Agua Verde Cafe

"Agua Verde is a Mexican restaurant that doubles as a paddle club, so it’s useful before or after a nice kayak ride around Lake Union. A prickly pear margarita and some tempura fish tacos always do the trick, and when it’s nice out, sitting on the patio to soak up whatever fleeting sun we get is non-negotiable." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley

"Maybe you’ve been pedaling for the last ten miles chanting “I want tequila” under your breath. This means a stop at Agua Verde is necessary. This Mexican spot doubles as a paddle club, so you’ll be surrounded by nacho-craving outdoorsy people who just kayaked—or tried to but somehow fell in the water. It’s a good lakeside venue for fish tacos, prickly pear margaritas, and taking in the view. Just note that you have to order before grabbing a table, so if there’s a line snaking out the door, don’t freak out. We wish someone told us that the first time, too." - aimee rizzo

"Eating while enjoying the view is cool, but what if you could be IN the view? Get on Agua Verde’s level. This colorful Mexican cantina has its own paddle boat club attached, and the patio doubles as a boat dock for hungry kayakers. This was already one of Seattle’s Seattlest restaurants for decades before Rumba owner Travis Rosenthal bought it in 2019, and he somehow made it even better, opening up the dining room and adding a separate bar with craft cocktails on tap. Man, there’s really nothing as Seattle as sitting on the edge of the dock with a taco in one hand, a frozen marg in the other, and both feet in the water as the ducks and kayaks pass back and forth." - Meg van Huygen, Harry Cheadle, Gabe Guarente

"There’s nothing that eases the embarrassment of wiping out on your stand-up paddleboard like eating baja fish tacos on the deck at Agua Verde. This taqueria on the University District side of Portage Bay doubles as a paddle club, so it’s a great option for a post-kayaking lunch. There's usually a long line here for a reason—that reason being the excellent frozen cocktails (even though the sleeper hit is the prickly pear margarita on the rocks), vibrant salsas, a great roasted yam taco with avocado cream, and tortillas made from corn ground in-house." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley

"Along the banks of Portage Bay, the restaurant has a much-sought out covered patio and elevated back deck, which provides expansive views of nearby waters, boats, kayaks, and paddle boarders, as well as the University Bridge. Diners can order tacos, quesadillas, and burritos from the restaurant’s bright orange food truck and pick-up potent margaritas from the walk-up bar." - Kelly Knickerbocker