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Nearly every small town in eastern Washington has at least one fast-food drive-through for a quick meal on the go, but choosing a slower pace will reward visitors with an authentic dining experience that often doesn't cost much more. Local diners and cafés are great spots for getting a hearty breakfast of traditional favorites like farm-fresh eggs or biscuits and gravy. Somewhat surprisingly, several of the small towns have outstanding dining options, too. At many restaurants there's an emphasis on locally grown, organic foods. With the region's many farms, it's easy to source produce, grains, poultry, meat, and dairy items, and some restaurants have their own gardens on-site for the freshest produce of all. Spokane has a good diversity of cuisines and some highly acclaimed restaurants, but up-and-coming Walla Walla is also becoming a mecca for foodies and wine lovers.
In a former flour mill with great views of the Spokane River, Clink's has been a Spokane institution since 1974. The seafood, steaks, and prime rib are excellent; the Broadway pea salad, French onion soup, and beer-battered fish-and-chips are all popular at lunch. Some favorite dessert choices include seasonal bread pudding, molten chocolate cake, and key lime pie.
The Anthony's chain is renowned for fine waterfront dining in western Washington, and this outpost on the Columbia River waterfront continues the tradition. Seafood is the specialty—from fish-focused appetizers, including panfried Willapa Bay oysters and fresh Northwest manila clams, to entrées with Dungeness crab (whole, in fettuccine, or in crab cakes), Idaho rainbow trout, Alaskan weathervane scallops, char-grilled Alaskan halibut, and salmon. Several steaks are among the other entrée offerings.
