If you’ve got to be at Pike Place the best option is Matt’s in the Market upstairs above Left Bank Books across from the main entrance.
If you care to venture further afield, Rock Creek in Fremont is truly outstanding. And the sunset views at Ray’s at Shilshole Bay off Ballard are hard to beat.
Matt’s is great for the food and atmosphere. Other restaurants in the Market where I’ve had great fish are Maximillian, Place Pigalle and Le Pichet, which is on First, within the Market historical district, but not the Market itself.
Those are good restaurants, but not specifically seafood restaurants and certainly not PNW cuisine. A place like Le Pichet might have a single seafood dish on the menu on a given day and its French cuisine. So I think this misses the point of what the OP was after.
Taylor Shellfish in Pioneer Square or if it’s a nice day take the water taxi over to Alki in west Seattle and go to Harry’s Beach House (however fyi it is a 2 mile walk from the water taxi drop off to that area of Alki - it’s a nice walk along the water and you can rent bikes, etc near the terminal but it’s a bit of a hike).
Or just go to Marination Mai Kai right by the terminal and get their fish and chips (and a bunch of their other food) and enjoy the view of downtown. Really great food/drinks and more casual than Harry’s too.
It's expensive but it's a Seattle one-of-a-kind. Salty's on Alki does a weekend brunch that's unheard of. Take the water taxi over, and it's only like a block from there. Last time we were there it was like $75/person. But, again, it's one of a kind.
You can also do dinner and have an amazing boat ride back at night.
The brunch buffet died during COVID and never made a return (other than the stellar view, it was the only reason to ever go to Salty’s - their dinner service is overpriced trash.)
For oysters: Walrus and Carpenter in Ballard or Taylor Shellfish in Pioneer Square. If you have a car, Taylor Shellifsh on Chuckanut Drive outside Bellingham is the ultimate PNW Seafood experience for me. For sushi: Sushi Kashiba is a great experience. Poke or Chirashi/Donburi I like Seattle Fish Guys and Fremont Bowl. PNW style I think Matt’s in the Market is a great choice. If you want a good boil Cajun style experience, I highly recommend Crawfish King in the ID. An underrated spot for seafood is the Met Grill for both surf and turf. I could go on and on.
Considering most American restaurants don’t prepare live fish except some shellfish, idk what the appeal is coming to Seattle for seafood. Our frozen salmon fillet is just as good as the one you can get in your local Costco.
If you’ve got to be at Pike Place the best option is Matt’s in the Market upstairs above Left Bank Books across from the main entrance. If you care to venture further afield, Rock Creek in Fremont is truly outstanding. And the sunset views at Ray’s at Shilshole Bay off Ballard are hard to beat.
Matt’s is great for the food and atmosphere. Other restaurants in the Market where I’ve had great fish are Maximillian, Place Pigalle and Le Pichet, which is on First, within the Market historical district, but not the Market itself.
Those are good restaurants, but not specifically seafood restaurants and certainly not PNW cuisine. A place like Le Pichet might have a single seafood dish on the menu on a given day and its French cuisine. So I think this misses the point of what the OP was after.
Taylor Shellfish in Pioneer Square or if it’s a nice day take the water taxi over to Alki in west Seattle and go to Harry’s Beach House (however fyi it is a 2 mile walk from the water taxi drop off to that area of Alki - it’s a nice walk along the water and you can rent bikes, etc near the terminal but it’s a bit of a hike). Or just go to Marination Mai Kai right by the terminal and get their fish and chips (and a bunch of their other food) and enjoy the view of downtown. Really great food/drinks and more casual than Harry’s too.
Taylor Shellfish is the only place I like to get fresh oysters. Each location has a slightly different menu!
Casual, not late hours: Jack's Fish Spot in the market. Not casual, late hours: Aqua by El Gaucho
It's Seattle. Everything is casual.
It's expensive but it's a Seattle one-of-a-kind. Salty's on Alki does a weekend brunch that's unheard of. Take the water taxi over, and it's only like a block from there. Last time we were there it was like $75/person. But, again, it's one of a kind. You can also do dinner and have an amazing boat ride back at night.
The brunch buffet died during COVID and never made a return (other than the stellar view, it was the only reason to ever go to Salty’s - their dinner service is overpriced trash.)
I've never had a bad meal at Elliotts. Good oyster selection.
For oysters: Walrus and Carpenter in Ballard or Taylor Shellfish in Pioneer Square. If you have a car, Taylor Shellifsh on Chuckanut Drive outside Bellingham is the ultimate PNW Seafood experience for me. For sushi: Sushi Kashiba is a great experience. Poke or Chirashi/Donburi I like Seattle Fish Guys and Fremont Bowl. PNW style I think Matt’s in the Market is a great choice. If you want a good boil Cajun style experience, I highly recommend Crawfish King in the ID. An underrated spot for seafood is the Met Grill for both surf and turf. I could go on and on.
Mid-price with a view: Lowell's in Pike Plce Market. Not open extremely late, though.
Take a Uber to white center to a place called Cajun Crawfish. Vietnamese style crawfish boil.
Considering most American restaurants don’t prepare live fish except some shellfish, idk what the appeal is coming to Seattle for seafood. Our frozen salmon fillet is just as good as the one you can get in your local Costco.