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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.
With a dining room and spacious terrace overlooking the downtown's Waterfront District and Bellingham Bay, this spacious craft cider taproom is an inviting, family-friendly place to sample the rotating selection of small-batch sippers. This is a legit dining option, too, with a kitchen that turns out well-crafted contemporary Northwest fare, from pan-roasted diver scallops with gnocchi to pork tenderloin with rosemary spaetzle and a mustard cream sauce. There's also an impressive selection of beer, wine, and cocktails.
205 Prospect St., Bellingham, Washington, 98225, USA
Seasonally sourced contemporary American and European dishes are beautifully presented in this light-filled dining room with expansive outdoor terraces overlooking Gig Harbor. Dinners are elaborate affairs that feature seafood—perhaps Thai curry and coconut-steamed mussels—and rich classics such as grilled filet mignon with scampi-compound butter. Tempting desserts include an array of cakes, ice creams, and cobblers, and there's a fine wine to match every course. This wine-focused bistro takes its name from the term used by winemakers to describe the natural sugar content of grapes and wines.
3315 Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor, Washington, 98332, USA
Arguably the best restaurant inside the bustling 222 Market food hall, and one of the top dining destinations in the city, this beautifully designed contemporary seafood restaurant with a marble-top bar and striking oyster-shell chandeliers is a winning choice for anything from a snack of oysters on the half shell to a grand feast. Consider sharing a couple of starters—maybe charred carrots with white-bean hummus and local mussels, before diving into more substantial dishes, like whole Dungeness crab with brown butter, lemon, and capers.
222 Capitol Way N, Olympia, Washington, 98501, USA
This spacious, high-ceilinged space with a big outdoor garden patio strung with pretty lights adjoins the Cascadia Art Museum and serves seasonally focused Mediterranean food with plenty of Northwestern influences. It's very easy to make a meal here of several tantalizing small plates, like sautéed brussels sprouts with bacon, but the entrées—fettuccine with a Kobe beef Bolognese sauce, roast duck with butternut squash polenta—are well worth considering.
190 Sunset Ave. W, Edmonds, Washington, 98020, USA
Country-style Italian cooking is the specialty at this delightful roadside restaurant on Mt. Baker Highway, which offers seats in a cozy art-filled dining room or outside on a glorious pine-scented patio. Hearty dishes like lasagna Bolognese and seafood stew with crusty house-baked bread feature locally grown or harvested ingredients. A thoughtful wine list draws from both the Pacific Northwest and Italy.
5415 Mt. Baker Hwy., Glacier, Washington, 98244, USA
Located on the edge of downtown's lively theater district, this swanky eatery with brick walls, high-top tables, and a bar lighted by dangling Edison bulbs is the perfect go-to spot for date night. The consistently outstanding food ranges from shareable small plates of creamy burrata and garlic toast with pimento cheese to thin-crust pizzas topped with sausage and cremini mushrooms.
Tucked into chic Marina Village, this handsome waterfront outpost of the popular Washington-based seafood chain has large windows opening on to a panorama of Port Gardner Bay. The specials, which change daily, might include meaty Dungeness crab, wild chinook salmon, and other sea creatures caught just offshore. Desserts are fabulous, especially those crafted from the state's succulent berries and fruits.
1726 W. Marine View Dr., Everett, Washington, 98201, USA
The evocative name of this cozy downtown storefront eatery with a spacious and prettily landscaped side patio speaks directly to what you'll find on the menu: rather decadent contemporary Pacific Northwestern fare with an emphasis on flame-grilled meat (and seafood). Standouts include steelhead trout tartare with charred yams and mandarins, and slow-cooked bone-in short ribs with black truffles and a smoked-parsnip béarnaise sauce.
1234 N. State St., Bellingham, Washington, 98225, USA
One of several popular seafood restaurants along Ruston Way, Duke's can be counted on to serve some of the freshest and most creative fare of the bunch—it's not just about the view here, although the tables on the patio offer dazzling panoramas of Commencement Bay. Chowder fans having a tough time deciding what to try might want to order the "full fleet" sampler, with small servings of clam, lobster, crab bisque, chicken-corn, and Northwest seafood varieties. Other notable dishes include the greens with crab cakes and Laura Chenel goat cheese, and pan-seared wild salmon with a balsamic-infused beurre blanc.
Tucked deep into the town's historic Old Granery, amid displays of century-old farming equipment, is this cozy and rustic place where dark-wood floors, small tables, and lantern-like fixtures provide the authentic ambience of a local trattoria. The waitstaff is quick and knowledgeable, bringing out enormous pasta bowls, seafood salads, and panfried eggplant or salmon.
100 E. Montgomery St., Mount Vernon, Washington, 98273, USA
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