Meet the Market- Food and Fun tour in Pike Place Market
Description
Tasty Tours invites you to "Meet the Market" and embark on an adventure full of amazing food, history and culture with Supersonic John -A true Pacific Northwest local and the only Market Family tour guide. The Market is a 9 acre historic district that can be overwhelming without guidance. Specializing in smaller group sizes Sonic John will lead you through the maze to visit the hidden gems. You will enjoy a wide variety of Tasty exclusive food samples including James Beard award winners, tacos. seafood, pizza and more! Personally meet the craftspeople, vendors and community that make Pike Place Market special. See you soon! Tasty Tours is permitted and licensed by the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA) to operate tours in the Pike Place Market Historical District. The PDA requires any business or person conducting paid tours within its properties and in the public areas of the historical district to be pre-approved and to have a license for this activity.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This is the official starting point for Supersonic John's Tasty Tours. The Crumpet Shops easy to see sign make it the ideal landmark to meet underneath to start the tour. You may be met with a rotating sample from one of the Market Family partners!
We start our adventure passing the Can-Can Cabaret and learning about the Markets history and culture before descending into the main section.
Piroshky Piroshky is one of the more popular spots in the Market and you can view the operation through the window into the bakery. Thrill as you witness the expert team creating a wide assortment of Piroshky. Samples provided as dictated by the line.
Honest Biscuits is located on the scenic west side of the Market. I will explain the artists and the craftline as well as showing you the actual location of the first Starbucks before they moved along the way. Enjoy views of Elliot Bay while eating fluffy handmade biscuits with Beechers cheese baked in. Samples are part of the tour.
We stop at the first of the 4 fish mongers in the Market. City Fish opened in 1917. Enjoy free samples and VIP discounts of some of the best alderwood smoked salmon on earth.
The O-Mart stop ! The Oriental Mart won the James Beard award in 2020 and has incredible Filipino cuisine. Meet the legendary Ate Lei at this exclusive to Tasty Tours VIP stop. Sample is part of the tour
DeLaurenti Italian Grocery is located in the Economy Market building near the original entrance to the Market. They opened in 1946 and you will sample the best pizza in Washington state at the amazing lunch counter. This stop is exclusive to Tasty Tours and the sample is part of the tour.
Yes we go by the world-famous Pike Place Fish Co where they throw the fish! I will explain all the history and lore of this attraction as we enjoy free dried fruit and vegetable samples at Simply Seattle.
Don and Joes is the Market butcher for 55 years and counting. A meat and cheese trail mix to go is part of the tour as we go by.
Secret Garden spot. The secret garden is a great place for lunch with public seating and gorgeous views. I will explain the history of the Market and the roles the PDA, Market Foundation, the Market Commons and the Historic District play in making it one of the magnificent 7 public markets in the world and a truly unique community.
Teas from everywhere can be found at MarketSpice.
Visit the longest-running magic shop in the Pacific Northwest and 6th oldest in the USA as we venture where no other tour goes down into the 7 level Fairley Building. Maybe we may see a trick or two!
We pass by Golden Age the World's oldest comic book shop and where Sonic John started working in the Market in 1987
We continue our journey through the Lower Market Levels we pass the amazing Holy Cow records. Always bustling with vinyl enthusiasts as we make our way back to the main level.
Los Agaves is in the Sanitary Market Building and you will enjoy mouth-watering street tacos al pastor from this Market Family favorite. Sample and VIP discounts part of the tour.
The Athenian has the best happy hour view in the Market and also the filming location for "Sleepless in Seattle" starring Rob Reiner and Tom Hanks. You will see the very lunch counter where the scene took place. Wonderful Market Family hangout.
We end the tour with dessert at Chukar Cherries near the Athenian and the bridge to parking. Assorted chocolate covered dried cherries and nuts sample are part of the tour. From this centralized spot you can continue easily on your Seattle adventure. I will get misty-eyed and wave good bye as we depart with you full of food, history and fun experiences!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(397)
This was one of the best walking tours I've been on. Sonic John brings an incredible amount of knowledge and energy, making the experience both engaging and informative. He's a fantastic ambassador for Pike Place Market and does a great job explaining its history, vendors, and importance to Seattle's culture. The tour is an excellent introduction to the full breadth of the market, helping you discover places you might otherwise overlook. John also tailors recommendations to your interests, whether you're looking for great food, local specialties, or unique shops. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Seattle, especially if it's your first time exploring Pike Place Market.
John kept telling us that the tour was too late in the day and all the stops were closed. Which begs the question of why he offers a tour at that hour knowing that all the stops will be closed. We had no way of knowing as visitors.
