Spice Bridge: Seattle Food Destination for Travel-Hungry Families

Taste your way around the globe

Even when you only have an afternoon, we’ve found a way to scratch that family travel itch — and support local businesses at the same time. It’s Spice Bridge Food Hall, a sunlit food destination and commercial kitchen in Tukwila that is filled with the smell of fried dough and delicious spices. In search of lunch and a tasty “trip” around the globe, we went to check it out.

Spice Bridge is part of the Food Innovation Network’s Food Business Incubator, a program that helps immigrants and refugees in South King County launch and build food businesses. Eight food vendors rotate through Spice Bridge’s four stalls six days a week (closed Mondays), creating an incredible multicultural space and experience. It’s inspiring how, even through the pandemic, these women-owned businesses have found a new way to bring joy and comfort to their communities through their homeland cuisines.

From hearty Cambodian stews to delightful East African doughnuts, your family is certain to find something new to taste and love. Use the arrows above the images or the link below to read about four kid-approved dishes you’ll want to try.

Up first: Cambodian beef and rice noodle soup

Cambodian beef and rice noodle soup

The go me ga tunk soup at Theary Cambodian Foods makes eating incredibly fun — and it’s the perfect cold-weather comfort food. Owner and chef Theary Ngeth said it’s one of the favorites among the kids in the Spice Bridge family, and now we know why. The beef bones give kids something to grab onto as they bite into meat that’s fall-off-the-bone tender. The wide rice noodles are chewy and slurpable. The herbs, vegetables and homemade chili oil paste that top the bowl are bright and welcoming (you can buy a tub of the chili oil paste to take home). And the broth has a wonderful depth of flavor and a hint of sweetness that will have your family asking for more.

Ngeth, a mom of three who escaped from the Khmer Rouge on foot when she was 5 years old, hopes to keep Cambodian cooking traditions alive. Her menu items, inspired by her mom, are all dishes that Ngeth prepares for her kids. (Talk about a kid-approved menu!)

Kids will also love: Menu items such as sabb monn bowk (spicy stuffed chicken wings) and buong amm(a pumpkin, taro and cassava pastry topped with coconut cream, sugar and toasted sesame seeds).

Open: Theary Cambodian Foods is currently open at Spice Bridge Thursday–Saturday.

Up next: East African coconut doughnuts

East African coconut doughnuts

Who doesn’t love a good doughnut? (Uh, no one.) Moyo Kitchen serves up plenty of great options for families, but one we could not stop eating was the mahamri, an airy East African doughnut made with coconut milk. These deep-fried (but not oily) golden-brown triangles are crunchy on the outside and pillowy on the inside, and they make a great finger food, side or breakfast. You have to try one with a cup of chai!

Moyo Kitchen features Somali-Kenyan-Tanzanian fusion food inspired by Zanzibar. It’s run by Mwana Moyo, who moved to the United States from Tanzania with her two kids, and Batulo Nuh, a Somali native raised in Kenya. The two women met when they were neighbors in Shoreline and bonded over their love of food and cooking. Together, their menu reflects an exciting blend of East African food, and everything is made from the heart. (Moyo means “heart” in Swahili!)

Kids will also love:Sambusa (a savory pastry filled with vegetables and your choice of beef or chicken) and sukuma (a vegetarian kale stew served with corn bread); most dishes also come with kid-favorite sides of pilau rice or chapatti.

Open: Moyo Kitchen is currently open at Spice Bridge Friday–Sunday.

Up next: Afghan beef and onion dumplings

Afghan beef and onion dumplings

We loved the mantu at Jazze’s: Each dumpling is filled with grass-fed beef, onions and spices, and they’re beautifully topped with garlic yogurt and tomato sauce. This super shareable plate is a feast for the eyes and bellies. According to Jazze’s owner and chef, Nasrin Noori, this traditional Afghan dish is her kids’ special request for their birthdays. A delicious combination of various textures and flavors all in one bite? We’d want it all the time for our birthdays, too!

Noori, who has four kids, came up with the name Jazze’s using the initials from her children’s names. Her menu offers Afghan-American food prepared with organic and locally sourced ingredients. She hopes to create a family-friendly environment where families can feel at home and eat healthy, nutritious meals.

Kids will also love: Boulanee (crisp and hot pastries filled with seasonal veggies — either potatoes, leeks, pumpkin or carrots, served with a side of yogurt for dipping) or the pulled lamb sandwich served with a side of garlic potatoes.

Open: Jazze’s is currently open at Spice Bridge Thursday–Saturday.

Up next: Congolese beignets

Congolese beignets

If you’re looking for more fried goodness (because, let’s be real, we can’t get enough!), head to the Taste of Congo food stall. Owner and chef Caroline Musitu’s mikate will have you thinking, “Where have you beignetall my life?” Mikate is a popular street food in Kinshasa, where Musitu grew up. Vendors fry them up early in the mornings just in time for a quick and tasty breakfast. Musitu serves her mikate with a choice of peanut butter (a traditional accompaniment), chocolate sauce, cinnamon powder or powdered sugar.

When Musitu came to Washington more than a decade ago, she realized there were no Congolese food businesses in the state and wanted to share her home country’s street food and national dishes with her new community.

Kids will also love: Ngombe ya sauce (beef stew), grilled mackerel (big enough for two), fried plantains and homemade pineapple or hibiscus juice

Open: Taste of Congo is currently open Wednesday–Sunday.

Up next: More global food options

More global food options

Spice Bridge Food Hall vendors rotate throughout the week. Some food stalls won’t be open when you visit; you’ll have to go back over and over! On our next visit, we are looking forward to trying options from these menus:

• Afella Jollof Catering offers Gambian and Senegalese food.
• WUHA serves up an often-changing menu of Ethiopian-American dishes. It is currently only offering pre-orders to pick up on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2021 and updated for 2023.