More Than a Century Above Pike Place Market

The story of Lowell’s begins almost as early as the story of Pike Place Market itself.

In 1908, one year after the Market opened, this space became the flagship location of Manning’s Cafeteria. Edward and William Manning were among Seattle’s earliest coffee entrepreneurs, building a network of restaurants and coffee shops across the West Coast. Here in the Market, Manning’s roasted coffee and peanuts and served straightforward meals to the shoppers, merchants, fishermen, and workers who passed through its doors each day.

Restaurateur Reid Lowell purchased the cafeteria in 1957 and renamed it Lowell’s Restaurant & Bar. He retained its informal style of service, added a bar, and made more of the setting that has always distinguished this place: three floors overlooking Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains, and the constant movement of Pike Place Market.

Lowell’s soon became part of the Market’s civic life as well. In September 1964, architect Victor Steinbrueck and other preservation advocates gathered here for a champagne breakfast to build support for saving Pike Place Market. At the time, redevelopment plans threatened to replace much of the historic district with parking garages and office towers. The movement they helped lead ultimately preserved one of America’s great public markets.

Bill Chatalas purchased Lowell’s in 1981 and remains its owner today. Under his stewardship, Lowell’s grew into the three-story waterfront restaurant guests know today while retaining the independence, character, and sense of place that made it worth preserving.

More than a century after the first meals were served here, Lowell’s is still woven into the daily life of the Market. Regulars settle in for breakfast. Travelers stop for chowder, Dungeness crab, fish and chips, or a drink at the bar. Ferries cross the bay beyond the windows while vendors, musicians, shoppers, and visitors fill the streets below.

If you are planning a day at Pike Place Market, Lowell’s offers a chance to pause in the middle of it all. Come upstairs, find a table by the window, and enjoy lunch with one of the best views in Seattle.

Cities change. Restaurants come and go. Lowell’s endures.