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At this convivial two-level downtown tavern with exposed brick walls and tall windows, boldly flavored Southern fare—prominently featuring rotisserie or fried (buttermilk or spicy-hot) chicken—rules the day. The chicken dishes come with a variety of sauces and sides and in several different formats, from chicken and waffles to fried chicken thigh sandwiches with Tabasco mayo.
1327 Railroad Ave., Bellingham, Washington, 98225, USA
Known For
- Novel cocktails
- Pimento cheese hush puppies
- Roasted shiitake–and–chicken gravy poutine
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues. No lunch
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In a strip mall a short drive east of downtown, this simply decorated pan-Asian restaurant serves creative, often complex, dishes that often reflect Latin American influences—think ahi tacos and birria ramen. Fried soft-shell crab with tuna poke are stars among the noodle bowls, but also consider the gochujang-braised short ribs with kimchi-fried rice, pickled Fresno chilies, and a sunny-side-up egg.
8404 Bowdoin Way, Edmonds, Washington, 98020, USA
Known For
- Great deals during late-night happy hour
- Plenty of creative plant-based options
- Asian-Latino taco nights on Tuesday
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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Dig in to some of the tastiest and most flavorful barbecue in the state at this upbeat restaurant in a handsome 1923 brick building that has at various times served as the local bank, police station, and city hall. The chef-owner describes his barbecue as Cascadian, and his specialties do reflect some creative regional influences—consider the gochujang-marinated burnt ends with chanterelle mushrooms, pickled onions, and sour corn, or the roast-veggie salad with pulled pork and black-garlic ranch dressing.
38767 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie, Washington, 98065, USA
Known For
- Cabin in the Woods cocktail (bourbon, local apple cider, maple, lemon, and bitters)
- Mac-and-cheese bowls with your choice of meat
- Uncle Phil sandwich (smoked brisket, provolone, and horseradish mayo on challah)
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
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You'll find everything from thoughtfully curated artisanal groceries and prepared foods to a selection of creative contemporary American and international fare in the cheerful dining room of this stylish market in a retrofitted auto repair shop. Try the chilaquiles or croque madame at breakfast, and later in the day sample the salmon gravlax bagels and whole fried rainbow trout with grilled asparagus. Stock up on scones, cookies, and pecan sticky buns in the bakery.
4719 Hwy. 104, Port Gamble, Washington, 98364, USA
Known For
- Short walk from the Port Gamble Historic Museum and General Store
- Hefty, inventive sandwiches
- Gourmet picnic provisions, including sweet bakery treats
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed.
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Murals of tropical flowers and, of course, massive ferns decorate the softly lighted, sunny dining room of this superb restaurant in the heart of downtown Bellevue, which serves some of the best Thai food in greater Seattle. Specialties include Gai Tod Hat Yai, a deep-fried marinated half-chicken served with a panang curry dipping sauce and roti bread, and salmon grilled and served over a rich coconut curry sauce with eggplant and green beans.
10134 Main St., Bellevue, Washington, 98004, USA
Known For
- Attractive sidewalk and patio seating
- Fragrant, entrée-size soups
- Very good selection of craft beers on tap
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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In a vintage brick building in downtown Chehalis, a 10-minute drive south of Centralia, you'll find the region's most sophisticated restaurant, a source of consistently imaginative, fresh Pacific Northwest fare at reasonable prices. The seasonally driven menu changes daily but might feature a starter of cheddar ale fondue with apple, artisan bread, and sausage, followed by Parmesan-crusted whitefish with a light lemon-dill sauce, or sliced duck breast with a black-cherry-and-walnut reduction—it's pretty urbane fare for this laid-back, down-home part of Washington.
545 N. Market St., Chehalis, Washington, 98532, USA
Known For
- Extensive list of local beers and wines
- Beautifully presented dishes
- Chocolate-coffee pots de creme
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
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This playfully named restaurant near the Capitol does indeed specialize in tapas, including—naturally—giant Pacific octopus, cured in olive oil and served with crusty house bread. Others treats from the seafood-centric menu are smoked oysters with lemon, mussels in a Thai lemongrass curry, and prawn tacos with pineapple salsa, but the menu lists plenty of meat and veggie options, too.
