White Center: Seattle's Mexican Food Mecca

White Center is the home of Seattle's most authentic (and cheap) Mexican food. If you are a lover of food from our southern neighbor then you MUST plan a visit for lunch/dinner and bring a big appetite. Oh, and cash, don't forget cash either. 

All the best food is sold to-go, so follow along and we will get you everything you need for a great, big, Mexican meal and a picnic table to eat it at (or you could take it home, but we doubt you'll want to wait).

Tamales at Carniceria El Paisano 

Your first stop needs to be this little grocery store/butcher shop. It's next door to another Mexican food place and at first glance it might look like you're in the wrong place since it's a grocery store, but trust us, you're not! Head to the register in the back and you'll see a large silver pot. The goodies are inside!

They offer three kinds of tamales, rajas (cheese and jalapeño), and two pork options, mild and spicy. Our favorites are the rajas and spicy pork. They also have fresh salsa and pan leche, along with tons of other great sundries. Feel free to stock up! 

Roasted Corn @ Roasted Corn Stand

Alright, now walk half a block down to the Roasted Corn Stand. This is going to be the highlight of your trip. This roasted corn is amazing. Seriously. They serve it a variety of ways, but obviously if you want to keep with your dinner theme you should get the Mexican (#2). They basically take your corn, cover it in mayo, and then douse it in cojita cheese and chili powder. Mmmmm! You can get it on the cob or cut off into a cup if you prefer the clean way of eating it (the messy corn on the cob is so much more fun though). This place only accepts cash, so plan accordingly -- each cob runs $3. 

Tacos @ Taqueria La Fondita

Alright, now for your final stop. Walk about 10 feet to your right and order your main course. The taco plates from this little taco truck are to die for. We can't recommend anything other than the carnitas. They are so juicy and flavorful you'll be begging for their recipe. How do they make the pork taste so tender and delicious?! We don't know, but we're hooked, that's for sure. Obviously you should top off this amazing meal with a sugary Jarritos (why not at this point, right?). 

And now you have your full meal.

There are several picnic tables under an enclosure for customers to hang out and enjoy their food right next to Taqueria La Fondita. Spread out your goods and chow down! 

Occidental Park: Games, Food Trucks, and Art

This urban park has gotten a serious facelift in the last year and we keep finding ourselves going back for more.

This "park" is located in the heart of Pioneer Square and even though there isn't much grass to be found it has a lot to offer us city folks. Year round bright green and blue tables and chairs sit out for people to enjoy the mild Seattle weather. Peppered in between all the seating are a ton of fun games for groups to play and often in the summer time musicians come here to play for the people enjoying the space. 

Food

Occidental Park is home to our favorite city thing: Food Trucks. There is a happy little pod that sets up shop here Monday through Friday. We recommend Wednesdays when Nosh and El Cabrito Oaxaca are in attendance. (Read more about Seattle's best food trucks here)

Grand Central Bakery always has a line out the door and for good reason. Their flagship location is located inside Grand Central Arcade on the west side of Occidental Park. They bake fresh bread daily and their specials are always unique and delicious, with their permanent menu full of tried and true options.

Look for the ivy entrance to Grand Central Bakery

Swannies is a sports bar located on the west side of Occidental right next to the Comedy Underground. This is a great place to grab some greasy burgers and fries and cheer on the Sounders with friends. 

The London Plane is a hot new spot in the neighborhood. Find it right across the street on the south end of Occidental Park. This place has great baked goods and coffee. Stop in for a croissant and latte and take a sea salt chocolate chip cookie for later! 

Games

Occidental has gained a reputation as a great park to take friends or kids for some fun and games. This is because with the improvements last year they brought in a ton of actual games for people to play free of charge, out in the open. Most of them are oversized which adds to the fun (Think giant chess, checkers, and connect four). There are also a couple foosball tables, bocce ball courts, and cornhole boards around the park. 

