Eat Local

Whomever is in charge of the frozen meals needs applause. I love them. I don’t have time to cook these days so this is perfect. I live nearby too!

A year ago purchased a pasta making class thru groupon, I had so much fun and have to say the best cooking class I have ever participated in. That day I purchased another three hoping to bring my boyfriend with as its a good date idea. Needless to say he had no interest in cooking for fun. I was almost to the expiration date so I booked the versatile pasty class for me and two gal pals, not only did we make some fantastic eclairs and swans we also had a great time. Ended up buying some yummy food that was sampled through out our class. Great instructors, food and company.

I purchased a groupon for the Making Pasta from Scratch class, and I absolutely loved it! It was a completely new and fun experience for me. We made a pasta dough for fettuccine and ravioli, and we got to decide how much of each to make for our own ball of dough to take home. The ravioli mushroom and cheese filling was premade for us, but we did everything else!
Diane, our instructor, was super friendly, the recipe was easy to follow, and she comes around to all the tables to make sure we don’t have any train wrecks.
There were 3 types of wine available for us to sip on while we work, and another staff person brought delish food samples to feed us throughout the session. Yum!
I was a little surprised and caught off guard that we had to pay a $ 4 tax fee upon arrival though. Usually when I bought similar groupons everything was paid for via the app.
Their store also has lots of premade meal options that all looked divine. I took home one of their delicious apple crumble pies, as well as their fantastic rustic tomato sauce to serve with the pasta I just made. That night was one of the best meals I had in a long time!

My review is based on the classes taken here, which included the pasta making class, ‘mazing marshmallows, and knife skills. The first class was obtained by groupon while the next 3 were bought through their 3 classes for $ 99 deal. While there are 2 locations, the Burien location is best suited for cooking classes while the Queen Anne location is more of a small market store. The pasta making class was very thorough and the instructors were good. We got to learn how to make the different types and cuts, and even ravioli. The marshmallow class was very fun, where we made vanilla bean marshmallows, raspberry purée marshmallows, and chocolate cookie marshmallows. It would be great for kids and I didn’t even know that marshmallows could be made into gourmet marshmallows until I took this class. The knife skills class was extremely informative and helpful, especially when we all individually deboned our own chickens. Some people may be discouraged from taking this class because it asks you to bring your own knife set, but we really only used one knife the entire time so I’m sure it’s fine not to bring much than your main cutting knife. We went home with a full plate of vegetables and big chicken. Of the 3 classes, I’d say the knife class was the best because it was the most practical and I learned the most useful techniques there.

I really wanted to love this place, but the prices per serving size are outrageous; it would have been cheaper to just eat out! I was torn between the 2 and 3 stars. Since Unilocal helpfully says a 2 is «Meh. I’ve experienced better,» I’d say that’s about right.
The eggplant dish I purchased was flavored very strongly, and then the aloo gobi was very mild to the point of not having much seasoning at all. For those two dishes, $ 15 for one person!
I did like that all food items are very clearly labeled accordingly: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-​free, dairy-​free. Whatever your allergy or dietary preference, they do have you covered. If the sticker doesn’t have the label you are looking for, you know to avoid that dish.
The woman in the store was very friendly and helpful. She asked if she could help us find anything and chatted about the store and local events.
I imagine that the intended patron of Eat Local is someone who has quite a bit of money and very little time. For frozen goods, I think you’d do better to stick with Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

Took the Gingerbread Making house! This was by far the best experience ever. Not only were we doted on by the staff with wine, lattes, water, snacks but it was so nice to be able to come, play and visit… We will most certainly be back for the classes, the food but mostly for the awesome customers service! This is as good as it gets!!!

Walked in out of pure curiosity when visiting the bike store closing down next door.
My boyfriend and I were greeted by a couple of people when we entered. A few other individuals were already in the store as well.
There are multiple freezers at the front of the store with multiple dishes (frozen) you can take home. Their discounted section has dishes that may have too much of one ingredient, etc… and those are labeled with stickers. You’re even given a selection of paper packaging vs. glass dish packaging (which you have to pay a bit more for).
I ended up purchasing the chocolate frozen ice, alvarez chili chicken stew, and the alvarez chili. The chocolate ice barely lasted a couple of days in my freezer :). It’s quite rich but I enjoy my desserts that way. I just tried the alvarez chili chicken stew and it was good! If you’re not a fan of cloves this might not be the dish for you as it’s a bold flavor throughout the dish.
I’d definitely give this place a try if you’re looking for already home-​cooked meals that you can just heat up in the microwave or oven!

I love this place! The staff was incredibly friendly and awesome! My husband and I went there for a pasta making class that I had found on groupon. It was SO much fun.
The class was fun and informative. There were about 12 people in the class. We made a lb of egg noodles nothing super fancy. We ended up taking home 2 lb of linguine and ravioli between the two of us. For dinner there were samples that were passed by tray throughout the evening. Make sure you go hungry! By the end of the class you will be so full! There was also lovely wines and sodas made locally. I really enjoyed the cucumber soda. In the end we bought another class it was so much fun.
My reccomendation. It would be great for a date. It’s not like a movie where you don’t talk but it’s not like dinner where you are constantly talking since you’re cooking something.

