University Village

This is pretty much the worst place in Seattle. Full of yuppies and snooty college kids I regret coming here every time I do. It reminds me of when I used to live in Florida, and if any of you have been to Florida you know what I mean.
Update. Ventured here again for some stupid reason. Stuck in traffic for 30 minutes just trying to get out of here. This is my hell.

Upscale outdoor mall that changes quite a bit over time. I have started going to this shopping mall ever since I was born and it has changed a lot since then.
Interesting fact: 4 Starbucks in this shopping mall, so if you are meeting someone at a Starbucks here, be sure to determine which one.
Plenty of free parking and very pleasant to walk around when it’s not raining!

Remember when being in college was a struggle? Eating top ramen just so you can have enough left over for gas and dinner at McDonald’s? Cheap eats and cheap clothes was what we did after class and on weekends. U-​Village does not depict a struggling college student. Nor does it target it. Between stores like Gene Juarez, Williams-​Sonoma (high end kitchenware), Lululemon, Restoration Hardware, Din Tai Fung, The North Face, just to name a few… U Village is a high end Lux-​shopping center. Pair that with local clothing and candy boutiques this place’s target is for the $ 65K+ income bracket.
It’s very nicely designed and with the expansion of parking stalls to accommodate all the people that come here student or not, it’s gotten to be easier to park and shop as well.
Overall a nice place to stroll around and window shop if you don’t have deep pockets.

I remember coming here about ten years ago, when it really felt like *University* Village. By that, I mean the closest thing they had to a flagship: Barnes and Noble. It was a big, spacious location with a cool second-​floor Starbucks, and seemed to match the open-​air quality in the rest of the property.
Well, that’s been gone for a while ago– another review states that management declined to renew their lease, which definitely puts the nail in the coffin for three stars in my book. Now, you basically have three main draws: assorted stores/​boutiques, food, and… housewares. I think the boom in the last category is what really tipped this place from its niche vibe, to Moms and Daughters with Money. Now the University part is mostly forgotten, and we’re left with the lovely University *Village*. You-​Vill. Like an Olympic Village, but for shoppers, not athletes.
There are still some cool things and a reason to come: Din Tai Fung and a cluster of outerwear stores, along with regional exclusives like Scotch and Soda (if you’re into that). I think where The Village (their next name, perhaps?) shines now is in the narrower arcades in the middle, with some independent retailers and the ceramics studio Paint the Town. Overall, though, it just feels like the whole complex is in never ending transition. At least a few of the reasons to come (and hang out) here over the past decade have been uprooted: in addition to B&N, there was a Sony store (our only location), and then Boom Noodle, the only reasonably priced place to eat.
Oh, and lest I forget. You-​Vill is one of the few designated Safe Spaces for So-​Cal transplants. Which means you’ll see way more four-​inch heels, designer sunglasses, and makeup than almost anywhere else in the area.
I wish this place had been able to keep its unusual blend of relaxed/​brainy/​trendy while expanding into higher rent. I mean, for being just right up the hill, you’d think UW’s influence would be a bit stronger. On second thought, maybe it has been strong, and the area is just responding to the campus’ shifting tuition and student demographics… But that’s another subject. Hey, in the meantime: at least you’ve got Amazon Books. (Good luck.)

One of my favorite places in Seattle to go to. There are lots of restaurants and stores which will keep you busy for at least a couple of hours. The bakery on the corner is great, QFC always has fresh food available. It’s a perfect combination of shopping and dining all in one place. It’s always clean and pretty. In the summer, the flowers that are hanging are just gorgeous and well taken care of. The little playground for the kids is a nice area just to sit and relax and sip on coffee while the kids are entertaining themselves. Great place for a weekend gathering with friends. Plenty of parking and lots of great entertainment.

Never any parking like ever no matter what time I come here. I love the outdoor setting environment and variety of stores and restaurants.

