End Your Day with the Locals in Capitol Hill

Just northeast of downtown, Capitol Hill is home to an eclectic mix of bookstores, cafes, greenspace, nightlife, and specialty shops. The neighborhood is situated on a steep hill and bordered by Interstate 5 to the west, Interlaken Park to the north, 23rd Avenue to the east and Pike Street to the south.

The light rail stop is in the southern part of the neighborhood, just north of Cal Anderson Park, which is home to a reflecting pool. The neighborhood may be hilly, but you can use the streetcar, which runs along Broadway, south of the light rail station. There’s a Jimi Hendrix Statue at the intersection of Broadway and Pine, which has the Renton (just outside Seattle) native shredding away on his knees, outside of an arts and crafts store.

Capitol Hill is an ideal place to enjoy a leisurely dinner, away from other tourists. One of the most sought-after tables in Seattle is at Kedia Makan, which is a Malaysian restaurant with a small menu of less than two-dozen items. You can feel like you are in a hipster section of Brooklyn as you approach the red-brick building with no exterior sign on the corner of Howell and Bellvue. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a line outside the door, which often starts hours before they open for dinner. They are not open for lunch.

At Kedai Makan, they make their own sambal and also offer Chinese herbal infusions at the bar, which is where you may end up sitting if you are in any kind of a hurry. The food is worth the wait. Be sure to try a handmade noodle dish and a roti (bread) appetizer. If you’re not familiar with Malaysian food, it’s a mix of Chinese, Indian and ethnic-Malay. Some Malaysian restaurants do not serve pork, but this one does.

The dessert menu is at Kedai Mekan is limited, so if you want dessert, it’s best to head to Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream near the intersection of 10th and Pine (just one block east of the Jimi Hendrix statue). Like Kedai Makan, there’s typically a line outside the door. With multiple locations throughout greater-Seattle, they offer more than a dozen different ice cream flavors, some of which are vegan.

After dessert, walk one block south on 10th Avenue to Elliot Bay Book Company. With more than 150,000 titles they’ve been going strong since 1973. There’s a small cafe in the back corner and they have more than 500 author readings per year. They are open until 11 PM some evenings and the area is replete with nightlife as well. Just one more reason to end your day in Capitol Hill.

Nearest Light Rail Station: Capitol Hill