Once the blue-collar birthplace of grunge and now the high-tech regional home of Amazon and Microsoft, Seattle is an intoxicating mix of grit, glamour, high-fliers and hipsters. Located on Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest, Washington state’s largest city is surrounded by water, mountains and evergreen forests, giving it an unrivalled natural beauty and access to some of the best produce in America. The result is one of the most dynamic and bountiful food scenes in the world, fuelled by a heady mix of hot young chefs, an obsession with coffee and cocktails, and an eating culture spanning street food, fine dining and everything in-between. Seattle’s food scene is constantly evolving, with new small-batch producers and abundant farmers’ markets augmenting established providores and historic restaurants. Add to this a rich multicultural flavour, thanks to the city’s Vietnamese, Lebanese, Chinese and Japanese populations, and it’s easy to see why the Emerald City has become such a desirable destination for foodies. Sky-rocketing rents fuelled by the tech boom are beginning to impact some of the earthier elements of Seattle’s offerings, so there’s no better time than now to pack your bags – just be sure to arrive with an empty stomach.

No matter where you are, or what time of the day you’re hungry, in Seattle you’ll find good food on practically every street corner. If you’re visiting on the weekend, make like the locals and begin your day with brunch at West Seattle institution Salty’s, where the cooked-toorder buffet choices are so vast you’re given a map of the restaurant to help navigate them. Pile your plate with Washington Coast Dungeness crab, Alaskan snow crab legs and Puget Sound clams and mussels, create a bespoke Bloody Mary from the customise-your-own bar of 11 different vodkas, three Mary mixes and a bamboozling array of hot sauces and garnishes (the chocolate-dipped bacon is a must-try), then sit back and watch the world go by from your waterfront perch overlooking Alki Beach. No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to Pike Place Market, one of the oldest operating public farmers’ markets in America. From sinfully rich mac-andcheese at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese to viscous and aromatic clam chowder at Pike Place Chowder, followed by Barack Obama’s favourite salted caramels from (the nearby) Fran’s Chocolates, the markets may be touristy – the fishmongers who throw each purchased fish theatrically over their stall at Pike Place Fish Market have performing for the masses down to an art form – but the food is so good and so diverse you’ll also find the locals lunching here every day.

In the heart of the market is Steelhead Diner, run by Adelaide-born Terresa Davis and her American husband, Kevin, who met when they worked at Cajun restaurant Bacall’s in Adelaide. The first Seattle restaurant to have a full Washington state wine list, Steelhead Diner serves a mean chicken-andandouille- sausage gumbo and has a focus on local ingredients and sustainable fishing, showcased on my visit in a melt-in-your-mouth Alaskan wild king salmon served with local cherries on grits with smoky almond brown butter, cracked rosemary and lemon zest. Visit the International District for Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese fare, La Carta de Oaxaca for affordable and authentic Mexican and Il Corvo for handmade pasta. The latter is only open for lunch and the owner makes just three kinds of pasta a day. Ezell’s is hands-down the best fried chicken in Seattle (Oprah Winfrey is a big fan), while The Walrus and The Carpenter is your go-to for oysters and seafood to write home about. And finally you must try a Seattle Dog at least once. A twist on the traditional snag/onions/bun combination thanks to the addition of a slathering of cream cheese, it’s the perfect late-night snack after a live music gig, which in Seattle is also a must.

