground is known as Beacon Hill, and it’s known as one of the city’s tastiest neighborhoods. We found the spots with the best flavors, along with the liveliest place to play in Seattle.
Image: Jane Sherman
To Market
It’s Beacon Hill’s greatest comeback story: MacPherson’s Fruit and Produce reopened last spring at its crossroads location. A bonus: Opposite the open-air food mart’s signature emerald awnings and hand-drawn signs sits a lime green truck, Taqueria Cilantro Mexican Food, dishing tacos, quesadillas, tortas, and burritos with a whopping seven meat choices.
On the Bubble
Champagne tavern The Coupe & Flute might be locally owned, but the bubbly hails from much farther away. The glass list—old- and new-world pours from grower-producers around the globe—evolves every eight weeks, and the bar launched its version of a happy hour last year, a Tuesday-through-Sunday “cavi-hour” with deals on drinks and sides of black or golden caviar.
Green Thumbs Up
Securing a Seattle P-Patch community garden plot is akin to winning the lottery; the Beacon Food Forest presents an alternative model. Most of its lot is an open harvest, urban agriculture project, meaning anyone can test out foraging skills in the edible forest, or join a monthly work party to weed, build walls and paths, or prepare a community lunch. Look for a spring open house in May.
Novel Eats
The kitchen at Perihelion Brewery cuts its own rainbow ravioli for Pride Month, hand-twists Easter brunch cinnamon rolls, and freezes and dips each ice cream bar. The menu is ever-changing, too: A new take on fried chicken drops each Friday, and the owners actually listen to cake and ice cream requests. Well-behaved dogs are not only welcome on the patio—they’re encouraged.
Play On
Jefferson Park’s sprawling green space—one of the city’s largest—contains a multitude of activities. A lawn bowling club hosts lessons and tournaments on the park’s flat greens; the skatepark boasts downtown views, and a nature-forward play space includes a zip line and spray zone. The park excels at bringing costly sports to the people: There are reservable tennis courts and the city’s oldest public golf course.
Groceries by Foot
A seasonal pop-up Filipino market appears some Fridays and Saturdays on the sidewalk bordering the Seattle VA Medical Center. Under a row of white-capped tents, passersby can find prepared foods like pickles and lumpia alongside veggies and herbs. Look for the boxes of okra, eggplant, ginger, bitter melon, and chiles that make up the unofficial fresh market.