This is a lovely ready made food store. The recipes are made with hgih quality ingredients, locally sourced. The recipes are delicious. Tastes a lot like gourmet home cooking that has been frozen.
I do think it’s very very pricey, though. But it’s handy and delicious. Also, they have a discount freezer, with a limited number of dishes in it. That’s helpful.

News flash: Politically Correct food doesn’t have to suck.
Okay, I know it’s local and organic, blah blah blah blah blah.
But I’m sorry; ten bucks for a chicken pot pie? And a bland one at that?
Dudes: discover seasonings! Local and organic doesn’t have to be so bland and so high-​end all at the same time. I give you props for your entrees in pyrex containers with the deposit program, but in the end, it’s the food, stupid. If it doesn’t taste good, I doesn’t matter for a hill of beans if everything came from farms less than 100 miles away and every chicken had a name and volunteered to be harvested that day. Your food is still bland and overpriced. Life is too short to eat blah food just to establish some ‘green/​locavore’ cred.
Seriously, I spent two weeks in Tuscany. Everything was ‘local’ and ‘organic’, but nobody make a big deal about it, ‘coz over there, that’s just the way it is; they figure ‘why make a big deal over such a common thing’. Unfortunately, here we make eating local and organic a status symbol and a sociopolitical statement, kind of like driving a Prius. My hosts in Tuscany proved that ‘local’ + ‘organic’ = delicious. It can’t be that hard, people.
I’m just being honest.
PS: Aside from that, your store is very nicely laid out, and your staff is just fine. Just tell your kitchen to go with a little less attitude and a little more flavour, OK?

Eat Local has given us our own special chef. We have improved our eating and love the new eating options. We will continue to support this local business and wonderful people. Thank you

I really like this place. Before coming here, I had never really considered shopping at a store that sold pre-​prepared food. The selection here is excellent, and everything I’ve tried is really tasty. The people here are very friendly and super-​helpful.
–Edit–
As much as I like this place, the prices seem to be elevating. Or maybe I’m just starting to recognize them. Still, the price for the sodas alone are almost double that I can find at Thriftway. They make good stuff, but the sticker shock has gotten to me.

5 stars on having a nice source for good quality meats. We had a couple of their dishes which really weren’t that special but for sure like the local angle of it and happy to support a cool business such as this.

I like the idea of eating local. We tried the Beef Wellington and were not impressed with the flavor. The meat was tough and the sauce was so so. We would not have this again. We also tried the rhubard crisp which was wonderful. All in all our feeling is that the food is overpriced for what you get. We do not mind paying a little extra for local scrumptous food, this simply wasn’t.

It’s like have your own personal chef. I decided it was time to take a break from the meal planning for a night I didn’t want carry out pizza or the typical delivery. I knew about Eat Local from stopping in a few times for different events and such and have seen that they have a ton of different options inspired from just about any culture. I opted French this time since I am generally afraid to try it on my own.
I went with Coq au Vin, wild rice with goat cheese and asparagus in a creamy bacon sauce. The chicken tasted like it was roasted all day and the rice with the dabs of creamy goat cheese were the perfect side. I do have to say the asparagus is something I typically like just barely steamed and crunchy so heating it from frozen, as you’ll do with most everything here, caused it to be slightly limp. I think I’ll opt for the root veg option next time.
It’s more than just convenience at this place. They only use local ingredients, from local farms and all in season. The prices are much less than eating out and with just as many if not more options. They have wines, and ciders and natural products beyond food. It feels good buying food that for one tastes gourmet, is environmentally responsible and really reasonably priced. I literally walked out of there with a three course dinner for 2 including drink for about $ 30. They were smart about timing and temperature of most everything. The staff can help if you want to bake more than one item at a time… I would suggest you ask so that it turns out how they intended.
Seriously this place is a new food experience and more than worth checking out.

A beautiful addition to the Burian retail core with a hip urban feel. The selection of delicious entrees are as plentiful as their flagship Queen Anne Store with a larger selection of lovely local merchandise such as some t-​shirts and gifts. The owner is a joy to work with and his enthusiasm for his business shines though to his product.
Thank you for a lovely experience!

I think it’s a great concept but unfortunately, the meals were bland.

Eat Local is a standard of the Queen Anne area. That’s why I was so surprised the owner opened a second store in Burien.
First impressions of the store is Are they in business? Then you go in– WOW. The staff is very helpful. The food is Tasty. The Coq Au Vin is to die for. I also bought some of the Rockridge apple cider and made cider jellie out of it. This store is fantastic. A tad pricy but worth it. Frozen takeout that tastes home made. I expect great things from this store. A great addition to the downtown Burien area.