108 Best Restaurants in Seattle, Washington

Slate tabletops, a tile floor, and a rolled-zinc bar will transport you out of Downtown Seattle and into the charming 6th arrondissement. The menu is quintessentially French: at lunch, there are rustic pâtés and jambon et fromage (ham and cheese) sandwiches on crusty baguettes, while dinner sees homemade charcuterie, salads, daily fish specials, and a selection of cheese. The roast chicken (for two) takes an hour to prepare and is worth every second that you'll wait. Blackboards spell out the specials, and wines are served from the earthenware pichets that inspired the brasserie's name.

Marrying together local inspiration and well-sourced seafood, this bright, friendly counter-service casual spot captures the city's culinary culture in its menu. Going beyond the pricier headline fish like salmon and halibut makes the food both more sustainable and more affordable. Instead, Dover sole, rockfish, and albacore find their way into riffs on familiar dishes like banh mi sandwiches and filet-o-fish, and fish and chips. The pescaphobic will also find joy in the burger, which is among the best around.

Tom Douglas dishes out his signature Northwest style, spiked with Greek and Mediterranean touches—another huge success for the local celebrity chef. Try a slow-roasted lamb leg or the big bean shakshuka. Also on the menu: a variety of kebabs (including a halloumi cheese-and-fig version for vegetarians) and scrumptious spreads including smoky eggplant, tzatziki, and olive fig. 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.

One of Seattle's favorite bakeries is also popular for breakfast and brunch, and an excellent place to take a delicious break on your way to or from the Olympic Sculpture Park. With its perfectly executed breads and pastries carefully crafted from regional ingredients—from Nutella brioche and ginger cookies to almond croissants and dark chocolate, sugar-dusted brownies—it's become a true Belltown institution. You can also wait for a table and have a larger breakfast or lunch—sandwiches, quiches, and salads are all fresh and expertly made.

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.

You’d never guess from its unassuming storefront that this is Lower Queen Anne’s go-to for Neapolitan-style pizza. Ten rotating varieties emerge from the wood-fired oven, each with a perfectly blistered crust. The space also doubles as a tasting room for microbrewery Fast Fashion, so you’ll find an inventive beer list to match your meal—just note that it’s 21 and over only.

This is a favorite lunch spot for the professional crowd but it's not for timid eaters: custom dry-aged mesquite-grilled steaks and chops—among the best in Seattle—are huge and come with a hearty side option. Non-steak eaters aren't excluded and can sample regional specialties such as Alaskan halibut and Dungeness crab fettuccine. The Met's take on a steak house is either classic or a caricature, depending on how you take to the cigar-and-cognac vibe: servers wear tuxes and everything is clad in fine wood, brass, and velvet.

Take a seat on the aqua-painted chairs and tables beneath leafy trees with a flaky croissant in hand, and you’ll almost believe you’re in Paris. A new neighborhood favorite, Mirabelle is a French-inspired pâtisserie located next to Occidental Park. Browse the mouth-watering case filled with croissants, macarons, and berry-topped tarts, or take a seat and order a croque monsieur, salade Niçoise, or quiche. Given the cafe's proximity to the stadiums, expect to find lines out the door on game days, but it moves quickly and is worth the wait. Mirabelle is also stocked with a few French specialty items, including fromage and baguette.

The Eastside sibling of Capitol Hill's darling Vietnamese eatery is utterly polished and sleek—much fancier than the original restaurant. But the favorites remain the same; diners love the bo la lot beef, crispy drunken chicken, catfish clay pot, and barbecued hoisin pork ribs, and all go impressively well with the specialty cocktails. In signature Bellevue style, diners dress up a bit more than in, say, Capitol Hill or Ballard, though the weekend dim sum brunches draw more casual diners. The free parking in the garage behind the restaurant is a boon on busy Main Street.

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.