Seattle may be best known as the birthplace of Starbucks, but there is so much more to its coffee culture than the world’s best-known chain. Seattleites have raised coffee to an art form, surpassing even Australians in their obsession with the bean, so you’ll be caffeinated and spoiled for choice at every turn. Analog Coffee offers a pour-over menu and cold brew on tap, along with a great selection of magazines and comics. Caffe Appassionato by Lake Union is a little out of the way but well worth the pilgrimage for the Twin Peaks-like charm of its fit-out and owner Tucker McHugh, while in the comfy booths of 24-hour eatery 13 Coins you can add alcohol to your breakfast eggs and coffee with Greyhounds and Bloody Marys. When it comes to bar culture, Seattle has the high-low thing down pat. At the top end of the scale, Canon whiskey bar in Capitol Hill boasts America’s largest spirits collection, with more than 4000 labels. The intimate and moodily lit bar at Sun Liquor Distillery serves cocktails as seductive as its ambience. Redhook Brewlab is the Willy Wonka of Seattle brewing, turning out 75-80 new beers each year with flavours such as My Oh My Caramel Macchiato Milk Stout and Tangelic Halo Tangerine and names that have included Real American Hero and Purple Reign, while Bathtub Gin & Co. is Seattle’s original ‘speakeasy’ bar. When it comes to dive bars, Shorty’s in Belltown has a collection of classic pinball machines and a vast selection of hot dogs and nachos as well as budget-friendly drinks. Another mustvisit is Hattie’s Hat in Ballard, which has been operating as a saloon since 1904. More than 100 years later the menu may have evolved to accommodate modern tastes – there’s a hearty vegie sandwich and a sautéed mushroom and Swiss cheese burger – but Hattie’s Hat has, thankfully, lost none of its wonderfully scruffy charm.

Perfectly positioned just one block from the Puget Sound waterfront and directly adjacent to Pike Place Markets, Thompson Seattle is the perfect luxe base from which to explore the best of what the city has to offer. Spacious rooms come with jaw-dropping floor-to-ceiling harbour or city views, mid-century furniture and huge bathrooms. Plus the lobby serves complimentary coffee and snacks, and the warm and attentive staff are happy to organise activities or anything else you need. Rooftop bar The Nest is the perfect spot to unwind after a day’s sightseeing while enjoying the seasonally and locally focused small plates from executive chef Derek Simcik.

Across the city, and in the heart of downtown, Hotel Theodore is a Seattle fixture that’s been given a makeover. Surrounded by superb shopping, dining and entertainment options, the hotel’s Art Deco tower was the tallest in the city when it opened as the Roosevelt Hotel in 1929. Today, a quirky collection of artefacts and images curated by the Museum of History and Industry is scattered throughout the establishment to reflect its storied history. Modern touches include the innovative cuisine served in Rider, the hotel’s restaurant celebrating produce from the Puget Sound region, excellent morning brews from MADE Coffee in the lobby, and a chance to mingle with other guests while sipping cocktails at aperitivo hour in the hotel’s atrium.

Once a maritime port, the historic neighbourhood of Ballard proudly retains its Scandinavian roots, but it’s now one of the hottest hipster hangouts in town. For the true Ballardian experience, visit the Sunday markets along the cobblestones of Ballard Avenue, where you’ll find an incredible selection of stalls selling everything from ramen and tacos to woodfired pizzas, falafel and curries. Be sure to visit Bop Street Records, where you can explore half a million vinyl records wedged on groaning floor-toceiling shelves, as well as the 42-year-old Secret Garden Bookshop, a local favourite, and Miro Tea, which serves a charming collection of Japanese teas and custom blends.

Keen on people watching? Visit the beaches of West Seattle, the city’s answer to Bondi and Venice (LA) for hard bodies, healthy activities and equally healthful cuisine. For Seattle’s best views, skip the over-priced observation tower at the Space Needle, built for the 1962 World’s Fair, for the stunning vistas of tiny Kerry Park instead. Popular with locals as a vantage spot to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks, the pocket park perched on a hill offers an unsurpassed view of Elliott Bay and central Seattle with an occasional backdrop of Mount Rainier. Bainbridge Island, a delightful 35-minute ferry trip from the city, is for wine buffs and foodies, and is akin to New Zealand’s Waiheke Island in marrying vineyards and marinas with culture, art and design, including the wonderful Bloedel Reserve gardens. Visit on your final day in Seattle and you may well be tempted to skip the flight home.