Capitol Hill Seattle

Capitol Hill is a vibrant neighborhood east of downtown Seattle. It's the epicenter of the LGBTQ community in Seattle, with rainbow crosswalks and flags, and big community events like PrideFest each June.

What to do in Capitol Hill

I love walking along Pike or Pine Streets to see a great selection of trendy restaurants and brewpubs in Capitol Hill, and an eclectic array of businesses.

I can find everything here, including vintage clothing shops, boutiques, tattoo parlors, vinyl stores, and mid-century furniture.

The nightlife is some of the best in Seattle, with famous music venues like Neumos and Barboza. I also enjoy hanging out at cocktail bars like the chic Belmont Lounge or the fun Havana Nightclub with different DJs each evening.

Capitol Hill is a cultural hub, and attracts visitors from all over the world for the Seattle Film Festival in June. Many of these indie films are screened at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian, which is a year-round destination for art-house movies. The Annex Theater also has a full calendar of experimental theater by local playwrights.

Most popular tourist attractions

The two most popular tourist attractions in Capitol Hill are the 15,000 square foot Starbucks Reserve Roastery which sells only the most rare blends, and the Elliot Bay Book Company which is a huge, independent bookstore founded in 1973.

History of Capitol Hill Seattle

Capitol Hill was once known as Catholic Hill, full of conservative, working class Catholics. The neighborhood fell into decline after the mass layoffs at Boeing in the 1970s. Bohemians and writers moved in to take advantage of the cheap rent.

The tech boom has gentrified parts of Capitol Hill with modern condos and hipster restaurants, but Capitol Hill still retains much of its grittiness and authenticity.

10 best things to do in Capitol Hill 

1. Eat at trendy Capitol Hill restaurants.

Capitol Hill is one of the top three neighborhoods to eat out in Seattle. Most of the restaurants are concentrated along Pike, Pine and Broadway.

Here are my top picks:

• Noren Sushi Kitchen and Bar has delicious sashimi and classic rolls in a modern, minimalist setting.
• Tavolata has some of the best pasta dishes in Seattle!
• Via Tribulani serves Neapolitan style pizza.
• Poquitos sells street tacos with frozen cocktails in a festive setting.
• Fogon Cucina Mexicana has yummy dishes like Carne Asada Burrito and Pollo a la crema.
• Stateside Restaurant is another sleek Capitol Hill restaurant, serving french and vietnamese fusion dishes.
• The Rhein House has an indoor dining hall, biergarten, and bier hall.

2. Enjoy a yummy breakfast.

My favorite place for breakfast in Capitol Hill is the retro Lost Lake Diner (pictured below). Slip into a booth and order all day breakfast items.

I also enjoy the Oddfellows Cafe in a stylish setting, serving brioche french toast, belgian waffles, and biscuits and gravy. It also has a secluded back patio for outdoor dining. The Skillet Diner is another trendy cafe, with breakfast shots, spiked coffee, breakfast burritos and chicken and waffles.

3. Browse the Elliott Bay Book Company. 

I can never quite get over the size of the 22,000 square foot Elliott Bay Books. This independent bookstore is a community hub in Capitol Hill, housed inside an old manufacturing building with exposed beams and a striking wall of windows.

I really enjoy attending their daily author reading series, featuring everyone from famous to unknown authors.  I've also found the staff to be very knowledgeable, and I place a lot of trust in their quarterly Staff Recommendations book list.

It's also nice to have access to coffee and snacks at the attached cafe. 

4. Sip coffee at the stylish Starbucks Reserve Roastery. 

The massive 15,000 foot Starbucks Reserve Roastery has a stunning, instagram worthy interior, and sells rare blends and coffee flights. There's even a small coffee library on site.  I recently learned that there's only seven Starbucks Roasters in the world, in Seattle, Shanghai, Milan, Chicago, New York (x2) and Tokyo.

5. Hang out in coffee shops. 

My favorite coffee shops in Capitol Hill are Caffe Vita and Victrola. Both have been around for over 25 years and are popular neighborhood hangouts!

6. Go bowling at the trendy Garage.

I enjoy getting a group together at Garage Billiards and Bowl. It's been here since 1996, and has a new arcade, 20 bowling lanes, 25 pool tables, and a bar with a full pub menu.

7. Hang out at Cal Anderson Park.

My favorite time to visit Cal Anderson Park is during summer, when I can enjoy a picnic on the lawns beside the reflecting pool and fountain. If I'm lucky, I can also catch a cinema in the park movie in the evening.

There's lots of other stuff to do here, like a playground, skate park, dog park and basketball courts. This park is historically significant, because it was named after Washington State's first openly gay legislator.

8. See an independent movie at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian.

One of Seattle's great theaters is the historic SIFF Cinema Egyptian. This old Masonic Temple (1915) was converted to a cinema by SIFF in 1980, and now showcases indie movies like classic Italian and French cinema and film noir. 

Things get really busy here during the Seattle Film Festival in June, the biggest film festival in America.

9. Visit Seattle's oldest theater.

If I'm in the mood for some independent theater, I head to Seattle's oldest theater at the Annex in Capitol Hill. This cosy venue is home to a theater group that started out in 1996 at nearby Bainbridge Island. There's some really unique and offbeat productions from local playwrights here. 

10. Check out Seattle's famous live music scene at Neumos. 

I'm always amazed how many Capitol Hill cafes, theaters and music venues have been around since Seattle's grunge heyday in the 1990s. One of these institutions is Neumos, which is probably the best known place to see live music in Seattle. It started out in 1992 as Moe's Mo'Roc'N Cafe, and became New Moe's in 2017. Lots of big acts have passed through here.

Some of my other recommendations for cool music venues in Capitol Hill are Barboza (in an intimate basement venue with booths and a bar) and Chop Suey (super fun dance parties and live acts).

11. Spend a lazy afternoon at a brewpub.

Elysian Brewery has been at its Capitol Hill location since 1996, and just had a refresh in 2021. The space has an industrial esthetic, with a direct line of sight to the brew masters.

Stoup Brewing is a giant beerhall on Broadway in Capitol Hill. This family friendly brewery has large, communal tables, and plenty of food trucks on hand. There's 20 beers on tap,

12. Plan a big night out at bars and nightclubs. 

Visit the Belmont Lounge or Havana for cocktails.

13. See cool furniture, clothing and gift shops in Capitol Hill.

Choose from a broad array of indie shops at Capitol Hill. 

• Boutiques: Standard Goods (hip men's and women's clothing).
• Gifts: Glasswing Shop (clothes and gifts).
• Tattoos & Piercings: Artful Dodger Tattoo, Laughing Budda (piercings).
• Vinyl & CDs: Wall of Sound (vinyl, CDs).
• Furniture: Blu Dot Seattle (modern and contemporary furniture), Retrofit Home (furniture),  Inform Interiors (furniture), and Arden Home (furniture store).