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Seattle, United States
Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives from Seattle, WA, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Capitol Hill is Seattle's most densely populated neighborhood and the heart of the city's counterculture. Lying directly east of the downtown retail core, Capitol Hill is unofficially bounded to the east by 23rd Ave, to the west by Interstate 5, to the south by E Union St, and to the north by E Interlaken Blvd. Included here is the neighboring district of First Hill, immediately to the south adjacent to Downtown.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Japanese Cultural Community Center of Washington
Small exhibits relating to the history of nikkei (Japanese immigrants) in the Pacific Northwest.
SAAM
An offshoot of downtown's Seattle Art Museum, SAAM displays a portion of the permanent collection balanced with rotating, consistently well-curated special exhibitions. The focus is usually on Chinese or Japanese art, reflecting long-established ties across the Pacific, but does include works from as far as India and the Middle East. The Art Deco building (the Seattle Art Museum's original home) is an attraction in its own right.
A small private collection of modern art with rotating contemporary exhibitions. Parking is always available and the place is worth a visit.
A very popular park on sunny days. It includes a signature fountain and pond, a basketball court, tennis and softball fields, and a playground. Great for peoplewatching, and you can often see groups of people doing activities varying from hackeysack to drum circles to freeze tag to bike polo to twirling around with colorful scarves.
Saint Rat
A small tile-and-glass mosaic of a rat in a devotional pose, labeled with its namesake caption. It was illicitly installed on the side of a utility gatehouse in 2024. The city repeatedly tried to remove it, but community members swiftly striped away the paint covering it up amidst a swell of public appreciation for the art, so it was eventually allowed to stay.
Incorporated in 1872, Lakeview Cemetery is set on a hillside with views of Lake Union, the Cascades, Lake Washington and the Olympic Mountains. The site holds the final resting places of Seattle's first families, many with diverse backgrounds. Many come to pay tribute at the graves of Bruce Lee and his son Brandon.
The park's wooden benches are covered with graffiti messages to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, as it is next door to the home where he died in 1994. This is the closest thing in Seattle to a memorial to the rock icon; serious fans should consider a road trip to his childhood hometown of Aberdeen.
at Prospect St
Designed by John Charles Olmsted and Fredrick Law Olmsted Jr, this is the largest park in Capitol Hill. It is the site of a botanical conservatory and the Seattle Asian Art Museum (above).
A Victorian-style greenhouse with thousands of living specimens on display. There are five sections: bromeliads, ferns, palms, seasonal, and cacti/succulents.
The 1906 tower at the highest point of Capitol Hill has an observation deck at the top, with views from the Cascades to the Olympics interspersed with a series of panels explaining the history of Seattle's Olmsted-designed park system. The views are somewhat obstructed by metal grates, but the clever photographer can work around them. No elevator - the only way up is the staircase wound around the water tank, seven stories high.
The Arboretum is a 230-acre park additionally serving as a botanical garden and horticultural research center, with thousands of trees and plants from temperate climates represented. An extensive network of walking trails covers the park. The visitor's center, near the northeast corner of the park, is open from 10AM to 4PM daily, and has limited parking available. Guided tours are offered on the first and third Sundays of every month, and free trail maps highlighting the major parts of the collection are available at any time.
A small, formal Japanese garden within the grounds of the Arboretum.
A small, family-maintained garden on the northwest side of Seattle's Capitol Hill, on a steep hillside. Noisy but offering great views over Lake Union, Downtown Seattle, and the Olympic Mountains in the distance.
Activities include swimming, bathhouse, restaurants, tennis court (with lights), and great views of the floating bridge and the Cascades. Lifeguards patrol the area during the summer, which creates a safer playground for kids, but it's still a beautiful park to hang out for teens and adults.
The Electric Lady Studio Guitar
A life-size bronze sculpture of Hendrix rocks out on the sidewalk. Seattle was the birthplace and childhood home of the influential guitarist.
A private Jesuit university. Scenic campus makes a good walking detour.
