Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush). Diners’ Choice Awards are based on where your fellow diners book, dine, and review. Only verified diners get to review restaurants on OpenTable, so our data doesn’t lie. Spinasse on Capitol Hill is the best fork-up-your-money Italian restaurant in Seattle. Seattleites love the vegetarian fare and charming interior of Cafe Flora in Madison Valley. This upscale restaurant with a dress code is situated in a stunning mid-century modern building with a view over Lake Union.
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A half-mile south, Grillbird Phinney and Salad Party share a kitchen in a counter-service cafe. Grillbird is an expansion of the popular West Seattle teriyaki joint from Matt Parker, who has now added a gourmet greens concept under the same roof. Our latest roll call of Seattle restaurant openings is our most eclectic list so far this year (and one of the longest, too).
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- You’ll find this popular Taiwanese hot pot restaurant at 610 5th Ave.
- The menu teaches diners how to pronounce waakye (wah-che, a rice and beans dish) and tells them to eat with their hands; they can use fufu, a starchy, almost mashed potato–like side to sop up the creamy, carefully spiced broth from the soups.
- And yet, each tortilla-wrapped gift at this place works together to makes a simple weeknight dinner feel like a national holiday.
- This upscale restaurant with a dress code is situated in a stunning mid-century modern building with a view over Lake Union.
- If you sign up for Beast & Cleaver’s newsletter, you’ll get an email when the next batch of dates open up to book online.
- The iconic city tucked inside the Pacific northwest coast does see a lot of rain, but when the sun shines on Seattle, it dazzles.
Salt and pepper tofu has the outer crunch and inner moistness of a McNugget. The care goes beyond food, too—staff will stretch out a hand to receive your crumpled straw wrapper, and forbid you from packing your own leftovers. The menu teaches diners how to pronounce waakye (wah-che, a rice and beans dish) and tells them to eat with their hands; they can use fufu, a starchy, almost mashed potato–like side to sop up the creamy, carefully spiced broth from the soups. The user-friendly experience here is a recognition that many Seattleites aren’t familiar with food from countries like Liberia (where Fahnbulleh was born) or Ghana (where she spent her early childhood). Come to Gold Coast Ghal, though, and you’ll soon start craving potato greens. We don’t need to get into the Shakespearean drama that resulted in the demise of the old Paseo, that legendary Caribbean sandwich shop run by Lorenzo Lorenzo.
The speaker isn’t outright telling you not to press the button, nor do they say what exactly will happen if you. Rather, they are insinuating—implying, hinting—that something bad will happen if you press the button. The adjective explicit describes something that has been expressed directly. For example, saying We gave them explicit instructions means that the instructions were stated in detail. Something that’s described as explicit doesn’t leave anything up to interpretation. Cheese Riot Pizza near Fauntleroy Way and Alaska Street specializes in deep-dish pies topped with a pound of cheese.
Private Dining
Some of the main factors to consider are the type of food, price point, neighborhood, and occasion. That’s why Eater’s map of the 38 best restaurants in Seattle exists. Every place on the list has been open for at least six months, proving its merit. The drinks include Khmer ingredients like peanut fish sauce orgeat, Kampot pepper (the Cambodian version of black pepper), and clarified coconut. In Wallingford, 30-seat wine bar Occhi Belli has become a surprise hit on the main drag of 45th. The menu of shared plates includes fresh pasta along with many dishes under $20, from meatballs to sausages, all to be paired with vino from a rotating list of Italian wines.
Atoma Seattle
We fight for the same reservations you do and book under aliases to dine incognito. We order a ton, take detailed notes, and pay for everything ourselves. This is definitely one of Seattle’s most iconic Italian restaurants (and has an equally iconic view to match). These are the Seattle restaurants would happily eat at again and again. Owner Jerry Corso’s expert Neapolitan-style pizzas are the primary draw for this Beacon Hill hideaway; simple toppings like spicy salami harmonize with light, airy, and slightly salty crusts.
Musang Seattle
This Vietnamese spot in Columbia City is a bonafide classic that hasn’t missed a beat. Almost everything at the bare-bones pool hall with a large dining room is phenomenal—and under $20. Artistically assembled lemongrass chicken vermicelli bowls could feed you for lunch and dinner, rice plates with char-marked short ribs rival those of a fancy steakhouse, and crispy fish sauce-slicked wings are among Seattle’s best. You’ll also never have to wait for a table, whether that’s for an early lunch with the soundtrack of pool playing or a weeknight dinner with a big group of friends. And you know that, no matter what time you go, there will be outstanding Vietnamese dishes waiting—and maybe an intense game of nine-ball, too. London native Kevin Smith has built a cult following over the last few years for Beast and Cleaver, turning the Ballard spot into one of the city’s top destinations for carnivores.
