119 Best Restaurants in Seattle, Washington

This acclaimed Black-owned restaurant dishes up “Seattle soul" in a vibrant setting. Think exquisitely prepared soul food that pays homage to family traditions, alongside creative fare honoring Seattle's multicultural intersections, like the whole fried catfish topped with a Thai-inspired papaya salad. The cocktail menu is just as creative, featuring Seattle-meets-the-South cocktails concocted with bourbon, pecan liqueur, Jamaican rum, and apple brandy, to name a few. 

This steak house gives high-quality beef a Mexican accent. Barley-fed Australian Angus and American, Japanese, and Australian Wagyu hit the grill, while USDA Prime meat goes into tacos and tortas. The salsa bar and appetizers, including handmade guacamole, are fresh and flavorful. There's a strong wine list to go along with all the beef, and the bar stocks a superb selection of mezcals.

Enormous bowls of handmade udon noodles in light, complex broths are the star of the show at this tiny shop just north of the Arboretum. Lunch specials and combination meals make it easy to sample multiple dishes, but if you only try one thing, make it the "signature beef" soup, with burdock root, pickled mustard, and those luxurious noodles. Along with noodle dishes, there's a surprisingly large menu of other Japanese specialties, including sushi rolls, salads, tofu, and rice bowls.

There are many ways for a pricey "destination restaurant" to go overboard, making itself nothing more than a special-occasion spectacle, but Café Juanita gets everything just right. This Kirkland space is refined without being overly posh, and the food—much of which has a northern Italian influence—is perfectly balanced. One bite of lauded chef Holly Smith's tender saddle of Oregon lamb with baby artichokes, fava beans, and lemon emulsion and you'll be sold. The multi-course tasting menu comes in omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan versions. The restaurant is extremely accommodating for gluten-free guests and other special requests. To top it all off, the restaurant has an excellent wine list.

There's an unassuming air to this family-run Lebanese restaurant: it's in a relatively remote north Ballard neighborhood, and there's nothing flashy about the dining room's white walls and tablecloths. But when you look at the menu, you start to sense that something special is going on. Dishes are described in tantalizing detail, promising traditional Middle Eastern flavors in creative combinations. It's all as good as it sounds. The grilled meat skewers are delicious, but you won't go wrong making a meal of mezzes—pears with tahini and pomegranate, eggplant with fresh cheese and honey, and lamb-filled phyllo "cigars" are a few of your many choices.

Crispy rice-based batter keeps the fried chicken at this tiny spot impressively tender. The kitchen experience of the accomplished chefs behind this simple concept shows in the quality and intriguing Filipino flavors of side dishes such as coconut collard greens and garlic rice. Order ahead of time to make sure to get your chicken, as they sell out most days.

Brandon Pettit spent years developing his thin-but-chewy pizza crust, and the final product has made him a contender for the city's best pies. Neighborhood families and far-flung travelers alike line up before opening time for seasonal pizzas topped with anything from fresh sausage to local clams to blistered padrón peppers. The wine list is is short but elegant; desserts are simple but inspired—the homemade chocolate chip cookie with sea salt is delicious. Long wait? Pop next door to charming Essex, the owners' artisanal cocktail bar.

An organic café with everything you need for a picnic to-go or a leisurely lunch, DERU Market has something for everything. The bright, modern space starts the day with excellent coffee and pastries, with filling brunches on weekends. Lunch brings pizza, sandwiches, and salads, plus a few larger plates, while dinner brings a few extra main dishes. Vegetable side dishes compete with excellent French fries for table space, and most diners save room for a slice of the layer cakes that sit temptingly on the counter.

Silky and ethereally light rice noodle dumplings star at this colorful hybrid counter service spot serving lesser-known Thai specialties. The bold and bright decor matches owner Pum Yamamoto’s bubbly personality, filling the room with joy and energy. Any of the rice-flour-based dishes show off the restaurant’s skills with the steamer, but particularly the signature pak mor; the supple, delightfully wrinkly handmade wrappers cradle chicken, pork, or tofu in a dish that rarely shows up on Thai restaurant menus in the U.S. because of the delicate work required to make it.

Ethically sourced meats, from steak cuts to gamier dishes such as bison, wild boar, and duck, headline the menu at FlintCreek, where floor-to-ceiling windows overlook a busy corner of Greenwood. A small-plates section features a cumin-dusted lamb tartare as well as mussels bathed in charred jalapeño-lime butter, while main-dish standouts include a brined pork chop on grits and a hanger steak topped with onion marmalade. The industrial-chic two-story lofted space, which has double-high ceilings and a lovely bar backed with modern yellow tile, is usually lively but not too loud, and the service is reliably solid.

