There’s no shortage of trendy spots to visit in Capitol Hill. After all, it’s one of Seattle’s most densely populated residential areas. With an eccentric and LGBTQ+ friendly vibe, vibrant nightlife, creative art scene, and ever-growing number of dining options, it’s impossible to be bored in Cap Hill.
In an effort to shine a light on Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, I’ve come up with a list of the trendiest spots to visit. If you want to see and be seen, find good food and drinks, and get your shopping on, it doesn’t get better than Capitol Hill.
20 Trendy Spots to Visit in Capitol Hill
Save this to Pinterest for later, as I’ll update this list of the trendiest spots in Capitol Hill as I discover more of them!
Melrose Market
website | get directions | best for: eating and shopping
Capitol Hill is known for its youthful energy and being home to many of Seattle’s best gift shops. Melrose is one of my personal favorites for its diverse storefronts and historic architecture. Inside you’ll find a collection of restaurants, shops, and bars worthy of a stop.
Don’t miss Rain Shadow Meats for some locally-raised beef and Marseille for a bottle of wine. After you get your fill shopping, stop for a cocktail and some of the best oysters in Seattle at Taylor Shellfish. These three spots will give you a taste of all the best local food products Washington has to offer.
Glasswing
website | get directions | best for: super hip clothing & home decor
Attached to Melrose Market is one of my personal favorite shops, Glasswing. It’s part clothing store, part home decor, and it even has an in-house gallery and plant shop.
You can preorder floral arrangements or just pop in for a breath of fresh air while pursuing their selection of modern and minimalist clothes.
Chophouse Row
website | get directions | best for: eating and shopping
Chophouse Row is another market similar to Melrose, but with apartment buildings on all sides so it feels like a hidden alley. It’s located behind the vegan restaurant Plum Bistro and La Spiga, one of the best Italian restaurants in Seattle. You can easily access all the shops by walking through the cute pedestrian alleyway off 11th Ave.
The first floor is dedicated to businesses like Light Sleeper and La Dispensa, La Spiga’s perfect one-stop shop for making your own authentic Italian charcuterie at home. You’ll also find Butter Home, a great gift shop that used to be in Melrose but then moved to this equally trendy spot in Capitol Hill.
There’s also a small dog daycare, a cafe, a wine bar and shop… basically, anything you’d need for a day of treating yourself you can find at Chophouse Row. So it’s a must-stop on this list of trendy spots to visit in Capitol Hill.
Tavern Law / Needle & Thread
website | get directions | best for: cocktails and a hidden speakeasy
Tavern Law is an upscale bar serving high-end vintage cocktails alongside “seasonal comfort food,” which, if you ask me, is the only way to do comfort food. Chef Emily Young focuses on creating delicious bites with Pacific Northwest ingredients to pair with the wide selection of libations.
Walk-ins are welcome at Tavern Law, but you’ll need a reservation for a cocktail at their hidden speakeasy bar, Needle & Thread. The speakeasy doesn’t have a cocktail menu, but the staff is incredibly knowledgeable and can make you a drink you didn’t even know you were looking for.
Oddfellows Cafe
website | get directions | best for: a hip cafe in a historic building
Down the street from the famous Elliott Bay Book Company is Oddfellows, one of my favorite Insta-worthy restaurants. They specialize in classic American fare with subtle European influence. Alongside the seasonally-driven menu is a lengthy selection of natural wines and craft cocktails.
If you plan ahead and the weather is nice, try to secure a table in their picturesque alleyway patio. It’s decorated with string lights and surrounded on all sides by greenery and brick buildings, giving you a secluded and far away feeling from the lively Capitol Hill scene.
Cal Anderson Park
website | get directions | best for: picnics in the park & daytime fun
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like to play bike quidditch, you’ll get to find out all about it when you stroll through Cal Anderson Park. It’s the park that helped put Capitol Hill on the map as one of Seattle’s coolest neighborhoods.
As for things to do, the park is equipped with a small playground, play fields, courts, and a shelter house you can rent out for get-togethers. Since it’s just a 3-minute walk from Chophouse, I like to grab a drink at Light Sleeper wine bar, then do a couple of laps around the park to walk it off.
