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This region has a good range of dining options, from American pub fare to fine dining, and many incorporate locally grown and produced ingredients, including organic produce, beef, chicken, eggs, and artisanal breads and cheeses. Around the region, there are low-key, affordable, and unpretentious eateries—coffee shops, bakeries, brewpubs, diners, and restaurants.
Wenatchee is the largest city in the North Cascades and features the most variety when it comes to dining. It’s home to the most ethnically diverse cuisine in the region, including several Mexican restaurants as well as Italian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, and others. The self-proclaimed "Apple Capital of Washington," this is the place to try to the fruit in a variety of forms, sweet and savory.
Bavarian-themed Leavenworth offers a number of restaurants specializing in traditional German fare as well as Southern barbecue and American pub fare. Wine enthusiasts might want to make a stop in the Lake Chelan region, home to some two-dozen wineries. Craft-beer lovers won’t want to miss the riverfront breweries in both Winthrop and Twisp.
Set in a buttery yellow cottage with a touch of gingerbread trim, this unfussy eatery offers a refreshing break from Leavenworth's Bavaria-on-steroids exuberance. The kitchen presents artfully plated five-course meals (reservations required) of mostly organic, farm-sourced Northwestern fare. The food during these leisurely, two-and-a-half-hour repasts is simply sublime. Covered, heated outdoor dining offers privacy, and indoor dining gives a full view of the kitchen.
The name of this upbeat, contemporary downtown bistro reflects the kitchen's globally inspired approach in dishes from Thailand (clay pot prawns with glass noodles), Italy (mushroom risotto), and the American South (shrimp and grits). Creative preparations, a full bar with an impressive wine and spirits selection, and knowledgeable service are further reasons this buzzy spot has found a loyal legion of fans.
In winter, this eatery's stone walls and varnished-wood tables impart a warm vibe, and in summer the sprawling beer garden with grand river and mountain views puts everyone in a happy mood. This hipster-approved, counter-service purveyor of fragrant, flavorful Asian-style bone broths and creative pub fare seems always to draw a big, chatty crowd.
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