A hidden gem, this small campus chapel was described by architect Stephen Holl as "seven bottles of light in a stone box". It is probably the most notable religious building built in Seattle in the last fifty years.
A small urban women-only spa with an industrial/basement vibe. Great for a relaxing soak in the tub. Expect to be nude and quiet, and bring your own towels.
On the other end of the spectrum, Club Z is a gay male bathhouse with no tubs and a lot of glory holes! Don't walk in if you expect to do any dancing or, um, bathing.
Boutique style stand-up comedy club.
All-ages gaming bar with board games and pinball machines. The atmosphere is more like a dive bar: the beer, cider and wine are good, but the food is mediocre, and the TVs are usually playing B-movies (but sometimes have some good campy sci-fi like Doctor Who).
I-5 Colonnade
The bike park was built underneath a section of 12 elevated lanes of Interstate 5. It consists of several mountain bike skills trails, including novice, intermediate, and advanced sections, a dirt jumping section, pump track, and trials area. Skills classes, organized by the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, are occasionally held at the park.
A unique, smaller movie theater that shows older films as well as plenty of late night movie screenings of hilariously bad films. All seats have table in front of them so you can have excellent food and beer during the show. A couple times a month there are $1.99 movie nights for popular older or cult films.
A Seattle-based non-profit organization for film artists, showcasing American and international cinema as well as quarterly world premiere live performances.
One-screen theater showing art, indie, and foreign films and documentaries.
One of the largest film festivals in North America. Screenings are at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian and other SIFF venues in adjacent districts.
This music festival during the height of summer attracts both local and national musicians.
True New York-style thin crust pizza. Huge, foldable slices or whole pies. Full bar with lots of local beers. Pizza window open late night.
Everything you'd want from a French-style bakery: pastries, breads, elegant desserts, macarons, chocolate confections by the piece, sandwiches, quiches, and pizzas, plus coffee of course. Very popular; the line often stretches to the door and beyond, but it moves quickly enough. The limited seating is usually pretty full; in a pinch there's a park across the street with a bench of two.
Where the cool hang out (according to Sir Mix-a-Lot's song "Posse on Broadway"). Dick's is a local fast food staple; perhaps the most iconically "Seattle" restaurant around. The menu is simple: unsophisticated yet satisfying burgers in just a couple of variations (try the Deluxe, it's not that large), hot greasy fries, and tasty hand-dipped milkshakes. Drive up or walk up; this place will be hopping on a Friday or Saturday night, even if it's cold and rainy outside. Be sure to get in line by 1:45AM because they slam the order windows shut promptly at 2AM. Dick's cashiers have an amazing ability to instantly add up your bill in their head. There are other branches throughout the city (Lake City, Wallingford, Lower Queen Anne), but because the Capitol Hill one is easiest to walk up to, it's also the best for people watching.
This Central District mainstay gained wide renown when Oprah Winfrey declared it her favorite, but it really needs no celebrity endorsements; it's hands-down the best stuff around. This flagship location sits directly across from Garfield High School. There's no seating, but they accept credit cards. Spicy and original; the spicy chicken isn't too spicy, but you can get a side of hot sauce for 11 cents extra. Daily specials vary based on forecasted surplus of unsold chicken.
Their coconut-based ice cream is decadently creamy and creatively flavored with seasonal ingredients.
Classic New York-style pizza by the slice. You can't go wrong here and the pesto is particularly popular.
Very good East Coast style pizza with large servings and cheap beer served all day in a restaurant operated by East Coast transplants. Relocated from downtown Seattle to a larger restaurant in First Hill.
A Thai place that's fairly quiet and upscale, with excellent specials - try the Lime Light Chicken if you have a chance. On request they can make truly vegetarian Thai food (i.e., without fish sauce).
Serves excellent vegan mock-meat versions of Vietnamese and Chinese dishes such as noodle bowls and sesame beef. In fact, they boast a full vegan menu with as many dishes as their separate carnivorous menu offers.
One of several excellent ramen shops in Capitol Hill. Depending on what style of ramen you prefer, you may like others such as Ramen Danbo, Betsutenjin, or Menya Musashi.
