Top 3 Eats: On the road to Port Townsend

This will be the last installment in my Seattle vacation series. In case you haven’t been following along, we took a day trip to Port Townsend to get some time away from the city. I’ll let you in on a secret: This post is called Top 3 Eats on the road to Port Townsend because my favorite stop was actually in Kingston — a town before you even get to Port Townsend. Funny, right?

The other two top eats are spots you must visit while in Port Townsend, and they’re both downtown. There you’ll find the perfect souvenirs to bring back for family and friends — edible souvenirs, that is. Whether you’re looking for some locally roasted coffee or handmade chocolate, these are the best places to go to get an authentic taste of the town.

Let me take you through my Top 3 Eats on the road to Port Townsend:

Inside Port Townsend Chocolates

3) Port Townsend Chocolates

If you’re wandering the historic streets of downtown Port Townsend asking yourself: Where does one get some chocolate around here? Look no further than Port Townsend Chocolates for your daily fix. The chocolate counter is located inside Lehani’s Deli & Coffee House, offering a variety of handmade artisan chocolates.

Fudge, truffles, caramels, cookies, even coconut clusters — you name it. For such a small shop, they have a wide selection of mouth-watering bites of heaven. There are also other sweet treats to look through on display like their chocolate spread.

My mission was to buy some chocolates to take home to my mom and dad. They sell their chocolate by the box, in a variety of different sizes. I ended up getting a box of six chocolates (3 nut varieties for my mom, 3 truffles for my dad), which came out to around $16. It is a little expensive, but who’s really counting when you’re on vacation? Especially for handmade chocolate this good. While you’re there, do yourself a favor and try a White Chocolate Peanut Butter bar. So good!

You can learn more about the shop at their website here. And remember, they ship! Get a little piece of Port Townsend sent to your home!

The cutest coffee shop ever: Better Living Through Coffee

2) Better Living Through Coffee

By far my favorite place we went to in Port Townsend. In search of coffee after an early drive in, this place was a gem to find on a cold, gloomy morning. You can either watch the boats sail by from tables outside, or cozy up on some couches or tables inside with a view of one of Port Townsend’s historic docks. Comfy seating, delicious coffee, and a beautiful view of the water — what more could you ask for?

This little coffee house is actually family owned and operated, featuring organic and locally roasted drip coffees. Not only does the place smell delicious, but we also got some quality customer service. I noticed that our cashier made it a point to use our names while we ordered and paid for our coffees. They even take credit cards! A nice surprise for such a small establishment.

If coffee isn’t your thing, don’t worry, as there are also organic herbal teas and smoothies.

Me and my morning coffee.

Ayaka ordering at the counter.

As you enter, there’s a big list on the wall showcasing a bunch of local businesses. These are the vendors the shop goes to for all the ingredients needed to make the dishes on their menu (soups, sandwiches). So while the food is all made on site, the ingredients are all local — using things like organic produce, locally raised grass-fed beef, pastured chickens and organic eggs, and wild Alaskan line-caught salmon.

There are also freshly baked pastries, quiches, and other treats. If you look at the wide selection in the glass display, you’ll see the baked goods are served by the slice — and large slices at that. These are your mama’s servings — not no Starbucks.

I bought a pound of coffee to take home for only $13. (Another perfect gift to bring home. They’ll also grind it for you if you ask!) If I lived here, I could see how this place would quickly become a part of my morning routine.

Want to know more? Check out their website here.

The delicious rows of fudge at Little City Candy Co.

1) Little City Candy Co.

Little City Candy was the best surprise of the trip. Here’s a funny story that just goes to show that sometimes there really is a greater plan: On our way back into Seattle from Port Townsend, we missed our ferry. If a few more cars could have squished on, we would have been home free. Bummer, right? WRONG.

We decided to make the best of an annoying situation and left the car parked in its designated lane, looking for an interesting shop to dip inside so we could kill time until the next ferry arrived. That’s when we found Little City Candy, and the best homemade fudge of the trip. In short? We were meant to miss that ferry.

The small shop is hard to spot, but it’s on the first right if you’re leaving the ferry and heading into Kingston.

The view of the shop from outside.

This place may not look like much from the outside, but it has the best fudge at the best prices. I got three pieces, weighing in at a whopping .75 lbs, and my total came out to $9.80. After buying that box of souvenir chocolates from Port Townsend Chocolates at $16, my wallet was thankful. I bought a square of the Tiger Butter fudge (peanut butter), Grasshopper fudge (mint chocolate), and Carrot Cake fudge (it’s to die for, by far my favorite).

Lisa gives the best customer service. She’s so friendly and offered us samples of any fudge we wanted — even full-sized pieces of chocolate. She explained that she’s not looking to take advantage of tourists with her prices, and just wants people to be able to enjoy. She said it was beautiful to see young ladies living their lives.

Little City Candy needs to be your first or last stop (or both!) in Kingston — whether you’re just passing through or visiting. If you ever visit, be sure to rate them and leave them amazing reviews on Yelp because this little shop needs to be known! And be sure to check out their website here.