South American Restaurants, Bookstores, Classes & More in Seattle

Last updated on November 25th, 2020 at 04:26 am

Are you living in the Seattle, WA, area, and planning a trip to South America? Here are some handy resources to help you plan your trip, whether you’re looking to pick up some Spanish or Portuguese phrases, acquire a taste some Latin cuisine, or purchase a map or guidebook before you go.

Travel Book and Maps Stores in the Seattle Area

World Wide Books & Maps – This bookstore in Wallingford, Seattle, hosts travel companies (including ours!) and travel experts on Tuesday evenings September through May.

The Savvy Traveler – This bookstore in Edmonds, WA, hosts travel companies (including ours!) and travel experts on Saturdays. Metsker Maps – This mapstore in Pike Place Market, Seattle, has tons of maps and resources for planning a trip to just about anywhere. The Traveler Bookstore – This bookstore in Bainbridge Island hosts language classes, classes on packing and travel tips, special events, & more. Plus there’s plenty of books and maps to be had.

Spanish and Portuguese Language Classes for Travelers

The Traveler Bookstore – This bookstore in Bainbridge Island hosts occasional language classes geared for travelers. The Savvy Traveler – This bookstore in Edmonds, WA, hosts occassional language classes geared for travelers. The NW Language Academy – The academy hosts Spanish Classes and Portuguese Classes, including “Traveler’s Language Cafe’s & Language Immersion Weekends,” where you can get away for a weekend and learn the basics of the language. Washington Academy of Languages – The academy hosts Spanish Classes and Portuguese Classes, including occasional classes for travelers. Seattle Languages has a Spanish for Travelers class. North Seattle Community College has a Portuguese for Travelers class. Bellevue Collage has a Spanish for Travelers class. Bilingual Books is a Seattle-based company located nearby at Fishermen’s Terminal. For over thirty years, Bilingual Books has been helping travelers with a variety of language products designed specifically for travelers. Check out their durable, practical, and incredibly inexpensive laminated phrase guides, Language Maps. Meetup.com – search for language groups in your neighborhood, and you’ll find several choices of conversation groups, from beginner to advanced. ConversationExchange.com – create a free profile, and connect with native speakers who want to practice learning your native language and who are willing to help you learn theirs. Have an intercambio by email, Skype, or in person!

South American-style Restaurants in Seattle

Buenos Aires Grill – You may have to guard your 22 oz steak from the droplets of sweat that pour down from the tango dancers on your table. The Buenos Aires Grill, located in downtown Seattle, has porteño-worthy steaks and Malbec wine that will dazzle the tastebuds. Fumaça Brazilian Steakhouse – Located on Denny Way in downtown Seattle, this restaurant offers an a la carte menu, as well as a rodizio-style Brazilian BBQ buffet that includes several grilled meat kebabs and access to the extensive salad bar. The restaurant claims to serve 17 kinds of meat, including pork sausage, bacon steak, garlic steak, sirloin, lamb, tri-tip, cheese steak, chicken legs, ribeye, filet mignon, and grilled shrimp. The salad bar has a wide variety of fruits, veggies, olives, pickles, and cheeses to choose from. Asado Cucina – This Latin American steakhouse in Tacoma serves a wide variety of dishes, a good atmosphere, and lively music. Try the sea bass and the bacon-wrapped prawns. Pike Place Market – If you explore the bowels of Pike Place Market – get past the flying fish and the flowers, you’ll find many Latino hole-in-the-wall restaurants, cafes, artisan shops, and specialty shops. Check out the Copacabana Cafe for authentic Bolivian/Ecuadorian cuisine. San Fernando Peruvian Chicken – Not too many Northwesterners are acquainted with Peruvian cooking. Although in a nondescript building in Lynnwood, the San Fernando Restaurant has great Peruvian-style roasted chicken, lomo saltado, and other dishes. Pampeana Empanadas – This family-owned business makes savory empanadas as well as sweet ones, filled with dulce de leche. They sell their goods at local farmer’s markets – check their website for locations. Mojito – for a good mojito, you just need to head over to Lake City Way, where the Venezuelan owner serves up mean mojitos and Colombian/Venezuelan cuisine. The Spanish Table – hidden behind Pike’s Place on the Pike Street Climb, this little specialty grocery offers some delicious Argentine wines. The Latin Merchant – Located in Pike’s Place Market next to the fruit vendors, this tienda has specialty Latin foods. Wine World – This warehouse-sized store in Wallingford offers a wide selection of Argentine and Chilean wines.

Latin Dance & Martial Arts Classes in Seattle

Take Argentine tango dance lessons at All Seattle Tango, Sonny Newman’s Dance Hall in the Greenwood neighborhood, and Century Ballroom in Capitol Hill. Take salsa dance classes at the Century Ballroom in Capitol Hill, Salsa N’ Seattle in downtown Seattle, and Salsa Con Todo. Capoeira, a form of Brazilian martial arts, are offered in Capitol Hill.

Other Resources to Inspire You to Travel to South America

The Nature Conservatory, based in Seattle, offers tons of information to promote the natural preserves and biodiversity in South America (and elsewhere). The Seattle Travel Club Meetup – get inspired to travel near and far with others in this Meetup group. Enrique Wetzel & Laura Oviedo – An Argentine guy & Mexican lady perform beautiful Latin music in the Seattle area. Check out their website for upcoming performances. Visit Seattle – The Visit Seattle website has detailed information on the history of Hispanics and Latinos in the Seattle region, and it highlights visual and performing arts events as well as historical landmarks. Check out the photography of Hugo Ludeña and Eduardo Calderón, both Peruvians residing in Seattle. Seattle Latino Film Festival, held each year in October & November, showcases many films dealing with Latino issues. SouthAmerica.travel – we are a tour company located in Pioneer Square, in downtown Seattle. Come visit our office at 1904 Third Ave Suite 930 , Seattle 98101. We’d love to chat with you about planning your next dream vacation to South America. Call us at 1-800-747-4540 for an appointment! Are you the business owner of a South American-style business in the Seattle area? Or know about a place in Seattle where you can experience South American culture? Leave a comment below to add your business to this list!