Have you ever been wandering around Capitol Hill trying to find a perfect place to eat? I’m not particularly interested in drinking, or hanging out in bars. And in the last year, I have been to several places to try to find some fine restaurants with affordable prices, walk-able from Seattle Central Colleges, and without age restrictions. My main goals are eating spots that are affordable, convenient, fast and still tasty . I have come up with this list of restaurants around Capitol Hill that are less than a 10 minute walk from school.
In a nutshell, these restaurants fit my own personal standard of “perfect” places for lunch around our school.
Ian’s Pizza by the Slice
This restaurant is not a strange place to Seattle Central students. I bet whenever you walk by, you have smelled the fresh baked pizza from this place. They serve pizza in many different sizes, a quick bite for a busy day. This small, cozy place serves a wide range of choices, from a slice to a whole pizza. Vegan options are also available. Alcoholic beverage are available along with slices.
- Outdoor seating: No
- Wi-Fi connection: No
- Vegan options: Yes
- Gender neutral restroom: Yes
- Price: a range from $3.50 for a slice to around $30 for a 20″ pizza.
- Hours: 10:30 am to 11:00 pm from Mon to Thu and Sun
- 10:30 am to 2:30 am on Fri and Sat
- Location: 1620 Broadway Ave. (2 minutes walking, 450ft from campus)
- Disability accessible: Yes
Mia’s Off Broadway Café
This is my personal favorite, and most of my friends love it. You can have Asian dishes with American portion sizes here. It is small, but they have a really great view looking out onto the street. Seats are limited, however, they do have outdoor seats perfect for a sunny day. Most visitors agree their dishes are worth every penny and perfect for lunch time. On a sunny day, I came for a Spicy Chicken Teriyaki dish at around 12:30pm. Within about 30 minutes, I had heard the words “Spicy Chicken Teriyaki” at least 4 times at the ordering counter. Therefore, you might want to put this dish into your consideration when deciding to come by. On the other hand, if you want a place near campus but have class in 10 minutes, this may not a great choice to consider since it might take time.
- Outdoor seating: No
- Wi-Fi connection: No
- Vegan options: Yes
- Gender neutral restroom: Yes
- Price: under $10
- Hours: 7:00 am to 7:30 pm from Mon to Fri
- Location: 1601 Harvard Ave. (one minute walking, 150ft from campus).
- Disability accessible: Yes
Fogón Cocina Mexicana
You can tell what they have by its name. This Mexican restaurant is one of the most well- known taco places in Capitol Hill, or maybe all of Seattle. People from everywhere have tried this place and found it amazing. I am personally not Mexican; however, three out of four reviewers believe this is an authentic Mexican restaurant in Capitol Hill. The food may be a little pricey compared to many Mexican restaurants, but it is reasonable for such good quality food. A tip for whoever wants to try this place out: they have amazing Happy Hours.
- Outdoor seating: No
- Wi-Fi connection: Yes
- Vegan options: Yes
- Restroom: Yes (not gender neutral)
- Price: from $11 to $30 (normal price)
- Under $10 (Happy Hour price)
- Hours: 11:00 am to 11:00 pm – Mon, Tue, Sun
- 11:00 am to 12:00 am – Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hours: every day from 3:00pm to 6:00pm and 9:00pm to close
- Location: 600 E. Pine St. (3 minutes walking from campus, 700 ft)
- Disability accessible: No
Manao Thai Street Eats
If you are a fan of Pad Thai, this is not a bad place to consider for your lunch today. Not only do they provide an elegantly decorated eating space, Manao Thai Street Eats also serves decently delicious Thai food in the Capitol hill area. Many have said that this is not authentic Thai food since the flavor is American influenced, and their food is sweeter or more seasoned compared with Thai dishes in Thailand itself. Although this place is a little pricey if you want a full meal with entree and main dishes; it is still reasonable for this area.
- Outdoor seating: Yes
- Wi-Fi connection: Yes
- Vegan options: Yes
- Gender Neutral Restroom: Yes
- Price: from $11 to $30
- Hours: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm – Mon to Fri
- 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm – Sat
- 12:00 pm to 9: 00 pm – Sun
- Location: 122 E. Pine St., Ste. C (8 minutes walking from campus, 0.3 mi)
- Disability accessible: Yes
Mighty-O Donuts
This place is so familiar to many who live in the Capital Hill area. I have only known about this awesome place for a few months now, and I am really into it. They have really friendly customer service and provide an LGBT-friendly/hate- free environment. This donut place is more like a quick start for a day than a proper lunch, but to those who want to eat something fast but still tasty, you should consider this. The special thing about this store is their donuts are vegan, which does mean they are a little healthier than regular donuts. One more thing I love is the view; I like to enjoy it by having a hot coffee with a cinnamon sugar donut by the window on a rainy day. It requires quite a walk from school, so if you really want to try it out, grab a friend to come with you and chat while doing some light exercise before getting some donuts. And here is a tip from me: I accidentally realized when I came to the shop at 5:45pm, they had a buy 1 get 1 free special, so I can say that it is cheaper around closing time.
- Outdoor seating: No
- Wi-Fi connection: Yes
- Vegan options: Yes
- Gender Neutral Restroom: Yes
- Price: under $2.50 for a donut.
- Hours: 7:00 am to 6:00pm – Mon to Fri
- Location: 122 E. Pine St. Ste. C (8 minutes walking from campus, 0.3 mi)
- Disability accessible: Yes
Hot Mama’s Pizza 
New Yorkers, you might want to visit this place. Hot Mama’s Pizza serves traditional New York pizza with really thin crust and freshly baked. I came to this place around lunch time and didn’t expect a $3.00 slice of pizza would be that amazing. I spent about 45 seconds waiting in line and was served by a really lovely girl who has a very impressive way of communicating with customers and I was quite pleased. The place is not spacious, so most customers place to-go orders. Different from Ian’s pizza by the slice, Hot Mama’s Pizza doesn’t provide an ideal place for groups or for someone trying to find a place to do homework, it’s more of a grab-n-go pizza place. Vegans pizza is available, so are soft drinks.
- Outdoor seating: No
- Wi-Fi connection: No
- Vegan options: Yes
- Gender Neutral Restroom: No
- Price: Around $3 for a slice of pizza and around $20 for an 18 inches pizza.
- Hours: 11:00 am to 12:00 am – Mon, Wed, and Sun
- 11:00 am to 2:00 am – Thu
- 11:00 am to 2:30 am – Fri, Sat
- Location: 700 E. Pine St. (a few steps away from Mia’s Off Broadway, 2 minutes from school, 450 ft.)
- Disability accessible: Maybe (wheelchair access may be difficult)
Tacos Chukis 
Another taco place, and this time with more affordable prices. People have said that this is definitely not the best taco place in town, but they keep coming back for the prices. That is true, dishes are under $10 and they have tons of vegan, gluten- free, dairy- free and soy- free options, which make it stand out from any other places. Some said this is more like a self- serve restaurant and might be not a go- to place for someone who tends to enjoy a sit- down meal. Quick service and a quick bite for lunch are what they have here.
- Outdoor seating: No
- Wi-Fi connection: No
- Vegan options: Yes
- Gender Neutral Restroom: No
- Price: Under $10 a dish of 4 tacos.
- Hours: 11:00 am to 10:00pm – Mon to Sun
- Location: 219 Broadway E. (9 minutes or less from school, 0.4 miles)
- Disability accessible: No
In a nutshell, these restaurants fit my own personal standard of “perfect” places for lunch around our school. I believe they are worthy to be considered a must-go place for anyone in this area. Hope you enjoy your meals!