This lakeside location of a local dumpling specialist brings a wide assortment of Chinese cuisine to an area of town not normally known for big flavor. The sprawling menu has crowd-pleasing options like northern-style dumplings, dim sum, and American Chinese food, as well as in-depth dishes from Sichuan and Hunan for the spice-nerds out there. Extremely casual, with dark wood tables and a nice wraparound patio looking out toward the park, the restaurant is a pleasant place to sit—helpful since the kitchen is quite small, and thus sometimes requires patience from diners.

Cozy leather bar seats surround the wide wood bar at the stylish, modern Mr. West Cafe Bar, where they’ve got you covered from morning pick-me-up to early-evening imbibing. The coffee menu offers the usuals, from drips and cortados to cappuccinos and lattes, as well as creative espresso-based options like coffee soda, coffee egg cream, and a cardamom tonic. There’s also a separate tea drinks menu and a solid wine, beer, and cocktails list. If you're looking for more than a drink, fill up on light bites like chia pudding or yoghurt with peach compote, or opt for something more filling like the shakshuka or smoked salmon on toast.

Though it shares its name with a half-dozen other teriyaki shops in town, this location on the Ave is the original. It shows its age, but it's been around so long because makes a first-rate version of classic Seattle-style chicken teriyaki. Expect white rice (a mountain of it); sweet, sauce-glazed meat (stick with the chicken); well-fried gyoza dumplings (worth the extra dollar); and a chunk of iceberg lettuce (so you can say you ate a vegetable).

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.

The centerpiece of this Cuban-influenced menu is the mouthwatering Famous Caribbean Roast sandwich: marinated pork topped with sautéed onions and served on a chewy baguette. It's doused with an amazing top-secret sauce that keeps folks coming back for more. The entrées are also delicious, from fresh fish in garlic tapenade to prawns in a spicy red sauce. There are a few tables, but Paseo gets so busy the line usually snakes way out the door, and most people opt for takeout.

With its Post Alley entrance and meager signage, the Pink Door's speakeasy vibe draws Pike Place Market regulars almost as much as its savory, seasonal Italian food does. The food is good, and the pappardelle al ragù Bolognese and cioppino are reliably standout entrées, but people come here mostly for the atmosphere (which includes tasteful cabaret acts) and shaded outdoor deck with views of Elliott Bay.

Large windows look out on Elliott Bay in this cozy spot tucked behind a meat vendor in Pike Place Market's main arcade. Despite its name, this restaurant has only a few French flourishes on an otherwise American/Pacific Northwest menu. Go for the steamed mussels, the Calamari Dijonnaise, Dungeness crab (in season), onion soup topped with bubbly Gruyère, or the fish of the day. Local microbrews are on tap, and the wine list is thoughtfully compact, but if you want to feel more like you're in France, sip a pastis—or an aperitif of your choosing—as you gaze out the window.  In nice weather, open windows let in the fresh salt breeze. Flowers brighten each table, and the staff is warm and welcoming. 

Consistently good coffee by a local small batch roaster is the highlight at this High Point café. The white walls ringed at the top by a shelf of plants give it a lush, green feeling, and the expanse of tall windows lets in natural light. The bright, colorful space and tiled counter welcome guests coming for breakfast sandwiches and pastries or for hot sandwiches on sourdough bread. The full food menu is available from 8 am--2 pm. Beverages include standard espresso and drip coffee choices, and they also have house-made syrups. 

Vietnamese cuisine gets the fast-casual treatment here, in the best way. The space is bright and colorful, service is quick, and the bánh mì, pho, and vermicelli bowls burst with flavor. It’s also a go-to spot for boba tea, with more than a dozen fruit-flavored options. Most customers grab takeout, but the butterfly-themed dining room is charming, and there’s a bit of outdoor seating, too.

This small, unpretentious Ballard café makes some of the city's best bagels, which you can get with a classic schmear or as part of a creative, elaborate sandwich. Breakfast burritos come in regular and giant (one-pound) sizes and include a variety of delicious salsas made from scratch. Bagels and burritos may sound like an unusual pairing, but Rachel has them both down, making this a dependable choice for a quick, tasty breakfast or snack.

