Seattle's Historic Restaurants depicts an era of nostalgia and romanticism, and highlights historic photographs of restaurants, postcards, and menus. From 1897 to 1898, thousands of so-called stampeders came through Seattle on their way to the Klondike goldfields. Hungry stampeders could purchase a meal at the Merchant's Café (the oldest café in Seattle) or one of the many restaurants nearby. For the next 25 years, those who made it rich in Seattle were the restaurateurs, shop owners, and real estate owners. Famous local landmarks such as the Space Needle, Mount Rainier's Paradise Camp, Snoqualmie Falls, and the Empress Hotel are still here, but their menus and clientele have changed over the years. Local haunts like Ivar's Acres of Clams, The Dog House, Andy's Diner, Clark's Restaurants, Coon Chicken Inn, Frederick and Nelson's Tea Room, The Wharf, Von's, The Purple Pup, and the Jolly Roger are just a few of the restaurants featured within.
Robin Shannon is the author of a previous book by Arcadia, Cemeteries of Seattle, and a past waitress at Snoqualmie Falls Lodge, now the Salish Lodge. These restaurants, many of which are gone now, are preserved in more than 200 vintage photographs, postcards, and menus, taking the reader on a trip down memory lane.