For some folks food is fuel. For others (people like us) we start contemplating our next menu while we're still making short work of our current meal. Road trips can be the perfect stomping grounds for the food obsessed and the Cascade Loop really delivers. Because every hour or two, the landscape changes radically as your travel the Loop, so does the locally-sourced food, the culture of food and the vibe of the places where you'll consume it. Take time to dine out while you travel--whether in quaint cafes and diners or in higher-end fine dining establishments. You'll get a true sense of the place you're visiting and your tummy will thank you. Also, maybe take a walk or two to "shake the food down".

Some of our Favorites

• Seafood in Everett - Anthony's Homeport on the Everett Marina is always fresh and amazing. Eat out on the patio during Spring and Summer, and it's pretty much heaven.
• Baked goods and/or sandwiches from the Sultan Bakery - All we can say is sandwiches and apple fritters the size of a human head. 
• The Maloney Sandwich at the Cascadia Inn in Skykomish - We love this hearty sandwich after a long day of hiking on Stevens Pass. Also, the company is pretty awesome here. Expect to meet a lot of Pacific Crest Trail hikers during the summer.
• Sweet potato fries at O'Grady's at Leavenworth's Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort. Everything here is super fresh and delicious, but we are huge fans of these heaping piles of fries after a nice day of hiking or climbing in the Icicle River Valley.
• Smoked Paprika Salami from Leavenworth's Cured makes for the best picnic food.
• Orchard Bars made in Cashmere at the Aplets & Cotlets Candy Factory are some of our favorite hiking snacks--load up!
• So, there are a LOT of delicious things to eat in Wenatchee's Pybus Public Market BUT hands down, our favorite lunch to eat there is the Grand Colonial at the Pybus Bistro. Sooo delicious. Coming in a close second are the pancetta wrapped prawns and seasonal wood-fired oven pizzas made at Fire, just a few doors down.
• Probably our most shameful, guilty pleasure is road pie. Yes, that's what we said. We are the kind of folks who like to get a big fat slab of some the very best homemade cherry pie from Lisa Bee's (a little side trip from the Loop, but only 15 minutes, really) to dig into while driving around the Cascade Loop, being fully sedentary. It is truly divine.
• Lake Chelan is known for its wine but it should be known for its cocktails as well. The fresh, house-made cocktails being made at Campbell's Resort Restaurant are insanely good. Sit out on the veranda and sip a Midori sour. You will not regret it.
• If you like big, all-America meat and potatoes kind of food, you're going to love Howard's on the River in Pateros. We had a ginormous patty melt there once that was a thing of true, high-calorie beauty.
• On the healthier side of the spectrum is the Glover Street Market in Twisp. They have a selection of fresh-made juices and smoothies as well as some really tasty noodle and rice bowls.
• Next door to the green drinks in Twisp of course, is a bakery. And what a bakery it is. Cinnamon Twisp makes insanely decadent cinnamon rolls--the kind that leave your face and hands pretty well covered in a sticky, gooey mess. A thing of beauty!
• Arrowleaf Bistro serves up some of the best food in our fine state: everything from French fries to whole trout, seasonal wild game and one of the best pork chops we've ever had (and we've probably had more than our fair share). It isn't cheap - but it is AMAZING.
• Breakfast at Sun Mountain Lodge is one of our very favorite stops on the Cascade Loop. Eggs Benedict dripping in hollandaise, overlooking the Methow Valley - You just can't beat it!
• Blue Star Coffee in Twisp. Best coffee in the universe, hands-down. When we get close to running out (we buy whole beans for home) we literally panic.
• Sipping cocktails on the back patio at the Freestone Inn overlooking Freestone Lake is honestly, one of the most relaxing things you're going to do. Soooo heavenly.
• After a long day of hiking in the North Cascades, head directly to Concrete. The Cal-Sub at Annie's Pizza is everything you need wrapped in one tasty crust. Then, in the morning, go directly to the 5 B's Bakery to load up on carbs, but note: this is a gluten free bakery and it is DELICIOUS!
• In between Burlington and Anacortes is a humble fish market called Skagit's Own Fish Market. It happens to have the best sandwich ever, their Crab Sandwich. I'll take it over a Lobster roll every day (and one can totally eat it while driving, which we like, too).
• La Conner is home to a restaurant called Nell Thorn. Their seafood dish aptly named Fish Town is a pile of super fresh seafood in a light tomatoey broth. So good.
• Our favorite salad right now is found in Anacortes at a restaurant called Adrift. The salad, called The Brutus, is a super garlicky fresh kale Caesar. Know you will need to drink lots of water and eat many a mint afterward, but it's addictive!
• Nothing says PNW cuisine quite like fresh shellfish, and we're lucky to have Penn Cove right on the Loop. Sooo I would be remiss in not mentioning the most amazing mussel dish we've found yet, which is served in Coupeville at the Front Street Grill. We LOVE the green curry mussels. Go try them!