Archipelago (restaurant)

A Filipino American restaurant owned by husband and wife team, Aaron Verzosa and Amber Manuguid. They serve an interactive tasting menu experience dedicated to telling the story of how Filipino Americans have contributed to the landscape and history of the Pacific Northwest. The seasonal menu is sourced entirely from the Pacific Northwest. In the past it has included lechon, kinilaw with local ginger, as well as halo halo with pine apple ice.[1]

Madrona smoked hazelnut suman / lola smith apple caramel / elderflower leche flan custard / young pine

Opened in December of 2018, Aaron Verzosa and Amber Manuguid ran the restaurant entirely as a team of two. It was the first restaurant in the U.S. to exclusively serve a fine-dining Filipino American tasting menu.

In 2019, it was named Eater Seattle's Restaurant of the Year. Gabe Guarente wrote, "This tiny Filipino tasting menu restaurant in Hillman City stood out for its ingenuity, storytelling, and passion."

Olivia Hall included the business in TimeOut Seattle's 2021 overview of the city's 21 best restaurants.[2]

In The Infatuation's 2022 list of "The 25 Best Restaurants in Seattle", Aimee Rizzo called Archipelago’s 10-course dinner "a billboard for the Pacific Northwest and a meal that should be required by law for every resident". She said guests leave with "a newfound appreciation for both Filipino food and the surrounding PNW".[3]

In 2022, it made the New York Times America’s Favorite Restaurant List.

In 2023, the restaurant earned Aaron Verzosa a James Beard Foundation Award nomination in the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category.[4]

• List of Filipino restaurants

• Official website