I like this mall in the summer time. It’s an outdoor mall and so there are downside when it rains or when it’s super cold. they do have umbrella rental for free here. It’s self serve. Take an umbrella and return it in the bin after you are done. This place has always been quite busy. As well, there are a few good restaurants here like Joey’s, Din Tei Fung etc
They used to have more discounts here. But the deals are so so now
Parking is ok. They do have a 6 floor garage and outside parking.

Love U village! Nice parking all around the area and it’s very clean and comfortable. They offer complimentary umbrellas even for shoppers which is adorable! Great place to people watch and go hang out :)

A guest on a recent WSJ Your Money Matters podcast declared that the traditional American Mall was fading away, dying in fact.
He clearly did not go to UVil.
If you like the spectacle of shopping then this place is definitely for you. If you hate crowds, skip the weekends.
Even the most passionate shopper should consider this: I strongly advise AGAINST parking in the newer poorly-​designed-​for-​traffic-​flow southern parking structure. On any given weekend it’s an obstacle course. Amidst all the cars pulling out or steering into a parking space it takes forever to get in, forever to get out. If you like garages, go for the northern structure.

Adorable, quaint outdoor shopping mall with most of the shops you’d ever want including J Crew, Madewell, Anthro, Crate&Barrel, and many more. They have decent restaurants and a cute nursery in the center too. Love this place!

The perfect combination of shopping and dining all in one place. U village is not only beautifully designed with lots of open spaces, but is also very efficient; one trip and you can do most of your shopping, from groceries to clothes, ice cream or electronics.
It is the little things that give this place an extra charm, hanging flower baskets, yellow umbrellas to keep you dry when it is pouring with rain and one lovely walkway in the middle of U village with a playground right in the middle of it where you can sit, eat your ice cream and appreciate the beauty of life. U village is not just a shopping destination for me, it is my retreat when I need to go somewhere to just walk a little and relax.
From QFC to Bartell drugs, Anthropologie to Banana republic and H&M, Liam’s to Papyrus, U village has it all.
Finding a parking spot can take a while on busy days, but you will not leave empty handed as there is plenty of space.
A part of U village is under construction and I am assuming new stores are being added to it, cannot wait to find out what is coming next.

The expert at Uvillage is beyond shopping. I like to just grab a coffee, walk around and maybe shop a little. This shopping center is definitely expanding. They are constantly adding new restaurants and stores.
This is also a great place for kids to play outdoors. Kids love the playground and the water fountains, and off course the ice cream shops.
There is a great selection of stores from Apple and Microsoft to yoga stores like Athleta and lululemon to Tiffany and benbridge jewelers.
In the mid section there are watch and shoe repair stores.
All and all, you can spend a whole day here, get most of your shopping and activities done, go to grocery store and be done. Even on a rainy day, you can use the yellow umbrellas and stay dry.
The parking is free and with no hassle which is rare is Seattle.

I want to love this place, I really do but it is just not there with me.
1^st off the parking is just bad. I know that they added a new garage but I still feel like it is a nightmare.
Everything is pretty spread out which is fine on a sunny day. If it is not sunny, they have umbrellas out in places to grab and then drop back off outside another location.
Kids play area and fountains are nice. My son enjoys both.
There are some higher end shops here but then again, Seattle.

Cool place to hang out… outdoor mall, free parking, free umbrella use when it’s raining (but you gotta return it at designated bins of course) and lots of cool stores and restaurants.

Its just a stones throw from UW campus, I prefer to go to U-​Village for any clothes shopping, home items, or just walking around because its outside and open air kind of place. Plenty of shops from clothes, cell phone, small bites to eat, coffee or tea, QFC grocery, boutique-​y places and the big attraction of Din Tai Fung restaurant. Oh I got a key made at that little kiosk in the middle of the parking lot.
Parking lot is pretty big going around the entire area, there’s also a few parking garages as well. It may look crowded when you pull in but I’ve never had a problem not finding a spot. People are notorious for driving down the wrong way through the aisle though… apparently the pointing arrows mean nothing.
If you need some retail therapy and its sunny out, its nice to come here. Even during the holidays they decorate it nicely to make it so festive!

