Fremont Restaurant Tips by Jonathan_C

Still Life Cafe (CLOSED): hearty, home made soup/salad/sandwich

The Still Life has been a Fremont institution since it opened in 1986. Here you simply cannot go wrong -- everything is fabulous. The fare is Northwest hearty. If you know of the Moosewood cookbooks then you know what you'll get here.

The Still Life is also a great spot for people listening. People watching is fine, but here you can eaves drop on eclectic, intelligent conversation that gives you hope for our species.

Favorite Dish: The soups are particularly inspired. How do they get simple ingredients to taste like no soup I've ever had?

Address: 709 N 35th Street

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

Lighthouse Roasters: the nieghborhood living room

There are still places where people cross the street in their bath robes to go get their morning coffee. At the Lighthouse you'll meet the whole neighborhood including their dogs, kids, inlaws, guests, etc. Ed and Mileaux have created the ultimate gathering place for hilltop Fremonsters where the art on the walls is as intriguing as the patrons in the chairs.

Follow your bliss.

Favorite Dish: Even in a coffee crazed town like Seattle there are some coffee houses that shine. Ed's small batch roasts help to make what I consider to be the perfect latte.

Address: 400 North 43rd St.

Comparison: about average

Directions: Walk uphill through the neighborhoods or catch the #5 bus headed North until you get to 43rd and Phinney.

Phone: 206-633-4444

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Coffeehouse

Touchstone (CLOSED): organic, whole grain, collective bakery/cafe

Washington is on the left coast. Seattle is a liberal bastion. Fremont makes Seattle look conservative. And Touchstone Bakery is where Fremont lefties converge. Come here for a hearty, inexpensive breakfast or lunch.

Favorite Dish: Bisquits and gravy -- best breakfast deal in Fremont.

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: one block West of Lenin on 36th

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Bakery

Caffe Ladro: serious neighborhood hangout

Caffe Ladro is a local chain of coffee shops that specializes in organic, fair trade coffee and fabulous baked goodies. On sunny days you can join the crowd outside just sitting and watching. On rainy days join the studiers and writers inside.

Despite the international success of Starbucks, real Fremonsters gravitate toward locally owned shops that serve as community living rooms

Address: 452 36th St. N

Comparison: about average

Directions: one block West of Lenin

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Coffeehouse

Website: http://www.caffeladro.com/

Mad Pizza: great pizza

Booths and pizza by the slice with an industrial-art ambiance make this popular with Fremont families and just about everyone else. You can create your own pizza with their excellent crust and exotic array of bases and toppings and have an excellent ceasar salad as an appetizer while you wait.

Favorite Dish: The Chev
A mouth-watering malady. Garlic olive oil base, mozzarella and chevre cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and roasted garlic cloves.

Address: 3601 Fremont Ave N

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: immediately NE of Lenin

Phone: 206-632 5453

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Pizza

Website: http://madpizza.com/

Essential Bakery & Cafe: Seattle's best bakery

Until you've had Essential Baking Company's Mille Graine bread, you haven't lived. These guys use all organic ingredients to make the best bread I have ever eaten. But they don't stop there. Their pastries and chocolate are also in a class of their own. Once again we see Northwest Craftsmanship at work -- a commitment to finding meaningful work and putting your whole self into it, leading by example to change the world for the better.

Favorite Dish: Soup and sandwich with a chocolate for dessert.

Address: 1604 N 34th St

Comparison: about average

Directions: about eight blocks east of the Fremont bridge

Phone: 206-545-0444

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Bakery

Website: http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2000/03/13/smallb1.html

PCC: upscale organic CO-OP

One of the best cafe/restaurants in town is the PCC deli. Here you will find an assortment of healthy, delicious, mostly organic dishes at grocery store prices. And there's tables to eat at.

Puget Consumers' COOP is not a store -- it's a way of life. If I had no other reasons for not leaving Seattle, PCC alone might keep me here. From saving local organic farmland to lobbying Congress on organic standards, PCC is working hard to make sure it's shoppers have the freshest, best tasting, healthiest food around.

Address: 600 N 34th

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: just west of the Fremont bridge

Phone: 206-632-6811

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

Website: http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/

ETG: early morning bakery

Fresh baked muffins, scones and goodies along with good coffee served any time after about 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning. If you are up early (or very late) for any reason this is the place to go.

Address: 3512 Fremont Place

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: just west of the Center of the Universe

Phone: 206-633-3685

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Bakery

Hales Brewery/Pub: great pub grub

Mike Hale has been doing what he loves and doing it well for twenty years now: another fine example of Northwest Craftsmanship. His brewery and pub are a great spot for a tour and tasting or a meal, seated in the most comfortable sofa in Fremont.

Favorite Dish: You don't often get a chance to enjoy 'nitro' style ales in the US so take advantage of that. And the stout cheesecake is something to write home about.

Address: 4301 Leary Way NW

Comparison: about average

Directions: Walk the Burke Gilman Trail out past the pagan fire ring, past the asphalt plant , the ship builders and the cement trucks and you'll see Mike's brewery on the right. If my three year old daughter can walk this far, so can you.

Phone: 206-706-1544

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Pub/Brewery

Website: http://www.halesales.com/

Tacos Guaymas: great Mexican

Locally owned, great flavor, inexpensive, huge portions, bright and airy with outdoor seating, kid friendly. All the locals in our neighborhood come here.

Favorite Dish: Two people can share the chili colorado plate and a single tamale a la carte. Add flan for dessert and you'll be stuffed.

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: go West on Leary Way to 1st Ave NW

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Mexican