Ray's has a split personality: there's a fancy dinner-only dining room downstairs (reservations essential) and a casual café and bar upstairs. Both serve fresh seafood in classic preparations—clam chowder, steamed mussels, crab cakes, grilled salmon—but the main draw here is the view over Shilshole Bay. Competition can be stiff for seats on the café's deck, especially at happy hour. If you're going to splurge on dinner downstairs, reserve a window table.

Just steps from Fremont's Stalin statue, Royal Grinders serves hearty hot subs on pillowy rolls. We're talking classic combos of meat, cheese, and veggies piled high and baked in the oven. The Crown and the Italian are the best.

During the day, this café/restaurant centrally located on Ballard Ave. is a handy pitstop, similar to a coffee shop but on a grander scale. Come dinnertime, the mood changes: there’s table service, craft cocktails flow, and the Middle Eastern flavors are stronger, with more mezze options and five types of kebabs. There’s a large, open dining room and a covered patio; counter-service breakfast and lunch offers around 20 options for eggs, wraps, mezze, and salads, most with a Middle Eastern accent; and the coffee bar is managed by local chain Café Vita.

Every Seattleite knows their favorite banh mi shop, and this quick, convenient spot is often a winner; try the "three kinds of ham" sandwich here to see if you agree. Tables brim with colorful Vietnamese sweets and grab-and-go meals. Order at the counter for the hot buffet or a freshly made sandwich.

It's undeniably touristy, but the views here simply can't be beat on a summer afternoon. Famed for its Sunday and holiday brunches and view of Seattle's skyline across the harbor, Salty's offers more in the way of quantity than quality—and sometimes a bit too much of its namesake ingredient—but it's a couple of steps up from the mainstream seafood chains. If you can get a table with a view, order a wine by the glass and a cup of chowder or some crab legs, and enjoy.

The Armory serves as Seattle Center's food court, with upward of a dozen vendors (mostly local) selling burgers, pizza, tacos, kebabs, fish and chips, teriyaki, and more. The building dates back to 1939; a skillful redesign in 2021 restored original elements of the facade and brought more light into the interior—making it a pleasant place to check out even if you're not hungry.

This seafood shop-cafe hybrid sells some of the freshest fish around town. They makes some of the best poke around Seattle, along with sides like kimchi and mac salad, and dishes like a crab panini and clam chowder. Containers of daily catches and shellfish line the walls, and there's more to see in the glass case. Everything changes with the season. There are a few tables to the right of the busy counter, or take your food to go and enjoy it in nearby Judkins Park. The smoked salmon is a delicious souvenir to bring home.

This is a hyper-focused "only-in-Seattle" kind of place, serving only congee (Asian rice porridge), only for breakfast and lunch, in a a breezy location along Shilshole Bay. Congee, like risotto, is really a vehicle for other ingredients, and the choices here shine, whether it's a classic, like chicken or tofu, or something more distinctive, like blue crab or wild boar. The simple dining area doesn't have water views, but it's a quick trip with a to-go order to the beach at Golden Gardens or the gardens at Chittenden Locks.

Serious artisanal pizzas are worth the wait here—and there will be a wait at this tiny Belltown restaurant. Famed local restaurateur Tom Douglas delivers chewy, buttery crusts anchored by such toppings as roasted oyster mushrooms and truffle cheese; or Penn Cove mussels, pancetta, lemon thyme, and chili flakes. Wash it down with a local brew, a glass of local wine, or some bubbly. High seats and communal tables crowd this bustling space.

For budget-friendly and oh-so-good Sichuan cooking, head to this simple spot in the Asian Plaza strip mall east of I–5. The atmosphere is ordinary, but the service is friendly and the food is as traditional as it gets. Dry-cooked string beans (available with a variety of meats), Kung Pao chicken, delicious dumplings, spicy Sichuanese ravioli, and ma po tofu (a spicy combination of tofu and minced pork) are favorites; the sizzling hot pot is popular and good; but the house-made noodles are unmissable.