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The Highest-Rated Dentists in Northeast Seattle

The 35th corridor in Northeast Seattle offers plenty of dental options.

We thought it would be useful to list out the highest rated dentists in Northeast Seattle according to AreaDentist’s dentist data.

According to their report, here are the top five dentists in the 98115 zip code (so basically the Wedgwood, Matthews Beach, Meadowbrook and parts of Lake City):

  • Roosevelt Dental Center
  • Wedgwood Dental Center
  • Andrew Franklin, DDS
  • Green & Pietsch Family and Cosmetic Dentistry
  • Don Sing Dentistry

It always makes us laugh anytime we’re driving on 35th, because it seems like there are a ton of dentists in the area. Just about every city block seems to have at least one dentist office in the little business center as you drive from 55th to 95th.

If you need any helpful tips on how to pick the right dentist, check out WebMD’s guide to picking a dentist.

With so many to choose from in our part of the city, though, it doesn’t seem likely that you’ll need much help finding one you like. Always remember, if you don’t like your dentist, you can very easily switch to a new provider.

There are several great dental programs in Seattle, so it makes sense that we would have an abundance of reliable dental care.

Do you have a favorite dentist you want to recommend? Let us know in the comments below!

The Best Food Delivery in Northeast Seattle

There are so many great food options in Seattle that it’s hard to pick our top five. But what if you want to get your dinner delivered? We have broken down our top five takeout food spots in Northeast Seattle. These are the local spots that either deliver food themselves or partner with companies like Amazon Restaurants and UberEATS. If you’re looking for more specific information about the meal delivery services available in your area, check out The Food Oasis for handy guides.

5) Jewel of India – While our favorite Indian food in the city might be up in Northgate at Saffron Grill. But for takeout? ‘Jewel of India’ is tough to beat. Definitely some of the best you can get delivered to your door.

4) Teriyaki Time – Big portions, and some of the best spicy teriyaki chicken you can get in North Seattle, definitely worth getting Teriyaki Time delivered. They have some of the fastest delivery times we’ve seen yet, so if you’re hungry right this second, this is a great option.

3) Shawarma King – Great Mediterranean food. You can’t go wrong with the sandwich or the plate, and absolutely, 100% get the Greek fries, they’re amazing and well worth trying. But you really can’t go wrong at Shawarma King no matter what you get delivered.

2) Romeo’s Pizza and Pasta – While there might be some better “strictly pizza” places you can order from in North Seattle, Romeo’s Pizza and Pasta has the variety that we love in a delivery restaurant.

1) Phayathai Lake City – By far the best Thai food we’ve had in Northeast Seattle. Their phad thai is amazing, the curries are perfect. It’s hard to argue with a great Thai restaurant that keeps a dinner for two under $25 as well. Five stars from us!

If you’re looking to go out for dinner, check out Eater’s guide to the top 38 restaurants in Seattle here. Seattle Mag also has a good list here.

What are your favorite delivery restaurants in North Seattle? Let us know in the comments below!

Fiber Internet in Northeast Seattle? Here’s How It’s Shaking Out

Recently we saw several big cable trucks patrolling the streets of Northeast Seattle, putting new wires up on the city telephone poles. When asked if this was fiber internet, the answer was… vague.

It appears that the NE Seattle area will be getting faster internet, as to whether or not its true fiber, is another question. But the speeds now listed on several major providers’ websites seems to indicate that the option to upgrade is here, or will be coming soon.

Several years ago, there was a rumor that Seattle would be applying for Google Fiber, but that never seemed to materialize, either due to tough regulatory hurdles or because Google Fiber slowed its roll out nationwide. Probably a bit from column A and column B. You can view the full City of Seattle map here.

Regardless, if you’re curious where you can find the best internet in Seattle zip codes, you can use this tool to search.

Here are a few of the specific zip codes in Northeast Seattle:

If you’re hoping to check the government record rates of internet from the major companies operating in Seattle, you can review those here.

There’s no doubt that Seattle as one of the fastest-growing technology hubs in the world will see some major competition among internet providers in the future, but for right now, Comcast does hold a majority monopoly on the lines they have run throughout the city. There has been a lot of pressure from city residents to bring more options to the city, but for now, contracts prevent much change from occurring.

Interestingly, Washington state is now currently adhering to recently nationally repealed net neutrality laws, which will likely bring some interesting legal battles. This will perhaps set a national precedent for other states hoping to maintain net neutrality.

Regardless, if you live in NE Seattle and you’re looking to upgrade your internet speeds, you might have a worthwhile option to explore! Keep an eye out on your street for service workers installing new lines, it might just be fiber.

