SEAAirport Guide

Eating at SEA before a 6 a.m. flight

What food is open at SEA before 6 a.m., by concourse and security side, from 24-hour counters to early hot food.

A concourse food court seen from the tables, with counter restaurants and a curved ceiling.
Food court, SEA

You’ll find 24-hour food on both sides of security in our food directory. Qdoba by B1 stays open 24 hours and lists breakfast burritos.

What opens first near your gate

The first row is before security. The rest are after security.

Where you are First food or coffee listed If you want another choice before 6 a.m.
Before security For snacks at any hour, 7-Eleven at Baggage Claim 15 is open 24 hours. The Port’s early-bird guide lists Hudson/Alki Bakery on the ticketing level from 3:30 a.m. Neighborhood Cafe and Sourced Market near Door 25 open at 4 a.m.
Central Terminal Dilettante Mocha Café lists sandwiches 24 hours a day. Starbucks lists bakery items and sandwiches with 24-hour service. Hudson also stays open 24 hours and lists snacks. Lucky Louie Fish Shack and Pallino open at 5 a.m. The Port of Seattle’s early-bird guide also lists BrewTop Social at 5 a.m. Find it on Level 6, the mezzanine. Its venue listing gives no hours.
A Concourse Starbucks at A3, 3 a.m. For snacks, Hudson at A9 lists daily hours of 4:15 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Caffé D’arte at A10 and Floret Grab & Go at A1 open at 4:30 a.m. Floret’s dine-in restaurant opens at 6 a.m. Capitol Hill Food Hall at A5 and Seattle Beer Union at A10 open at 5 a.m.
B Concourse Qdoba by B1 stays open 24 hours. Starbucks at B7 opens at 3:30 a.m. McDonald’s at B1 opens at 4 a.m. For snacks, Hudson at B6 lists daily hours of 4 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. Rel’Lish Burger Lounge in B Concourse opens at 4:45 a.m.
C Concourse Starbucks at C9, 3 a.m. Dish D’Lish at C11 opens at 3:30 a.m. Skillet at C10 and Olympia Coffee open at 4 a.m. For snacks, Hudson in C Concourse lists daily hours of 4:15 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. At C10F, Hachi-ko opens at 5 a.m. On the C Concourse mezzanine, Great State Burger and Chili’s open then too. Buffalo Wild Wings Go and Nanny’s: A New BBQ Joint also open at 5 a.m. Their listings give C Concourse but no gate. Hudson Nonstop in C Concourse is another after-security shop, open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Its listing doesn’t specify food. The Seattle Macaron Co. bakery in C Concourse lists 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. At C10, Ninth and Pike opens at 5:30 a.m., later than Skillet.
D Concourse Starbucks at D2 and Urban Market at D2, both 3:30 a.m. For snacks, Hudson at D6 lists daily hours of 3:30 a.m. to midnight. Poke To The Max at D6 lists takeout from 4 a.m. and dine-in from 6 a.m. Camden food co. at D5 opens at 4:30 a.m.
N Concourse Emerald City Market is listed for grab-and-go, with daily hours of 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The Port of Seattle’s early-bird guide puts it at N19. Its venue listing gives no location. Pike and Pine in N Concourse is listed as a restaurant, open daily from 4:15 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Costa Coffee at N10, Caffé D’arte at N13 and Wendy’s at N11 open at 4:30 a.m. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese at N11, Bambuza at N19, Skillet at N18 and Caffe Vita at N11 open at 5 a.m.
S Concourse Peet’s Coffee at S8 opens at 5 a.m. Hudson in S Concourse lists snacks and daily hours of 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Before the Blue Line train, Qdoba at B1 is open 24 hours. Starbucks at A3 opens at 3 a.m. Starbucks at B7 opens at 3:30 a.m. All three are after security.

The C9 Starbucks listing says 3 a.m., while the Port of Seattle’s early-bird guide says 3:30 a.m. Check our listing if that first half hour matters. The Port of Seattle’s early-bird guide also calls the Baggage Claim Starbucks listing a 4 a.m. option, but the listing says 6 a.m.

Put security ahead of breakfast

For a 6 a.m. domestic flight, the Port of Seattle advises arriving two hours before departure. The Port of Seattle advises three hours for an international flight and says checkpoint waits during peaks can reach 45 to 60 minutes. Checkpoint 4 runs 24 hours and is closest to the Central Terminal and B and C. At 4 a.m., Checkpoints 1, 2 and 3 open near A and S. Checkpoint 1 is at the south end of Baggage Claim. Checkpoints 5 and 6 open near C, D and N. You can reach every gate from any checkpoint.

If you’re bringing your own breakfast, use our guide to taking food through security. Finish any coffee or tea before screening, as the Port of Seattle advises.

If your gate is at N or S

N and S are separate gate areas reached by the airside SEA Underground. You cannot walk to them from the main concourses. Take the Green Line between N, C and D, or the Blue Line between S, A and B. To switch loops, take the Yellow Line between A Station and D Station. A train arrives every three minutes on each loop.

If your first choice is closed

If Starbucks at A3 is closed, try Hudson in A Concourse for snacks. It lists daily hours of 3:45 a.m. to midnight. After security, you can walk between A, B, C and D. Qdoba by B1 stays open 24 hours.

Sources