Bitter Lake - Seattle, WA Area Guide

Until 1961, the Bitter Lake neighborhood was best known as the home of Playland, an amusement park created by the Washington Amusement Company. The park attracted visitors from far and wide to enjoy The Dipper, a roller coaster with an 85-foot drop, and the Canals of Venice. The hardwood floor of the dance pavilion hosted dance marathons and flagpole sitting contests. During the development boom in the late 19th century, Bitter Lake also processed lumber at a saw mill next to the lake, all of which contributed to population growth.

Head south of the neighborhood to visit the Shoreline Historical Museum, featuring an exhibit dedicated to Playland. Find MW Designs art gallery slightly to the west of the neighborhood, and enjoy the annual Bite of Broadview event hosted by the Christ the King Catholic Church. Celebrate North Seattle, a festival introducing neighborhood businesses, also takes place to the southeast of Bitter Lake.

Head to the northwest corner of Bitter Lake for a hub of restaurants and entertainment venues, all located on or around Greenwood Avenue. Enjoy a variety of international cuisines, from Italian or Chinese to Vietnamese and Mexican. Sushi lovers choose Kiriba Sushi and Grill on North 145th Street, praising its quality fish and generous portions. The selection includes gyoza, takoyaki, katsu don and Pacific rolls alongside the more basic options, such as tuna and California rolls. Cooked dishes and vegetarian alternatives can also be found on the menu.

Visit L'Forno for authentic Italian pizzas, hand-made pitas and Mediterranean pastries. Complement your choice of entrée with a gourmet tea from around the world, such as the hand-made rose petal or Chinese Lapsang Souchong. Try a house-special pizza with black olives, onions, ricotta, mozzarella and oregano or something a little bit different, such as the spinach, garlic and feta. Order an authentic Manaeesh flatbread to accompany your lasagna or manicotti, or indulge in a chicken parmesan sub or lemon garlic chicken wrap.

A friendly neighborhood establishment, Robb’s 125th Street Grill serves up homemade soups and dressings as well as juicy hand-cut steaks. The restaurant's cache of Seattle historical memorabilia allows diners to learn something about the area while they await food orders, and the full-service lounge provides big screen TVs and irresistible drink specials for local sporting events.

Tim's Tavern gets lively in the evenings with karaoke and live music performances, as well as trivia contests, poetry slams and a great selection of beers. The limited food menu includes house-smoked ribs and personal pizzas. Nightlife in Bitter Lake includes places like Rickshaw Restaurant and Lounge.

Common ways to navigate the Bitter Lake neighborhood include public transit, personal automobile, bicycle and, to a smaller extent, walking. Expect to rely on your personal automobile within the neighborhood as your primary means of travel. Some public transit is available, but locals tend to use it primarily to reach other parts of the city outside of Bitter Lake.

No taxi dispatch services operate within Bitter Lake, though many in neighboring areas do service the area. When calling a taxi cab for pick up, expect wait times of at least 20 minutes.

Little public parking exists in the neighborhood except at Bitter Lake Playfield. Most businesses offer parking for customers, and limited street parking can be found throughout the neighborhood. One side of Bitter Lake abuts Aurora Avenue North, also labeled Highway 99, providing the only immediate access to highways or expressways.

The neighborhood features extensive sidewalks, making it easy to walk around, but the large area and spread-out businesses make some parts of Bitter Lake less walkable than others. A bike-friendly neighborhood, Bitter Lake does not feature dedicated infrastructures for bicycles but is generally regarded as safe.

You can visit two parks in the neighborhood of Bitter Lake: Bitter Lake Reservoir Open Space and Bitter Lake Playfield. The latter offers restrooms, lighted tennis courts, lighted ball fields, a wading pool and play area for the kids. A small park, Bitter Lake Reservoir Open Space features a community garden, walking paths, children's play area and adult fitness equipment.

Both parks are ADA compliant for children’s safety and access and allow pets, as long as they remain leashed. Bitter Lake Playfield offers exercise options in the form of tennis courts and a baseball field. Both are free to the public and offer basic facilities such as restrooms and water fountains.

The Bitter Lake Community Center regularly hosts events within the local park facilities as well as special events. Watch out for a regular event at the Bitter Lake Playfield, offering kid-centric activities at a $5 cost per family to help fund the local preschool.

At around 10 percent lower than the average for Seattle, the cost of living in Bitter Lake attracts many residents to this neighborhood. The median rental cost for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,099. Expect to pay around $3 when traveling to the city center via public transportation, while a pint of beer will set you back just under $9, and gasoline prices per gallon come in at around 10 percent higher than the national average.

Though most locals head into the city proper for their shopping expeditions, Bitter Lake does feature a number of chain stores and a handful of specialty shops and boutiques, mostly located along Aurora Avenue North.

Enhance your commute with a new stereo, or have a car alarm installed at Car Toys, or take advantage of the fact that this unique business also serves as a licensed mobile phone dealer. Find one of the several Seattle locations for Underwater Sports in Bitter Lake, offering dive gear repairs, sales and on-site dive classes.

Grocery shopping, on the other hand, does not require much travel, with many options available within the neighborhood. Visit Grocery Outlet for a large discount grocery store stocking a wide assortment of groceries at low prices. Grab the deals when you see them as, according to locals, the best ones don’t last long. For groceries with an Eastern European origin, European Foods imports smoked meats, cheeses, dry curd cottage cheese, sweets, dairy, canned fruits and vegetables, beer and wine, as well as cakes and pastries, from Russia and Poland.

Bitter Lake hosts one farmers market, located on Aurora Ave and known as the Peach Pit. Enjoy a variety of fresh produce, priced competitively, as well as locally sourced bagels and other baked goods.