- And unlike similar spots that are lonely and stuffy, the spacious 14-seat counter has the same chat-a-lot energy as a neighborhood diner.
- The garlic mussels, baccala fritters, and grilled octopus with corona beans are also exceptional, and reservations tend to go fast.
- After two hours, you’ll walk away from Archipelago with a belly full of outstanding lechon (crispy skin and all) and a newfound appreciation for both Filipino food and the surrounding PNW.
- Because without it, we wouldn’t have the blazing flame inside Bar Del Corso’s domed pizza oven creating tasty leopard spots on their crispy crust, melting globs of buffalo mozzarella, and sizzling craggy bits of homemade fennel sausage.
- It’s all done in an effortless way that’s free of pretension, and worthy of bopping in multiple times a week.
When the week feels longer than The Iliad, and only multiple plates of cheese-blasted carbs will do, we turn to Cornelly. This small spot on Capitol Hill serves pizza and pasta that deserve a 24-book Homer-style epic written about them. The pies are thoroughly crunchy without being burnt, with excellent toppings like smoked scamorza and a ton of summer corn.
Hey Bagel’s rip-and-dip showing features a shiny shell across the top, implicit interest rate a resounding crunch, and a steamy center of bready fluff that resembles the middle of a sourdough boule. Bialys, with toppings like sweet caramelized onion and bruleed cheese, are just as crisp. And the schmear variety knows no bounds, as you’ll find a tub of humble scallion rubbing elbows with Biscoff-chocolate-espresso-bean. They’ve cracked the code to ensure we’re all able to access exemplary hot bagels all day—a feat unto itself. Musang in Beacon Hill has gotten a lot of hype for their delicious Filipino food, so it’s not surprising that several Seattleites called this spot out.
Combine it with cocktails, and there’s no better brunch in Seattle. Aside from velcro footwear, troll statues, and the occasional hit TV show about an abnormal concentration of attractive doctors, Seattle’s “thing” is casual seafood. This bright counter spot is all about sourcing local, be it fried Washington-caught dover sole, or a sandwich stuffed with seared albacore tuna from the Oregon Coast.
And the seafood classics are given fun flourishes; on a recent visit the mussels were cooked with honey mead rather than the traditional white wine for a dose of sweetness. The minimalist seven-sandwich menu features Italian cheeses and meats served on fresh-baked schiacciata, which is like a crispier, less fluffy focaccia. Cultural influences play a big part in the food scene in Seattle, and you can find some of the best Asian food in the United States here. From top-rated establishments near Pike Place Market to favorite neighborhood gems, nothing is off-limits. I’m a Seattle transplant who has traveled the world for over a decade and lives for tasting authentic flavors and mouthwatering cuisines.
This Greenwood strip mall Vietnamese spot is a North Seattle destination, whether you live around the corner or across the county. We can’t think of a better place to get taken care of by way of phở, vermicelli bowls, and fried snacks. Phở hà nội overflows with broth, topped with a raw yolk that works just as well dissolved into the soup as it does strategically dolloped onto each bite of rice noodle and beef shank.
It’s a billboard for the Pacific Northwest and a meal that should be required by law for every resident. Each dish represents a part of history that connects our city to Filipino culture, and Archipelago only uses ingredients exclusively sourced throughout the region. After two hours, you’ll walk away from Archipelago with a belly full of outstanding lechon (crispy skin and all) and a newfound appreciation for both Filipino food and the surrounding PNW. These are the highest-rated restaurants in Seattle—the ones we’d sit through I5 traffic to get to, the ones we pine for when we hear love songs, the ones we seek out on days off. Food and experience are both taken into consideration, and any type of dining establishment is fair game. On this list, you’ll find fancy tasting menu and omakase spots, casual hangouts, and walk-up windows.
Head to Tat’s Deli in Pioneer Square to see what all the hype is about. You’ll find this popular Taiwanese hot pot restaurant at 610 5th Ave. South in Seattle, although Boiling Point also has locations in Bellevue, Edmonds, Redmond, and Tukwila. Home of the “baby burrito,” Gordito’s in Greenwood may be Seattle’s most beloved Mexican restaurant according to the locals. Joule is a stylish Korean-fusion steakhouse using fresh Pacific Northwest ingredients.
The ever-changing menu (mostly prix fixe, though you can get a la carte meals here on Thursdays) highlights seasonal vegetables while always having enough meat to satisfy carnivores. Main courses like scallops in brown butter and walnut sauce are sensational, but you can also trust the Corson Building to create unique, perfectly balanced salads. You’ll have one of the best meals all year at Beast & Cleaver, a tiny butcher shop in Ballard. This isn’t in reference to the porterhouse you could pick up and grill at home, but rather to their tasting menu known as The Peasant. With a preset lineup of expertly cooked meats, snacks, and surprises, this after-hours operation makes for one of the most unique dining experiences in Seattle.
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