417 Best Restaurants in Washington, USA

The view of Shilshole Bay might be the main draw, but the seafood is also fresh and well prepared. Perennial favorites include grilled salmon, Kasu sake–marinated sablefish, Dungeness crab, and regional oysters on the half shell. Ray's has a split personality: there's a fancy dinner-only dining room downstairs (reservations essential) and a casual café and bar upstairs. Be forewarned that during happy hour in high season, the café's service can suffer greatly because of the crowds.

Sure, it's touristy, but snagging a spot on the sun-drenched balcony to watch the boats floating past after an afternoon exploring the Ballard Locks is quintessential Seattle summer fun.

With exposed-brick walls, varnished wood tables, and a sleek long bar, this downtown gastropub excels both with its extensive craft-beer and drinks selection and its modern take on comfort food. Snack on shareable starters like deep-fried Brussels sprouts with pork belly and apple-cider reduction and smoked salmon flatbread, while popular mains include ale-battered seasonal fish-and-chips and bacon-jam Gouda burgers.

Step back in time to a 1930s-era service station that's been converted into a diner, serving up classic greasy-spoon fare, like steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, charbroiled chicken sandwiches, banana splits, and the like. While you await your grub, check out the hundreds of vintage metal gas station signs and advertisements.

Hearty meals in the rustic log ranch house, served at polished wood tables, include buffet dinners of steak, ribs, hamburgers, fish, salad, beans, and dessert. Note that breakfast is served 7 to 8:30, lunch is noon to 1, and dinner is 5:30 to 6:30; show up later than that, and you'll find the kitchen is closed. If you want to enjoy a drink with your meal, bring your own alcohol—it's not otherwise served. For guests not staying at the ranch, dinner reservations are required, and transportation from the Stehekin Landing costs $10 each way.

A temple to uniquely prepared seafood, this is the restaurant that locals want to bring visitors to: an example of the casual way seafood weaves into all sorts of dishes when you live so close to such bounty. The mix of appetizers, oyster shooters, small plates, and full entrées makes the long menu an epic adventure filled with fresh local, domestic, and global fish—from local oysters to Hawaiian tuna, and back to black cod from Washington’s own Neah Bay. The dining room, built with ample wood and wall-sized murals of waterscapes, invokes the idea of a modern fishing lodge, but the high ceilings and sharp metals keep it more lively than cozy.

Just steps from Fremont's Stalin statue, Royal Grinders serves hearty hot subs on pillowy rolls. We're talking classic combos of meat, cheese, and veggies piled high and baked in the oven. The Crown and the Italian are the best.

Prodigious breakfast sandwiches with delicious fillings—such as the "monster biscuit" with ham, bacon, cheddar, egg, herbed cream cheese, and Mama Lil's peppers—are the specialty of this bright, contemporary bakery on the north side of downtown Wenatchee. You'll also find an array of fresh-baked breads, plus cookies, cinnamon rolls, and other sweet treats.

Every Seattleite knows their favorite banh mi shop, and this quick, convenient spot is often a winner; try the "three kinds of ham" sandwich here to see if you agree. Tables brim with colorful Vietnamese sweets and grab-and-go meals. Order at the counter for the hot buffet or a freshly made sandwich.

Though the Portland-based ice-cream chain has since opened stores up and down the West Coast, it found a welcoming home on Capitol Hill, where its "farm-to-cone" style of ice cream is respected, and the creative, sometimes a little out-there monthly specials don't scare anyone.

It's undeniably touristy, but the views simply can't be beat on a summer afternoon. Famed for its Sunday and holiday brunches and view of Seattle's skyline across the harbor, Salty's offers more in the way of quantity than quality—and sometimes a bit too much of its namesake ingredient—but it's a couple of steps up from the mainstream seafood chains. If you can get a table with a view, order a wine by the glass and a cup of chowder or some crab legs, and enjoy.

The charming old house smack in the middle of Ballard's main drag stands out among the shops in much the same way that San Fermo's menu of classic Italian dishes made with seasonal ingredients stands out with its simple, elegant excellence. Appetizers of grilled vegetables and snacky starters pair perfectly with glasses of Prosecco on the porch that wraps the side of the restaurant, while rustic house-made pastas and hearty meat dishes match the Italian red wines and low light of a late dinner in the dining room.

The island's local brewery, just a few short blocks from the ferry landing, has a nice selection of suds brewed on-site, along with standard brew-pub fare (pretzels, cheese curds, chicken wings) and surprisingly good individual pizzas.

A complete remodel changed the Seattle Center food court from an only-if-you're-desperate stop into a quick-bite destination. Several local restaurant groups have erected walk-up windows or shops here, from skillet burgers to Seattle fudge. The space, redesigned by Graham Baba Architects (responsible for several of the sleekest historic remodels around town), harkens back to the building's original use as a wartime armory, revealing big steel columns but opening up more light and space to enjoy your meal.

Made daily from scratch, the calzones are always fresh at this cozy storefront and include the most popular, Coug (pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives), followed by the Gourmet (artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto sauce). Pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, and salads are also served.

To many loyal patrons, Serafina is the perfect neighborhood restaurant: burnt-sienna walls topped by a dark ceiling convey the feeling of a lush garden villa, a sense heightened by the small sheltered courtyard out back. Menu highlights include grilled eggplant rolled with ricotta and basil; asparagus with an egg and truffle oil; and gnudi with rotating ingredients such as mushrooms, nettle, or beef cheeks. Note that Serafina is close to Capitol Hill, in the Eastlake neighborhood, so definitely spring for the short cab ride here.

