We're well into the dog days of summer, and it's prime time for al fresco hangouts with friends. Not coincidentally, July is also National Picnic Month. We've got you covered with plenty of provisions perfect for a moveable feast, from fried chicken to charcuterie to cheese. Some places are even offering pre-assembled picnic kits for extra simplicity. All that's left for you to do is pack up your wicker basket and gingham blanket and scout out a location. For ideas for where to picnic, check out this guide to the best parks and beaches in Seattle. For more inspiration, check out our food and drink guide.
Bottlehouse
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This Madrona wine bar and shop offers small, medium, and large "monger boxes" with a selection of meats and cheeses curated by their in-house cheesemonger team. Each box comes with a fresh baguette, house-made crackers, seasonal compote, herb-roasted almonds, dried fruit, Castelvetrano olives, and garden-fresh herbs.
Madrona
Cafe Presse
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Picnics stem from French tradition and were further popularized after royal parks became accessible to the public for the first time after the French Revolution, so it's extra fitting that Capitol Hill's iconic Parisian-style bistro sells a "Pique-Nique" feast complete with a whole roast chicken, chicken liver terrine, a demi-baguette with butter, and pain au chocolat à l’ancienne (bittersweet chocolate melted onto a baguette—swoon). Add on optional pommes frites and/or a bottle of rosé.
Capitol Hill
Cure Cocktail & Charcuterie
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If you're really looking to splurge, this craft cocktail bar inside Remedium Island Grill
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has deluxe charcuterie boards for every occasion, including an "ultimate charcuterie, cheese, and salumi board" loaded with fruit spread, jams, Valencia almonds, olives, and other treats.
Capitol Hill
Dacha Diner
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Dine al fresco in Eastern European style with Dacha's picnic packs, which include a strawberry rhubarb kompot (a type of sweet beverage) with optional vodka, a Georgian salad (cucumber, tomato, red onion, radishes, herbs, and tarragon vinaigrette), and two sandwiches of your choice—choose from an egg sandwich, a Reuben, and/or the "Schvitz" (an open-faced sandwich with Pacific lox, onion, and whipped cream cheese on house-made Russian rye bread).
Capitol Hill
DeLaurenti Specialty Food & Wine
We'd be remiss not to mention this Pike Place deli, a comprehensive emporium of incredible cheese, olives, prosciutto, charcuterie, artisan breads, and other perfect things to round out your outdoor smorgasbord.
Downtown
Ebb & Company
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This neighborhood shop offering natural wines and seasonal fare is packing up picnic boxes with meats, cheese, fruits, veggies, sourdough crackers, and even cans of sparkling rosé from Ramona. They also carry a healthy selection of other picnic provisions, including antipasto plates, seasonal pickles, tinned fish, olives, and cheese.
Ravenna
Ezell’s Chicken
Fried chicken is a time-honored picnic classic, and you can't do better than the certified Oprah favorite's chicken dinner combos. Don't forget the sweet potato pie.
Various locations
Frelard Tamales
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The beloved walk-up spot has plenty of handmade, husk-wrapped delights, ideal for a portable repast.
Green Lake
Joyce's Market And Cafe
On your way to Madison Park Beach, stopping by to piece together a platter of snacks from this specialty neighborhood market/bistro/cheese bar is a must.
Central District
Lil Red Takeout and Catering
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This local gem recently earned a spot on a list of the top 20 Black-owned barbecue spots in the nation, compiled by James Beard Award-winning author and barbecue expert Adrian Miller in his new book Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. (Considering that Miller sampled barbecue at over 200 restaurants across the country to research his book, this is no faint praise.) The restaurant is run by husband-and-wife team Erasto “Red” Jackson, who specializes in soul food and a style of barbecue that incorporates influences from Texas, Memphis, and Kansas City, and Lelieth Jackson, who is of Jamaican descent and the mastermind behind the restaurant's Jamaican dishes. Fans love the ribs, the mac and cheese, the jerk chicken, the brisket, the rum cake, and the banana pudding.Â
Columbia City
L'Oursin
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The charming French bistro's marché area has a wide selection of cheeses, tinned fish, house-made salamis and patés, house-smoked fish, prepared salads, bread from Macrina Bakery, European butter, farm-fresh produce, and other treats for a Francophile feast.
Central District
LTD Edition Sushi
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This new takeout-only restaurant specializes in omakase boxes of edomae-style sushi, perfect for toting along to Cal Anderson or Volunteer Park for an impromptu meal.
Capitol Hill
Mainstay Provisions
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Assemble your own spread with pre-made salads, focaccias, pizza, rotisserie chicken, and other options from this all-day cafe and specialty market.
Ballard
Miri's at Golden Gardens
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If you're planning on laying out your blanket at one of Seattle's favorite beaches, do yourself or your group a solid and pop by Miri Plowman and Gabe Skoda's concession stand. They've got picnic platters with cheese, nuts, and dried fruit; kebabs; Full Tilt ice cream bars; poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes); and other options.
Ballard
Musashi's
On the hunt for affordable sushi? Look no further than this favorite beloved for its high-quality rolls, chirashi bowls, and bento boxes. If you're at the C-ID location, try Kobe Terrace for a peaceful picnic locale, and if you're at Wallingford, head to Fremont Peak Park or Gas Works for stunning views.
Chinatown-International District, Wallingford
Paragon
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This Queen Anne restaurant has a special "pique-nique" menu designed just for picnic season, with items like beet-pickled egg salad sandwiches, baguette sandwiches with salami and butter or house-made pancetta and whipped goat cheese, Caprese salads, smoked salmon rillettes, lemon mascarpone tea cakes, and more. You can even add on compostable cutlery and plates and rent an adorable vintage picnic basket for added cottagecore vibes.
Queen Anne
Pho Bac Downtown
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When it comes to picnic-friendly meals, it's hard to rival bánh mì. Luckily, Seattle's most beloved pho chain Pho Bac has just opened a new downtown location that serves them stuffed with fillings like pork meatballs with salted egg yolk, banana leaf-roasted pork infused with pho fat, and marinated tofu with mushroom paté. Take yours to the nearby Freeway Park.
Downtown
Salumi
The cured meats, including salamis, prosciuttos, coppa, pancetta, prosciutto, soppressata, tongue, and cured lamb, and hot and cold sandwiches at this world-famous shop are picnic-perfect.
Pioneer Square
Slab Sandwiches and Pie
Lark's severely underrated casual lunch spot is one of Seattle's best-kept secrets, and you can get a daily rotating selection of sandwiches and toasty things here. The salted chocolate chip cookies made by Lark co-owner JM Enos are seriously good.
Capitol Hill
Taku
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Pick up some twice-fried karaage chicken with sides like furikake fries, Japanese-style mac salad, and watermelon salad with feta and honey miso vinaigrette at Top Chef star Shota Nakajima's Capitol Hill bar. You can even throw all caution to the wind and order a "Fuck It! Bucket" (three pounds of nuggets with furikake fries).
Capitol Hill
Zylberschtein's
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Stop at this Jewish deli and bakery for a selection of bagels, cream cheese, cookies, rugelach, whitefish salad, and DIY sandwich kits.
Pinehurst