International District

 

Entertainment, Arts, & Events

 

Art Spaces

 

Theaters

 

Venues

 

Misc.

 

 Goods & Services

 

Arts & Crafts

 

Bars

 

Bicycle Shops

 

Books, Newsstands, & Comics

 

Grocery

 

Van's Produce-

913 S. Jackson Street/206.652.8495

Located in a warehouse, the doors are opened and produce is rolled up. It's a cool urban set up. The prices are cheap and the selection includes a lot of things you won’t find in most grocery stores.

Open 9am-7pm everyday.

 

Hau Hau Market- 412 12th Ave S between Jackson and King/206.329.1688// This super market has a bunch of its selection outside but once you venture in you find a whole world of amazing products. The lay out has something of a retro quality to it, making it a cool spot to check out.

Open 9am – 8:30pm everyday.

 

Hardware

 

Health & Safety

 

Restaurants & Cafes

 

 

Shanghai Garden- 524 6th Ave S/206.625.1689// You have been doing yourself an incredible disservice, nay an injustice if you have  not experienced eating hand-shaved noodles. Unlike their mundane machine processed counterparts-- hand-shaved noodles are cut from a block of dough as they are cooked and are denser, chewier, and much more flavorful than their homely and homogenous pasta siblings. Shanghai Garden offers a number of these tasty hand-shaved noodle dishes, delicious bean-curd sheet rolls, many veggie options-- all free of MSG.

 

 

Saigon Deli- 1237 S Jackson St Suite E but the building faces 12th/206.322.3700// Get your $2.50 sandwiches here.  If you want it vegan, ask for "no mayo." These are amazing tofu sandwiches you cannot forget to get these tasty treats. Open everyday 7am-7pm.

 

Ambrosia- 619 King St/206.623.9028// If you like bubble tea or just cool drinks, this place is great. Everything is cheap and tastes great, and it's a nice place to relax for a bit. Open Monday-Thursday 11am–8pm, Friday–Saturday 11am–10pm, Sunday 11am-8pm.

  

 

Szechuan Noodle Bowl- 420 Eighth Ave S/206.623.4198// Despite a small menu with only a couple veggie options-- Szechuan Noodle Bowl should not be overlooked. Fresh handmade noodles and dumplings are made on site. For many years I have been more than happy to order the same two veggie dishes (Cold Sesame Noodles w/ Vegetables and Veggie Dumplings in Spicy Sauce) over and over again. Super cheap (a bowl of 10 dumplings is $5) and made with l-u-v, love-- people who think Chinese food is "Sweet N' Sour _____" should open their palates and hearts to the wonders of the Szechuan Noodle Bowl's homemade goodness. Open Tuesday-Sunday 11:30am-9pm.

 

Panama Hotel Tea & Coffee- 605 1/2 S Main St/206.515.4000 /panamahotel.net// Once home to immigrants and sojourners working Seattle's waterfront, the Panama Hotel is a cafe housed inside the history of the local Japanese community. With photos, articles, and artifacts of a community that thrived prior to the injustice of domestic internment--the Hotel offers a look into a past that is often overlooked. The cafe also has espresso and many high quality teas. The teas are really amazing. They have a very wide variety of green teas, you have to try them.

  

Record Stores

 

Thrift & Clothing

 

Public Spaces

 

Danny Woo Community Garden- 620 South Main Street// Built by volunteers in 1975, the Danny Woo Community Garden has been a model for many of the community P-Patches spread throughout our city. The most bio-diverse area in the entirety of Seattle's downtown corridor, the garden is tended primarily by elderly, low-income residents of Seattle's International District. Garden geeks should come often to see the diversity of native flowers and vegetables brought to the garden by the ID's immigrant communities. In addition to plentiful cherries in the summer, the garden also hosts epic views of the Sound, Beacon Hill, and the ID itself.

 

Hing Hay Park- corner of S. King Street & Maynard Avenue S.// Most of the time High Hay Park seems little more than a meeting ground for pigeons and their sympathizers. But if you arrive in the ID early in the morning you might see elderly immigrants going through a Tai-Chi form or on Lunar calendar holidays witness a Kung-Fu demonstration from rival schools of Hung Gar and Mak Fai Lion dances, Filipino pageant princesses, impromptu street theater and many other performances manifest themselves on this humble concrete corner.