We frikin’ love Seattle.

From Pike Place Market to the original Starbucks, from the Space Needle to the Great Wheel, and from Gas Works Park to Bainbridge Island, it’s hard to get bored, even when it’s raining, which is usually 150 days or more each year.

Unfortunately, we can’t promise that moving to Seattle to start life over with your son will cause insomnia, or that Meg Ryan will hear your call into a radio station and then meet you in the Empire State Building to fall in love with you. However, we can promise that when visiting Emerald City, there are plenty of healthy eating options.

It might surprise you that Seattle ranked No. 2 on WalletHub’s list of the healthiest cities in the country, behind only San Francisco. For anyone familiar with the City of Flowers, that ranking checks out. Great salads at Evergreens and locally-sourced dinners at Local360 are just the start. As the motto of Portage Bay Café commands us, “Eat like you give a damn.

As frequent travelers know well—and as we’ve detailed in earlier editions of our Airport Survival Guide in cities like Los Angeles, Denver, and San Francisco—a healthy city does not predict a healthy airport.

Despite being just 14 miles from the nutritious center of Jet City, finding healthy options at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is rough. Which makes it the perfect place to search for some diamonds.

Good luck finding them.

In the walkthrough below, we’ll mention our top pick in each area of the airport, but there aren’t many backup options. In a pinch, the best bet might be the Starbucks Secret. 

A Gates

Floret

Floret doubles as a coffee shop and is owned by the same owners as Café Flora in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood. It has some good, fresh vegetarian options.

What to order. For breakfast or a snack, grab the overnight oats with pears, mangos, and almonds. Later in the day, go with the Cilantro and Harissa Hummus or The Spicy Hummus Wrap. For anyone carefully watching calorie intake, unfurl the wrap and ask for veggies to dip in the filling.

B Gates

Qdoba

As we’ve covered in other editions of the Airport Survival Guide, Mexican & Mediterranean (M&M) is the savior for healthy eaters in airports. These days, we prefer the big Q over Chipotle in the Mexican category, but in an airport, either one plays.

What to order. Mix veggies, beans, salsa, and, of course, all dat guac. 

C Gates

Dish D’lish

Celebrity chef Kathy Casey is a hometown favorite in Seattle. She’s had a spot in Pike Place Market since 2002 and in SeaTac airport since 2005. These brand-new digs in Terminal C opened in 2017 and introduced some nice new items.

What to order. Try the Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Cup—M&M for the win. If it’s early, maybe opt for the Chia Oat Berry Cup.

D Gates

Camden Food Co.

Wow…it’s bad over here. It’s places like Terminal D at SeaTac that pushed airfare into existence.

It doesn’t feel great recommending a grab-and-go option equivalent to CIBO Express as our best bet. But it’s the best we’ve got, and you’re the one who forgot your airfare snacks. 😉

What to order. Grab the Superfood Salad, Fruit Salad, and maybe some cashews.

N and S Gates (International)

Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen and Bar

Bambuza isn’t 100% actually healthy, but it does have some nice options, and it’s a great change from the otherwise uninspiring SeaTac healthy dining scene.

What to order. The Salad Rolls of rice paper and lettuce with tofu and veggies are a good starter. Pair them with the Wok Green Beans and Tofu. While it’s hard to know what’s in the black bean sauce, veggies, tofu and some jasmine rice isn’t too bad. And it tastes quite good. 

Fun facts about SEA

1. Seattle is not only the 11th-largest airport in the country, it’s also one of the top 10 fastest-growing over the past decade.
2. There is only one under-one-roof parking structure in the whole world bigger than SeaTac’s. The punchline isn’t very inspiring—the champion parking lot is attached to a mall in Alberta, Canada. 
3. SeaTac is actually a city. Like, a real one. It has a fire department, a city council, and even a city logo.
4. Terminal A is home to an exhibit dedicated to Seattle-formed rock band Pearl Jam. Check it out, and we suggest listening to “Given to Fly” while you do.