Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys Restaurants
Olympia and especially Tacoma have increasingly hip and sophisticated dining scenes, with everything from laid-back cafés to seasonally driven restaurants with water views. After those cities, Gig Harbor and Bellingham have the best food scenes—they’re not terribly big, but support fine little crops of notable restaurants. You’l
Olympia and especially Tacoma have increasingly hip and sophisticated dining scenes, with everything from laid-back cafés to seasonally driven restaurants with water views. After those cities, Gig Harbor and Bellingham have the best food scenes—they’re not terribly big,
Olympia and especially Tacoma have increasingly hip and sophisticated dining scenes, with everything from laid-back café
Olympia and especially Tacoma have increasingly hip and sophisticated dining scenes, with everything from laid-back cafés to seasonally driven restaurants with water views. After those cities, Gig Harbor and Bellingham have the best food scenes—they’re not terribly big, but support fine little crops of notable restaurants. You’ll also find good brewpubs and indie coffeehouses in most of the larger towns in the area. Edmonds also has a growing bounty of exceptional eateries.
On the road, refueling takes place at country-style cafés, farm stands, and kitschy or specialty shops like the ’50s-style sweets shops of Port Gamble and Snoqualmie or the Norwegian bakeries of Poulsbo. None of these is in short supply, and many eateries, however small, pride themselves on using local ingredients.
Since 2000, connoisseurs of Northern Italian cuisine have made a pilgrimage to this chic, contemporary dining room helmed by James Beard Award–winning chef Holly Smith and offering four multicourse dinner menu options: omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan. Even meat lovers sometimes opt for one the plant-based menus, as everything Smith prepares is stunningly plated and delicious. By all accounts, the pescatarian option is often the most interesting—it frequently features sea urchin, as well as local crab and salmon.
9702 N.E. 120th Pl., Bellevue, Washington, 98034, USA
On a breezy, sunny day, it's hard to find a more inviting spot for lunch or dinner than the deck of this upscale farm-to-table restaurant overlooking the pleasure boats chugging along downtown La Conner's Swinomish Channel. Whether you dine inside or out, expect a menu of stellar Pacific Northwest fare, perhaps lightly fried local oysters with lemon aioli to start, followed by a bone-in Kurobuta pork chop with stone-ground mustard demi-glace.
Tucked in an alley near downtown theaters and nightlife, this cozy and romantic neighborhood bistro serves first-rate Northwest-influenced Italian fare, including bounteous salads and creative grills. It's worth seeking out this art-filled space with exposed-brick walls for such delectable fare as twin duck breasts with an apple-port reduction and cherries, and slow-cooked pork loin Bolognese with house-made pappardelle pasta.
A couple of blocks from the river on a bluff with expansive views of the village, this homey restaurant with a rustic dark-wood interior serves superb seafood, including clams steamed in white wine with smoked tomatoes and bacon, and seared sea scallops with creamed-leek risotto. There are also always a few well-prepared French-inspired classics, such as baked escargots and dry-aged rib eye with confit potatoes and foie gras–anchovy butter.
205 E. Washington St., La Conner, Washington, 98257, USA
Exquisite farm-to-table Pacific Northwest fare stars at this upscale, dimly lighted bistro at the foot of the harbor, next to the Harbor History Museum. Dishes like coffee-rubbed pork tenderloin with sweet-corn tamales and a honey-walnut glaze, and pan-seared black cod with roasted beets and miso reveal the deft touch and creative inspiration in the kitchen.
4107 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor, Washington, 98332, USA
This old-fashioned, glassed-in dining room and bar overlook the mouth of the Samish River, Samish Bay, and the mudflats, where great blue herons hang out and bald eagles are occasionally spotted gliding by. It's a popular spot for bird-watching, with finches, chickadees, and red-winged blackbirds at the feeders outside the picture windows. Besides the view, folks come here for inventive American fare with an emphasis on steak and fresh seafood, from miso-glazed black cod to coffee-crusted filet mignon.
The marina views are only part of the appeal of this bright, modern bistro overlooking West Bay and doling out equal parts well-chosen wines and stellar Pacific Northwest cuisine. The menu focuses strongly on what's local and organic, perhaps Totten Inlet steamer clams in white wine or local elk rib-eye carpaccio with juniper berries, followed by pistachio-crusted Parmesan seasonal wild whitefish with arugula pesto and gnocchi.
501 Columbia St. NW, Olympia, Washington, 98501, USA
It's a scenic 20-minute drive east from downtown to reach this intimate but lively contemporary bistro near the north shore of Lake Whatcom, where the chefs emphasize local, seasonal ingredients. In the evening, you might start with Cajun-style shrimp and three-cheese grits or mac and cheese with tasso ham, before moving on to Low Country–style bouillabaisse or seared duck breast with a cherry reduction. Breakfast and lunch are served on weekends—try the eggs Benedict with pork belly, accompanied by a Bellini cocktail. The owners also run a similarly good sister restaurant in La Conner, the Fork at Skagit Bay.
2530 N. Shore Rd., Bellingham, Washington, 98226, USA
Above the shore on a steep, wooded bluff in the northern reaches of Bow, this intimate restaurant is famous for having one of the best marine views of any Washington restaurant. People come here to dine on refined seafood, wild game, and steaks while watching the sun disappear behind the San Juan Islands to the west or the full moon reflect off the waters of Samish Bay.
With its clubby interior, huge wine list, and proximity to downtown attractions, it's easy to see how this flashy restaurant is a favorite for special occasions and high-end business meals. Here you can expect a menu of contemporary variations on seafood and steak, including Columbia River steelhead with a maple-balsamic glaze and New York strip with red-flannel hash and a red-wine sauce; vegetarians shouldn't pass up the unusual roasted cauliflower "steak" served with olive gremolata, tomatoes, orange, and capers.
Set in a rather ornately decorated country house beside the Willows Lodge, this nationally renowned dining destination helped usher in farm-to-table dining in the Pacific Northwest when it opened in 1986. The carefully choreographed, multicourse feasts here are quite the production and include discussions about the food with the kitchen team, tours of the surrounding gardens, and classical guitar music; thoughtfully curated drink pairings are included in the prix-fixe. The food on the seasonally changing menu is exquisite, with many ingredients sourced from the restaurant's 5-acre garden.
14590 N.E. 145th St, Woodinville, Washington, 98072, USA
One of the city's top proponents of farm-to-table cooking, this unpretentiously stylish neighborhood bistro is worth the splurge for consistently artful, flavorful fare and a wine list featuring mostly lesser-known producers from throughout the old and new worlds. The menu changes to reflect the seasons but might offer braised elk with an ancho chili–huckleberry cream sauce, or local cod with golden beets, leeks, and a preserved-lemon vinaigrette.
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName}} Restaurants in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions:
Enter a sight, restaurant, hotel, or other place to find restaurants nearby.
Neighborhoods Some neighborhood filters have sub-neighborhoods that can be selected individually in a dropdown by clicking on the icon to the right of the name.
I want emails from Fodor's Travel with travel information and promotions. I can unsubscribe any time using the unsubscribe link at the end of all emails.
Thank you for your interest!
Look out for our newsletters with travel tips and special offers.
Sign up for Travel Tips & News
By signing up for the newsletter, I agree to the Privacy Policy. You must check the box to subscribe
Thank you for your interest!
Look out for our newsletters with travel tips and special offers.
