Restaurants in Seattle
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Travelers
This Capitol Hill Indian store-cum-café sells everything from tiffin boxes to Kama Sutra postcards, but comes into its own for its slow-brewed masala chai tea, a sweet, spicy and powder-free taste of the real Asian subcontinent. If you're feeling peckish the subtly nuanced thali tray is highly recommended.
reviewed
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B
Flowers
One of the most stylish places in the U District, Flowers has a vegetarian buffet served until 5pm, and dinners include meat choices. The lunch menu includes 20 sandwiches, each around $5. After hours, it becomes an inviting place to sip a cocktail, munch on an appetizer and ‘do homework’ with a promising study partner.
reviewed
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C
Purple Dot Café
The Purple Dot looks like the inside of an ‘80s videogame (it is actually purple) and draws a late-night drunken-disco crowd on weekends, but most of the time it’s a calm, quiet place to get dim sum and Macao-style specialties (meaning you can feast on baked spaghetti and French toast along with your Hong Kong favorites).
reviewed
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D
Caffe Minnie’s
At the northern end of Belltown, almost in Lower Queen Anne, is this appealingly worn-in 1950s-style diner, a blessing for insomniacs, bar-crawlers, truckers, fugitives or those with the munchies after 2am. You can have breakfast all day while looking out the window at a little cake shop and a chintzy costume-rental store.
reviewed
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E
Nell’s
For fine dining near Green Lake, Nell’s serves up classic European dishes with Northwestern flair. It inhabits the space formerly occupied by Saleh al Lago, and it actually maintains one of that beloved eatery’s dishes – the calamari with aioli – to widespread critical acclaim. Opt for seafood dishes, and don’t skip dessert.
reviewed
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F
Attic Alehouse & Eatery
Decades ago, according to legend, the Attic was a shooting gallery–bowling alley combo. It first became a restaurant in the mid-‘30s, then became a tavern in the ‘50s. The current building dates from 1967 – it’s a friendly neighborhood pub and a good spot to watch a game of footy while you have a beer and a hand-made burger.
reviewed
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G
Schultzy’s Sausages
This former hole-in-the-wall has doubled in size, which serves as a warning to all who overindulge in Schultzy’s meaty goodness. Its claim to fame is straightforward and simple: bratwurst, burgers and beer. There are also veggie dogs, but come on, seriously – you can eat vegan food practically everywhere else in the U District.
reviewed
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Café Flora
A longtime favorite for vegan and vegetarian food, Flora has a gardenlike feel and a creative menu, with dinner treats like seitan spring rolls and breaded coconut tofu dipped in chili sauce, a portobello French dip, caprese pizza and black-bean burgers. Or go for the hoppin’ john fritters or tomato asparagus scrambles at brunch.
reviewed
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Cactus
Instantly cheery, this Mexican-Southwest restaurant – with branches in Kirkland and Alki Beach – is a fun place to go and pretend you’re on a sunny vacation even if it’s pouring rain. A margarita and a king salmon torta or butternut squash enchilada will scare off the grayest clouds, and the jaunty staff and fun music do the rest.
reviewed
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Araya’s Vegetarian Place
The vegan lunch buffet here may come as a relief to diners accustomed to worrying about the animal-derived ingredients of various sauces in their favorite Thai dishes. Arrive early for the best selection and most freshly prepared examples of pad Thai and veggie curry. On the regular menu, the avocado curry also earns rave reviews.
reviewed
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K
Cedars Restaurant
Cedars serves enormous curries and vindaloos so smooth and creamy you want to dive into them. Eat here just once and you will dream about it later. There’s also a great selection of Mediterranean specialties like shish kebabs, falafel and gyros, much of which is vegetarian. The covered wooden patio is a cool hangout in nice weather.
reviewed
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L
Zaina
This friendly cafe, bejeweled with a mishmash of sparkly decorations and pulsing with Middle Eastern pop, dishes out juicy falafel sandwiches stuffed to overflowing, as well as shawarma, tabbouleh, hummus, great baklava and freshly squeezed lemonade. On weekend nights the vibe goes clubbish, with hookahs and belly dancers in the house.
