18 Best Restaurants in North Central Washington, Washington

Located on the edge of a pear orchard in Cashmere, this family-owned bakeshop has an unusual and appealing industrial–vintage-farmhouse feel. It offers up some of the region's best breads and pastries, from bread pudding to almond meringue cookies to lemon cheesecake. Enjoy an espresso or European-style sandwich (baguette, butter, cured meats, cheeses) at a picnic table indoors or on the sunny patio anchored by a modern, concrete water feature and lots of lavender.

With a festive sidewalk seating area and a rustic timber-clad dining room, this trendy spot offers some of the best craft beer in Leavenworth. There are several great IPAs on hand, as well as a rich Maple stout. The menu includes tasty pizzas such as the Hot Mama, topped with thick-cut bacon, Mama Lil's Peppers, aged mozzarella, and arugula.

Tucked beside the popular Glover Street Market, this bakery is justly renowned for both savory and sweet treats, including—most famously—cinnamon "twisps" (the bakery's own decadent version of cinnamon rolls). Note that they often sell out by late morning, so arrive early if you want to get one. There are also smoothies, milk shakes, and build-your-own sandwiches.

A beloved downtown gastropub with rustic brick walls and soaring wood-beam ceilings, McGlinn's serves elevated comfort fare, including cavatappi with chipotle sauce, lamb tzatziki burgers, and wood-fired pizzas with inventive toppings (the blueberry-prosciutto is a favorite). There's an extensive craft-beer list, and desserts are worth saving room for. Hearty breakfasts of beer bread French toast, fried chicken with biscuits and gravy, and scrambles are served weekends.

The cheerful café at this budget-minded downtown inn is open only seasonally, but it's one of the very best spots in the area for lunch and, especially, breakfast. Bagel sandwiches, smashed avocado on desem bread (a mild sourdough bread), a choice of four scrambles, and several kinds of burrito wraps are the perfect sustenance for a day of hiking, boating, or wine touring.

If you need a handy stop for breakfast or lunch, or takeout provisions for a picnic in the North Cascades, this gluten-free bakery featuring tasty, made-from-scratch baked goods and hearty meals is definitely worth a quick detour off the highway between Sedro-Woolley and Marblemount. The breakfast menu lists the usual quiches and waffles, along with three-potato hash (with eggs, corned beef, veggies, or andouille sausage). Midday offerings include sandwiches (both grilled and cold), salads, and soups. There's a full espresso bar and a soda fountain with delicious shakes.

Merry "oompah" music bubbles out from marching accordion players at this festive, long-running restaurant, where the theme is "Germany without the Passport"; it adjoins two sister establishments, Mozart's Steakhouse and Gingerbread Factory bakery. Laughing crowds lap up strong, cold brews and feast on a selection of wursts—bratwurst, knackwurst, and weisswurst, among others—Polish sausage and beef goulash, all nestled into heaping sides of sauerkraut, tangy German potato salad, and thick, dark rye bread. Service can be slow at times, so just sit back and enjoy the ambience. You just might get called to stand up and do the "chicken dance."

Locally sourced farm-to-table meals are the draw in this airy, casually elegant restaurant on the edge of downtown Winthrop. Notable examples of the deftly plated, sophisticated fare you might find here include braised lamb shank with lemon farro, grilled pork chop with savory pear sauce, lemon and feta risotto, and mushroom cassoulet. The starters and mains on the shorter bar menu are equally ambitious 

These two restaurants have adjacent spots in the Pybus Public Market and a shared seating area, where you can enjoy pizza, pasta, antipasti, salami boards, soups, and sandwiches from Fire, and crepes, espresso drinks, and house-made gelato and sorbetto (sorbet) from Ice. Both are part of Visconti's Restaurant Group, which began in 1985 with classical Italian Visconti's in Wenatchee and now includes several restaurants in Wenatchee and Leavenworth.

Downtown Wenatchee's go-to for cappuccinos, lattes, and other finely crafted espresso drinks is a large, inviting space with brick walls and plenty of seating. The kitchen also serves tasty light breakfast fare—bagel sandwiches, parfaits, wraps, and breakfast burritos—and wrap sandwiches and salads at lunch time.

This buzzy, wood-paneled ciderhouse and taproom on the road to North Cascades National Park stands out for both its bright, crisp ciders and its elevated pub grub. Tuck into a plate of baby back ribs, Thai chicken sausage, or pulled-pork pizza, and consider a sampler of ciders—all of these sippers are produced with apples and other fruit grown in the immediate vicinity.

Bratwurst, beef franks, and brews abound at this casual outdoor Bavarian grill and beer garden, tucked into a cozy corner in downtown. It's perfect for hungry travelers seeking an affordable but filling meal. The atmosphere is laid-back and family-friendly, and seating is at picnic tables outdoors. You can doctor the dogs and pretzels at the mustard bar.

Located in a long red building designed to resemble an old-time, one-room schoolhouse, this craft brewpub sits between the town's main drag and the Chewuch River. While waiting for a burger or a bowl of chili, sip an Epiphany Pale, Hooligan Stout, or Ruud Awakening IPA. Live music plays on the outdoor stage in the riverbank beer garden on summer weekend nights. In winter, make a reservation to dine outdoors in the heated Geodomes with your family or small group for a unique experience. Other locations of the brewery in nearby towns are the Old Schoolhouse Taproom in Twisp and the Mazama Public House in Mazama.

Opened by two women with extensive experience cooking Thai food, this casual spot in downtown Wenatchee turns out some of the best Southeast Asian cuisine in the region. Traditional khao soi egg noodles, pineapple fried rice, stir-fried seafood, and hot and sour soups are among the most popular dishes from the extensive menu.

A fusion-y menu of modern Latin American (primarily Mexican) dishes provides a nice—and slightly spicy—alternative to Leavenworth's wealth of Bavarian food. Enjoy sweet-potato-and-roasted-poblano-chili enchiladas, baby shrimp tacos, and Michoacán-style carnitas platters, along with chicken poblano enchiladas and grilled steak burritos. There's a sister location in Pybus Market in Wenatchee.

Head to this North Shore winery and bistro for wine tasting and dining on the terrace overlooking the Spaders Bay section of Lake Chelan. The lunch and dinner menus feature herbs and produce grown in Vin du Lac's own gardens, as well as meats, cheeses, and seafood sourced regionally as much as possible. Southern French and Northern Italian fare stars at this romantic, wine-focused restaurant where the menu changes quarterly to feature what's in season. Families are welcome, and you can even bring your pooch while you dine on the terrace.

From its cozy setting inside a 1917 home, this restaurant has been serving up tasty breakfasts and lunches since 2000. It's not far from the Pybus Public Market, where its new rendition called "The Huck" is open late into the evening. But the charm of the original has an appeal that keeps at least the early bird diners coming back in time to get a hearty meal before the restaurant closes at 2 pm.

In winter, this eatery's stone walls and varnished-wood tables impart a warm vibe, and in summer the sprawling beer garden with grand river and mountain views puts everyone in a happy mood. This hipster-approved, counter-service purveyor of fragrant, flavorful Asian-style bone broths and creative pub fare seems always to draw a big, chatty crowd.