Looking at Washington’s state data overall, the National Restaurant Association reports about 16,300 eating and drinking places in Washington state as of 2024.
Being the largest city, Seattle hosts a significant chunk of those. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Seattle proper accounts for roughly one-fifth to one-quarter of the state’s restaurant locations.
Business Licenses and City Data on Restaurants in Seattle
One way to count restaurants is by looking at official business registrations.
According to Seattle city records, there were over 4,000 active business licenses for food service businesses in Seattle as of early 2020.
This figure includes restaurants, caterers and other food-related businesses. In other words, roughly four thousand entities in the city had an active license to serve food at that time.
The city’s 4,000+ food-service licenses cover far more than sit-down restaurants — they include caterers, food contractors and even bars or breweries that serve food.
So while “4,000+” shows the scale of Seattle’s food industry, the number of places most people would recognize as actual restaurants is lower once you exclude things like caterers and wholesale bakeries.
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Restaurants in Seattle Listed Online (Google, TripAdvisor, etc.)
Another way to estimate the number of restaurants is to see how many are listed in popular directories or map services that people use to find food.
These sources often exclude businesses like caterers or institutional food services and focus on places regular folks go to eat or drink.
Google Business Profiles / Google Maps
A recent data scrape of Google listings counted 1,598 restaurants in the city of Seattle (as of January 23, 2025).
This likely includes eateries that identify as restaurants on Google – from upscale dining rooms to casual lunch spots. Interestingly, of those 1,598 restaurant listings, about 66.7% were independent businesses and ~33% were part of chains or larger brands.
This shows Seattle’s dining scene is dominated by local, single-location restaurants, with about one-third being franchise or chain outlets.
Coffee shops and cafés
Seattle is famous for its coffee culture, so how do coffee-centric spots factor in?
They might not all be labeled as “restaurants” on Google. In that same dataset, there were an additional 755 coffee shops in Seattle (as of early 2025).
These would be places like Starbucks, local cafés and tea shops.
Many of these serve food (pastries, light bites), but some lists count them separately.
If we add those to the restaurants count, we get over 2,300 eateries when combining restaurants and coffee shops listed online.
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Fast food and quick-service
What about the burger joints and taco stands? A separate tally for fast food restaurants in Seattle came up with 408 fast-food restaurants as of January 2025.
This category overlaps a bit with the general “restaurants” count, but it specifically highlights the quick-service spots (and indeed most of these – about 79% – are part of big brands or chains).
Many fast food outlets might already be included in the 1,598 Google count, but this gives an idea that a few hundred of Seattle’s eateries are your classic fast-food or fast-casual places.
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor, a travel review site, lists around 3,800 establishments in Seattle under its restaurant category.
This likely include everything from food trucks and fine-dining spots to cafés, dessert shops, bars, and even places just outside city limits. This explains why TripAdvisor’s count is much higher than Google’s ~1,600.
TripAdvisor casts a wider net, often listing bakeries, market stalls, bar-restaurants and businesses that never claimed a Google profile. It may also include duplicates across categories (e.g., a café appearing under both “Dessert” and “Restaurant”), which further inflates the total.
To sum up the online listings, Seattle likely has 2,000–3,000 dining establishments when combining restaurants, fast food, and coffee shops — which aligns with the casual claim of “over 3,000 restaurants.
Here’s a summary of the restaurant counts across major online platforms:
| Source / Category | Estimated Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profiles | 1,598 restaurants | As of Jan 23, 2025 |
| Independent restaurants | 66.7% of listings | Majority are local, single-location |
| Chain-affiliated restaurants | ~33% of listings | One-third are franchises or chains |
| Coffee shops & cafés | 755 | Not all counted as “restaurants” |
| Fast food restaurants | 408 | Mostly (79%) chain-affiliated |
| TripAdvisor listings | ~3,800 | Includes cafés, dessert shops, bars, etc. |
These differences show why online restaurant counts vary depending on how each platform categorizes food establishments.
Types of Food Establishments in Seattle
Not all “restaurants” are alike – Seattle’s food scene runs the gamut from fine dining to food trucks.
