417 Best Restaurants in Washington, USA

This playfully named restaurant near the Capitol does indeed specialize in tapas, including—naturally—giant Pacific octopus, cured in olive oil and served with crusty house bread. Others treats from the seafood-centric menu are smoked oysters with lemon, mussels in a Thai lemongrass curry, and prawn tacos with pineapple salsa, but the menu lists plenty of meat and veggie options, too.

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. 

Pick up a baguette, loaf of fig-anise bread, chocolate-chip cookies, maple-pecan scones, or cinnamon buns at this top-notch bakery, tucked into a small storefront in the heart of the Uptown district. There's a selection of cheeses, jams, granola, kombucha, and other gourmet goods to go as well. Additional locations are on the Port Townsend waterfront, in Sequim, and on Bainbridge Island.

In this warmly inviting storefront that morphs into a full-on bar and live music haunt after 9 pm, enjoy gastropub cooking that often features internationally inspired dishes, such as pork belly ramen and mussels in a fragrant Thai red coconut curry. Decked out with deep wooden booths, exposed brick walls, and vintage chandeliers, it's a classy joint, but with an "everybody knows your name" vibe.

Phở Bắc first brought its eponymous noodle soup to Seattle in the early 1980s; now, the children of the original owners proffer an equally pioneering Vietnamese restaurant. The recipes and flavors hew tightly to tradition, but the space and style come wholly from a young, modern perspective. The photogenic oversized beef ribs sticking out from an enormous bowl of noodles and broth have become iconic, as have the shots of whiskey served with hot pho broth. Multiple locations around town vary in menu; the benefit of this one is its prime location in Little Saigon, just across the parking lot from the boat-shaped original location.

Have a seat on the sidewalk or inside the colorfully painted dining room of this upbeat contemporary taqueria that turns out delicious, boldly flavored snacks—like house-pickled vegetables with mezcal salt and fried cheese with chili gastrique and honeycomb. Be sure to save room for the main event, though: delicious street tacos with creative fillings, from cochinita pibil (braised pork shoulder in bitter-orange sauce) to grilled achiote-marinated steelhead with avocado mousse. 

Occupying a warmly decorated Victorian house in downtown Prosser, this charming neighborhood bistro offers a nice mix of casual comfort fare (Thai barbecue wings, French dip sandwiches) and more substantial cuisine to pair with local wines. Standouts include the San Francisco–style cioppino and rosemary-garlic rib eye steaks with a peppercorn demiglace. Save room for the flourless chocolate cake. 

Make your way to this spacious, contemporary spot in a small shopping center to devour sublime hearth-baked pizzas—the fennel sausage pie with sweet-and-sour onions and smoked mozzarella is a standout. Also worth trying are sides of seasonal vegetables roasted in the pizza oven, along with generous salads and homemade frozen-custard "concretes" and sundaes for dessert.

The first thing you notice inside this bustling tavern and hot-dog joint are the dozens of beer taps hanging from the ceiling, each one representing a particular ale that's been poured here. Indeed, this quirky spot is a must for beer lovers, with plenty of interesting varieties on tap and available by the bottle, but it's the dogs and brats that set Red Hot apart. The kitchen serves up the classics, like a Chicago-style beef dog topped with mustard, relish, and celery salt, as well as unusual versions, like the Hound Dog, which is slathered in peanut butter and crowned with crispy bacon. Vegan dogs are served, too.

It's worth the half-hour drive around the harbor to historic downtown Aberdeen to dine at the region's most sophisticated restaurant, where seasonal, locally sourced ingredients appear in artfully plated creations like black cod with buttered oyster sauce, and braised rabbit with ricotta gnudi. Rediviva means renewed or revived, and much of the material—wood, metal, and glass—in the interior has been upcycled for a refined effect. There's also a great selection of Northwest wines and craft cocktails.

This spacious, contemporary coffeehouse turns out some of the best third-wave, single-origin coffees and espresso drinks, including nitro cold brew and mochas made with Portland's Ranger Chocolates.

Ingenuity and dedication to local ingredients are hallmarks of this stylish, contemporary restaurant, where locals and tourists alike come for dishes such as baked oysters, mushroom panzanella, San Juan Island–raised lamb shoulder cooked in fig leaves, and a popular house burger; during the summer, the hotel's outdoor Raw Bar serves seafood and frozen cocktails. The restaurant's daily breakfast is popular with islanders and convenient for hotel guests: the brunch burger, topped with a fried egg and green-tomato-and-bacon jam, and breakfast poutine with duck confit and cheese curds make for decadent starts to your day.

Adventurous enough for the most committed gourmands but accessible enough to be a neighborhood favorite, Revel starts with Korean street food and shakes it up with a variety of influences, from French to Americana. Noodle dishes at this sleek industrial-chic spot with ample outdoor seating might feature smoked tea noodles with roast duck or seaweed noodles with Dungeness crab, while irresistibly spicy dumplings might be stuffed with bites of short ribs, shallots, and scallions, or perhaps chickpeas, roasted cauliflower, and mustard yogurt. Plates are small enough so that you can save room for one of the playful desserts riffing off Junior Mints or butterscotch pudding.

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. 

The cheerful café at this budget-minded downtown inn is open only seasonally, but it's one of the very best spots in the area for lunch and, especially, breakfast. Bagel sandwiches, smashed avocado on desem bread (a mild sourdough bread), a choice of four scrambles, and several kinds of burrito wraps are the perfect sustenance for a day of hiking, boating, or wine touring.

