Queen Anne is two neighborhoods stacked on one steep hill just north of downtown. Up top, Queen Anne Avenue North is a calm main street of dinner spots, a bookstore and a game shop, with view parks along the south slope. At the bottom, Uptown, also known as Lower Queen Anne, wraps around Seattle Center and its arena, theaters and cinemas.
The hilltop suits anyone who likes a quiet, walkable errand loop with a good dinner at the end. Visitors come for the views from the south slope, a game or concert at Climate Pledge Arena, or a film at SIFF, ideally with dinner in Uptown first.
Updated November 2026
- Best for: Skyline views, dinner before a show at Seattle Center, and slow bookstore-and-breakfast mornings on the hilltop.
- Getting there: Metro Routes 2 and 13 climb Queen Anne Ave N to the top of the hill, and Route 4 serves the east side along Taylor Ave N. In Uptown, the RapidRide D Line stops at Queen Anne Ave N and W Mercer St, and the Seattle Center Monorail runs from Westlake Center downtown to Seattle Center.
- Don’t miss: Kerry Park after dark, when the lit Space Needle stands in front of the downtown skyline and Elliott Bay.
Where to eat and drink
How to Cook a Wolf
Named in tribute to food writer M.F.K. Fisher, this Ethan Stowell restaurant on upper Queen Anne Avenue serves handmade pasta and shareable plates every night from 4 p.m. You can’t go wrong with the gnocchi or ravioli, and the braised short rib is worth the extra plate.
Sushi Yoin
Across the street, this omakase spot runs set seatings at a sushi counter, plus a table menu built around nigiri. Book the counter on Resy for courses like custardy uni, yuzu-marinated black cod and a negitoro hand roll with jalapeño and caviar.
5 Spot
Breakfast is served all day at this cheerfully kitschy restaurant and bar on the hilltop, so a Belgian waffle piled with berries is fair game at 3 p.m. Readers of The Seattle Times voted it Seattle’s best breakfast in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Nielsen’s Pastries
A Danish bakery in Lower Queen Anne since 1965, Nielsen’s is the place for snitter and marzipan almond cake. It keeps morning hours, Monday through Saturday, and closes Sundays.
Toulouse Petit
This Uptown Cajun-Creole kitchen does brunch every day and runs two happy hours, one in the afternoon and one late. BBQ shrimp, gumbo and a plate of beignets make a solid pregame before a show at Seattle Center.
Shops worth a wander
Queen Anne Book Company
The hilltop’s independent bookstore opened in 2013 in a space that had held a bookshop since the late 1980s. Its calendar runs from book club nights to author talks and the neighborhood’s fall wine walk.
Blue Highway Games
Board games, jigsaw puzzles, RPGs and dice fill the shelves, and the store hosts a Friday night community game meetup and learn-to-play events for newcomers.
Ken’s Market
A neighborhood grocery for more than 60 years, now run by three locals who grew up working there. Go for the made-on-site soups and sandwiches, an espresso bar pouring up to six local roasters, and holiday turkeys you can reserve by phone.
Things to do
Kerry Park
The lookout on W Highland Drive takes in the view Seattle puts on postcards: Elliott Bay, the city center and, on clear days, Mount Rainier behind it all. It’s open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Parsons Gardens
A few blocks west along the same street, this small garden belonged to the family of Reginald H. Parsons until his children gave it to the city in 1956. It makes a quieter second stop after Kerry Park.
Seattle Center
The campus at the foot of the hill holds Climate Pledge Arena, McCaw Hall, the Armory and the Bagley Wright Theatre, and its Festál series fills the grounds with cultural festivals such as Diwali: Lights of India.
SIFF Cinema Uptown
The Seattle International Film Festival’s three-screen Uptown theater shows arthouse films, anniversary revivals and festival programs year-round, and it’s licensed to serve wine and beer.
Community
Queen Anne Branch Library
This Carnegie-funded branch is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a city landmark. It’s closed Saturdays; the branch page lists hours and upcoming events.
Queen Anne Farmers Market
Billed as Seattle’s only independent farmers market, it sets up on Thursday afternoons from late spring into fall at W Crockett St and Queen Anne Ave N, with Saturday harvest markets around Halloween and Thanksgiving. Volunteers sign up for setup, market shifts, Roots to Shoots support and teardown.
Queen Anne Helpline
The Helpline keeps neighbors in Queen Anne, Magnolia and South Lake Union housed with help on rent and utility bills, plus donated food, clothing and hygiene supplies. Volunteers 18 and older staff the front desk and sorting room in Monday and Thursday shifts.
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