Must-see restaurants in Washington

  • Shanghai Garden

    Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo

    Hand-shaved barley noodles are the specialty of Shanghai Garden and, frankly, they trounce all expectations you might ordinarily have of a noodle. They’re…

  • Elliott's Oyster House

    Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront

    One of the best oyster houses in Seattle overhangs the water on Pier 56. The oyster menu lists over 30 different varieties plucked from practically every…

  • Pike Place Chowder

    Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront

    Proof that some of the best culinary ideas are almost ridiculously simple, this Pike Place Market hole-in-the-wall takes that New England favorite (clam…

  • Purple Cafe & Wine Bar

    Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront

    Instantly impressive with its high ceiling, lofty mezzanine floor and spectacular tower of wine bottles, the Purple Cafe almost always seems to fill its…

  • La Vita é Bella

    Belltown & Seattle Center

    As any Italian food snob will tell you, it's very hard to find authentic home-spun Italian cuisine this side of Sicily. Thus extra kudos must go to La…

  • Beth’s Café

    Seattle

    The best – or at least biggest – hangover breakfast in the world is at Beth’s, and you can get it all day long in an agreeably greasy space decorated with…

  • Vendemmia

    The CD, Madrona & Madison Park

    Sometimes it feels as if Seattle has got as many upscale Italian restaurants as Turin, all of them peddling the same modern Italian-American staples:…

  • Cafe con Leche

    Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo

    It's worth the trip to SoDo to visit Cafe con Leche in its colorful abode, a former food truck that has sprouted foundations. Sit down and dig into the…

  • Dick's Drive-in

    Queen Anne & Lake Union

    If you’re down to your last few dollars and dying for something to eat, don’t panic! Dick’s is calling you. Welcome to the only fast-food joint in Seattle…

  • Dahlia Lounge

    Belltown & Seattle Center

    Dahlia Lounge specializes in hallmarks of Tom Douglas restaurants, which caused a boom in Seattle's dining scene in the '90s: locally grown produce, an…

  • Fat's Chicken & Waffles

    The CD, Madrona & Madison Park

    Occupying the intersection once inhabited by old-school CD institution Catfish Corner, Fat’s is considered by most to be a credible replacement. Wisely,…

  • 360 Local

    Belltown & Seattle Center

    Snaring 90% of its ingredients from within a 360-mile radius, this restaurant follows its ambitious ‘locavore’ manifesto pretty rigidly. The farms where…

  • COA Mexican Eatery

    Northwestern Washington & the San Juan Islands

    You've gotta love a place whose menu instructs, 'Tequila pairing is highly recommended.' This busy Mexican joint in a residential neighborhood serves…

  • Calico Cupboard

    Northwestern Washington & the San Juan Islands

    The size of the cinnamon buns here beggars belief, and their quality (there are several flavors including seasonal fruit) is equally good. Factor in a 10…

  • Shultzy’s Bar & Grill

    Seattle

    There are really only two words you need to know about Shultzy's – beer and sausages. The most obvious common denominator between the two is 'German' and…

  • Señor Moose

    Ballard & Discovery Park

    Reading the menu at Señor Moose is like a mini lesson in Mexican culinary geography. Each of the traditional dishes is described along with the region it…

  • Community Food Coop

    Bellingham

    Bellingham's long-standing community food co-op has a deli and hot food bar that sells fresh, organic, fair-trade and guilt-free food. Vegetarian- and…

  • Georgian

    Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront

    Once the place for Seattle fine dining, the Georgian at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel discontinued its dinner service in 2016. Its elegantly attired…

  • Ray’s Boathouse

    Ballard & Discovery Park

    Out in western Ballard near the Shilshole Bay Marina, Ray’s is all about placid Olympic Peninsula views, nautical decor and an exhaustive fresh-fish menu…

  • Alder Wood Bistro

    Olympic Peninsula

    Organic, local and sustainably produced ingredients are used to create unique wood-fired pizzas (try the pork sausage and kimchi) and delectable mains…

