Why Matt's In The Market matters.
Matt's in the Market is a celebrated Pacific Northwest restaurant where Pike Place Market's century-old trading culture meets Seattle's ingredient-driven cooking, independent restaurant heritage and the enduring appeal of an intimate dining room overlooking the city's historic waterfront.
Set above Pike Street near 1st Avenue and just steps from the produce stalls surrounding the Public Market Center sign, the restaurant occupies the upper floor of the Corner Market Building, overlooking the commercial passages connecting Downtown with Elliott Bay. Tall arched windows frame the market's illuminated clock, neighboring rooftops and distant waterfront. Checkerboard flooring, exposed brickwork and warm wooden furnishings give the dining room the character of a historic urban bistro. An open kitchen and compact bar establish a close relationship between cooking, service and the surrounding tables. The result is an unusually intimate restaurant whose elevated market views and preserved commercial architecture capture the character of Seattle's waterfront dining culture.
What defines Matt's In The Market.
Matt's in the Market is best known for transforming a modest upstairs café into one of Seattle's enduring destinations for seasonal Pacific Northwest cooking. Chef Matt Janke established the restaurant in 1996 inside a small commercial space previously occupied by Counter Intelligence, a neighborhood coffee establishment. Its original kitchen contained two countertop butane burners and a small oven, placing extraordinary demands on ingredient selection and preparation. Opening chef Eric Canela helped develop the culinary operation around those constraints. Janke built the restaurant's reputation through direct relationships with nearby merchants and a menu responsive to the market's changing produce and seafood. Dan Bugge, a longtime fishmonger at Pike Place Fish Market, became a regular customer during his years working downstairs. Bugge purchased the restaurant from Janke in 2006, bringing firsthand knowledge of seafood purchasing and the market's independent commercial community. The business subsequently expanded into an adjoining corner space in 2007, increasing its dining capacity and introducing a broader culinary operation. Chef Chester Gerl joined during that period following positions at Place Pigalle and Brasa, developing a more ambitious program of French-influenced Northwest cooking. A further kitchen renovation in 2012 introduced additional equipment and greater visibility into the cooking area. Bugge expanded his hospitality interests through Radiator Whiskey, which opened across the hall in 2013. Matt Fortner assumed kitchen leadership in 2018 after working at several prominent Seattle restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Cuoco and Lola. Executive chef Jace Jorgensen subsequently continued the restaurant's seasonal approach, maintaining its close relationship with the surrounding marketplace. The establishment's longevity reflects sustained independent ownership, successive generations of culinary leadership and a remarkably consistent commitment to regional ingredients.
Pike Place Fish Market supplies an important culinary connection through the restaurant's longstanding relationship with seafood merchants working immediately below its dining room. Fresh fish, shellfish and seasonal produce establish the foundation for menus shaped by ingredient availability. The fried catfish sandwich became an enduring lunch signature, combining a crisp exterior with tender fish and substantial sandwich accompaniments. Dungeness crab and arugula salad introduced another regional specialty through the delicate sweetness of local crab and the peppery character of fresh greens. Pork belly bánh mì brought Vietnamese sandwich traditions into the lunch program through richly cooked pork, vegetables and bread. Earlier dinner menus included house-made charcuterie, demonstrating the kitchen's investment in curing, sausage preparation and traditional meat preservation. Montbéliard sausage and boudin noir contributed Alsatian and French influences to a seasonal cassoulet, developing deep flavor through slow cooking. Dungeness crab and scallop ceviche emphasized shellfish freshness through acidic preparation and carefully balanced seasoning. Grilled octopus with pork belly confit combined contrasting textures through direct heat and slow cooking. Subsequent menus introduced house-made pasta, extending the kitchen's repertoire through Italian culinary techniques. Seasonal vegetables provide a continuing connection to the market's agricultural merchants, whose changing selections shape the restaurant's daily possibilities. The bar program incorporates cocktails and wines suited to seafood, grilled preparations and substantial meat dishes. Its culinary significance rests in the sustained relationship between professional cooking and the ingredients supplied by Seattle's historic marketplace.
How Matt's In The Market fits.
Matt's in the Market works as the culinary anchor for a Downtown outing connecting the city's maritime ecology, international artistic collections and the transportation infrastructure that established Puget Sound's historic commercial connections.
Begin at Seattle Aquarium, the waterfront marine institution established in 1977 within the historic commercial pier district. Its original facilities on Pier 59 introduced public exhibitions devoted to the marine ecosystems of Puget Sound and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The Window on Washington Waters presents a substantial underwater habitat containing fish and marine organisms associated with the region's coastal environments. Exhibits devoted to tide pools and rocky shorelines explore the relationships between marine animals and the changing conditions of the Salish Sea. The Ocean Pavilion, opened in 2024, expanded the institution's conservation mission through a major exhibition devoted to the Coral Triangle, among the world's most biologically diverse marine regions. Continue to Seattle Art Museum, the city's principal encyclopedic art institution, established in 1933 through the philanthropy of Richard E. Fuller. Its original home in Volunteer Park was designed by architect Carl F. Gould and developed around Fuller's substantial interest in Asian art. The museum relocated its principal operations downtown in 1991 to a building designed by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. A major expansion completed in 2007 increased exhibition capacity and strengthened its presence within Seattle's central cultural district. Its collections encompass Indigenous American art, European painting, African sculpture and contemporary international works, with significant holdings associated with Northwest Coast artistic traditions. Conclude at Colman Dock, the historic ferry terminal serving as Seattle's principal passenger connection to Bainbridge Island and Bremerton. The waterfront site developed during the nineteenth century as regional steamship transportation expanded across Puget Sound. Joshua Green's Puget Sound Navigation Company subsequently played an important role in consolidating ferry services and establishing regular connections between waterfront communities. Washington State Ferries assumed responsibility for the principal regional network during the twentieth century, creating one of the country's largest public ferry systems. The terminal's contemporary passenger facilities incorporate broad waterfront glazing and substantial pedestrian circulation areas overlooking Elliott Bay. Departing ferries provide expansive views of Seattle's downtown skyline and the Olympic Mountains. The progression moves from Seattle Aquarium's marine conservation programs through Seattle Art Museum's international collections and culminates at Colman Dock's maritime transportation heritage, connecting three essential dimensions of the city's waterfront development.
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