Oh, it’s been awhile since I’ve consumed so much food (at least a few weeks). I decided to head over to the Seattle Street Food Festival. Held at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill, it’s the perfect setting for a food festival.

I like the balance between food trucks, street vendors, and craft vendors. The food trucks and street vendors were on the street and craft vendors were on the turf in the park. The benefit of a two day festival is that it never gets “too” crowded. Don’t get me wrong, there were lots of people but having a two day option gives folks the option to choose one day or both. Additionally, being at Cal Anderson is literally brilliant. People can sit down basically anywhere to eat their food whether they like sun or shade, grass or concrete, curbs or hills. If folks get tired of walking around, they can dip their feet in the wading pool or head over to check out some crafts.

Hungry foodies enjoy sitting in a patch of shade at Cal Anderson

Although the event is always free, the Very Important Foodie (VIF) Pass is available to purchase for those who are impatient. Standing in line is not a big deal if you’re going to eat at a few spots. Because I eat at so many places, time can add up. I’m happy to pay a few dollars for a VIF Pass which comes with some swag, freebies, and access to the VIF lounge.



Aside from my recap of the festival, I’m sure a bunch of you are interested in the food. Before we get to that, I have to say that I’m really into beverages right now. I started off with cherry calamansi lemonade from People of the Chubbs. It was cool, refreshing and had a bit of tart tang to balance the sweetness. They had a somewhat limited, pricey menu so I didn’t order anything to eat. My next drink was Vietnamese coffee from Lemongrass. I drink tons of this stuff but what I loved was how strong it was! It was bold and creamy from the condensed milk and if I weren’t lactose intolerant, I would have drank it all day! I followed all that up with one of my faves, lavender cucumber lemonade from Papa Bois. This has quickly become one of my favorite drinks. It was a bit mild that day but still very freshing! 

Charlie’s Buns n’ Stuff. I opened with an order of sweet potato tater tots. This is the perfect dish to share and it comes with your choice of sauce. It reminds me of a tater tot but has a sweet, hearty center filled with sweet potato. 

Ezell’s. The chicken strip basket is where it’s at. With crispy, well-seasoned strips, this is a great way to indulge in fried chicken without feeling the guilt. Again, pick your favorite sauce and chow these down with a basket of fries. This is the perfect walking and sharing food! 

Two Shoe BBQ. The brisket sandwich is full of tender, saucy meat! It’s messy and yummy! It doesn’t travel well and I don’t recommend sharing unless you have TONS of napkins and/or wipes. The sandwich was filling and well worth the cost of the plate (which comes with two sides). 

BeanFish. Wow! Having eaten at BeanFish for a year, they continue to up their game! The taiyaki gets better and better both with flavors and technique. I had a vanilla custard taiyaki (shown here with custard lipstick ^-^). The outside was smooth and crunchy. The inside was soft and filled with lovely custard. Don’t let the line steer you wrong; they’re pretty quick and this is perfect walking food! 

Street Donuts. The trailer was on hand with chocolate jalapeno donuts and others. The donuts have changed a bit over time but people definitely still like them. Donuts are made fresh so don’t be surprised by the line. Perfect for sharing and walking! 

Pel Meni a.k.a. Dumpling Czar. I’m a fan of all kinds of dumplings! Grab a cup of these potato dumplings and you can continue on your journey. You can even share if you feel so inclined! 

Papa Bois. Unfortunately, the jerk chicken wings were sold out by the time I got there. At $5 a serving, it was a heck of a deal. Instead, I got the jerk chicken plate. It was a large serving that is good for sharing, but not walking. There’s a lot of spicy chicken in here! It’s balanced nicely by the pistachio rice. 

Off the Rez. I love grabbing a frybread taco for a number of reasons. It’s yummy, small, and reasonably priced. The pork is seasoned well and melds well with the other ingredients. The frybread is crisp but absolutely devoid of grease. A great snack! 

My Sweet Lil Cakes. I found them posted up without their trailer but I was glad I did. I grabbed a sweet red velvet waffle. The hearty waffle topped with all kinds of sweetness makes the perfect dessert to top off the day! They serve their food with a smile and I even saw them handing out samples. 

Full Tilt. They recently launched their truck and it was at the festival. I forgot to take pictures. Ice cream on a hot afternoon? You do the math. I love that I can get their ice cream on a truck now. 

Overall, I was there for about 5-6 hours and I had a great time. It was easy to navigate and not too big or too small. I felt like I walked back and forth about 10 times and I still wasn’t tired. Seating was so plentiful because of the park. Also, having a wading pool and other park amenities nearby was a nice compliment to a food event. Looking forward to next year! 

Seattle Foodtruckery photos are here. Feel free to browse some of my other albums when you visit.