reviewed
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Paseo
Proof that most Seattleites aren't posh (or pretentious) is the local legend known as Paseo, a Cuban hole-in-the-wall that's in a nondescript part of Fremont and which people alter their commute drive to visit. The fuss centers on the sandwiches; in particular the Midnight Cuban Press with pork, ham, cheese and banana peppers, and the Cuban Roast (slow roasted pork in marinade). Grab plenty of napkins.
reviewed
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Paragon Bar & Grill
The Paragon is a bastion of American regional cooking, specializing in grilled fish and updated classics. Try the baby back ribs or a plate of fried green tomatoes. There’s an open fireplace and a lively bar scene (the bar’s open until 2am). Most nights there’s live music or DJs playing everything from indie rock and hip-hop to funk and soul.
reviewed
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O
Shiro's Sushi Restaurant
There's barely room for all the awards and kudos that cram the window in this sleek Japanese joint. Grab a pew behind the glass food case and watch the experts concoct delicate and delicious Seattle sushi.
reviewed
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P
Solstice
This coffee shop has a nice wooden outdoor patio on the Ave and a comfy organic vibe – lots of vegan and bran-heavy snacks, and so laid-back you have to wonder if anyone here is actually drinking the coffee. The interior is well-worn dark wood and much bigger than it looks from outside. There’s also panini, salads, beer and wine.
reviewed
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Q
Salty’s On Alki
While many restaurants afford views onto Alki Beach and its strutting revelers, most people drive to West Seattle for the view at Salty’s on Alki. This steak and seafood house looks across Elliott Bay onto downtown Seattle; at sunset, the spectacle of lights, shining towers and the rising moon is amazing. The food is secondary, but still good.
reviewed
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Thai Tom
First you notice the delicious aroma wafting down the street. Then you see the crowd of hungry people crammed into the doorway of this teeny storefront. It’s an open-kitchen lunch counter in a long narrow nook decorated with elephant heads on dark brown walls. There’s minimal seating, and the menus are written in gold on wooden blocks. Cash only.
reviewed
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Serafina
This lovely neighborhood restaurant in Eastlake specializes in Tuscan-style cooking, with simply prepared meat and fish as well as pastas that can be ordered as a first or a main course. A gorgeous, leafy deck area behind the restaurant now doubles as the entryway to Cicchetti, Serafina’s new sibling. Reservations are recommended.
reviewed
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Lowells
'Fish-and-chips' is a simple meal often done badly – but not here. Slam down your order for Alaskan cod at the front entry and take it up to the top floor for delicious views over Puget Sound. It also serves corned-beef hash and an excellent clam chowder.
reviewed
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Madame K’s
An elegant red-and-black pizza parlor with an old bordello feel (the building was once a brothel), this small, chic place is packed out for dinner. It’s also a popular place for drinks and desserts. There’s a really nice patio out back, or you can let history repeat itself in the upstairs dessert room with a decadent ‘Chocolate Chip Orgasm’ ($7.50).
reviewed
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Canlis
This place is old-school enough for either prom night or your grandma’s birthday dinner. The traditional, classic food and service are both top-notch, and you can rest assured that none of the style is affected. Canlis has been around since 1950 and its authenticity shows. The view is lovely, too. Reservations are recommended, especially for weekends.
reviewed
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Metropolitan Grill
This handsome and atmospheric business favorite fills up with stock analysts and bankers who pour out of nearby office towers. Though you can get seafood, ‘grilled portobello mignon’ or even Beluga caviar, beef is the big thing here – steaks are custom-aged and grilled over mesquite charcoal. Locals usually name the Met as the top chophouse in the city.
reviewed
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Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts
Top Pot is to doughnuts what champagne is to wine – a different class. And its cafes – this one in an old car showroom with floor-to-ceiling library shelves and art-deco signage – are equally legendary.
reviewed
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Dahlia Lounge
Owner Tom Douglas started fusing flavors at this Seattle institution in the late 1980s and single-handedly made Seattleites more sophisticated; his empire has grown a lot since then, but the flagship restaurant remains a local favorite. There’s a bakery next door where you can pick up one of the Dahlia’s fabulous desserts to go. Reservations are recommended.
reviewed