Monica Dimas’ Little-Known Favorites
Monica Dimas is a chef, and Founder of Little Neon Taco and Westman’s Bagel & Coffee. Her guide takes you from historic Seattle hotels to time-tested city favorites and back again.
There are too many good things in this city to narrow down to a single list, so this is a “choose your own adventure” guide for Seattleites and visitors alike. The Fairmont Olympic Hotel and the Alexis Royal Sonesta Hotel are both centrally located, historic hotels that make for perfect starting points. In a city that has seen so much new development in recent years, it’s rare to stay at a luxury hotel built on the original site of the University of Washington (the Fairmont) or one that rose from the ashes of the Great Seattle Fire (the Alexis). Let’s begin!
DAY ONE
The Fairmont Olympic Hotel is known for its high tea, but I’m partial to their room service breakfast.
For more hotels like The Fairmont Olympic, check out Hotel Theodore, Motif Seattle, or the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Seattle for more great options in the same neighborhood to use as your basecamp.
Ready for a day of adventure, I’d head downtown to Monorail Espresso for coffee, the original Seattle espresso stand that’s been fueling the city since 1980.
Lunch would be a sandwich from another time-tested favorite, George’s Deli. Later in the day, a stop at Freeway Park, the very first park built over a highway, is a favorite place to rest between downtown and Capitol Hill.
I’d recommend an afternoon walk through Seattle University’s campus gardens, a visit to the Museum of Museums, and browsing the shelves at Elliott Bay Book Co., an independently owned bookstore that’s been in Seattle for almost 50 years. Grab a coffee and bagel from my place, Westman’s Bagels. My favorite is our B.E.C. (bacon egg and cheese) on a roll. Ask for Aardvark hot sauce to do it right. For the veggie lovers out there, we do a carrot lox (yes, you read that correctly) that will blow your mind.
After a packed day, dinner would have to be takeout from Stateside, complete with duck rolls, goat curry (or the crispy chicken!), jasmine rice, and a chocolate torte.
Natural wine from La Dive would round out the evening while tuning in to a Townhall Live event or the Seattle Symphony from the comfort of my room.
FROM THE ALEXIS ROYAL SONESTA HOTEL
Wake up refreshed at The Alexis Royal Sonesta Hotel, and start the day with adjaruli from Skalka, a Georgian restaurant opened in 2019—because when you have the opportunity to eat a cheese bread boat on the Seattle waterfront, you do it.
For more hotels like The Alexis, check out Hotel Max or the Kimpton Palladian for more great options in the same neighborhood.
Fully fueled by Georgian staples, walk over to Pioneer Square and find Peter Miller Architecture & Design Books nestled in Post Alley, one of my favorite book shops to get lost in.
For more unique finds, head to FruitSuper, a curated gift shop featuring independent designers.
Sipping on coffee from Zeitgeist at the UPS Waterfall Garden is a favorite way to steal a moment of calm in the middle of Pioneer Square.
Spend the afternoon in the Chinatown-International District with lunch at Szechuan Noodle Bowl (order the green onion pancake, dumplings, and beef noodle soup), modern Vietnamese coffee from Hello Em, and fruit tarts from Cake House.
Rest your feet and take in the views at Kobe Terrace before heading back to the hotel. A little late-night room service via Metropolitan Grill while relaxing with a virtual tour of the Wing Luke Museum is a perfect way to end a day of adventure.
About the Author
Monica Dimas
For nearly two decades Monica Dimas has established herself as a leader in the Seattle food world whose passion for collaboration and innovation drives the growth of her successful restaurant group. Monica’s dedication to her businesses and the relationships behind them has resulted in a career focused on curating creative culinary spaces that fuel and inspire communities. Currently, serving as chef and founder of Milkwood & Company, a restaurant group that includes her three Capitol Hill eateries, Monica combines her talent for brand building with business development, resulting in thriving, inclusive spaces that reimagine the roles that restaurants play as tools for transformative change. Born in Mexico and raised in Yakima, Washington, Monica now divides her time between Tacoma and Seattle, with deep ties to both cities. When she’s not busy running her businesses, you’ll often find her refinishing antique furniture, spending time with her daughter, Fox, and exploring the communities that inspire her.
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Thank you for assisting me in a new look of Seattle. Can’t wait to take my grandson, who has just graduated from University of Alaska, to explore the Seattle that I have always loved.
Thank you for your insight to giving a 70 years young an opportunity to revisit the downtown I worked in &loved during the 1970’s. See you soon.
PS: I was born in Yakima. My family were fruit ranchers. Thanks for your tenacity‼️