Eat Local

The frozen food definitely tastes minimally processed and about as close to home made as you’re going to get. My complaints would be that a) it’s very salty– i purchased chicken noodle soup and sampled pork dijon? something dijon… and b) it’s pretty expensive. I would definitely compare the pricing to eating out at a restaurant versus eating out of the freezer aisle at the grocery store.
That said, as a frequent business traveler, I would probably eat here again when I need to stock the office freezer with stuff to eat at my desk.

It’s definitely not cheap. But if you don’t have time to cook for yourself, or are looking for something to keep you going during the workday, this place is an awesome resource for real, delicious food — and a very easy way to avoid eating processed/​industrial/​additive laden commercial frozen meals. The vegetarian meals are very filling and more reasonably priced than the meat dishes. The curried lentil soup is extra good on these cold, wet Seattle days. Extra bonuses: food allergies are clearly marked on each package, and they also carry snacks and booze. Very glad to have this option around.

I can’t say anything about the food as I haven’t had it before (I plan to remedy that) but if I could give a million stars for the service, I most certainly would!
I called hoping to get some meals delivered to an apartment relatively nearby. There are same day deliveries for the greater Seattle area and if it’s close enough, they are able to walk it over without charging a delivery fee. It just so happens the apartment I wanted the food delivered to was close enough, so that’s a win.
Erin was the staff employee I spoke with on the phone and he was just the bees knees. Super kind and genuine, and not in a way that sounded like he was trying to solicit business, and totally not pretentious like so many of the eateries I’ve encountered in Seattle. He gave great recommendations based on my specifications and we were able to create a meal catering to the specific needs of my eaters. I also needed the food to be delivered after a certain time, and Erin went above and beyond trying to meet that. For reals, who is this guy and where can we get more of him!!!
It’s certainly not the cheapest option out there, but if you want a place with phenomenal customer service, this is your place.
Thank you SO much for being so stellar and easy to work with — I’m going to tell all of Seattle about your awesomeness!

I thought I was going crazy, but then saw another reviewer’s picture showing the ingredients and commenting that none of them were organic!!! Exactly! I noticed this change a few months ago, but not sure when they actually stopped using organic. I used to really appreciate buying good food made with organic ingredients, but no longer. Note that while their prices are still super high and their store advertises organic, their food is NOT. Very disappointing. In addition, I used to buy food in the glass containers – no chemicals and completely reusable. They discontinued using glass as well. Sorry, Eat Local, used to love you, not anymore!

These are some of the best pre-​made meals I think I’ve ever had honestly. The stuff chicken dinner might be one of my favs.

Recently complained about the extra large planter boxes they use in front of the Queen Anne location. Planters block the access for maneuvering a double stroller, walker, wheelchair etc. They don’t seem to understand the problem and the blockage of the ramp. Perhaps if they maintained the large planter in front of the store they could use doorstops instead of oversized planters.
Messages to owner — no response.

I went to the pasta making class. The instructor was nice, as well as the staff, and I learned how to make my own pasta and took a bunch of the noodles home with me. However, the class was advertised as feeding you samples of their food which would be the equivalent to a meal– this was not the case. We received 6 bites of their food and one small bowl of the homemade pasta. I was starving before I got there (thinking I would be eating a lot, as the descriptions suggested) only to find out they keep the wine flowing but not the food. The description for this event should really be changed because it was very misleading. However, if you eat something substantial beforehand, you’ll be totally fine!

I love this place for a quick weeknight meal. They always offer a sample which has led to purchasing those dishes at a later date! My only complaint is that most dishes are overly seasoned. I like spicey foods, but sometimes I just want my glazed carrots and not ‘spicy’ glazed carrots.

I love this place! I’m just mad I didn’t find it sooner. I happened to be at Blend in Ballard and tried one of the side dishes. I’m hooked!!! The food is amazing. I went and bought two weeks worth today and a membership. I’m now a customer for life. What an amazing concept. AND it tastes so fantastic too! Im someone that always hated frozen food and anything that is prepared ahead of time. I love to cook every night but I was getting sick of all my usual recipes and dirty dishes. This is so simple. The food is amazing!!! I also love that it is organic as well. I can come home from work and just pop an amazing dinner in the oven. The price is right and the portions are perfect… helps keep me in check with dieting too. Thank you Eat Local… please stay in business a long time. huge fan here!!!

Love this place! Tried to get a job here three years in a row– my blue/​purple hair threw them off a bit I think. The food is all made locally and tastes amazing! The staff is great and I LOVE the owner. He is a very nice man who really cares about creating a community like atmosphere within the store and on Queen Anne.
The only reason I give it four stars is the price. it’s just a little too much for me.

