Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar, Seattle

###The Press Box: Emmett Watson’s Oyster Bar “Beer, Wine, and Food for Thought...”: that’s the motto at Emmett Watson’s Oyster Bar. The tiny restaurant is tucked into bustling Pike Place Market, where it serves no-frills seafood in a casual atmosphere. The back-to-basics approach to dining is due to founder and namesake Emmett Watson, a celebrated Seattle newspaper columnist known for championing limitations on urban growth. Read on to discover why this restaurant remains a local favorite: “At **Seattle’s oldest almost exclusively oyster bar**, the first of its kind when newspaperman Emmett Watson opened the place in 1979, the menus are written on paper bags, and the oysters are either raw on the half shell or broiled with Parmesan, bacon and “sauce” (read: butter).” – [_Seattle Magazine_](http://www.seattlemag.com/article/best-oyster-palaces-and-raw-bars-seattle) “The . . .lovably torn furniture give[s] the feeling that you've been lucky enough to have stumbled into a **locals' hidden hangout** where fishing boats dock out back to offload the day's catch. Ok, there may not be a dock but the seafood is some of the freshest you'll find and best for the money.” – [_Not For Tourists_](http://www.notfortourists.com/viewRadar.aspx?city=SE&radarID=27120) “Emmett Watson was, of course, the late local columnist and instigator of the Lesser Seattle movement . . .I was reminded of this when I recently took a seat in a booth at Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar; right over me was a big old sign suggesting that if you've got a problem with Seattle traffic, you should move to Albuquerque. Like Watson himself, **this is a restaurant that doesn't give a Hangtown Fry whether or not you like it.**” – [_The Stranger_](http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/emmett-watsons-oyster-bar/Content?oid=12832) “The best part about Emmett Watson’s Oyster Bar is that you can enjoy your oyster lunch on the **lush back patio**. It’s quiet and green, making you feel like you’ve completely escaped the hustle and bustle of Pike Place.” – [_Seattle Refined_](http://www.komonews.com/seattlerefined/eat-drink/5-of-Seattles-tastiest-oyster-bars-255367371.html)