Here’s a breakdown by category, with what we know about each:
1. Full-service restaurants
Seattle’s ~1,600 Google-listed restaurants include many full-service places. Nationally, these make up about half of all eateries, so Seattle likely has around 1,000+ full-service restaurants, ranging from steakhouses and sushi bars to neighborhood bistros.
2. Limited-service restaurants (fast casual and fast food)
Seattle has roughly 400 fast-food restaurants, plus many fast-casual and takeout spots not tied to big chains. Once you include sandwich shops, pizza counters, teriyaki places, and food-court vendors, this category likely totals several hundred limited-service eateries.
3. Coffee shops and cafés
Seattle has about 755 coffee shops, from tiny espresso bars to large café-bakeries. Some offer full menus; others only snacks. Including them in restaurant totals significantly increases Seattle’s overall count.
4. Food trucks and street food
Seattle supports 300+ food trucks across the metro area. Because they’re mobile and often seasonal, the true number of distinct trucks is uncertain, but a few hundred is a reliable estimate.
5. Pop-ups and temporary eateries
Pop-ups—short-term or weekend dining concepts—add variety but rarely appear in official counts because they lack a permanent location or separate license.
6. Ghost kitchens (delivery-only restaurants)
Ghost kitchens often run multiple virtual brands from a single space, sometimes 5–10 “restaurants” from one licensed kitchen. They can add dozens of additional restaurant brands to Seattle’s total, though they’re often invisible on Google or TripAdvisor.
In summary: Seattle’s restaurant landscape spans everything from a Pike Place coffee kiosk to a Westlake food truck to fine dining on Capitol Hill. What gets counted depends entirely on the source.
| Type of Establishment | Estimated Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants | ~1,000+ | General estimate |
| Limited-service / fast food | 408 | Quick-service chains |
| Coffee shops / cafés | 755 | Seattle has high coffee density |
| Food trucks | Several hundred | Seasonal and mobile |
| Ghost kitchens / virtual brands | Growing | No official count |
Neighborhood Breakdown of Restaurants in Seattle
Seattle is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own character – and cuisine. While precise counts by neighborhood aren’t readily published, we can highlight where the concentrations are:
Downtown & Waterfront
The Downtown core has the highest density of restaurants. Tourists and office workers mean lots of eateries packed into a small area.
Pike Place Market alone contains dozens of food vendors and restaurants. If one were to estimate, the greater downtown area likely hosts several hundred restaurants, from steakhouses to sandwich shops.
Capitol Hill & First Hill
Just up the hill from downtown, Capitol Hill is known as a foodie hotspot and nightlife district. It’s brimming with trendy restaurants, bars that serve food, and cafes. You’ll find everything from vegan diners to high-end izakayas.
A local might say you could eat out every night for months on Capitol Hill and not run out of options. While an exact count isn’t published, it’s safe to say Capitol Hill has dozens upon dozens of restaurants, likely well over a hundred if you include every cafe and late-night bite.
Ballard and Fremont
In the northwest part of the city, Ballard is famous for seafood (historically a fishing neighborhood) and its brewery scene – and along with that comes many brewpubs, seafood joints, and hip eateries. Adjacent Fremont and Wallingford also have a rich collection of restaurants (from Ethiopian to sushi).
Combined, these neighborhoods host a significant share of Seattle’s independent restaurants. Strolling Ballard Avenue on a weekend, you’ll pass scores of establishments door-to-door.
University District & North Seattle
The U-District around the University of Washington has lots of affordable eats catering to students – think ramen shops, sandwich cafes, boba tea and pizza places.
While many are smaller in size, the number of food businesses around the U-District is quite high. Further north, neighborhoods like Greenwood, Green Lake, and Northgate each have their clusters of restaurants, though more spread out.
West Seattle
Across the bay (but still part of the city), West Seattle neighborhoods like the Junction and Alki have a robust dining scene of their own.
You’ll find waterfront seafood restaurants on Alki Beach and a mix of cafes and eateries in the Junction and Admiral areas. West Seattle might have on the order of a few dozen notable restaurants, adding to the city’s total.