This mall is the best! It’s an open air mall and they provide free umbrellas if it rains. Parking can be tricky but there’s a few big lots on the NE near crate and barrel and QFC, and also in the SW near Joey and Ding Tai Fun restaurants. The only other mall that rivals this one in the greater Seattle area is the Bellevue Square Mall.

University Village is a great outdoor shopping plaza with a lot of franchise & boutique stores. I remember coming here ages ago when it was super janky but it’s so vibrant now! I love the atmosphere and layout too — reminds me a bit of Bridgeport Village in Oregon and the Stanford Shopping Center in Cali. Some highlighted stores include: Mud Bay (pet boutique), Fireworks (gifts/​knick knack store), Anthropologie, Lululemon, Din Tai Fung, etc.
There’s also free umbrellas to use while you’re in the Village. You’ll see bright yellow umbrellas in umbrella buckets available for anyone to use … how thoughtful!

I don’t get the negative reviews, it’s a beautiful shopping center. Parking is a major pain in the butt, which is why this is 4 and not 5 stars but other than that it’s phenomenal. Really beautiful and lots of great stores. It’s outdoors but whatever, this is Seattle and putting it indoors would just make another boring mall.
Only thing I can’t get is, why the heck there isn’t a movie theater here! Seriously it would make perfect sense and would attract a bigger crowd at night. They also need to work on a bigger parking structure than the one they just built for QFC…

I love outdoor shopping concepts such as U-​Village, and this one is so well done. Came here while visiting my sister in Seattle, and this was one of my favorite stops.
The ambiance is what’s best. It’s relaxed but upscale at the same time. Awesome selection of stores, ranging from your usual mall finds to more unique shops (Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel, the Apple Store, etc).
If I lived in Seattle, I would be here all the time. Any time I come back to Seattle, U-​Village will definitely be a must-​stop for me.

U Village is a shopping center located in NE Seattle. Its retail and food offerings have expanded considerably since my days as an undergrad at UW. With H&M, U Village continued to attract more varied and high-​end retailers, while keeping the bases of QFC, Starbucks, and Bartell Drugs. In the past two years, two new parking structures have been added, so parking is easier to find and as free as ever. Restaurant options have expanded to include Din Tai Fung and Molly Moon’s. There are even four Starbucks locations in U Village-​inside QFC, two locations in the east and middle, and a Starbucks Reserve café in the west. Both the Microsoft Store and Apple Store are located within feet of each other.
U Village has everything but a gym and bookstore, but even the lululemon offers yoga classes to its customers. When it rains, there are complimentary yellow umbrellas that will keep you dry as you walk from one end to the other in your quest for everything from office supplies to dumplings. There are well-​marked crosswalks and covered walkways that help you traverse the «village.»
Happy Shopping!

This is a really nice outdoor mall with some higher end stores and restaurants.
The mall itself has a lot of nice decorative touches such as the fountains and street lamps.
There is a lot of parking but it was very busy when we arrived there. The nicest thing about the mall is the fact that it’s mostly outdoors and walking it is nice even though it is very spread out. Some stores are on the 2^nd floor of some of the buildings such as Room and Board and Gene Juarez.
It sort of reminds me of the Grove in LA except that the parking is mostly in the middle that splits the mall up while there is a big parkade structure as well.
Some of the more popular stores include Gap, Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, Apple, J Crew, American Eagle.
Some dining establishments: Blue C Sushi, Joey, Veggie Grill.

Wow… there are a lot changes here lately. I really like their new renovation, more parking… I feel the most exciting thing is that they brought in Din Tai Fung to the shopping center. It will definitely attract more shoppers.
All my favorite places in one spot, Evolution Fresh, Veggie Grill, DTF, cake cups, Froyo, ice cream, and many many other stores!