A great selection of prepared desserts, entrees, appetizers, wine, meats, and miscellaneous pantry and snack items. There is a focus on local, organic, and grass fed; they also carry «Keep It Real Food Co.» (diabetes friendly) granola and cookies.
There’s even a coffee bar. The employees are helpful and the store is brightly lit and cleanly.
Some of the prepared items can be more expensive than it would be eating out and the few entrees and appetizers I’ve purchased from them over the years were fairly mediocre — just food. I avoid them now and usually stick to the ice cream, pantry, and snack items when I come by now-​a-​days.
I recommend stopping in here to check it out!

I’m not really sure I qualify to write a review because I didn’t buy food here. I just popped in as I was walking by. I picked up a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon — very tasty, but I don’t remember which one I picked up. It wasn’t the Eat Local wine, but another WA wine they were featuring (also it was on sale, so bonus).
I perused their frozen dinners and they had a pretty big variety all neatly showcased in big freezers. If I lived in the area I would certainly try the food here. Seems like they’re made with quality ingredients. They have all kinds of other fun treats here besides the frozen meals.
Staff was super friendly and helpful in answering my questions. Great idea for people who need a quick, healthy prepared meals.

I am so happy to have discovered to Eat Local! It is the perfect spot for a lazy week night when you want to eat a home cooked meal but are too lazy to cook. They have free parking, so it is easy to run in and out. All ingredients are local, organic and 100% grass fed beef. I love how whenever you come in you can get a new sample of something else to give you ideas of what to get next. Not to mention the staff are super friendly and always happy to give suggestions. You can get all items in either one or two portions containers (just under $ 10 for 1 portion or $ 20 for 2 portions, but have deals if get a few all at once). Containers are either plastic or glass containers. If glass, you just pay a deposit that once returned can be used to purchase something else.
Thus far, my favorite two items are the goat cheese lasagna with chicken & broccoli and the shepards pie. The best shepards pie I have ever tasted! It is amazing how tender all their meat is considering it has been frozen. Their food is the best frozen meals I have ever tasted! I am excited to try out more of their pasta dishes since 100% homemade. I tried their smoked salmon pasta, and it was not my favorite just because it was on the dry side, and I am a big sauce person. Although, even though I was not in love with the flavor, I was soo impressed by the texture of the noodles! Also, really loved the sweet and spicy flavors of the crazy tendor Jamaican Jerk Chicken w cabbage. Personally, I just wish it came with some potatoes to help with the pop of spice.

A perfect latte and Explosions in the Sky. A true Seattle highlight that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

Lived in QA for 2 years, and finally checked this place out. Staff was so nice, and it’s a pleasant store to shop in. I love to cook local, organic foods, but with two small kids sometimes I need a break. Yes the food is a bit pricey, but honestly, it’s not much more than I would spend at Whole Foods for the same organic ingredients. Plus the ‘not having to cook’ thing is worth a lot to me. We loved the salmon and lentils, tarragon chicken, and all the pastas.
The food is quite good, considering it’s frozen. Best frozen food I’ve tasted, at least. It heats well, and is very flavorful. We will gladly be buying about 2 – 3 nights’ worth of dinners here each week. Again, I love to cook — but this allows me a few nights of extra time with the kiddos, time for chores, or just watching The Daily Show. ;)

I went into Eat Local yesterday on my tour through Queen Anne and tasted a pot pie. It was average which isn’t a sin. It’s also not a sin to want your food sourced local (300 miles for Eat Local) or to want organic ingredients.
However, I have a problem paying restaurant prices for frozen food. I’m not exaggerating when I say a family could get a taxi to a restaurant, eat a fresh meal and get a taxi home for the same price. I can understand the concept and I like it — good quality frozen food but the reality is that only certain things freeze well so great fresh food makes mediocre frozen food and the prices are for great fresh food.
Example prices (from memory)
$ 24 for 2 qt of ice cream.
$ 10.95 for one piece of goat cheese lasagna (yes folks, that would be $ 120 for a pan of lasagna)
Single serving of Chicken Korma — $ 11
So the thought that I took away here is that they’re charging the very same price you’d get in a restaurant but you’re getting it frozen and still need to microwave it. Let’s assume for a moment that you don’t know how easy it is to make gourmet organic ice cream (for ¹⁄₃ the price) and focus on the Lasagna and the Korma. A lot of people might not know how to make some of this food (start here
) which is reasonable. But a single serving of Chicken Korma is the same price as you’d pay for two to eat Korma at your local favorite Indian restaurant. The Lasagna is outrageous because I make it for about $ 10 for a PAN and mine looks a great deal better than theirs (although as a disclaimer I didn’t try theirs).
Plus
Great concept
Organic food is good for you
Local food is good for you and your community
Negative
Price (way way overpriced)
Quality (the pot pie I tried really wasn’t that great)
I’m giving this 3 stars not because I’ll be shopping here but rather because the concept is great, the idea is great and the quality is average. I would have given it 2 stars based on those things but for some reason the soups are reasonably priced — $ 5 -$ 7 for 24 ozs of soup. ??? That’s barely more than the grocery store. Not sure what happened there but I’d buy soup from them thus they get 3 stars. Disclaimer: I didn’t try the soup so they may be horrible (or fantastic) but next time I’m in the area I will.

