The UW Night Market is one of the most attended and visited events in the Seattle area around the summer time. It is filled from the top to the bottom with venues ranging from entertainment and great eatery. It brings together the Asian culture of the night market into the Western audience, allowing us to experience what it is like to enjoy the street foods of Asia.
The menu of the night market largely consists of Asian street foods, focusing heavily on Chinese and Taiwanese influences, while also mixing Korean and other Asian vibes as well.
I have attended this event for the majority of my time living in Seattle (roughly 7 years) and learned to weed out the best from the worst. This is my guide on the top 5 food items from the UW Night market.
1. Tteokbokki aka Korean Spicy Rice Cakes ( 떡볶이)
This snack is a super popular street food originating from Korea. I might be a little biased when it comes to how this dish tastes due to my Korean heritage, but I give this one a solid pass. Usually, the rice cakes are unbearably hot and spicy for someone who is not used to those extremes, but the one in the night market was significantly toned down for the public. Being on the cheaper side of the menu (I think it was roughly 6 bucks), this is a solid food item to enjoy and share.
2. Thai Ice Tea
This drink is made from mixing Thai red tea with either milk or creamer to give it that golden orange color. From eating all the spicy and salty foods at the night market, this is must stop for someone who is looking for a palate refresher. Incredibly sweet and refreshing, I think this drink is a perfect transitional drink and I highly recommend it.
3. Satay (Chicken/Pork/Lamb skewers)
When you think of street food, you're thinking convenience, and nothing beats meat on a stick when it comes to that. Satay comes in a variety of meat choices, personally I prefer to go with chicken. It is very easy to eat while walking around the venue and incredibly tasty. The meat still retains most of the moisture and big enough to fill any hungry appetite.
4. Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches)
This versatile sandwich is a bomb of flavors. Filled with a meat of your choice, pickled radish, cilantro, and jalapenos, this dish has the right balance of spiciness and juiciness that is incredibly scrumptious. The baguette bread is light and has a slight chew. The pickled veggies and the jalapenos create a nice interaction with the heavy meat inside. You have to try it yourself to understand how flavorful this sandwich really is.
5. Boba Tea
Now you can't go to an Asian night market without having some bubble tea, that's just not how life works. From so many varieties of choices to choose from, I just can't simply recommend one. Boba tea is a lifestyle, a drink learned from trial and error of getting the right combination of flavors. I personally go with Oolong milk tea with egg pudding, but the choice is up to you.
The night market is a great place to experience new flavors and explore the various foods that it offers. The UW night market is an annual event so the next time you are in the Seattle area around the summertime, attend the event yourself and try these foods that I recommend.