Eclectic menu of American fusion fare and some delicious simple cocktails. Extremely popular on weekends with their large brunch menu and Bloody Marys.
Inexpensive, quality Thai food. It specializes in Thai classics such as coconut chicken & drunken noodles, with happy hour.
A myriad of cocktails plus Vietnamese street fare, which also includes a bakery. Known for its rotisserie meat, pho, banh cuon (rice noodle roll), and macaroons. Open late night with comfort food options. No reservations needed.
A local favorite. A creative mix of Mexican, Southwestern and Spanish cuisine complemented by great cocktails. Always full, with outdoor seating in the summer.
Upscale, all-vegetarian cuisine in a casual atmosphere. Menus change weekly.
Established Italian restaurant popular for vegetarian lasagna, apple-wood fired pizza, and fresh hand-made pasta (they have an employee dedicated solely to making pasta). An excellent environment for families, they even have paper tablecloths for kids to draw on.
Le Faux Playhouse
Julia's serves Northwest cuisine along with good ol' American food, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Average quality, expensive meals and cocktails are prepared in a charming old building that used to house a seriously divey gay bar until they gutted it and put in a tasteful interior. The location is excellent, but the service can be less than stellar. That's because the real attraction is not the food but the drag shows. Long-time residents decry the "loss" of a gay bar, but Julia's drag shows remain popular with tourists, bachelorette parties, and the like, particularly the weekend brunch shows.
Contemporary Vietnamese dishes (mainly southern Vietnamese) mixed with Pacific Northwest innovation. Dim sum brunches on the weekends.
Serves unique Seattle-style pizza, reminiscent of thin-crust, by-the-slice New York pizza, but with an imaginative collection of toppings that change with the seasons. Walk in and ask for two slices of "primo" and you won't be disappointed. The Pagliaccio salad is a good starter. There are branches in the University District and Queen Anne, plus delivery throughout the city.
Perhaps the crown of Seattle's Indian food scene, Annapurna also serves excellent Nepali and Tibetan food. A charming atmosphere, quality food, and a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan options make it a great location for dinner.
A casual and laid-back Ethiopian restaurant, serving both traditional Ethiopian food and adaptations using Northwest ingredients. Housed in a beautiful building with excellent natural light, with outdoor seating as well. Well-stocked with Ethiopian beers.
Artisanal Italian food in small portions so you can construct a meal however you like. Carts roll past tables offering cheaper antipasti to supplement your meal or wash down your cocktail.
Small Japanese bar serving prix fixe sushi in the style of kaiseki, a traditional multi-course meal consisting of several small dishes. Reservations required, and with only 17 seats and two dinners per night, they are booked up to 2 months in advance.
Coffee roaster with a warehouse feel, where patrons can clearly see how the coffee beans are roasted.
Founded by an engineer who's been developing progressively more sophisticated roasters for twenty years. Their beans, plus Mighty-O doughnuts, are also available at the sidewalk Vivace at 321 Broadway E, between Harrison and Thomas.
Aloha Cafe
A premier local bakery whose chef was a finalist for a 2007 James Beard Award. Selection changes seasonally and daily, but there's always something delicious on offer. An excellent choice for a breakfast or light lunch; cafe-style seating encourages you to sit down and stay a while. Espresso can be inconsistent, if you're picky, grab food to go and walk elsewhere for coffee.
Social coffee-drinking environment.
A neighborhood shop serving Stumptown coffee and pastries from Alki Bakery. Free WiFi. Great for meetings.
Nestled into the neighborhood and a favorite weekend hang-out for locals. Incredible doughnuts (try the feather boa doughnut!) in a very Seattle-y atmosphere. Drip coffee isn't so hot, but the freshly-brewed options are all good.
Neighborhood place, more spacious than most. Their roastery also has a (smaller) space at 310 E Pike St in Downtown.
A weird cross of dive bar and trendy spot, the ambiance of their old location was successfully transplanted to this location after their former building was razed for yet more condo construction. Your bartender may have had an album in the charts circa 1992.
