Georgetown is a south Seattle neighbourhood, bordered by Marginal Way to the east and south, Boeing Field to the south-east, and the train tracks to the north-east. It boasts the largest concentration of Teriyaki shops on Earth. (Teriyaki is a magic sauce that will turn any sort of meat into Japanese food.) While your lunchtime options when working, living, or merely passing through here will therefore lean towards the Nipponesque there also exists a varied and vibrant lunch subculture in Georgetown, in which all manner of diverse tastes may be satisfied. Most of the places listed here are rather popular and so a short wait is to be expected. This is, however, a small price to pay for gastronomic excellence.

Teriyaki

There are several dozen teriyaki places in Georgetown, each claiming to be 'Seattle's best'. One suspects that this unanimous claim of superiority indicates they are all pretty much of a muchness. For reasons of proximity this Researcher prefers Wok's Deli, located on 6th Avenue, just off Michigan Street. For other Asian food, you could try CP Thai for very good Thai food for $5-7 an entrée (at time of writing). It is located on Michigan, near Corson Ave.

Sandwiches

Ah, sandwiches, the classic city-dwelling American's midday meal. As Georgetown at noon is populated in the main by hungry locals, as well as a good number of tourists and visitors eager to sample the great American lunchtime dining experience, it is reasonable to expect that there will be a vast array of sandwich-serving establishments. Let's look into the major ones.

Subway

Located on Fourth and Findlay, Subway could be placed under the Franchises heading, were it not for the superior quality of its sandwiches with respect to your average fast-food joint. Subway is all about very long sandwiches. If your lunchtime appetite is long, they have a sandwich to match it.

Elo's

At Elo's they serve mighty fine Philadelphia style cheesesteak sandwiches, with one or more of the following: onions, mushrooms, and green peppers. This vendor of creamy goodness is located on Airport Way. A note of warning: watch out for the lady behind the counter when you order; she may very well bite your head off, leaving you quite unable to enjoy your sandwich.

The Original Deli

Located next to CP Thai, this deli serves good classic sandwiches; the BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) and whatnot. Located on Michigan Avenue, between 7th and Corson.

Alki Bakery

This fine bakery serves excellent sandwiches of a more 'gourmet' style. Therefore they tend to be slightly expensive. But a sandwich called Cashew Chicken Crunch or Italian Grinder served on fresh baked bread is worth an extra buck. Located on 1st Avenue, just north of Michigan Street.

Pecos

Pecos Southwestern Grill is an excellent choice if you're in the mood for barbecued meat, shredded and mixed with copious amounts of hot barbecue sauce, and slopped between two hamburger buns to create a sandwich so messy that it can only be eaten with a spork. Your criteria of choice are:

• Meat - Beef or pork

• Piquantness - Mild, medium, or hot

• Sloppiness - Messy, cumbersome, unwieldy, and everything-between-here-and-wherever-you-eat-this-sandwich-will-have-to-be-vigorously-scrubbed-and-possibly-dry-cleaned.

Located on First Avenue, near the Sodo (now Starbucks) Center, Pecos is not technically in Georgetown, but worth the short drive.

Delis and Bakeries

Alki Bakery

There's much more to this place than sandwiches. They also offer pasta dishes such as deep dish lasagne and a daily quiche. The Alki Bakery also, as one would assume from the 'bakery' element in the name, makes excellent bread, pastries, cakes, and desserts of various types.

Kettel's

The redneck truckstop atmosphere of this place is so ominous that it precludes any enjoyment of the food, which, to the best of this Researcher's knowledge, may be entirely edible.

Fancy, Swanky Restaurants

These are quite rare in the proletarian environment of Georgetown. In fact, there's only one:

The Atrium Café

Located in its namesake within the Design Center, The Atrium Café is an exclusive eatery for interior design and related industry professionals. In fact, you can only get in if you are one or are accompanied by one. If you ever have the good fortune to be accompanied by such a person (or manage to sneak past the bouncers), you can enjoy delicious, expensive food, including some sublime fish and chips ($10, again at time of writing).

Franchises

For the uncreative and unadventurous, there are the franchises that serve the same food you've eaten everywhere else.

• McDonald's - It's McDonald's. You already know it.

• Jack in the Box - Slightly more sophisticated than McDonald's.

• Denny's - Denny's is the classic 3am, not-quite-a-truckstop, night owl hangout spot. It can occasionally be fun to pay slightly too much for food that's slightly less than good at an entirely unreasonable hour.

• Burger King - Similar to McDonald's

• Arby's - Another of the same ilk.