Serious artisanal pizzas are worth the wait here—and there will be a wait at this tiny Belltown restaurant. Famed local restaurateur Tom Douglas delivers chewy, buttery crusts anchored by such toppings as fresh arugula, guanciale (cured pork jowl), and a soft egg; or Meyer lemon, chili, and buffalo mozzarella. Wash it down with a local brew, a glass of local wine, or some bubbly. High seats and communal tables crowd this bustling space. There's also larger locations in South Lake Union and inside the Starbucks Reserve Roastery on Capitol Hill.

For budget-friendly and oh-so-good Sichuan cooking, head to this simple spot in the Asian Plaza strip mall east of I–5. The atmosphere is ordinary, but the service is friendly and the food here is as traditional as it gets. Dry-cooked string beans (available with a variety of meats), Kung Pao chicken, delicious dumplings, spicy Sichuanese ravioli, and ma po tofu (a spicy combination of tofu and minced pork) are favorites; the sizzling hot pot is popular and good; but the house-made noodles are unmissable.

On the first two floors of the 1889 Elks Lodge building, this elegant restaurant specializes in deftly prepared seafood, such as sashimi-grade seared lavender-pepper ahi tuna, lemon-dill-battered cod fish-and-chips, and local clams and mussels in garlic-shallot butter. You'll also find a selection of simpler fare, including Greek lamb burgers with truffle fries and Washington apple salads. For a more casual vibe and a bird's-eye view of the main dining room, have a seat in the swank mezzanine-level lounge—it's a nice spot to enjoy dessert and a glass of port.

This funky breakfast and lunch café in Everett Public Market is as popular now as when it opened in 1983. Perhaps that's because the blueberry or pecan hotcakes, rich soups, and overflowing sandwiches are as good as ever. Eye-opening espresso drinks start the morning; homemade pies in more than a dozen flavors are a perfect end to the afternoon.

Like the Edgewater Hotel that houses it, Six Seven would be noteworthy for its views of Elliott Bay and the Puget Sound alone, especially if you opt to dine at the café tables lining the deck at sunset. Regionally sourced seafood such as planked salmon, miso-glazed black cod, and a flavorful bouillabaisse take top billing on the menu, which also features dishes like lamb ragout pasta and Roquefort-crusted filet mignon alongside an award-winning wine list.

With a name that's a play on the slow food movement and the Edison Slough, which runs through the tiny villages of Bow and Edison, the cozy café and deli is focused on two products that pair perfectly: wine and cheese. You'll discover an impressively curated selection of both, along with charcuterie, salads, sandwiches, and other treats that showcase the area's seasonal ingredients.

Forget smoke and mirrors, this Korean barbecue spot fills up every night with smoke and meat-eaters. While most of the city's Korean food scene sits in the suburbs, this quality-focused restaurant presents trays of impeccable sliced beef, pork, and chicken. The extensive menu of soju, along with beer and cocktails, draws a crowd in for the bar, which fits with their other specialty: drinking snacks.

A fusion-y menu of modern Latin American (primarily Mexican) dishes provides a nice—and slightly spicy—alternative to Leavenworth's wealth of Bavarian food. Enjoy sweet-potato-and-roasted-poblano-chili enchiladas, baby shrimp tacos, and Michoacán-style carnitas platters, along with chicken poblano enchiladas and grilled steak burritos. There's a sister location in Pybus Market in Wenatchee.

In the morning, fuel up at this convivial, sprawling tavern with a latte and a breakfast burrito or bagel and lox plate before a local hike or skiing at nearby Snoqualmie Pass; South Fork is on a rural road surrounded by greenery. Later in the day, a friendly, outdoorsy crowd gathers to mingle over well-prepared gastropub fare, including tofu banh mi bowls, blistered shishito peppers with garlic aioli, and blackened-chicken Alfredo.

The main Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort restaurant, a rustic, fir-and-cedar-paneled dining room surrounded by trees, turns out big breakfasts daily in summer—hikers can fill up on biscuits and gravy, French toast, and omelets before hitting the trails, or choose lighter fare, there are yogurt and granola parfaits. Dinner features comfort foods like seared salmon, grilled chicken, rib-eye steak, and fish-and-chips. Lunchtime choices include poutine as a starter, as well as sandwiches, burgers, fish tacos, fish-and-chips, and refreshing salads. Don't pass up creative desserts like a warm pineapple citrus cake.  

One of Seattle's top Thai restaurants (in a crowded field), Srivilai quietly proffers an excellent slate of standards. Friendly, accommodating service in a spare but elegant space combined with a moderately heavy hand with flavors and spices make it a local favorite. Though it serves a fairly simple menu, look for a few of the specials that allow the kitchen to show off, like roasted duck salad and wild salmon curry. A good list of beer, wine, and cocktails also helps this place stand out.

The "Staple" side of this Ethan Stowell restaurant might mean gnocchi with corn and chanterelles or a whole grilled branzino. But visitors to the glam, remodeled, historic brick building are best served by going "fancy," meaning the chef's menu dinner where diners are presented with several courses (technically four, but the appetizer usually consists of a few different plates) of whatever the cooks are playing with on the line that night—cured meats, salads of exotic greens, handmade pastas, seasonal desserts. You won't know what's coming next, but it's usually remarkably good.

This pub-style eatery, housed in one of Spokane's many historic brick buildings, has an urban contemporary vibe thanks to lots of burnished-metal artwork by local artists. Sandwiches and burgers make this a handy place for a weekend lunch or lighter dinner; halibut-and-chips, whiskey-sauced ribeye steak with roasted potatoes, and (of course) a steelhead fillet with garlic-parmesan butter are heartier fare. The bar menu features reasonably-priced signature cocktails.