Volunteer Park Cafe
website | get directions | best for: expertly crafted cafe food
Volunteer Park Cafe is a cozy, bright cafe serving freshly baked goods alongside coffee and a small selection of basic groceries. It’s one of my favorite spots in Seattle for breakfast because it puts you within walking distance of Volunteer Park. When you visit the park, be sure to check out the Volunteer Park Conservatory and the infamous Bruce Lee gravesite.
Boat Bar / Bateau / General Porpoise
Boat Bar (get directions) | Bateau (get directions) | General Porpoise (get directions) | best for: seafood, steak, and doughnuts all in one
If you’re a fan of James Beard-winning chef Renee Erickson, then you can’t do better than visiting three of her locations in one go. Boat Bar (formerly Bar Melusine), Bateau, and General Porpoise all offer a little bit of everything and absolutely stunning interiors.
Boat Bar is seafood-centric and has some of the best seafood in Seattle, whereas Bateau is is one of Seattle’s best steakhouses with an exceptional meat-focused tasting menu. Whichever spot you pick, you’ll want to end on a sweet note with the ever-changing doughnut selection at General Porpoise.
Nuemos
website | get directions | best for: live music
Nuemos is a midsize music venue catering to the eclectic indie bands no one’s heard of. Ok it’s not all indie, since they have country and hip-hop performers as well, but this is where I used to go when I was a music snob in my early 20s. So obviously this is one of the most trendy spots to visit in Capitol Hill.
There’s a mezzanine and three bars, so it gets pretty jam-packed for the bigger events. It’s also standing room only with a few seats along the edges, so be prepared to squeeze your way through the crowds and use a little muscle!
Linda’s Bar
website | get directions | best for: a hipster dive bar
Linda’s may try to look rough and tough on the outside, but on the inside it’s all cool kids sipping on whiskey and eating ranch hand nachos or their infamous burger. I like that it has a dive bar vibe without the dive bar food or sticky countertops.
Service is always great, and I especially enjoy swinging by for their weekend brunch of fried chicken and waffles. They also have a solid late night snack menu from 10 PM – 11 PM with finger foods like chicken wings and mozzarella sticks.
Also, supposedly this is the last place Kurt Kobain was seen alive. It doesn’t get more trendier than that!
The Garage
website | get directions | best for: an elevated bowling experience
The Garage is a personal fave date night activity in Seattle for me since I love bowling and can never resist a good 21+ retro bar. They also have billiards, ping pong, a sports bar with big screen TVs, and a solid list of bar grub they’ll deliver right to your bowling lane.
If you’re planning a group event, The Garage is one of the most trendy spots to visit in Capitol Hill since there’s plenty of room to spread out. There are also multiple bars to order from, so you don’t often have to wait in too long of a line.
Stateside / Foreign National
website | get directions | best for: hip Vietnamese food and drinks
Stateside is one of the cutest restaurants in Seattle for its vibrant color scheme and lively atmosphere. In fact, their Instagram account first got me in the door, but the food kept me coming back.
The menu is like an upscale, hipster take on traditional Vietnamese. I’m addicted to their duck spring rolls and chili cumin pork ribs.
I like to pop into Stateside for dinner, then end with a fancy cocktail at their bar next door, Foreign National. It’s equally as Instagrammable with a contrasting moody and intimate vibe.
Canon
website | get directions | best for: cocktail bar for the aficionado
Canon is one of my favorite cocktail spots in Seattle and makes an excellent nightcap for a trip to Seattle. It’s an award-winning cocktail bar with an extensive whiskey library. Their website states they have the “America’s largest spirits collection,” which is kind of hard to miss since it covers most of the walls.
I always go for the Campfire in Georgia cocktail, encased in a box of smoke, making for a full-on show. They also have a fun food menu with a little bit of everything, like pork belly buns, rabbit, and salmon tartare. Each dish is well executed, and the bartender is always happy to recommend a good cocktail pairing.
