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Capitol Hill has become Seattle's major culinary destination. The greatest concentration of restaurants is in and around the Pike–Pine Corridor—Pike and Pine Streets running from Melrose Avenue to 15th Avenue. Überhip gastropubs like Quinn's and all-day cafés like Oddfellows are all the rage, as are smaller, posh new American and Italian-inspired eateries like Lark, Anchovies & Olives, and Cascina Spinasse. On the northern end of Broadway, Poppy is a delicious departure from standard menus, with its Indian-inspired thali (small amounts of different dish preparations served in small compartments on a large platter), while a wide variety of coffeehouses make the Hill downright destination-worthy.
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.
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.
Analog is a classic, comfortable place to sip a well-made espresso drink. Inside there's something more: the kitchen of B-Side Foods, which makes simple, tasty breakfast and lunch—a rice bowl, toasts, quiche, and a first-rate egg sandwich. B-Side maintains its own identity, but you place your food order at the Analog counter and eat there (if you can nab a seat).
Artusi calls itself a bar, which isn't inaccurate—it specializes in craft cocktails and amari—but it shares a kitchen, and a chef, with much-heralded Spinasse next door, and most patrons are here to eat. Like its more sophisticated sibling, Artusi offers a short menu of antipasti, handmade pasta, and main courses, and everything is made with similar care, but the spirit of the food (and the place) is more casual, even playful. Meatballs and beef ravioli, two staples of Italian-American cuisine, are simply delicious. Prices are more casual too, particularly if you make it for happy hour or the Sunday and Monday pasta-and-wine specials.
This upscale vegetarian diner near the Arboretum is a Seattle institution, serving satisfying classics—black-bean burgers, pizzas, salads, polenta, succotash—since the 1990s. Weekend brunch draws lots of families for the tasty pancakes, waffles, and tofu scrambles. Prime seats are in the atrium, which has a stone fountain, skylight, and garden-style café tables.
This local chain of hamburger drive-ins is a Seattle institution dating back to the 1950s. The fries are hand-cut, the shakes are hand-dipped (made with real ice cream), and the burgers hit the spot. The classic order in the indulgent (but still cheap) Dick's Deluxe—two beef patties, American cheese, lettuce, onions, and dollop of Dick's special sauce. Open until 2 am daily, the Capitol Hill location can be a hopping late-night scene.
If bubble tea is your thing, this is your place. Eye-catching three-color drinks and "designer blend" smoothies show off creative combinations of fruit, boba, syrup, and ice cream. For the full experience, get yours in a bear-shaped takeout bottle, or order soft-serve in the bear-shaped waffle pastry, called "bearyaki." And pick up some merch—the store sells sneakers and streetwear,
This tiny spot north of the Arboretum is a sweet, cheerful place to enjoy delicious Basque tapas, including chorizo with grilled bread, pan-seared tuna belly with vanilla-bean-infused oil, grilled sardines, and duck confit. There's an impressive selection of Spanish wine, sherry, and vermouth. Seats at the chef's counter are the most atmospheric, and some are set aside for walk-ins.
Lark is a classic example of fine dining, Seattle style. Carefully sources local ingredients are prepared in ways that show a worldwide range of influences—on the same menu you might find tuna tataki, lamb kofta, ricotta gnudi, and grilled peach salad with cotija. (Bring your phone; you’re likely to be Googling some of the culinary terms.) The atmosphere is casual but sophisticated, set in a former warehouse that won awards for its handsome redesign.
This serene Vietnamese restaurant on a tree-lined residential stretch of Capitol Hill is a long-time favorite of Seattle diners. With an elegant bar and laid-back roof deck, it has an upscale casual vibe that's a good match for the creative menu. Dishes use Vietnamese cuisine to make local and regional ingredients—particularly seafood—shine. The crab with garlic noodles is a star. Homemade mango ice cream and coconut crème caramel are treats, and the wine list is remarkably long, with an emphasis on French varietals. Weekend brunch, mixing traditional Vietnamese offerings, dim sum, and Western favorites like French toast and baked eggs, is divine.
