Food Specials

Your Guide to Tomato Season in Seattle: Summer 2024 Edition

Salads, Soba Noodles, and More
August 13, 2024
|
Like
Sip a glass of wine on the patio and dive into a vibrant tomato salad at Light Sleeper. (Baka Seattle via Instagram)
In the words of a viral 2019 tweet from writer Sarah Lazarus: "Every day we have to wake up, confront the most upsetting shit we’ve ever seen, and then walk around obeying laws and saying 'it’s tomato season.'" That being said...it's tomato season. Glorious, juicy red orbs are everywhere you look, and we highly recommend taking full advantage during their limited run. Here, we've gathered some options worth your time, from burgers and bagels to soba noodles and salads. For more inspiration, check out our food and drink guide.


Backyard Bagel List
How do you improve upon the simple perfection of a bagel with cream cheese? Add a slab of juicy heirloom tomato and slices of crisp cucumber. Aaron and Emily Emas' pop-up-turned-bagel shop Backyard Bagel, which started out as a pandemic baking hobby and debuted its first brick-and-mortar in Fremont last month, is currently serving the "Golden Gardens" special, which features the aforementioned divine combination, topped off with a drizzle of olive oil and house Mediterranean seasoning to further gild the lily.
Fremont

How to Cook a Wolf
The Queen Anne location of Ethan Stowell's popular Italian restaurant named in tribute to the legendary cookbook author M.F.K. Fisher is taking full advantage of tomato season with its seasonal burrata dish, comprised of blistered cherry tomatoes, fresh cherries, panzanella, and basil.
Queen Anne

Itsumono List
Chinatown's ever-inventive gastropub, inspired by the Japanese concept of "mukokuseki" (a lack of distinct nationality or ethnicity), takes its cues from the classic Peruvian dish lomo saltado and Japanese donburi to present the mashup "lomo salta-don," a savory, satisfying rice bowl layered with Mishima wagyu petit filet, French fries, heirloom tomatoes, and aji amarillo. The dish is a weekly special, available for a limited time while supplies last.
Chinatown-International District

Kamonegi List
Chef Mutsuko Soma's pint-sized spot Kamonegi has racked up national accolades (including James Beard nominations) for its tempura and handmade soba noodles, which Soma painstakingly makes from scratch using Washington buckwheat. The bukkake noodles (chilled noodles in a cold broth) are particularly welcome on a hot summer afternoon—the kimchi tomato variation with beefsteak tomatoes, burrata, ramps, and house-made chili oil is ideal for tomato season.
Fremont

Light Sleeper List
This natural wine bar tucked inside Chophouse Row is serving up tomato salads (heirloom tomatoes, watermelon, mascarpone, fermented Sungold cherry tomatoes, sunflower seed chili crisp, and herbs) and tomato toast (grilled Ben's Bread sourdough, dan dan sauce, heirloom tomatoes, fried garlic, and herbs) that are as refreshing as they are photogenic.
Capitol Hill

Mioposto
The wood-fired pizzeria chain, which recently announced it's opening an Eastlake location early next year List , is going all out for summer with a caprese salad (heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and Corto extra virgin olive oil) and a "capriccio" plate (heirloom tomato, fresh mozzarella, pancetta, red onion, basil, and Corto extra virgin olive oil).
Various locations

Red Arrow Coffee List
Brimmer & Heeltap List 's charming coffee shop sibling offers a seasonal heirloom tomato toast heaped with caramelized onion and bacon jam, basil aioli, and pistachios.
Ballard

Slab Sandwiches List
Nothing beats a BLT, and Slab's take on the classic is loaded up with crisp bacon, crunchy romaine, smoked aioli, and heirloom tomatoes on thick Texas toast, available through the end of the week.
Capitol Hill

The Whale Wins List
Each year, James Beard Award-winning chef Renee Erickson's Wallingford restaurant The Whale Wins prominently features producer Billy Allstot's exquisite tomatoes, and this summer is no different. This time, they've introduced a new summer version of their signature Whale burger, complete with creamy aioli, a big slice of heirloom tomato, and a side of potato chips. The burger is available during the restaurant's "Whale Call" happy hour (Friday through Monday, 3-5 pm, and Tuesday through Thursday, 4-5 pm) and during dinner service on Sunday nights.
Wallingford

Report This

Please use this form to let us know about anything that violates our Terms of Use or is otherwise no good.
Thanks for helping us keep EverOut a nice place.

Please include links to specific policy violations if relevant.

optional
Say something about this item. If you add it to multiple lists, the note will be added to all lists. You can always change it later!

Gotta catch 'em all?
Click below to be reminded about every instance of this event. (You can turn this off anytime of course.)
Remind Me