3 Best Restaurants in Washington, 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.

Local artwork lines the walls of this cozy, eclectic bistro inside a historic clapboard building a block off the main drag, near the foot of the Taylor Street staircase. The delicious seafood- and pasta-intensive menu reveals Mediterranean and Pacific Northwest influences—think cioppino with local shellfish in a tomato-saffron broth, and roasted walnut and gorgonzola penne with wild boar. There's a notable list of regional and Italian wines, and several imported ports and sherries to accompany any of the rich desserts.

Tom Douglas dishes out his signature Northwest style, spiked with Greek and Mediterranean touches—another huge success for the local celebrity chef. Try a spice-rubbed lamb chop or the eggplant shakshuka, which elevates the humble eggplant to new heights. Also on the menu: a variety of kebabs (including a halloumi cheese-and-fig version for vegetarians) and scrumptious spreads including hummus, tzatziki, and harissa (a red-pepper concoction). Booths are usually full at this bustling, dimly lit restaurant, which anchors the Hotel Ändra. The weekend brunch is also fabulous; save room for the doughnuts.