Best Desserts in Pike Place Market

Pike Place Market is a bit of a food mecca in Seattle. Dessert is no exception. The various shops and restaurants around The Market have something for everyone and we have compiled our list of favorites sugary, sweet treats for you!

Etta's Coconut Cream Pie - This is not only the best pie in the market, it is easily…EASILY… the best pie in the city. Tom Douglas, our city’s award-winning restauranteur with a slew of great spots to eat around town, has tapped into something we can’t truly describe but will try. It’s fluffy, it’s creamy, it’s coconuty, it’s sweet, it’s perfect in every way. Go grab a slice… or a whole pie.

Storyville Coffee’s Frosted Cinnamon Roll - We have written about this cinnamon roll before and we will write about it again. It’s CRACK, people. In the best way possible. Grab one with a cup of coffee and sit by the window of their 2nd story location in the market overlooking the hustle and bustle of the main street.

Ellenos’ Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt - Fall in Seattle isn’t actually referred to as Fall, it’s “Ellenos Pumpkin Pie Greek Yogurt” time. This local favorite bakes pumpkin pies and then crushes them up, crust and all, into their amazing Greek yogurt. And we go CRAZY TIME for it. You will too. If you visit during the rest of the year, known as “Non-Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Time of Year,” you can enjoy our other favorites, marionberry pie and passionfruit.

Piroshky Piroshky’s Apple Cinnamon Roll - You really can’t go wrong with anything on the shelf at this tiny walk up, but their apple cinnamon roll with thin slices of apple dipped in sugar and cinnamon is definitely a best seller for a reason. Be prepared for a line, but it will move fast and we promise it will be worth it.

Le Panier Chocolate Croissant - Or as the French call it "Pain au Chocolat. Order it the French way and you’ll feel way more cool. This flaky, chocolate staple won’t disappoint. You can taste the butter and chocolate melting together….MMmmm, don’t think about how bad it is for you, just enjoy.

Daily Dozen Doughnuts’ Assorted Dozen - This is THE spot for mini-doughnuts in Seattle. They crank out tons of tiny doughnuts every day for their hoard of fans. From the plain to the maple bacon they are all equally delicious. Grab some of each flavor and don’t forget cash!

Shug’s S’More Sundae - Because the combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow could only be improved by adding Shug’s locally sourced ice cream to the mix. The old fashioned atmosphere and sundae cups help, too.

indi chocolate’s Hot Chocolate - This hot chocolate will change your life. Add whipped cream and a toasted marshmallow (or two) and sit down in their cafe or walk out to take in the views of Puget Sound while you sip your warm, liquid goodness.

What are your favorite sweet spots in Pike Place Market? Tell us in the comments below!  

Meet the Maker: indi chocolate

We had the opportunity to sit down with some of the ladies of indi chocolate and learn all about what it takes to make chocolate in Seattle!

What is the story of indi chocolate and its Maker? 

Erin Andrews is the genius behind all the delectable chocolate that comes out of this Pike Place Market chocolate shop. When she opened indi chocolate four years ago she was one of the only women in the industry who was making her own chocolate from bean to bar. In those four years a lot has happened: expanded offerings, a Marketfront Expansion project, and a lot of growth within the community. 

Erin's experience in the chocolate business started with a business venture prior to indi chocolate with a bean - bar chocolate operation run out of Belize. She was visiting Belize with her family for vacation and her daughters had been curious about where chocolate came from so they included a tour of a local cacao farm. This ended up leading to Erin partnering with some local businessmen to start a new chocolate company. After a couple years doing this she decided to sell her share in the company and open up her own shop in Seattle. And so indi chocolate was born. 

In the beginning indi chocolate was not the robust store they are now. Erin started out selling her chocolate cocoa butter lotion at a small pop-up shop. This allowed her to raise money for the storefront in Pike Place Market and to buy the pricey machines you need in order to make chocolate.

Cocoa butter lotion

So why the name indi chocolate?

It pays tribute to two things. Erin’s oldest daughter is named India and because of her curiosity before that trip to Belize Erin has been making chocolate ever since. Secondly, it recognizes the nature of the business. It is an independently owned and operated small batch chocolate shop. 

Cacao beans

Roasting the bean in-store

What kind of an operation do you have here?

indi chocolate is direct trade and gluten, soy, and dairy free. Most of the chocolate has three simple ingredients to make sure the taste of the bean is front and center. indi chocolate is one of the only bean-to-bar operations in Seattle. 

All the beans are roasted in the shop, which is why it smells so heavenly. They roast about 10 pounds of beans per day and from there the beans are put into the chocolate maker. Once the beans are in the machine it takes about 3 days of refining to create the chocolate that you buy. 

They also create the lotions and lip balms you see in the shop with cocoa butter and partner with other small business owners for various other products. These partnerships have produced things like the Chocolate Chai Tea from Market Spice and cacao based spice rubs. Other products you can find out in the wild include Old Stove's cacao nib infused beer or Shug's ice cream topped with cacao nibs. 

Where do you get your beans? 