Local seafood—including prawns, scallops, crab, clams, and mussels—features prominently in the brightly flavored and fragrantly seasoned food at this relaxing Thai bistro on the quiet west side of town. Other delicious house specialties are spicy eggplant with red curry, and crispy half duck with bok choy and a smoky soy glaze.

Just across Port Washington Narrows (via the Manette Bridge) from downtown, this unassuming, almost industrial-looking space is helmed by James Beard Foundation award semi-finalist Matt Tinder, who draws folks from throughout the Puget Sound region with his artisan baked goods. Breads, sandwiches, and sweets are all exquisite, including harissa-tofu sandwiches, Swiss herb quiche, and coconut tropezienne (a flaky brioche with coconut custard filling).  Because Saboteur produces different breads and sweets depending on the day, it's best to phone ahead if you're craving a particular item.

The stained glass saint, holding wheat in one hand and a Japanese melonpan (bun) in the other, summarizes this eccentric but excellent bakery perched on the shore of the Ship Canal. Scandanavian-style cardamom knots, classic French croissants, and fried egg sandwiches with Thai-style turkey sausage exemplify the breakfast selection here. The grab-and-go counter displays pre-made salads and sandwiches, an equally intriguing array. While the counter and kitchen take up the entire indoor space, a covered patio on the side keeps diners warm and dry.

This hip, counter-service seafood bar with a mod-industrial vibe serves Puget Sound oysters and clams on the half shell—either raw or baked with seasonal compound butters—and several beers and ciders on tap to wash them down. Oyster shooters are another favorite, and there's a short menu of other fish-centric dishes, from steamed Dungeness crab with clarified butter to chowder made with local clams, but nothing fried.

The lines are long for hearty, unforgettable sandwiches filled with superior house-cured meats and more at this shop, originally founded by famed New York chef Mario Batali's father Armandino. The oxtail sandwich special is unbeatable, but if it's unavailable or sold out (as specials often are by the lunchtime peak) order a salami, bresaola, porchetta, meatball, sausage, or lamb prosciutto sandwich with onions, peppers, cheese, and olive oil. You can order whole or half sandwiches. Most people opt for takeout, or grab one of the tables in the packed dining room.

Only in Seattle would rice porridge qualify as a beach eat, but like Sam I Am, you should eat this anywhere. In 2022, this congee-only shop moved from a shared space into its own location on Golden Gardens, where it continues to use its single dish as a canvas on which it paints museum-worthy flavors. Each bowl comes stuffed full of plump shrimp, tender fish, or spicy beef, and the only side is fried dough for dipping: nothing more is needed, as these are meals unto themselves.

The dark-wood-paneled walls, floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows, and marble café tables inside this venerable spot attest to its history of feeding locals and visitors for more than a century. Although it calls itself a pub, the Shelburne has a casually sophisticated look and vibe, and stellar yet reasonably priced Pacific Northwest fare to go with it—consider the miso-cured sablefish with bok choy and pickled shiitakes, or crispy braised pork with polenta and a blackberry gastrique (a sauce that's sweet and sour). Brunch is a popular affair on weekends. The restaurant is inside a small boutique hotel with comfy rooms.

Founder Shiro Kashiba is no longer here (he's now at Downtown's Sushi Kashiba), but this sushi spot is still the best in Belltown, with simple decor, ultra-fresh fish, and an omakase service that's a bit more affordable than at other spots.

Rhyme it with "pies" and you'll sound like a local when you enter the town's most famous bakery, a fixture since the early 1900s. Gorgeous Norwegian pastries, braided bread, and lefse (traditional round flatbread) line the shelves. There's only strong coffee and milk to drink, and there are no seats, but you can grab a bench along busy Front Street or take your goodies to the waterfront at Liberty Bay Park.

This bustling, casual spot along Tacoma's colorful 6th Avenue strip serves remarkably authentic and absolutely delicious soul food. In the morning, regulars swing by for heaping plates of chicken-fried steak with grits and eggs, or homemade biscuits and gravy. Later, move on to fried catfish strips with a side of hush puppies, Texas-style hand-trimmed brisket, and hot-links sandwiches. Dinners come with corn cakes and lots of tasty sides. 

Reasonably priced pastas and pizzas with local and seasonal ingredients, expertly crafted cocktails, a large covered sidewalk seating area, and a convenient downtown location are the hallmarks of this casually hip trattoria. Menu highlights include squid ink mezze maniche pasta (a ridged, tube-shape pasta) with shrimp, clams, pancetta, and chiles in white wine sauce, and the starter of house-made pork-beef meatballs with focaccia. 

Set in a grand stone-and-timber lodge that overlooks both the remains of the old Roslyn No. 9 mineshaft and the Hyatt Suncadia Resort's scenic Rope Rider Golf Course, this wine-centric dining room provides an elegant counterpoint to the area's quirky saloons. The menu mixes Pacific Northwestern and international recipes—apple chutney–baked Brie, pear-pancetta flatbread, and Angus rib-eye steaks—and Swiftwater's own mostly Bordeaux-style wines are superb.

The first thing you're likely to notice upon walking into this festive trattoria is the mammoth wood-fired brick oven, in which personable chef-owner John Bonica prepares such mouthwatering dinner fare as roasted veggies over polenta, blistered-crust pizzas with creative toppings, and wine-braised roast beef. Several excellent pasta dishes are offered, too.