Di Fiora
website | get directions | best for: Asian fusion
Di Flora is another one of the most trendy spots to visit in Capitol Hill thanks to its youthful, clubby vibe and thoughtful Asian-fusion menu. It can be easy to get distracted between the funky wallpaper, art, greenery, and lanterns. Luckily the food matches the restaurant in its intensity. With edible flowers decorating the plates and beautiful cocktails, each dish is on point and provides a full sensory experience.
Frankie & Jo’s
website | get directions | best for: vegan ice cream
If the sign didn’t tell you, you’d swear this was just a regular — albeit adorable — ice cream shop in Seattle. In reality, the entire facility is completely plant-based, with cashew milk and gum-free coconut milk as the base for their decadent ice creams.
Pro tip: While we’re on the subject of ice cream, Molly Moon’s is another homemade ice cream shop that’s just down the street. It’s not vegan, but it’s made with hormone-free dairy and has a gorgeous staircase perfect for posting on the ‘gram. I prefer Frankie & Jo’s, but this place put us on the map for artisanal ice cream so it’s a quintessential food spot in Seattle!
Liberty Bar
website | get directions | best for: sushi & craft cocktails
I’m a bit biased when it comes to the Liberty Bar because it’s where Dan and I had our first date. But honestly, I’d still be a regular even if the date ended horribly (spoiler: it didn’t!). Liberty is hands down one of the most trendy spots to visit in Capitol Hill that most tourists don’t know about.
Anyway, Liberty Bar is not only a great date night destination, but it’s also a fun locals-only joint with honest-to-goodness cocktail experts behind the bar making delicious concoctions. The menu also has creative sushi offerings that pair perfectly with the drinks.
Victrola Coffee
website | get directions | best for: coffee
Victrola is one of the best coffee shops in Seattle. Even though they have two locations in Capitol Hill, the one on Pike Street is still my favorite since it’s always bustling and lively.
This place is more than a coffee shop since you can actively see them roasting the beans. The staff is super knowledgeable and always happy to give you insight into the process.
Victrola may be my fave coffee shop, but it’s by no means the only place to get your buzz on from small-batch Seattle coffee roasters. For example, Analog and Porchlight are two equally trendy and upscale coffee shops.
Momiji
website | get directions | best for: late-night sushi
Near-ish the once famous (but recently purchased) Kedai Makan is Momiji, one of the best sushi restaurants in Seattle. I love it for the ambiance as much as for the sushi. It reminds me of Liberty in a way, with its half bar, half sushi restaurant vibe. It’s open during regular dinner hours, but the late night scene is when the space becomes especially trendy thanks to dim lighting and cool beats.
Rock Box
website | get directions | best for: karaoke
Everyone has an opinion of karaoke. Personally, I love it, but I have to be in the right mood and context. For example, I hate the actual singing part, especially if it’s in front of a big crowd. My go-to move is to seed unexpected songs on the playlist that get the group going, but that I don’t have to sing by myself. I mean, just try adding Frozen’s “Let It Go” onto your next karaoke queue and see what happens.
Rock Box meets all my karaoke needs because it specializes in Japanese karaoke specifically. This means each party gets its own room equipped with a microphone, tons of songs to choose from, and friendly servers who bounce between rooms to take your order.
Groups can be as small as two or as big as 40. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to sing a song at the bar all you have to do is ask, and the staff will get you all set up to rock and roll in front of the crowd.
MariPili
website | get directions | best for: authentic Spanish tapas
It took me a while to find an authentic Spanish tapas bar when I first moved to Seattle, but luckily MariPili has finally satisfied my craving. Located in the notorious late Cafe Presse building, this is a Galician tapas bar focused on authentic Spanish dishes served tapas style.
Some of their popular dishes include Spanish classics like paella, croquetas, and patatas bravas. Their drink menu is also worth noting since it features a whole section on just gin and tonics alongside a wine list of entirely Spanish and Washington wines.The vibe is sultry, yet not too romantic, so it’s one of the must-visit trendy spots to visit in Capitol Hill.
More to try in Seattle
After you make it through these trendy spots to visit in Capitol Hill, check out my other guides for exploring Seattle.