Right in the center of the Pike–Pine universe, this huge, ultrahip space anchoring the Oddfellows Building, across from Cal Anderson Park, serves inspired American food from breakfast straight through to dinner. The day might start with biscuits and eggs or thick brioche French toast; later on you could opt for salmon nicoise salad, spaghetti and meatballs, or roast chicken. Service can be hit-or-miss, but the communal-style seating, Capitol Hill hipster-chic vibe, and festive music make this a fun place, whether you're watching the day go by or spending an evening out.
Of the Capitol Hill area's several excellent Italian options, Serafina feels most like a neighborhood trattoria. The menu features well-made classics: pasta carbonara and Bolognese, osso buco, arancini, lasagna, stuffed eggplant. Burnt-sienna walls and a dark ceiling give the dining room a hint of an Italian villa vibe, a sense that's heightened in the courtyard out back. The neighborhoody feel is partly due to the location, just west of Capitol Hill in the Eastlake, away from the Hill's hubbub.
The menu is short at this Indian street-food joint: four kathi rolls (lamb, chicken, paneer, or potato, wrapped in roti bread) and five snacks (including chickpea salad and two takes on fried potatoes). It sounds simple, but the layers of Indian-spiced flavor make each bite an adventure. It's an ideal choice for a quick, satisfying meal while exploring the neighborhood; there's a small dining room, but most of the business is takeaway. They also make soft-serve ice cream—a single flavor that changes monthly.
The sushi selection here is vast and top-quality, but chef Taichi Kitamura really distinguishes himself with his ippins—small, delicate dishes such as egg custard, grilled black cod, braised wagyu beef, and mustard greens and albacore with almond-wasabi sauce (among more than a dozen choices). You can order a la carte, choose from several set menus, or sit at the sushi bar and indulge yourself with omakase. The location is in Eastlake, just west of Capitol Hill.
If you're a sushi lover with some money to spend, this is the place for you. Set off the street amid a nondescript row of storefronts, it's a modest-looking, nine-seat sushi bar that serves only omakase—two dozen offerings, featuring exotic nigiri and sashimi interspersed with cooked dishes, all meticulously curated by chef Taneda. The end result is likely Seattle's most carefully crafted meal. Getting a reservation is like scoring tickets to a hot concert: go online as soon as seats become available (usually two weeks in advance) and hope the sushi gods on smiling on you.
The waters off the Washington coast produce some of the world's tastiest shellfish. This cozy bar, located on a lively block between Starbucks Reserve and Melrose Market, is a great place to take a deep dive into the deliciousness. Along with local oysters, you can sample clams, mussels, crab, shrimp, and, if you're feeling adventurous, geoduck. (It's not all raw; there are steamed, stewed, and baked options.) The Taylor family has been farming shellfish for five generations, and they know their stuff. They also have bars in Lower Queen Anne and Pioneer Square, and their the Samish Bay farm makes a great day trip stop.
Cute as a button and beloved by locals, VPC has a sort of style-conscious general-store feel: shelves are lined with a few select groceries, and inside a glass case at the counter, decadent (but nutritious) pastries are ready for their closeup. The main draw is the egg-and-cheese (bacon optional) breakfast sandwich, which has earned a reputation as the best in the city. There's also a simple lunch menu offering a few toasts (avocado, beet hummus, halloumi), a salad, and a soup. Note that the location is four blocks east of the park, not in it.
Located in the heart of the Olive Way bar scene, this Middle Eastern walk-up window is all about saj, a thin bread that wraps around eggplant, meat, cheese, or falafel like a burrito, or comes with dips like muhummara, baba ghanouj, or hummus. It's popular with the late-night drinking crowd, but it's great for a delicious meal any time of day. There's no seating; many customers bring their food next door to Hillside Bar or to one of the nearby parklets.
