Good Voyage Is Both a Chic Coffee Shop and Secret French Bistro
South Park is rarely thought of as a dining hot spot, but Good Voyage — which reopened earlier this year after a fire — offers Seattleites two reasons to visit the banks of the Duwamish Waterway: By day it’s a charming little coffee shop, and in the evening it turns into a moody, romantic bistro.
What to order
- There’s a full breakfast menu here, but the first thing you should order is the galette. These uncommon-in-Seattle pastries deliver a variety of seasonal fillings on buttery, crumbly crusts.
- For dinner, it’s all about the duck. Chef Max Walsh and his team butcher whole ducks in the small kitchen, using every part of the animal. The duck breast in particular is a treat — the skin is so crispy it crackles, the meat is nicely tender, and it comes with a little dish of umami-rich jus.
- For drinks with dinner, you can opt for cocktails (at $14, a bargain by Seattle standards), or French wines (Good Voyage shares owners with next-door wine shop Left Bank). Non-drinkers are well served by the Sober Spaniard, a refreshing, tart, businesslike drink that riffs on a martini.
The vibe
Few restaurants in Seattle pull off the French thing as well as Good Voyage. Owner Campbell Scarborough picked up the restaurant’s mismatched plates and flatware at Parisian flea markets, the lighting at night largely comes from low-hanging Edison bulbs in floral lampshades, and speakers pipe in jazz at unobtrusive volumes. Bringing a date here is a very impressive “I know a place” move.
Insider tip
If you get the duck breast, get a side of fresh-cut fries — that meaty jus makes a fun dipping sauce.
