Das Raclette Haus and Chimney Cakes at Seattle Christmas Market
When at the Seattle Christmas Market, eat a bucket-load of cheese and a funnel cake.
Seattle Christmas Market has come a long way in a short amount of time. Just a few years ago, the market felt small, sitting in the shadow of the Space Needle, and while there was a decent handful of booths, the variety was negligible.
Fast forward to 2025, and things have changed. The German-themed market features eighty vendors, twenty-five of which serve food. That can put you in a bind. You might want to sample a couple of spots, but with long lines, you can easily spend thirty minutes per booth just to place an order. Most of the picks we’ve tried have been good, but if you're looking to whittle it all down to something savory and something sweet, you can’t go wrong with a cheese sandwich from Das Raclette Haus and a funnel cake from Chimney Cakes.
Das Raclette Haus
Raclette or Walliser Raclette, as is its proper name, is a semi-soft Swiss cheese, commonly melted on top of boiled potatoes. You can get that dish at Raclette Haus, but it’s the sandwich that really has rizz. (I’m pretty sure the kids still say that.) It’s a simple construction – you get a sandwich, optionally stuffed with pancetta and baby pickles, topped with a metric ton of scraped cheese. See the photos above, and you get the idea – half the fun is watching the purveyor shaving the raclette.
In terms of components, the sandwich is minimalist food; in terms of flavor, it’s unapologetically maximalist. The cheese is a kick in the teeth – stinky, pungent, and decadent. That’s not a very scientific description, I know, but once in a while, you just need to follow your visceral instincts. Raclette is a fulfillment of every stereotype you have of stinky cheeses.
It might not be the perfect pick for anyone averse to cheese, but for the rest of us? Give the raclette sandwich a try at least once in your life. You owe yourself as much.
Chimney Cakes
Over on the sweet front, Chimney Cakes – with its variation on funnel cakes – is a solid stop, though expect lengthy lines. For a good reason. Here, you get a spiral pastry baked over an open flame, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. You pick the flavor - I went with strawberry – and a choice of filling. For the latter, Nutella is a crowd pleaser, but my go-to is custard. There’s no wrong choice, and there’s a large selection to pick from.
Much like the raclette sandwich, a chimney cake is a mix of minimalism and maximalism. There aren’t many components at play, but the combination is a flavor hurricane of sweetness. And, good as the filling is, the flame-baked pastry is the part I prefer. Forgoing the custard might make for a better dessert, as it would be somewhat less sweet. Not that I complain, mind you. The chimney cake is an excellent bundle of big flavors.
You can find Chimney Cakes on Instagram.
The Seattle Christmas Market runs through December 24th. Check hours and prices on their website.
Miniature tables and giant plates are a combination I find downright frustrating. Luckily, Paul Scheer has tackled the issue.