Stepping foot into Lenox transports you from the streets of Belltown to the warm atmosphere of Puerto Rico and Cuba. Chef Jhonny Reyes draws on his roots in both islands and the flavors of his childhood, evident in the seasonal menu featuring tantalizing bites like snow crab hush puppies and seared halibut in an herbaceous coconut sauce, served with traditional sides like red beans and rice and plantains.

The best view of Downtown comes at an affordable price: the brightly colored Adirondack chairs outside this Korean-Hawaiian fish shack offer a panoramic view of the entire Downtown area and a close-up of the water taxi action at Seacrest Dock. Inside, you’ll find tacos filled with Korean beef or “sexy tofu,” Spam slider sandwiches, and a classic fish-and-chips served with kimchi tartar sauce. For dessert, the Hawaiian shave ice makes it the perfect place to begin or end a beach walk on Alki, or get a bag of malasadas to go.

Though it opened in 1994 as a typical neighborhood sushi joint, Mashiko quickly gained a reputation as one of the top spots in town for fresh fish, even before the then-owner committed to using solely sustainable fish. Now owned by his employees and mentees, it continues to uphold its reputation for both quality and a forward-thinking approach to the cuisine. As a product of both, the sushi here skips many classics that don't meet its standards and instead finds sustainable substitutes. But the resulting creativity makes for a unique, environmentally friendly meal, best eaten omakase-style: letting the chef choose the menu.

One of the most beloved of Pike Place Market's restaurants, Matt's is all about intimate dining, fresh ingredients, and superb service. You can perch at the bar for pints and the signature deviled eggs or be seated at a table—complete with vases filled with flowers from the market—for a seasonal menu that synthesizes the best picks from the restaurant's produce vendors and an excellent wine list. Dinner entrées always include at least one catch of the day—perhaps a whole fish in saffron broth or Alaskan halibut with pea vines. Your first dinner at Matt's is like a first date you hope will never end. It is owned by Dan Bugge, a bit of a celebrity himself, having appeared on TV shows with Martha Stewart, Anthony Bourdain, and Bobby Flay.

Tradition and creativity strike a smart balance at this polished Korean restaurant. The menu leans bold, with a dozen inventive small plates—most famously the fried rice tinted with squid ink and topped with bacon, kimchi, and a quail egg—and larger entrees of steak and seafood kissed by a wood-fired grill. Even the more adventurous dishes land on the right side of delicious, and the warm, attentive service keeps the experience relaxed rather than fussy. The dining room’s mix of marble and dark wood feels both modern and grounded, fitting for its sleek South Lake Union address at the base of an Amazon office tower.

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—now a Vietnamese fried chicken restaurant from the same family.

Traveling around Vietnam together led two friends to open Reckless, which taps Vietnamese and other Asian flavors for its inventive street food-style noodle and rice bowls, salads, and crispy rolls. The craft cocktail list is just as creative as the culinary offerings at this cozy spot with dark walls, rustic wood booths, and eclectic artwork that is a favorite for locals. Start with the crispy duck roll before digging into dishes that blend the flavors of Vietnam with coastal inspiration, such as the turmeric rockfish simmered in coconut cream atop vermicelli noodles and the lobster fried rice. 

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 American. 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.

Located on the first floor of Populus Hotel, Salt Harvest echoes the hotel's commitment to sustainability and the local ecosystem; its menu is an ode to the flavors of Washington's land and seas. Dine on green marble tables enveloped by draping plants and bold paintings, tasting your way through seasonal plates sourced from local farms. Meats, fish, and some vegetable dishes are wood-fired, subtly infusing the food with hints of smoke from local woods. The cocktail menu is equally as enticing, drawing on seasonally-sourced herbs and fruits to inspire its libations. While dinner steals the show, breakfast and lunch aren't to be overlooked, with dishes like breakfast fried rice, Turkish eggs, and a crispy fish sandwich. 

Founder Shiro Kashiba is no longer here (he's now at his namesake restaurant Sushi Kashiba in Pike Place), but this sushi spot is still the best in Belltown. Settle into the minimalist space for ultra-fresh fish and omakase service that's a bit more affordable than at other spots. The happy hour (4:30-6:00 pm Monday through Thursday) is a particularly good deal. 

Spinasse, focusing on the cuisine of the Piedmont region, is Capitol Hill's palace of pasta. The menu is short, simple, and elegant, and Spinasse pulls it off in true Italian style. The signature dish is tajarin con burro e salvia—thin-cut egg noodles with butter and sage. There are usually a couple of other pasta dishes sauced with meat ragu, and three or four antipasti and secondi; milk-braised pork is another specialty. Not surprisingly, the Italian wines and cocktails are top notch, and the ambience is as warm and welcoming as the food.