Took me awhile, but I’ve been meaning to poke in here and grab some meals given my busy lifestyle. One such afternoon, I drove up the hill with that as my aim and was a bit confused with the pay parking lot adjacent, after circling the block three times and parallel parking I walked up only to audibly say, «Doh» it was written high up on the building in less visible typography that customers could park there. Next time.
The inside is airy and bright, with high ceilings, it’s not a massive square footage space but cubic footage is up there. The staff was helpful in explaining how things worked, the pricing and the labeling. Most items were transitioning to a really well done system with GF for gluten free, DF for dairy free, etc.
The single person entrees were as mentioned in other reviews pretty pricey at nearly $ 10, but if you got it in the reusable round Pyrex glass containers (requires deposit) or bought three, discounts could apply making it slightly more reasonable. I anticipate on crunching the numbers for next round. While it was expensive, I just have several scenarios where I have no time to even stop somewhere quick and ingredient control too crucial, that this is too good of an idea a couple times a week for me to not try. The two entrees I tried were both GF and DF, the Jamaican Chicken and Cabbage was the highlight. Though frozen, when reheated everything was tender and delicious, a not easily accomplished result and I’m sure took many rounds of testing and customer feedback.
I also picked up a couple of their own label wines, sourced from Yakima. I’ll update after I try them, but for now, the label looks great!
Overall, the price is the biggest obstacle but I’ll try getting multiple and in the glass to see if it makes a bit of a reduction next time because the ingredients, the information, the convenience and the taste definitely increase the value I’m just trying to find the right intersection of price to value.

Commanding you to «eat local» they have a collection of northwestern produce product like a chunk of the pike place Market brought to Queen Anne.
I simply ordered a Stumptown latte which was the perfect European small size of latte. I don’t know how people guzzle down venti’s or god help them the 32 oz beast from the green coffee pharmacist (because they’re so addictive). The brand is a big deal to some but I’m not from the area and it was just a good strong dose of caffeine for my bloodstream. Thanks, I will drink local.

Five stars for quality. Three stars for value. A solid four-​star establishment. I’m not knocking them for needing to make a profit to stay afloat in an expensive location, not at all. I just have to be realistic about what constitutes good value, and I don’t know that $ 36 for four servings of lasagna strikes me as amazing value. Even if I do get to keep the Pyrex. Which you do.
Very nice, clean, well-​lit little place. All organic, or, if not, everything at least would qualify as natural I think. Some beer and wine, coffee, a few stylish gift items (mostly by one artist, who also did some wall art and wine labels for the place). Several coolers and freezers of meals ready to eat. A few snack items, some ice cream, a coffee stand. It’s a nice lineup for an organically-​focused corner grocery. Friendly, helpful, well-​informed staff.
I picked up a bag of dried mushrooms and some Stumptown coffee to give as christmas presents this year. I’ll be back, I imagine, on the occasions when I find myself atop Queen Anne, which, admittedly, is less frequent these days than it used to be.

The chalkboard sign that said «$ 1 lattes!» got my attention, being a coffee-​loving gal and all. The place is essentially a tiny grocery store with all local, organic foods. They have freezers all around the perimeter of the store with frozen dinners, casseroles, pizzas, ice cream, etc. I think they call them «meals to go.» There are also nuts, crackers, wines, etc. on some of the tables.
PROS:
1. Organic, local goods. If the extra cost associated with eating organic foods from local providers doesn’t phase you, I highly recommend the place. Personally, I’m okay not spending the extra money.
2. Coffee! Behind the cashier counter there is a little coffee stand get-​up. I got an almond skim-​milk latter for a buck. Ya can’t beat that. Plus, the guy behind the counter said «even though it’s skim, because it’s organic it tastes more rich, almost like a 2%.» He was right.
3. Free decadent chocolate fudge samples!
4. Super nice staff. The guy was easy to make small talk with.
5. Theo’s chocolate on sale!
CONS:
1. Kinda spendy (but probably worth it).
2. They didn’t have almond meal (which I think they could have considering all the other flours and ground meal they have).
3. No Theo’s ginger rose chocolate on hand. It’s a good thing Theo’s isn’t too far away.
4. No other free samples. For someone like me who is used to eating average produce and foods (not always organic), I’d like to know what I was getting into before I spent a ton of money on it.
5. They sell Molly Moon’s ice cream which isn’t actually organic (my friend works there and said they just add organic raw ingredients to an already made regular ice cream base).