The Growler Guys: Giving New Life to a Lake City Icon


It seems Seattle is at a crossroads of identity. On one side, there are locals who’ve lived here their entire lives hesitant to the change. On the other, 1,100 transplants per week moving to the Seattle metro area eager to leave their mark on the city.

While some Seattle neighbors have taken to the mantra, “Stop envisioning Ballard”, one business owner has received nothing but praise from all sides. Our North Seattle Contributor Tyler Davis Jones recently sat down with Growler Guys co-owner Kelly Dole, a 22 year Maple Leaf resident leading the charge towards positive community growth in North Seattle through delicious craft beer.

Northeast Seattle has always trailed more popular Seattle neighborhoods with infrastructure, establishments and identity. So when looking for a location for Growler Guys, Kelly looked at some of the typical hot spots like Ballard, Fremont, Magnolia and downtown.  But something kept him coming back to North Seattle. When the opportunity arose to lease the old Ying’s Drive-In on Lake City Way, Dole knew he’d found his new home.

 

The Building

The Growler Guys building (formerly Ying’s Drive-in) was designed by Roland Terry.  One of the Northwest’s most famous architects, Terry is more recognized for designing the Canlis building, his work at Nordstrom downtown and Sun Mountain Lodge.

Built in 1961, the building was virtually original with only one permitted change over the years.  In fact, it had fallen off the registry of Roland Terry buildings.  Designed as a night-club, the property was used as a drive-in for decades.  Likely because Terry demanded it, the materials used for the building were of the highest quality.  So when Kelly showed up, the building was in great shape for a property with few changes since 1961.

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Growler Guys

The hip, circular mid-century building plays well to the vibe and service of Growler Guys.  The bar is massive and wraps around multiple sides to accommodate their 60+ tap handles, 300 bottles as well as wine.  Kelly is proud of the customer experience at Growler Guys and wants beer lovers and non-beer lovers to enjoy themselves.

When you show up, you’ll definitely get FREE beer.  Growler Guys let’s you sample small tastes as much as you want.  They want you to love your drink.  So if you know what you want, they’ll even encourage you to try other beers to see if you’ll find a new favorite.

Whether you’re a local or new to the area, Growler Guys is truly a place where we can all get along. As Kelly looks forward into the future, he hopes that Growler Guys will encourage other small businesses, restaurants, music venues and more to land in NE Seattle.

You can see what’s on tap at Growler Guys by visiting www.thegrowlerguys.com or you can drop in 8500 Lake City Way Seattle, WA 98115.

This article is by Our North Seattle Contributor Tyler Davis Jones, a North Seattle Real Estate agent.  He is a loving dad, husband, and Wedgewood resident who is investing in Seattle through his business, his writing, and his podcast, Rise Seattle.

Mayor Murray Statement on Greenwood Fire

As many of you know, there was a heavily damaging fire in Greenwood last night – some of you were posting about explosions being heard in the neighborhood, and unfortunately this is true.  It appears that 9 firefighters were hurt during the actual fight.

Here’s a report from KOMO on the fire.

Also, Mayor Murray released a statement this morning:

SEATTLE (March 9, 2016) – Seattle Mayor Ed Murray issued the following statement regarding last night’s fire and explosion in the Greenwood neighborhood:

“My thoughts are with the Seattle firefighters injured from last night’s explosion in Greenwood and I wish them a quick recovery. These men and women risked their lives this morning, as they do every day, to keep our community safe. I am grateful for their service and all of our first responders.

“As the investigation and clean-up continues today, I ask that commuters along the corridor be patient. Please follow updates from the Seattle Department of Transportation and King County Metro on detours and alternate transit routes to keep people moving through the neighborhood and away from the scene during the investigation.

“Greenwood is a close knit neighborhood and an incident like this is felt by the entire community. I know neighbors will do everything they can to support these businesses as they begin the long and challenging task to recover and repair from this incident. The City will also be there to do what we can to help those affected with the clean-up and help local business owners as they work to get back on their feet and re-open their doors.”

Thanks to the first responders/firefighters who put themselves in danger every day to keep us safe.

Business Owner Highlight: Tyler Davis Jones, Wedgwood Realtor

Every once in a while, I will sit down for a longer conversation with a local, North Seattle business owner.  My goal? Simple – try to tell the story of what they do, how they got here, and where they see the community going. If you would like to nominate someone to be highlighted in this series, please email me.

