Nestled in Pike Place Market, this cozy cafe serves heartwarming Filipino dishes with a personal touch, making each visit feel like a family gathering.
"After years going without a menu, the family-owned lunch counter got a little more structure a few years ago, though you still order at the grocery store cash register. Not changing is the famed salmon collar sinigang from chef Leila Rosas, which helped earn this spot a James Beard Classics Award. If they’re out of that, try the fried bangus, a hot, crispy delight that’s best slathered in the flavorful vinegar. Be advised that they do sell out of dishes, and will close if they run out of food." - Harry Cheadle
"Hidden in a secluded corner of Pike Place Market, there’s a Filipino counter whose defining feature is a bunch of handwritten signs held together by clothespins. They’re intimidating at first, but grow increasingly more hilarious the longer you look: “YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED!!! SO DON’T ACT LIKE YOU ARE!!!” “TO: ALL U KNUCKLEHEADS, DON’T TALK 2 ME WHILE I’M COOKING!!” “IF U DON’T KNOW HOW TO EAT OUR SALMON SINIGANG DON’T ORDER IT” “IF YOU’RE IN A HURRY…I’M NOT SO DON’T RUSH ME!” “WE DO NOT ACCEPT DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS…SO KNOW YOUR ROLE!” This is Oriental Mart, and it’s a stall that serves the best lunch at Pike Place, let alone some of the best Filipino food in Seattle. Everything here, from pancit to the perpetually sold-out salmon sinigang, is prepared by a woman who is quite kind despite the brash signage. And the food is so good that we’d gladly brave the Starbucks-crazed crowds around the bend. We're talking about excellent tart pork adobo over rice seeped in braising liquid, lumpia wands whose crunch reminds us of a Butterfinger bar, and shiny red longanisa that deserves its own long-form documentary—so that we can learn precisely why eating its cured, caramelized glory makes us feel like Michael Bolton is serenading us in a mossy sun-stained forest. (This is a very powerful sausage.) Oriental Mart's showing is up there for the best meal you can get in Seattle for around $15, not to mention that the secluded location makes for a particularly low-stress Pike Place lunch ideal for locals or tourists who want to feel like locals. But just keep in mind, “YOUR PORTION DEPENDS ON YOUR ATTITUDE.” So be nice and you won’t leave hungry. Food Rundown Lumpia Fried to order, these long batons of pork are skinny, crunchy, and come out piping hot. Dipped in sweet chili sauce, they’re a total slam dunk. If you’re galavanting around the market looking for something to snack on, skip Pike Place Nuts and grab a two-pack of lumpia instead. photo credit: Aimee Rizzo Longanisa Sausage Eating the phenomenal longanisa is like biting into a banana, if said banana gave way to rich, crumbly cured meat. Multiple handwritten signs behind the counter allude to the fact that you may leave your significant other for this rotund oval of melty, sweet red pork. We don’t blame these people, because this is indeed Seattle’s best sausage. Pork Adobo Oriental Mart’s pork adobo over rice is fantastic in its simplicity. We can’t decide what’s better—the tangy slow-cooked meat or the warm rice soaked in braising liquid. Good thing you get both. Pancit The pancit is a tasty complement to everything else, and while it’s a little forgettable, these stir-fried noodles with cabbage and carrot come for free with any entree." - Aimee Rizzo
"Make your way past the shelves stocked with Asian spices and sauces and you’ll find a bright, open kitchen with a handful of seats around the counter. Oriental Mart, also known as O-Mart, sells high-quality, no-frills Filipino classics like pancit, adobo, and fried bangus (milkfish). This family establishment has been serving food in the market since the 1970s. The earlier you come the better, as this popular lunch-only spot closes shop once they sell out." - Alicia Erickson
"If you want to impress the tourists you (inevitably) have to take to Pike Place Market, skip pass the fish-throwers and overcrowded waterfront view joints, cross the street, and take them to this restaurant inside a grocery store. The salmon collar sinigang and succulent longanisa have made this place into an American classic. Literally, the James Beard Foundation gave Oriental Mart an America’s Classics award in 2020, and you can see why — sitting here eating adobo dishes makes you part of a long lineage of people of all classes, creeds, and colors who have eaten adobo dishes at this stainless steel lunch counter. While you ponder this, you can look at the handwritten signs cluttering the kitchen. One of them reads, “WIFI PASSWORD: TALK TO EACH OTHER”" - Eater Staff
"After years going without a menu, the three generation family-owned Pike Place lunch counter is getting a little more structure during the pandemic. But the famed salmon collar sinigang from beloved chef Leila Rosas remains unchanged in all its sour glory, and helped earn this spot a James Beard Classics Award." - Jenise Silva, Eater Staff