International District (Chinatown-ID)
Seattle’s International District, just south of downtown, is packed with restaurants — Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino and more. Despite its smaller size, it easily has 50+ food businesses, from dim sum spots to noodle shops and bakeries.
Most Seattle neighborhoods have at least some dining options, but the largest concentration sits in the central areas — Downtown and Capitol Hill, which together hold 1,000+ restaurants. Other major zones like North Seattle and West Seattle each contain hundreds, while residential pockets have far fewer.
Overall, restaurants aren’t evenly spread across the city: some neighborhoods are true dining hubs, while others have relatively few options.
Top 10 Restaurants in Seattle
Seattle is estimated to have 2,000–3,000 dining establishments when you combine full-service restaurants, fast-food outlets, coffee shops and other food businesses. Out of these thousands of options, here are 10 standout restaurants that represent some of the best dining experiences in the city.
1. Canlis
Iconic fine-dining institution in Queen Anne known for elevated Pacific Northwest cuisine.
2. Sushi Kashiba
A top sushi destination in Pike Place Market, led by a legendary master chef.
3. The Walrus and the Carpenter
A beloved Ballard oyster bar offering fresh seafood and a lively atmosphere.
4. Altura
A Chef-driven Capitol Hill tasting-menu restaurant focused on seasonal, Italian-inspired dishes.
5. Archipelago
An immersive Filipino fine-dining experience blending cultural storytelling with modern technique.
6. Lenox
An Afro-Latin soul-food restaurant in Belltown praised for bold flavors and creativity.
7. Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar
A go-to spot for fresh oysters and quintessential Puget Sound seafood.
8. Local Tide
A Fremont favorite known for its thoughtful, modern approach to seafood sandwiches.
9. Paju
Korean-inspired small plates and steaks that deliver inventive, high-impact flavors.
10. Atoma
A Wallingford fine-dining restaurant recognized for its refined New American tasting menus.
Why Different Sources Report Different Numbers for Restaurants in Seattle
By now it’s clear that the answer to “how many restaurants are in Seattle?” can vary.
Here are a few reasons for the discrepancies:
Definition differences
“Restaurant” counts vary because sources define the term differently. City records include any food-service business — from hospital cafeterias to ice cream trucks — while travel sites list only places people review, often adding cafés and bakeries that NAICS codes separate. Including or excluding bars, food trucks, or chain coffee shops can change totals by hundreds.
Geographic boundaries
Some lists count only Seattle city limits, while others blend in nearby areas. Google results restricted to the city exclude places just outside the border, whereas tourism platforms may group broader “Seattle” locations. TripAdvisor’s ~3,800 figure is likely within city limits, but boundary differences still matter.
Data freshness
Restaurant numbers shift constantly due to openings and closures. License databases may show a business as active even after closing, and online platforms also lag. From 2023 to 2025, Google-based data shows a 1.37% increase in restaurant listings, reflecting gradual post-pandemic recovery.
Duplicate vs. unique counting
One location can generate multiple online listings (e.g., a pop-up + a daytime café), while the city counts only one license. Chain locations (like Starbucks) appear as dozens of separate establishments in official data.
Ghost kitchens
A single ghost-kitchen facility might run 10 virtual brands, but appear as one licensed address. Some sources count only the facility; others count every brand, which inflates totals. Ghost kitchens remain a small share in 2025 but complicate the overall count.
Human vs automated counting
A journalist or blogger might say “Seattle has over 3,000 restaurants” as a rounded, big-picture estimate, while an automated scrape like Rentech Digital lists 1,598 restaurants and 755 cafés with exact precision. But precision isn’t the same as accuracy — scrapes can miss or misclassify entries, and officials often round for simplicity. Both figures can be “right” depending on the context and method used.
Understanding the Total Restaurants in Seattle
For an Australian reader (or anyone curious), the key takeaway is that Seattle has on the order of a few thousand places to eat and drink. Whether the number is 2,500 or 3,800 depends on definitions, but it’s certainly a hefty amount for a city of Seattle’s size (population ~750,000).
By comparison, a much larger city like New York has tens of thousands of restaurants, so Seattle’s count in the low thousands is plausible and expected for a major U.S. city known for food.
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