Seattle Center Armory

Rarely, as a 20+ year, veteran chef do I think to myself, «Wow, This is a nice food court!». Actually, that thought has NEVER EVER crossed my mind until today.
The Armory got that thought from me today. As a matter of fact, I even said it out loud… TWICE!
If you are in the Space Needle area and want a meal that is great quality without scaring the Hell outta your wallet, you’ll be hard-​pressed to do better than the Armory.

There used to be a lot more variety of restaurants and choices in the food court, but now it just seems like all the owners care about is making it more fancy just so that they can make more money! It stinks! I’ve really seen this place just go downhill in my life and it used to be one of my favorite places to eat too!

Nice and convenient place to grab food, a snack or a drink after you have been walking around the area for awhile and want to escape the heat or rain. Lots of different and all pretty decent options to choose from. Prices are decent, I would actually expect them to be a bit higher than they are. Restrooms towards the back.

What’s there to not love about the Armory? There are a ton of food choices and there’s almost always an event going on, including Seattle’s Best Damn Happy Hour on the third Thursday of each month.
The Armory isn’t exactly a destination spot, but if you’re already in the area it can be worth poking your head in to see what they have going on!

The Seattle Center Armory is a huge food court. The building is between the Science Center, Space Needle, and the Chihuly Glass and Garden.
I had just finished visiting the Space Needle. I went to go in to the Chihuly Glass and Garden. The sign on the glass door (of course it’s glass!) said that it would be a noon start. It was just after 11 am. I decided to grab a bite to eat.
The Armory is huge and has plenty of food choices. I decided to get some Mexican food and ate at the Blue Water Taco Co.
I ordered the shredded beef enchilada with beans and rice. It was so good! It we both flavourful and filling.
The eatery has plenty of seating. There was also a bar across from the eatery and a Starbucks.
I love this idea of having variety and plenty of food options for everyone. Sure, both tourist sites have their own restaurants. However, for more affordable options, the Armory is your best bet.
(90)

We love the armory!
We come here for dinner a lot — we love Skillet Counter!
There is also a fun Happy Hour that they do every 3^rd Thursday night.
You get discounted food, free entertainment and games.
Bring friends!
It’s a classier mall cafeteria with options!
Love walking here when it’s sunny out!

Good location next to space needle and glass museum. Just disappointed they closed a lot of the food shops but it was understandable because it was Easter Sunday. However I notice a lack of security in this area and a lot of homeless people wandering around. They seem to be harmless though!

What a nice place to gather at and chill out. We had about an hour to chill before Space Needle viewing. So Lots of food and drink options. Lots of people watching and I like that the homeless are allowed in but it’s well controlled, they seem clean and not pesky unsightly or of poor hygeine. Bottom floor is a children’s museum which is nice as well.

There’s a lot to see and do here with fantastic food choices; but this review is a shout out to Bobbi Maria, customer service rep who graciously provided a new blanket (still in package) to an older lady in a wheelchair to keep her warm on this wintery day and refusing money for such! (Blankets as you might guess are not available in this place!). It’s something far above and beyond and kudos for the fantastic customer service!

This is a large, open shopping mall kind of place. It is near the Space Needle, and built in the old National Guard Armory… thus its name. The part we traversed seemed to be a gaga antic food court, with everything from a Starbucks to pizza to ice cream. Their is a large stage where community groups perform. The afternoon we passed through, a local children’s dance troupes was putting on their dance show. A local group of model train enthusiasts also have a Christmas Village sat up, and that was fun to see.

Quincy’s was delicious — had the best ever chicken sandwich! …and also the mini corn dogs and fries. Great food and beautiful day — we sat outside on the patio. I will definitely be back.

Probably the best food court I’ve ever been to. Lots of choices and interesting ones too. Yes, the food is overpriced, but it sure beats normal mall food. And really convenient when you’ve been in the museums all day and need a break for food before going back.
Plus, we were able to split off and each get something that aligned to our personal interests. A BBQ pork sandwich for my son, bagels and mac n’cheese for my daughter (who eats only plain bread sometimes), a gourmet salad for my husband and myself. I do admit the salad didn’t impress us too much (from Plum Pantry), but we thought the BBQ food was a fair deal.

We stumbled upon this place while exploring Seattle Center. It’s basically a warehouse that was converted into a food court. Everything is pricey, but that’s to be expected. There was this girl selling ice cream out front and it was extremely expensive and not satisfying in the least.
The armory has a nice little climbing area for kids and lots of tables to relax at before continuing your journey, which is basically what we did. Nice and clean but there can be some shady characters milling about. I wouldn’t leave anything unattended.
Not much to say besides this place being a good resting spot or suitable for a quick bite.

My daughter and I were over by the International Fountain watching the water show, it was a bit too cold that day to get wet. We got hungry and so I looked up what was nearby. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Armory. I’m glad that I had so many options. It’s a food court. You know how food courts are, some are good, some are bad. The best thing about them is that it gives you different options and a place to sit and rest.

Don’t expect to indulge in some extraordinary food; this is the food court of a tourist attraction so most food here is mediocre and expensive with a few exceptions like MOD Pizza. Heck, aside from Subway, the Armory also lacked fast food chains, which are sadly more preferable than poor choices here. However, the Armory has plenty of tables and even occasional cultural performances like a small orchestra in an air-​conditioned environment, so it’s a nice place to take a break from sightseeing.
Nonetheless, while I recommend to get your dining needs fulfilled here if you aren’t picky about food as you continue your Seattle Center adventure, I don’t think you should look for anything but a convenient solution to hunger.