Located in a former funeral home (rumored to have handled Bruce Lee's body) that has now been converted to offices and a beer bar. Enjoy one of the best beer selections in the neighborhood.
Dark, but appealing for a beer, stiff drink or bar food (hearty burgers, thick fries, etc.) More restaurant than bar.
A trendy billiards hall and bowling alley, built in a spacious former garage that has no problem handling large groups. Multiple bars with food service, and an outdoor patio (weather permitting).
An excellent spot for their gourmet and slightly modernist food, but even better for their ever-changing cocktails, expertly designed using seasonal flavors and uncommon ingredients. A patio in the back with a sliding glass roof means you can enjoy the sky view (boxed in by surrounding buildings) rain or shine.
Free WiFi, large couches, decent sushi, good drinks and attractive servers conspire to make this one of the better Capitol Hill bars.
The outdoor patio makes this the perfect place to enjoy a few drinks under the stars.
Another bar owned by Linda Derschang of Linda's fame. Although Smith regularly becomes packed in the evening, large communal tables in the center of the establishment mean you can usually find a place to sit.
Its dark appearance from the outside makes it easy to miss, but worth stepping inside. As the name suggests, you’ll find an excellent selection of Belgian beer strong enough to make your walk home a challenge. The Stumbling Monk’s unpretentious atmosphere makes it a down-to-earth oasis on trendy Capitol Hill.
Offers many beers on tap and is home to one of the best BLTs in the city.
Bavarian beer garden with indoor bocce courts, bratwurst and pretzels.
Dark laid-back bar for all types of men, serving strong drinks. Very community oriented; recurring events fill the bar with a big crowd, such as weekly video game nights on Wednesdays, meetups for leather, furry, or nudist groups, and monthly dances with dress codes such as fetish gear or underwear.
Small dive bar with nightly karaoke.
Gay bar and dance club, often attracts a leather crowd.
Bear and cub bar.
Unpretentious and crowded gay sports bar. Pool tables and darts.
Gay dance club. The place to take your straight friends.
Small dive bar in an old building with a year-round patio and fire pit. Wide variety of music, and a schedule full of go-go dancers, karaoke, and tea dancing.
Inclusive bar with a variety of quality performances, and excellent pub food.
Classic gay leather bar. Underwear parties on Saturdays.
One of the oldest lesbian bars on the West Coast. Very cheap tacos and Tecates on Tuesdays, and cheap well drinks on Thursdays.
Bed and breakfast.
A local chain brand. Rooms are generously spacious. Complete facilities such as complimentary Wi-Fi, a restaurant, gym and swimming pool, which considering the typical price, is a giveaway.
This historic hotel has crowned the First Hill since 1908. It is a posh, Italianate, 7-story hotel with fine dining in the AAA - 4 diamond Hunt Club - For a classy night out before the "hopera".
In 2010, Seattle's largest independent bookstore moved up onto the Hill from its old home in Pioneer Square. The wide, wooden-shelved spaces are a pleasure to browse. There's a small cafe tucked in the back of the lower level, which is good but rather expensive.
Capitol Hill's last remaining used bookstore. A good selection of literature, philosophy and more contemporary reads. Home of numerous cats, who appear to have free rein.
This year-round farmers market has local produce and meats, and tasty ready-to-eat foods. In the colder months, try a cup of seafood stew or some tamales.
A family-owned specialty importer since 1971. Their shelves are packed with ingredients from Italy and beyond, with an extensive selection of cheeses, olives, spices and wine.
Ponder
Large dispensary with bright clean displays. Wide selection of products and accessories for all different forms of consumption, including lots of edibles and beverages.
Large dispensary with bright clean displays. Wide selection of products and accessories for all different forms of consumption, including lots of edibles and beverages.
By public transit
Link light rail, operated by Sound Transit, stops at
By bike
The edges of Capitol Hill are steep! From the north or south, take the bike lane along Broadway/10th Ave. From Downtown, take the bike lane along Pike St.
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