Photo: Kevin Willis

Seattle's Bimbos Cantina is famous for its quesadilla pie, toddler-size organic burritos and a kitchen staff of insanely talented musicians moonlighting as line cooks. "There were a ton of awesome people there," says Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold, who put in time in 2004. "Working there definitely opened my mind." The list of musicians who have rolled burritos at Bimbos is a who's who of '90s and '00s Pacific Northwest indie rock, including members of Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, the Melvins, Hole, Minus the Bear, Pretty Girls Make Graves and Murder City Devils. Owner Jeff Ofelt has run the Mexican spot since 1994, and he has a musician-friendly attitude toward staffing. "We're definitely flexible for people who want to take a few months off and go on tour," he says. "I don't make them commit to a decision like, 'I'm going to quit my job to pursue music.'" Ofelt also lets his employees control the stereo, which makes for a heady soundtrack in the kitchen. "I thought I knew everything about music from the Sixties and Seventies before I started there," says Pecknold. "It was humbling." AUSTIN SCAGGS

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