7 Best Restaurants in Wallingford, Seattle

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.

Sample gelato in seasonal flavors like honey lavender and fig vanilla at this small, sweet family-owned shop. Locals in the know skip the big lines at other local chains and come here instead for a quick and delicious frozen treat.

This long dining room facing Lake Union has original Northwest Indian artwork collected by the restaurant's namesake founder. It's touristy, often gimmicky, and always packed. You are paying for the setting here: a building designed as a loose replica of a traditional longhouse with terrific views of Lake Union and Downtown. Try to snag a table on the deck.

Just a block off the Burke-Gilman Trail along Lake Union, this tiny Mexican-ish café puts out enormous and excellent breakfast sandwiches and burritos—perfect for eating messily in nearby Gas Works Park. The coffee is good, but the fresh, colorful juices are even better.

This Seattle classic has been bringing the flavors of the Caribbean to the city for more than two decades, since the owner moved to town and grew frustrated with the lack of dishes like roti, curry, and jerk that she missed from home in Trinidad. The restaurant's limited hours get people clamoring to grab Pam's aloo pies, flaky breads, and tender curry goat. Keep an eye out for specials featuring her famous doubles and wash everything down with a glass of sorrel. 

Familiar brunch dishes and pastries take on new personalities as this all-day café weaves them with Japanese ingredients. Chashu pork flavors the biscuits and gravy, teriyaki-glazed bacon, and a sandwich filled with tamago-style omelette. At the pastry case in front, scones are laced with ginger and scallions, and the icebox pie uses sudachi citrus. This is comfort food that has traveled back and forth across the Pacific, reflecting restaurateur Yasuaki Saito's childhood with one parent each from northern Japan and the southern U.S. The minimal decor and bare walls help to further highlight the colorful food and eclectic selection of serving dishes, which give the impression of all having been selected at the world's cutest thrift shop.