Art 

Occidental is full of wonderful art, especially native art. The totem poles and wood carvings tell stories from a culture rich in history. Our favorite is Tsonoqua, "a mythological giantess and 'nightmare bringer' invoked by exasperated North Coast mothers to frighten their children into obedience." You can also find Sun and Raven telling the story of the raven's theft of the moon and Man Riding on Tail of Whale. The other large sculpture is the Seattle Fallen Firefighters Memorial by Hai Ying Wu. The life size firefighters pay tribute to generations of Seattle heroes. 

Welcome to Occidental Park!

Find Occidental Park here: 117 S Washington St., Seattle, WA 98104

There is also a tourism booth located in the southeast corner of the park. If you have questions head over here to learn more about the area, rent bocce balls, etc. 

Insider tip: If you have some time, make sure to walk the block over to check out the Waterfall Garden Park! It's one of Pioneers best secret spots. 

Seattle's Best Food Trucks

Seattle is definitely a little behind on the food truck game compared to its sister city to the south, Portland, and California was wayyyy ahead of the game. But lately we definitely feel a larger presence around the city and we are even starting to get some decent sized pods popping up around town. Which is exciting, because who doesn't love more casual and delicious dining options? If you just raised your hand, we kindly ask you to leave this blog. We don't want food truck haters here. After all the saying goes: Peace, love, and food out of a truck. 

If you are curious where a few of the "hubs" are you can check out this website as a resource. 

Here is part one of our "Best of Seattle: Food Trucks". Let us know in the comments if we missed any of your favorites! We have tried a ton, but not every one, so speak up! 

Nosh

Nosh serves up British/American grub and let us just say, everything they make is DIVINE. Yep, we just used that word and it was in a serious manner. We've been to the UK and are okay saying their fish 'n chips are the best we have ever had. Best. Ever. Other awesome menu offerings include the Caprese Baguette and the Roasted Bone Marrow.

RoS Insider Tip: Always use eating at Nosh as an opportunity to say "Cheerio chap!" in a British accent as you get your food.

Napkin Friends

Have you ever looked at your sandwich and thought, "Wow I really wish someone would take this to the next level."? Enter Napkin Friends. They looks at that sad, plain, tasteless bread you put on either side of your sandwich fixings and decided to replace it with two deep fried latkes aka a potato pancake. Our favorite is the B.L.T.G.A. Imagine two hash brown patties and then stuffed bacon, lettuce, tomato, gouda, and avocado in between. Hungry? 

Delfino's Chicago Pizza

Delfino's has a brick and mortar location in University Village and to everyone's delight a food truck too. They serve up Chicago style deep dish pizza as personal sized pies. Honestly we always wish we had like 1-2 more slices, but if you're craving pizza, this will hit the spot. 

Off the Rez

If you aren't familiar with Indian Fry Bread, well then you haven't been living. Off the Rez is famous for their version of tacos. They start by deep frying dough for the "shell," it comes out puffy and soft, but a little crispy. Then they top it with sweet or savory goodies! You absolutely cannot go wrong getting a couple 10 hour slow cooked BBQ pork tacos along with a nutella sweet taco to top it off! 

Where Ya At Matt?

This southern/creole inspired food truck is great when you are looking for some flavor! The smothered chicken Po'boy and the Shrimp and Grits are hard to stray away from. The spice is just right and leaves your mouth and your stomach smiling! 

Photo by Mark Gsellman

Bomba Fushion

Bomba Fushion lets you do a create your own bowl/burrito/taco style meal. They combine Korean and Mexican foods to bring you mind-blowing delciousness. Think nachos covered in spicy pork bulgogi. Or if you want something a bit more traditional you can get a colorful Bibimbap bowl with our favorite part, the perfectly fried egg!

El Cabrito Oaxaca

If we had to pick one food to eat for the rest of our lives, it would probably be tacos. So this food truck gets a lot of love from us. El Cabrito makes traditional style Mexican food for a great price. The taco plate is where it's at. $7 for four street tacos. yes please! We recommend piling them with the carnitas or al pastor because this places knows how to cook pork.