I just returned from one night in Tacoma and a few nights in Seattle. We were a group of 4, and at times 6 or 8. In no particular order:

Savor Creperie, Tacoma - Three of us ordered something different to share after a couple hours at the Washington State History Museum. Rosemary chicken and roasted sweet potato and pecans with balsamic reduction, Liege waffle with powdered sugar, and a butter, lemon (zest!) and sugar crepe. We loved them all and the service was great. http://www.savorcreperie.com/menu/

Freighthouse Square, Tacoma - After arriving ~11 am by public bus #574 from SeaTac, we stumbled upon this food court by accident. Three of the group had soup from Wendy's Vietnamese, HUGE bowls of soup that would easily feed 2-3 people each. I had a decent (regular sized) bowl of lentil soup from Little India Express. We really wanted to try La Waffletz, but didn't have time. https://www.freighthousesquare.com/restaurants
https://www.yelp.com/biz/wendys-viet...taurant-tacoma
https://www.grubhub.com/restaurant/l...-tacoma/340413
https://www.yelp.com/biz/la-waffletz-tacoma-6

Ammar's Mediterranean Grill, Tacoma - The person in our group responsible for choosing our one-night-in-Tacoma dinner restaurant didn't make a reservation for some reason. So rather than wait 2 hours for 9 pm rezs at a handful of restaurants, we were desperate to immediately find something for dinner. Ammar's was easy walking distance from our hotel. Not super food, but like I said, we were desperate... and some were cranky too. Everything was certainly edible. I had the tabouli salad, which was very fresh and satisfying. Another had the vegetable coconut curry, another had the lamb gyro, and two people shared the moussaka. A few restaurants I called to inquire for a reservation, the noise level was so loud the hostess could barely hear me. At Ammar's, that was definitely not a problem, which in my book, is a plus. No problem for six of us to converse without shouting. http://www.ammarsmedgrill.com/menu-marquee/

Brown & Haley factory outlet, Tacoma - Another place we stumbled upon by accident in Tacoma. We were initially excited at the prospect of a factory tour, but they don't offer those anymore. If you love anything by the Almond Roca people and are in Tacoma, go there. It's a tiny space that sells the factory seconds candies. They had just about every one of their products for sale. Hard to recall now, but 12 oz(?) bags of winter bark (peppermint) for $0.99, boxes of 15 Vanilla Mountain Bars for $8. Lots of free samples too. https://www.brown-haley.com/

Toulouse Petit - dinner, 5:30 reservation. A block from where we stayed, everyone enjoyed what they ordered - fried chicken, french onion soup, rabbit pasta, gumbo, frisee salad, pork cheeks, brussels sprouts, pan-fried chicken, beef burger - but not as much as expected. We thought we'd try them for breakfast and/or lunch on a subsequent day, but no one ever suggested it again. http://toulousepetit.com/dinner-menu/

Nielsen's Pastries - We had a to-go box of ham & cheese and spinach & feta pastries, snitter, and potatoes. The 'potato' was the standout - a custard whipped cream-filled pastry with a layer of marzipan, rolled in cocoa. If you've got one left over, as we did, and put it in your hotel fridge, the next day, as the custard melts away a strip of cocoa, it comically really does look like a baked potato. http://nielsenspastries.com/dessert_pastry/

Metropolitan Market - like a small independent chain Whole Foods-type market with natural foods, a wide produce department, a bakery, salad bar, fresh prepared foods, soup bar, coffee station, etc. http://metropolitan-market.com/home.php?

Tilikum Place Cafe - midweek lunch, 11:00 Open Table res. We all agreed to order something different to share - cod coconut curry, savory broccoli bacon Beecher's cheddar dutch baby, sweet candied kumquat dutch baby, cauliflower cashew soup, roasted potatoes, housemade sausage, and a press pot of coffee. The savory dutch baby was the crowd favorite. Our meal there was especially memorable because there was a magical large-snowflake snowfall that day. (Sorry, this Central Coast Californian doesn't know how to describe it any other way.) It was mesmerizing to watch as we waited the 20 or so minutes for the dutch babies. Great service. http://tilikumplacecafe.com/menus.html

Ivar's Acres of Clams - A quick midweek dinner bite after taking the Bainbridge ferry for a ride, because it's right next to the terminal. No one had a bad meal, but I think it was more a "been there, done that" experience. I, the non-seafood eater, had the roasted beet salad, which I enjoyed. The others had fish and chips, Manila clams, and clam chowder. I will say, the service was excellent. http://www.ivars.com/locations/acres-of-clams

Ezell's Chicken - Immediately after Ivar's, we went and got the 8 piece meal (half original, half extra crispy) with rolls, cole slaw, and fried okra to go, because they have no seats or tables, and had a late-evening hotel room picnic. Levels of enjoyment were varied from wow to okay. I think some of the deliciousness was lost during the 10-15 minute drive back to the hotel. The okra is fried to order, and was probably the overall favorite item. http://www.ezellschicken.com/page/menu

Uwajimaya Market and Village Food Court - midweek dinner. My past visit memories were of a packed food court with people hovering over tables waiting for diners to leave. Maybe only on weekends, or has this place completely lost its luster? Some of our group bought a variety of bento items in the grocery store, another had a big bowl of beef and tofu soup from the Korean place, and I had limp bland steamed vegetables from the Chinese place, and brown rice. Mediocre experience, but the grocery store bento items and the soup were the best of the bunch. Oh, I had my first Beard Papa cream puff afterward. Near closing time, the only filling available was vanilla. It was good, esp after the 'I ate the vegetables purely for nutritional value' dinner. http://www.uwajimaya.com/stores/seattle

Yummy House Bakery, Chinatown - We stopped in and shared a baked bbq pork bun. It was very good - lean meat without the awful red food coloring. We intended to stop back by after the Wing Luke museum to try a few other things/take-out, but just couldn't get ourselves to walk over after dinner at Uwajimaya. http://www.yummyhousebakery.com/