A big mission of indi chocolate is only sourcing beans from farms Erin and her team have visited to ensure good working conditions and high quality operations. At the moment they have beans from Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, Ghana, Vietnam, and Panama. 

Chocolate spices

Chocolate soap

What are some staff favorites in the shop?

It's always hard to pick one thing you like above all others, but it seems the Mole spice rub and cacao nibs are the two favorites for their diversity in use.

Becca, the Marketing Director at indi chocolate is also the resident chef. She has a long list of recipes that frequently include both of these products. Every recipe will make your mouth water and there is a huge variety. Who knew you could add chocolate to so much?! 

Fun fact: Cacao nibs have one of the highest sources of antioxidants in any food on earth.

What is in the future for indi chocolate?

indi chocolate is set to open their new space in the Marketfront Expansion building by summer 2017. This will be a much larger space which will include a café and chocolate factory, along with their retail space. The chocolate factory is what everyone is buzzing about, which will have large glass windows and a completely transparent display of the chocolate-making process from beginning to end! 

They will also have a place in the new store to host classes on mixology, chocolate making, and tasting classes.

What are some of your favorite places in town to visit for chocolate?

Intrigue Chocolate in Pioneer Square is wonderful and the new Fran's shop in Georgetown is a beautiful experience, with a window where you can watch them creating the chocolates. 

Correction: We originally stated indi chocolate and Theo Chocolate were the only bean-to-bar chocolate shops in Seattle. There are in fact, two more: Fresco Chocolate, and Bellflower Chocolate Co.

10 Best Kept Secrets of Pike Place Market

Most of us know that when you visit the market on a busy day the main arcade with all the day stalls will be so crowded you can barely walk. Want to escape those crowds? Venture down to the lower levels. That's right, Pike Place Market is huge (nine acres to be exact) and if you don't leave the top floor you'll never discover all the fun that is below. 

We decided to give you a nice teaser of the shops on the lower levels to get you started on your adventure.

Here are our top ten places to shop in the "underbelly" of Pike Place Market:

Chocolate spice and indi chocolate

1. indi chocolate

On the 5th floor of Pike Place Market sits a wonderful little shop selling hand-crafted, small batch chocolate. If you love chocolate and shopping local, well then this is the place for you.

Insider Tip: They are expanding into a larger space in the market in 2017 and visitors will be able to view their whole production process, so keep an eye out for that! 

The cool designs of Slow Loris

2. Slow Loris

Jessica Lynch is the woman behind almost 100% of what you find in this shop on the 3rd floor. Her talents are diverse and so is her shop. You can get wall prints, t-shirts, hats, bags, and so much more.

Organized chaos at BLMF

3. BLMF literary Saloon

This place is exploding books. Every surface is covered. It is the best kind of organized chaos and we love getting lost in here. The prices are right and the staff is ready to help you find your next book to fall into, just watch out that you don't fall over that stack in the corner trying to get to it!

Movie scripts galore at Golden Age Collectibles

4. Golden Age Collectibles

Golden Age Collectibles draws people into their shop in the most genius of ways: life-size cutouts. You can't miss them as you walk around the 4th floor because Han Solo and Daryl Dixon won't let you! Once you're inside you'll find everything you need to feel young again from The Goonies movie script to rare comic books. 

Colorful skull at Cintli

5. Cintli by Beto Yarce

Cintli has everything you need for your Day of the Dead alter as well as unique Mexican jewelry and fun Mexican crafts. It also might be the most colorful shop in Pike Place Market, which always draws us in.  

Paper toys at Chin Music Press

6. Chin Music Press

This small publishing house focuses on primarily Japanese authors. Their studio holds not only all of their beautiful books but beautiful artwork as well. It's an incredibly unique and cool space which everyone should check out.

Orange Dracula's pin festish

7. Orange Dracula

This shop is quirky and amazing. You can play Pac-Man, shop their wide selection of pins, or find great gag-gifts (Squirrel underwear anyone?). We covered Orange Dracula in another post because they have one of the few working film photo booths left in Seattle. 

8. Gem Heaven 

Gem Heaven is like no other place in the market. While it’s a small shop, it doesn’t skimp on variety and sells a wide assortment of beautiful gems, rocks, geodes, fossils, and crystals. We love reading the signs that explain how each gem promotes wellness, and if the signs don’t answer your questions, the lovely shop keepers can. 

Get your fortune told at the Market Magic Shop! Elvis knows best.

9. Market Magic Shop 

We covered this shop for April Fools Day, but honestly it's fun year round. If you have a curious kid inside of you we promise you'll have a blast rummaging through the Market Magic Shop. And if you are wondering if the Elvis Fortune Teller is legit, the answer is yes. Yes he is. 

Lots of gift options at Ventures HandCrafted Gifts

10. Ventures HandCrafted Gifts

This is our go-to place for gifts when we need something useful and unique. Our mothers have their dish towels and our friends have their art. The best part is you are not only walking away with a locally-produced item, you can also sleep well knowing you helped support a store that makes it part of its mission to coach the young entrepreneurs that make the goods featured in the store. Two thumbs up, Ventures!