After decades spent earning a reputation as one of Seattle’s top sushi chefs, Shiro Kashiba opened his own spot in a location as notable as his skills with seafood. Diners in the simple-but-elegant Pike Place Market space can opt for the omakase (chef’s choice) selection of the best fish from around the world and just up the street, or order from the menu of Japanese classics and sashimi. Arrive early for a coveted spot at the sushi bar or reserve ahead of time for a table.

The main attraction here is the Lao burger: two meat patties—a mix of sirloin and pork belly—topped with provolone, pickled red onions, jaew bong (a spicy condiment), mayo, cilantro, and more pork belly. The menu also features Lao soup, salad, stew, noodles, vegetable curry, and sausage (the chef's mother's recipe)—cuisine with an Asian comfort-food vibe similar to Thai and Vietnamese, but its own distinctive spices. The warmly lit dining room is casual, lively, and a little hip.

Oysters don’t get any fresher than this: Taylor, a fifth-generation, family-owned company, opened its own restaurant to serve their products in the manner most befitting such pristine shellfish. The simple preparations—raw, cooked, and chilled—are all designed to show off the seafood with light broths, sauces, and a few accoutrements. This is the place to come for a true sense of the Pacific Northwest’s “merroir”—taste of the local waters, including the (in)famous local giant clam, the geoduck, which is mostly known for its unique, somewhat lewd shape. Proximity to the stadium makes this the perfect destination for Seattle’s local tailgaters, who often prefer a dozen fresh-shucked bivalves to chili or barbecue.

If Julia Child ran a restaurant in Seattle, this would be it. The menu is old-school: we're talking meat and potatoes (plus vegetarian options) done with elegant, pan-European flair. Dinner is lovely, but lunch or brunch is when you’ll find their signature dish: the Dutch baby, a crispy, custardy cross between a pancake and a soufflé, served with sweet or savory toppings. With only 11 tables and a four-day schedule, reservations are essential. The spot sits just a couple of blocks south of the Space Needle. Visit both in one go evening for a perfect contrast in Seattle experiences.

Local restaurateur Renee Erickson was inspired by the casual oyster bars of Paris when she opened this inconspicuous spot, located at the south end of Ballard Ave, behind Staple & Fancy. The result has been a lasting sensation. In town full of oysters, the freshness and selection here manage to be a cut above. Reservations aren't accepted, which is why every day when the doors open at 4, there's a line waiting to fill the tall tables and the seats at the zinc barand why at any time a wait is likely. The menu also offers refined small plates, mostly other seafood and vegetables, but oysters are center stage. If you love them, you'll love it here.

Westward singularly nails the dream of Seattle visitors and locals alike: serving high-quality, fresh local seafood from a waterfront location with a view. Lake Union laps at the rocky shore just feet from where diners look out toward Downtown as just-shucked oysters gleam from seafood towers. Owned by Seattle's seafood queen, Renee Erickson, Westward takes its mission to present pristine seafood in a simple fashion very seriously, starting with the splurge-worthy shellfish tower. The short menu focuses on chilled and raw seafood, but also includes a few small salads and larger dishes that come from the wood-fired oven. The wine list is excellent, but the full bar also offers a flight of mezcal to pair with the oysters.

Wallingford's strip of Japanese food holds sushi, grilled meats, and ramen for every budget, with this slip of a spot ranking among the best. Ramen comes in a wide variety, including high-end versions made with Wagyu broth and super traditional shio and shoyu options, plus vegan mushroom and gluten-free versions. A smattering of small plates rounds out the offerings, including a focus on zangi (Japanese-style fried chicken).  After your meal, head to the ice cream window, Indigo Cow, and try Hokkaido milk soft-serve from the first place to serve it in the U.S.

Baja California Mexican cuisine and a laid-back vibe define this casual spot, done up in bright, beachy colors, with a deck overlooking Portage Bay. Fresh fish tacos and mangodillas (quesadillas with mango and poblano chilies) are menu favorites; whatever you order, be sure to pay a visit to the salsa bar. In good weather, the lively deck is the place to be—and it's a challenge to nab a table. Agua Verde is perched waterside on a street surrounded by quirky boat-repair shops; in the warmer months, you can rent kayaks under the restaurant and paddle around Portage Bay. 

Among the several gyro shops along The Ave, Aladdin is the standout, serving succulent meats, crispy falafel, smoky baba ganoush, and silky smooth hummus. There's a dining room in the back, but this is primarily a takeout joint, with very late hours. Generations of UW undergrads have ended a long night here.