6 Best Restaurants in Spokane, Spokane and Eastern Washington

Right off the Maple Street Bridge, this is the state's oldest railroad-car restaurant; built as an observation car in 1906, it has original light fixtures, stained-glass windows, and mahogany details. Generously sized breakfasts are the specialty here, including unique items like Creole Benedict with lobster, shrimp, and crab. On the sweeter side, there's orange cranberry French toast and cinnamon roll waffles. For dinner there's such comfort food as turkey with mashed potatoes, meat loaf, and chicken-fried steak.

This casual eatery in the relaxed Browne's Addition neighborhood serves tasty pub food like grilled lamb sandwiches, blackened chicken alfredo, and a Korean pork bowl, and you can wash it all down with one of the 16 beers on tap. A copper bar stands along one wall, backed by a mirror and lots of memorabilia, giving the interior a saloonlike appearance.

Operated by a neighborhood nonprofit that helps young people learn job skills, Fresh Soul blends a worthy purpose with really good Southern food. At lunchtime, a pulled pork or catfish sandwich will hit the spot, and for dinner, the big combo meals (think fried chicken legs with beans, potato salad, and cornbread) are tasty and filling. The colorful cafe has a few tables, but everything is also nicely packaged for take-out.

This speakeasy-style restaurant/bar, steps down from the Montvale Hotel, has a cool vibe, with brick and stone walls that feel medieval, juxtaposed with very modern comfort food. Menu choices include a tater tot casserole with brisket and roasted wild mushrooms, salmon n' grits, harissa meatloaf, and wild mushroom stroganoff. Coconut cream pie with banana whipped cream is a delicious end to a meal.

Pressed-tin ceilings, vintage photographs, and a century-old bar with ornate columns evoke the past at this former saloon and pharmacy, enthusiastically serving American fare for decades. There are more than a dozen sandwiches and burgers on the menu, along with heartier dishes like pot roast dinner, two kinds of fish-and-chips, wild Alaskan salmon, and sirloin steak. For sharing, there's the baked Cougar Gold cheese dip with flatbread and a decadent warm chocolate chip cookie for dessert. Area 51 Taphouse is located inside the restaurant and offers 51 beverages on tap.