MARKET GRILL
ADDRESS: 1509 Pike Place #3, Seattle, WA 98101
WEBSITE: https://www.marketgrillseattle.com/
When visiting Seattle, it’s hard not to take a stop at the iconic Pike Place Market at some point during the trip. During my visit there last month, my family decided to spend one of the afternoons in the city itself, combining the visit to Pike Place Market with also going to the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. We took a look on Yelp for some of the top lunch spots within Pike Place Market, and that’s how Market Grill ended up as our destination.
Market Grill is located on the upper level of Pike Place Market, the location standing out in the bustling crowd with the neon sign overhead. The red lettering, along with the green and blue fish outline, help to direct your attention to exactly where you need to be. From the menu perspective, they primarily feature sandwiches or platters of their seafood options, along with clam chowder. It was apparent that one of the things that they were known for was their blackened salmon sandwich, which was featured on the Travel Channel’s “Delicious Destinations” program. I always do like sampling what a place is known for, so the salmon sandwich it was for me.
Being that it was a market stand, seating was pretty minimal in the immediate storefront. There was a little bit of bar seating, but that could probably accommodate maybe six people max. In the back, however, there were additional outdoor tables that were set up to provide more options. They would bring the food out to your table as well once it was ready.
With most of us getting sandwiches, it ended up not taking too long before they were able to bring out all our food. The sandwich itself did have a bit of heft, with the salmon accompanied by Romaine lettuce, grilled sweet onions, and rosemary mayo. I did like how the bread seemed to have a softer inside but also a crisp outside, which I think always does well for sandwiches. From a flavor perspective, however, there were definitely things to be desired.
When I think of “blackened salmon,” I’m usually envisioning fish that has a nice sear on the outside and also loaded with spices to provide plentiful flavor. Somehow, this salmon ended up tasting relatively bland with every bite. It was rather odd since when looking at the salmon, it seemed like it was seasoned for the most part. It just wasn’t something that translated to the final product. I also ended up not really getting much of the rosemary flavor from the mayo as well. For being billed as the “world famous” sandwich, it was unfortunately a bit of a letdown.
For being a $20 sandwich, I definitely don’t think that the value was there, given the underseasoning of the fish. I was able to finish the rest of the sandwich, but it wasn’t something that was as enjoyable as it could have been, since I’m usually a fan of fish sandwiches. I wouldn’t say this is a spot that I would return to again in the future, given how many other places there are in the vicinity to stop by at.
Let’s now take a look at the Market Grill Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
Blackened Salmon Sandwich
Grilled salmon with Romaine lettuce, grilled sweet onions, and rosemary mayo.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Market Grill:
Food: 3.5 / 5
While the various types of fish sandwich or platter options sounded pretty good, the underseasoning of the fish heavily affected my impression of the sandwich. The bread itself, however, was done well, and helped to add that texture contrast to redeem the sandwich a little bit.
Atmosphere: N/A
Being that this spot was primarily a market stall (even though there was more outdoor seating in the back), foregoing this ranking would probably be best.
Service: 4 / 5
The food itself arrived out to our tables in a pretty reasonable amount of time after we ordered, and the guy helping us at the counter was pretty open to answering some questions about the food selection.
Price: 3.5 / 5
For a sandwich that ended up being $20, there was definitely a bit of disappointment with the fact that the main feature, the blackened salmon, ended up underseasoned. With that impression, it’s tough to say the value is there for paying that amount, although the Pike Place Market location also probably factored into the food prices being higher.
Overall:
11 / 15
(73%)
Categories: Restaurants, Washington
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