Pizza, bagels, best date night spots and the unwritten rules of hot pot etiquette. Culinary luminaries J Kenji López-Alt and Rachel Belle covered a wide range of topics with Tan at Seattle Eats live event at Town Hall Seattle on November 10, 2025.

Recommendations in this episode:

Favorite bagel spot

• Hey Bagel - University Village
• Backyard bagel - Fremont
• Mt. Bagel - Madison Valley

Favorite sandwich

• Post Alley Pizza - Pike Place Market - try the hoagie with side of hoagie jazz
• Fortuna - Greenwood - mortadella sandwich
• Tivoli - Fremont - mortadella sandwich

Favorite pizza:

• Lupo - Fremont
• The Independent - Madison Park
• my friend derek’s - Tangletown
• AK Pizza - Othello
• Ben’s Bread - Phinney Ridge
• Windy City Pie - Phinney Ridge
• Sunny Hill - Ballard

Best date night spot:

• The Tin Hat (Taco Tuesday) - Phinney Ridge
• Hattie’s Hat - Ballard
• Sushi Kappo Tamura - Eastlake
• Serafina - Eastlake
• Canlis - Queen Anne

Favorite third place

• Open Form - Capitol Hill
• Olympia Pizza III - Capitol Hill
• Metropolitan Grill - Downtown Seattle
• Empire Roosters and Records - Columbia City
• Standard Brewing - Central District

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible:

• Become a member today at kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes
• Subscribe today at seattletimes.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our town was made for soup. The sooty dusks of December. The dampness of March. We dive into caldrons of smoking pho and ramen.

So, why not udon?

On today’s episode, Tan ventures out to find some of the best udon in Seattle. He visits Azuki in Madison Valley to learn about how Chef Ryuji Miyata makes his noodles by hand. Later, Tan recommends some more casual and budget-friendly udon places.

Read more about Tan’s udon picks.

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible:

• Become a member today at kuow.org/donate/seattleeatsnotes
• Subscribe today at seattletimes.com

Recommendations in this episode:

• Azuki, Madison Valley
• Marugame Udon, Tukwila
• U:Don, University District and Capitol Hill
• Onibaba, Chinatown International District

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s that time of year! Seattle Times food critic Tan Vinh is back with the best Costco wines you will want to buy for holiday dinner parties… or last minute gifts. Plus, Tan has pairings to go with the top three wines! Seattle Times politics reporter (and former French sous chef) David Gutman, joins Tan for an early morning wine tasting and review.

Read more about the top rated Costco wines of 2025 in The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/costco-wine-best-cheapest-bottles-rated-by-our-holiday-sommeliers/

Recommendations in this episode:

• NV Prosecco Rosé + Roy Thai, Phinney Ridge
• 2023 Gigondas + Meat Moot (take out!), SLU
• 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino + Stevie’s Famous Pizza

Seattle Eats is a production of The Seattle Times and KUOW, part of the NPR Network. You can support Seattle Eats by investing in the local newsrooms and the specialized beats that make this sort of storytelling possible. Support the show at kuow.org/eats and seattletimes.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.