Today’s interview was with Tyler Davis Jones.  Tyler is a friend of mine and a great reason for me to love North Seattle.  As a new dad, Tyler cares about creating a safe, caring, and healthy community here in North Seattle and specifically Wedgwood.  Tyler is also a real estate agent specifically in the growing Wedgwood market. He and I sat down a few weeks ago at Hellbent Brewing Company to discuss his business, his life, and his vision for North Seattle.

Moreover, Tyler will be writing some Real Estate updates for Our North Seattle – so I hope you enjoy and get used to his name around here.

Tyler Davis Jones | Seattle Real Estate AgentNate Strong (@ndlstrong): Tell me about yourself.

Tyler (Davis) Jones (InstaTwitter): My name is Tyler Davis Jones and I work with Windermere Real Estate. My wife and I recently bought a house in the neighborhood of Wedgwood, Seattle, which we love. We have a daughter who is seven months old and Jenn and I have been married to for 4+ years – they’re both amazing.

NS: You moved from Queen Anne to come to the North Seattle community – something that I myself did as well. As a fellow transplant, I’m interested to hear why?

TJ: I loved Queen Anne. Who wouldn’t? But Wedgwood is home. It’s slower, you know? It feels peaceful when I get home. Like when I go to Café Javasti, people are talking to each other – it’s like West Seattle, but West Seattle is so far away from everything. We are slower in a good way. I also believe Wedgwood’s way more community-driven than anywhere else I’ve lived. People care about other people and you can feel it here.

From an investment perspective, the lot sizes are bigger than most places in Seattle. The average sold price for a home is much less compared to Queen Anne, Ballard or Fremont. You’ll get a lot more house for your money. Also, it’s kind of a blank canvas – we can make Wedgwood and our neighborhood what we want!

NS: What did people around you think about North Seattle when you said you were moving here?

TJ: A good friend of ours had a tough time with us moving all the way out to Wedgwood – “it’s pretty far man,” they said. But when you GPS it, you realize… it’s not a bad commute at all. And Lake City Way doesn’t get nearly as backed up as many of the other places in Seattle.

From a business perspective, it’s not on the radar of many of my clients. I’ll pitch the idea of Northeast Seattle, and the thought doesn’t even cross their mind. Until they get here and see how far their money can really go – you have to be in it to really see it. This is again why I’m so excited to be here. It’s like the wild west. We have so much potential to make this community what we want. I love this! But it’s not for the faint of heart. I’ve suggested North Seattle to many of my clients, and a couple of them have pursued houses here. But the truth is, it’s not yet as culturally defined as Fremont or Queen Anne. Some see this as a deterrent… I see this as an opportunity.

NS: What do you think are the major issues facing North Seattle?

TJ: “Where are the sidewalks?” I get that all the time. It’s a great question – I don’t know. I know there’s a lot of great research around what sidewalks do for a community. Like encouraging people to get outside and walk, to go meet your neighbor, to reach out to your community. That’s one of the issues that is facing North Seattle, for sure.

There’s also a decent number of questionable businesses, especially around Lake City Way. I’m sure many of these businesses are run by law-abiding, taxpaying citizens. I think that’s great! However, cleanliness on Lake City Way and our community is extremely important. Having some sort of cohesive aesthetic would be beneficial – having more businesses like Hellbent Brewing Company. If you care about the business and product, than that’s shown in what you’re doing. We’ll need to figure out good standards for businesses on main roads throughout our communities.

NS: So you’re talking about Strip Clubs?

TJ: Well, I’m not going to disagree with supply and demand. While these services aren’t something that I would utilize, I think having some form of regulation around aesthetics and good business practices would be helpful – but truthfully I don’t even know if that’s possible. I wonder if the city could create some form of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions guidelines for the community? Basically, a contract within a development where you can do xy and z to your building, then you still have the creative ability to do what you want. This type of regulation works in condo and townhome communities, maybe that would be beneficial for North Seattle policy.

NS: Then overall, what do you do with Lake City Way?

TJ: Bring in affordable housing and hotels to the area. As you’re crossing over the Aurora bridge, southbound coming from Queen Anne, you see a lot of new development around Fremont – there are less expensive extended-stay hotels being built. You also see lower income housing communities. I think these are a couple of options here on Lake City Way that might bring culture and community to the area. Seattle needs more inexpensive hotels that are not hourly motels. Something that’s an affordable $100 a night, not $200+ at the Pan Pacific.