  • Mamnoon

    Seattle

    Slink inside Mamnoon for an unusual and wonderfully memorable voyage to the culinary Levant. This Capitol Hill spot specializes in Middle Eastern fusion…

  • Thai Tom

    Seattle

    About as wide as a train carriage, with permanently steamed-up windows, an open-kitchen lunch counter, and flames leaping up from beneath the constantly…

  • Yellow Church Cafe

    Central Washington

    This homey, bright-yellow former church, built by the German Lutherans in 1923, is now an unconventional restaurant that serves urban-hipster-worthy food…

  • Marc

    Southeastern Washington

    Widely lauded fine dining in the Marcus Whitman Hotel; try to bag the chef's table in the kitchen, where you'll get a special meal prepared for you as you…

  • Spar Cafe Bar

    Olympic Peninsula & Washington Coast

    A legendary local cafe-pub now owned by Portland's McMenamin brothers, who have maintained its authentic wood-panel interior. There's a snug, a long bar…

  • Pickled Fish

    Washington Coast

    On top of the Adrift Hotel, this sleek new restaurant-bar feels fancy without being pretentious. Try the spicy fisherman's stew or a wood-fired pizza…

  • Arthur's

    Seattle

    Drop in at this sunny cafe in rainy Seattle for a taste of modern Aussie brunch food. We're talking big hunks of sourdough bread smothered in smashed…

  • LD's Woodfire Grill

    Olympic Peninsula

    The heritage building is filled with eclectic bric-a-brac, art and plants, while the grill cooks up tasty seafood, meat and veggies. Dine indoors or near…

  • Shelburne Hotel Pub & Dining Room

    Washington Coast

    Newly redesigned, the Shelburne has a formal dining room (open weekends only) and a more casual pub, both of which showcase inventive Northwest cuisine…

  • Eltana Wood-Fired Bagel Cafe

    Seattle

    Although a bagel and a crossword puzzle seems like a quintessentially New York morning, Eltana brought the tradition to Seattle. The bagels are baked in a…

  • Three Girls Bakery

    Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront

    The 'three girls' in this pioneering business in Pike Place Market first set up shop in 1912, eight years before women in the USA got the vote. Times have…

  • Silverwater Café

    Olympic Peninsula

    The Silverwater provides a romantic atmosphere in the not-too-fancy setting of a classic Port Townsend Victorian-era building. Renowned for its creatively…

  • Kamonegi

    Seattle

    Tiny Kamonegi and its head chef and owner Mutsuko Soma are currently all the rage on the Fremont dining scene. The specialties here are soba noodles and…

  • Loretta's Northwesterner

    Seattle

    Slightly off the beaten path in the South Park neighborhood, this old-timey tavern expertly serves up a classic and nationally lauded char-broiled tavern…

  • Pomerol Restaurant

    Seattle

    Here, an experienced Vietnamese American restaurant owner serves French-influenced, contemporary American food in small but perfectly proportioned sizes…

  • Tacos Los Primos #2

    Central Washington

    It looks dirty and it's parked humbly in front of Delaney's Lost Sock Laundromat, but this little taco shack churns out some of very Latino Yakima's best…

  • Suika

    Seattle

    Originally from Vancouver, BC, this Suika izakaya-style bar and restaurant took over a space that was formerly a well-loved restaurant on Capitol Hill. It…

  • Depot

    Washington Coast

    Ask anyone where to eat on the Long Beach Peninsula and they will point you here. The cute, narrow restaurant inhabits the historic Seaview train depot,…

  • Agrodolce

    Seattle

    Agrodolce feels more like a restaurant with a southern Italian bent than a southern Italian restaurant per se, though all the basic premises of Puglian…

  • 222 Market

    Olympic Peninsula & Washington Coast

    A semifancy food court that brings together some of Olympia's best bites, this market hall lets you choose among (or combine!) fresh oysters at Chelsea…