This is 100% inaccurate folks --- I replace the ONE Honest Biscuits stop (a breakfast place closed at 3 PM) with a stop at the Truffle Queen so its really not that big a deal and is exactly the same amount of stops as my other tours. Jill here also does not understand what the phrase "begs the question" actually means because its not applicable here. Safe travels folks!
Great tour; super knowledgeable! Lots of insider info and yummy samples. We would not have visited all the levels if we did not take the tour.
Thank you for supporting the Market and for the kind words. I had a fun time exploring the maze with you. So happy you enjoyed it. Safe travels. Sonic John
I struggled with this review. If this was billed: Discover the fascinating history of our historical 9 acre Pike Place Market and explore the many levels and unique shops it offers. Sample some of the local food during our walking tour. I would have given the experience a 5 star. As a labeled food tour it was weak in offering and taste. Hence the 4 stars. The tour guide was knowledgeable about the massive site and knows all the vendors. This is the best part of the tour. I didn’t know how extensive the place was.
Hi folks - Sonic John here. My tour is called the "Meet the Market Food and Fun Tour" - it is exactly as described here . I definitely will show you how to fully enjoy the 9 acre 30 building historic district as only a true Market Family member can. Along the way we will enjoy samples from all my vendor partners as we meet them. Food samples may include: Smoked Salmon from City Fish Piroshky from Piroshky Piroshky Flagship cheese from Beechers Fresh baked cheddar biscuits - Honest Biscuits James Beard-award-winning Filipino food exclusive to my tour - O-Mart Seattle Dog from Bonnie B's Pizza - Delaurentis Tacos - Los Agaves Chocolate covered cherries - Chukar Fresh fruit - Sosios Chowder - Market Grill Truffle demonstration and tasting - Truffle Queen Dried fruits - Simply the Best Beef jerky - Don and Joes I'm not sure how much more food I can provide in 2 hours for $58.00. The Pike Place Market is a blue-collar working fish Market with hardly anywhere to sit. It is not a fancy sit-down food tour type of environment with plates and waiters - Not sure about the confusion here. I am glad you enjoyed the walking part though. Safe travels
Lots of walking. John has a ton of energy. Make sure you arrive hungry. Highly recommend for a wonderful overview of Pike Place Market.
Thank you for Meeting the Market with me. It was my pleasure to guide you through the busy Market. I am so happy you enjoyed it. Safe travels! Sonic John
Great tour. Sonic Steve was great. There was lots of stuff to do and lots of stuff to see and the food was great.
Even though they call me Sonic John I am still thrilled that you had a great time. I had fun myself showing you around. Get your discounts. Safe travels! Sonic John
Lots of food. Tacos, pizza, lumpia, smoked salmon, cheese biscuit, chocolates. Also going in areas I would never have ventured into by myself!
So glad you enjoyed the experience. I had a great time leading you through the maze to the hidden gems. Get your discounts. Safe travels. Sonic John
We picked this particular tour and guide based on vibes and we weren’t disappointed. Sonic John really knows the market like the back of his hand and weaves his history with Pike’s Place throughout his tour. John is a lot of fun and manages to keep things both informative and entertaining. And the samples we got along the way were delicious (we definitely went back for more after). Aside from the history, food, and vibes, it was also a great introduction to Pike’s Place Market and very much helped us navigate the market later on our own. tl;dr- Sonic John is a lot of fun and this tour is the perfect way to meet the market. Oh hey! That’s why he calls it that!
I am humbled by your kind words. I am thrilled that you enjoyed the tour. I had a terrific time myself guiding you through the labyrinth. Thank you for supporting the Pike Place Market and my small business. You are part of the family now. Safe travels! Sonic John
Awesome tour if it is your first time going to Pike Place Market. The tour helps to make the market easier to navigate. John was very informative and makes the tour fun and interesting while giving out little secrets on the best places to visit. We got to taste samples from several vendors so no need to eat a heavy meal prior to the tour. It does require a lot of walking so wear comfortable closed toe shoes and the grounds can be wet and slippery in certain places. The first tour of the day is the best time to go to beat the crowd.
Its true folks. The Pike Place Market is a 9 acre working historic district and is fill of cobblestones, hills and ramps. The four fish mongers constantly shovel ice that is constantly melting hence the wet floors. I am thrilled that you had a great time and now have the lay of the land! Safe travels Sonic John
This was truly a great experience. Our guide was knowledgeable and knew so many of the vendors at the market. Well worth the price! Left very full.
I am so happy you had a great experience. I am truly blessed to have so many Market connections that I can provide a true insiders tour. Please get your discounts and come back anytime. Sonic John