If you follow Fremont all the way up to 85th and Aurora, there’s been some really cool projects that are happening – Woodlands Pizza and the Starbucks drive-through. Zillow has some great research about how when a Starbucks moves into a neighborhood, it increases the value of the surrounding property 28% more than the average. While there’s already a Starbucks on LCW and 120th, I believe that adding additional coffee shops that aren’t drive-in bikini baristas would be a value-add – like the repurposed shipping container Starbucks in Ballard.

NS: Interesting you mention it, because this seems to be an increasing topic of discussion around here. Should Lake City become the new Ballard?

TJ: A couple of months back, the city council was talking about lifting many of the single-family development restrictions in order to let the market dictate what housing was needed in Seattle. There was a pretty big backlash to this idea and they ended up revoking it. To me, it’s an interesting idea. The economist in me that believes that the market often generates solutions to new demands. However, the NE Seattle resident in me does not want to see 2,000 townhomes built three-to-one on a single lot the way we see it in Ballard.

I don’t think Wedgwood or North Seattle is the place to do that. I think North East Seattle specifically is the place of restoration and revitalization – new families moving into old families’ homes and continuing their legacy. I think a campaign worded around that ideology is a way to pursue growth – but also resisting development in the way that the market dictates.

NS: What do you think draws people to Ballard?

TJ: The food, the walkability, the options. There are so many options to really entertain yourself! You’re also close to downtown, which is nice.

Do you start with the development of bringing more people in to create demand for restaurants and things like that? Or do you start with the restaurants, like Ethan Stowell or Tom Douglas.

NS: Switching gears back to the North End, how do you bring revitalization to North Seattle?

TJ: Talk to those guys – Tom Douglas, Ethan Stowell. They carry a lot of weight. Demand drives a lot of decision making. If you could get a collective group of people who were on board to get Wedgwood or Lake City Way to be the next foodie place, or maybe even dare one of these guys to open a place… that would be cool.

NS: You’re a real estate agent in this community, so when you’re selling Wedgwood, what do you say?

TJ: I talk about the 35th Ave Revitalization Proposal. This shows forward progress; it shows the community wants something more. There’s one too many vacant properties on 35th. The opportunity is huge.

I talk about a little slower life – you can have your fast-paced city life, but do you want to come home to a fast-paced home life? Or do you want to come home and enjoy your family and enjoy a walk to Café Javasti or Mathews Beach?

Closeness to the Burke Gilman. I’m training for a triathlon so I hop on my bike and I’m two minutes from the Burke.

Affordability! 4 bedroom, 1.75 bath with a 7,000 square foot lot – compare that to Magnolia and you’re saving upwards of $200k.

NS: What are some local businesses you recommend?

TJ: Cafe Javasti – Local coffee shop
Wedgwood Smiles – dentist
Woodlawn Optical – optician
Maid in the NW for maid services for cleaning – for clients
All that Dance – my wife and I have chatted about it – hasn’t happened yet, but it would be fun
Wedgwood Broiler – Classic prime rib
Fiddler’s Inn – that’s my dive jam
Hellbent Brewing – second favorite brewery

NS: What do you love about Real Estate?

TJ: I love helping people. I love that my service impacts people in a very deep and real way. I love that what I bring to the table in saving them a lot of money and can really make life a little easier. It’s one of the most stressful times of your life – buying a home and getting settled. I pride myself on bringing the best assets to the table. I love connecting people who are really good at their jobs – my contractor, I believe in him because I think he’s really good at his job. My cleaner, my plumber, my electrician – I love connecting those people to other people because the goodness spreads.

For more information about Tyler, including contact info, check out Tyler’s website, Instagram, or Twitter account.

If you know of any local business owner that we should highlight, let us know!

 

Is Hellbent the New De Facto Lake City Hangout?

Hellbent Brewing Company (@HellbentB) is the newest Brewery on Lake City Way, and let me tell you – from anecdotal evidence it seems to be the new De Facto meeting place for all things Lake City.  Since opening just a little bit ago, this place seems to be the Lake City Hangout.

Since starting this blog, I’ve been scheduling times to meet with several local leaders and businesspeople to talk about what they do – and almost all of them end up being at Hellbent Brewing.  I also go there with my friends and it is always packed, even on weeknights.

But I can see why – it’s got great beer, is committed to the local community, is dog-friendly, and has a great atmosphere.  What’s not to love?

With Lake City being one of Seattle’s “up and coming” neighborhoods, though, this seems to be about right.  Here’s a place that can be looked to as a great community highlight as we’re showing the rest of Seattle that this is a great place to live.

Anyone else seeing a community shift to meeting/hanging out at Hellbent?