John Hinterberger: Passing of a Seattle Original

Jean Godden

It was with great sadness that I recently read about the death of a true original: John Hinterberger, the pioneering one-time restaurant critic for the Seattle Times. At one time, his Times’ column was second in city readership only to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s “Dear Abby” advice column and, since the P-I had fewer readers than the Times, that made him top draw.

“Hint” as his comrades in newsprint knew him, penned opinions and restaurant reviews for a quarter of a century before finally retiring for a second time in the 1990s. On March 25, he died at 92 at his home in Kirkland.

But oh! how he shone during his news-writing years, more a storyteller than a critic. He had reluctantly taken on the columnist’s role in the 1960s. At the time, Hinterberger was working at the Times as a police reporter – a job taken to pay the rent while he completed a graduate degree in drama at the University of Washington. When columnist Tom Robbins left the Times to write novels, Arts and Entertainment Editor Lou Guzzo picked Hinterberger to take over.

Hint’s initial response was to resist saying that he “hated critics.” But he was finally convinced to take on the job and encouraged to write a “Night Life” column that appeared on the Saturday front page. Later Hint began covering restaurants and was anchored in the Pacific Magazine.

https://www.postalley.org/2026/04/07/john-hinterberger-death-of-a-seattle-original/