Many cultural events take place here, great place to rest and relax after a walk in Seattle center. It’s located right the children’s museum and you can see some parts of the museum from here.

Ooooh, the pain of watching my money pour down a funnel that regurgitates mediocre food. I work at Seattle Center, so the Armory is a convenient place to lose all of that hard earned cash on food I could pay 30% less for even at the restaurant’s normal Seattle location.
Today I had a Subway sandwich that looked like it was primed for one of those «What the commercial shows vs What you really get» memes. It was squished, the products were of a wretched quality, and when I finished the sandwich, I felt kind of ill. For my 6 inch veggie with a bag of lays, I paid over $ 8. The sandwich alone was over $ 6.
If you want to spend your money on organic bullshit, try Plum. If you want to throw money at french fries, try Cool Guys Fry Bar. If you want to throw away money on greasy Americana, try Skillet. Some are better than others and I try to review them individually as I try each one, but the overall effect is just plain touristy.
If you’re at Seattle Center for an event and you’re hungry, here’s an insider tip: On the other side of the center just past Key Arena there is a whole load of actually good restaurants with good food for reasonable prices. You will not pay more than you would at the armory except for tipping and it will taste much better and be much more relaxing. Hell, even the chairs are better.
Seriously, just get on your smart phone (Isn’t that how you’re reading this now?) and look at nearby restaurants. You will find a couple of British/​Irish pubs, 10 Mercer, an awesome phở place called Stone something or other. The list goes on. There’s also a Yeti yogurt right in the center of this little known culinary hot spot. You can walk from Seattle Center to these restaurants in a matter of 5 – 8 minutes, or if you have kids and don’t want to walk it, a Lyft will cost you next to nothing. Install the app and call a ride. It’s just that simple.
To end this comprehensive list of the Armory’s charms, here’s a fun fact: There’s a great little cart right outside the doors that sells chocolate-​dipped fruit on sticks. What could be more refreshing on a summer afternoon than chocolate-​covered strawberries in a portable shape?
I’ll tell you what: chocolate-​covered strawberries on a stick that are not called Dingleberries. You read that right, folks. They named their product after the poop hanging from your pet’s fur.
Enough said?
Yea.

So many things to do with your family in one place
If you have little kids this is a good place to take them. There’s a huge food court that was remodeled and has better options. We were there for the free Whirly-​Gig day. It was an absolute zoo with huge lines (every home day care seemed to be there). It’s free and something to do when it’s raining outside especially.

SCA hosts a number of cultural events during the year. My first time for this year was Seattle’s French Fest. A number of presentations/​events were planned throughout the day, from cooking demonstrations to judging the best baguettes in town. The latter was of great interest, as literally blocks of butter accompanied the presentation of the quintessentially French staple.
I particularly enjoyed the book fair. French books of various age and publications were on sale for a mere 2 – 3 dollars. For the kid at heart and cartoon enthusiast — frolic at the sight of Babar and Asterix books. Various freebies abound at the different floors. Sorry to report the macarons were a tad dry :(and wish they had some french cheese tasting (maybe next year).
There was a concert stage where local french themed bands, troubadours and talented artists showcased their talents. See the schedule for details.
PS– The winner for the best Baguette in Seattle was Columbia City Bakery (my vote) and 2^nd and 3^rd goes to Mikado and Fuji, respectively. Oh and save the date for the next Pagdiriwang Filipino Festival on June 6 – 7, 2015 at the Armory!

Came across this place after our late lunch at the Collections Café. If we knew what was in here we probably slipped collections café and eaten somewhere here. This place reminded me of the Anaheim packing district in Orange County California. So many different eateries to choose from but I was bummed that I was already too full to try anything else.
This is a pretty good place to take your kids, there’s a small museum downstairs. This is located right next to the collections Café and Chihuly Glass Museum.

This review is for what has been coined as «Seattle’s Best Damn Happy Hour» event. Truthfully I found it so boring and anthropologically disheartening I can’t even remember what nights they’re active. I believe it’s 5−8pm on Thursdays (?).
It appears to be the same, previous «Food Court» set up with perhaps 2 – 3 newer bars/​food spots… still fast food that you purchase outside the ‘zone’ then bring back inside the designated drinking area to consume with your drink (s).
Imagine 100 nerds meeting up in your college dorm cafeteria, ordering pizza, a half rack of Coors Light then bringing out board games. Woo-​hoo.
Although the drinks are somewhat cheap ($ 3), so appears to be the quality of what they offer (I’ve had better red wine created from long forgotten bottles of fermenting Welch’s grape juice).
On the other hand, if you’re a nerd in search of other nerds who get wasted on 2 cans of light beer, enthusiastically play Jenga, Scrabble or other board games while passionately discussing the almost bare breast (yes, just the one breast) they saw at last years ComiCon… followed by uncontrollable giggling until the wee hours of the early evening (8pm curfew) this place is a must.
If not, then avoid this event like the sleep-​inducing vortex it is.
One last tidbit, there are two pluses here. Sort of. They have a DJ and giveaways. LOTS of giveaways. So add that Bingo Hall feel to the list of heightened nerd-​otica going ons and be sure to send out those blanket email invites to your entire IT department. Rock on Garth.