610 Water St. SW, Olympia, Washington, 98501, USA
Known For
- Generous three-hour-long happy hour
- Live music and brunch on weekends
- Friendly staff
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch weekdays.
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This casually contemporary spot with a tented seasonal outdoor seating area is a great option for breaking up a day of wine touring in the surrounding Warehouse District. The kitchen turns out creative sandwiches (try the one with burrata, delicata squash, and poached tart cherries) as well as meat and cheese boards and more substantial entrées, such as cauliflower steaks and braised beef short ribs.
18672 142nd Ave. NE, Woodinville, Washington, 98072, USA
Known For
- Picnic platters to enjoy while tasting at many local wineries
- Smoked-salmon deviled eggs topped with roe
- Sicilian cannoli
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon.–Wed. No dinner Sun.
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This bustling, casual spot along Tacoma's colorful 6th Avenue strip serves remarkably authentic and absolutely delicious soul food. In the morning, regulars swing by for heaping plates of chicken-fried steak with grits and eggs, or homemade biscuits and gravy. Later, move on to fried catfish strips with a side of hush puppies, Texas-style hand-trimmed brisket, and hot-links sandwiches. Dinners come with corn cakes and lots of tasty sides.
1716 6th Ave., Tacoma, Washington, 98405, USA
Known For
- Rich sweet-potato pie
- Hand-battered fried catfish and butterfish
- Jalapeño hush puppies
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Reasonably priced pastas and pizzas with local and seasonal ingredients, expertly crafted cocktails, a large covered sidewalk seating area, and a convenient downtown location are the hallmarks of this casually hip trattoria. Menu highlights include squid ink mezze maniche pasta (a ridged, tube-shape pasta) with shrimp, clams, pancetta, and chiles in white wine sauce, and the starter of house-made pork-beef meatballs with focaccia.
109 Grand Ave., Bellingham, Washington, 98225, USA
Known For
- Pizzas with dough created from a 1971 sourdough starter
- Made-from-scratch pastas
- Happy hour deals
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A good bet for tasty bar food or a more substantial meal before or after visiting Bremerton's museums, this stylishly rustic gastropub with varnished wood tables, ample bar seating, and exposed ducts is just a couple of blocks from the USS Turner Joy battleship. Good bets from the kitchen, which specializes in American and Pacific Islander fare, include smoked kalua pork sliders, Wagyu beef loco moco, and Polynesian-style tempura fish tacos.
232 4th St., Bremerton, Washington, 98337, USA
Known For
- Warmly lighted, convivial dining room
- Chocolate lava cake
- Extensive beer list
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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Drop by this urbane, high-ceilinged gastropub with an industrial-chic vibe for anything from creative cocktails and fine wines with a few snacks to a full dinner. The menu leans toward shareable appetizers—avocado fries, sautéed haloumi cheese with dates, flatbread with crab-artichoke gratin dip—and more substantial large plates, often with Latin American and Asian influences.
919 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, Washington, 98004, USA
Known For
- Spicy laab gai (gound chicken) with lime and mint leaves
- Many wines by the glass and beers on tap
- Lemon curd ricotta cake
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
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At this deliberately rustic waterfront eatery with impressive water views, diners share a casual, seaside camaraderie as they slurp up clam chowder, steamed clams, and mussels, plus larger plates of creatively prepared seafood grills and pastas—cioppino, chargrilled garlic prawns, and smoked-salmon linguine are some of the best bets. Sailors, who enjoy free boat moorage, arrive early for the popular weekend brunch.
101 Shore Dr., Bremerton, Washington, 98311, USA
Known For
- Expansive patio overlooking the water
- Good variety of seafood pasta dishes
- Cod fish-and-chips
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
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An artificial cherry tree in full bloom rises over the brick-walled dining room of this superb ramen and cocktail bar on a historic block of downtown Everett. Warm your soul with a steaming bowl of vegetarian shoyu, pork tonkatsu, spicy miso, or seafood ramen. Tack on a couple of the tasty sides, like squid salad or pork belly buns.
2803 Colby Ave., Everett, Washington, 98201, USA
Known For
- Extensive selection of appetizers
- Interesting cocktails made with shochu (a Japanese liquor)
- Generous portions
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You'll find some of northern Washington's tastiest Mexican food, from wild-cod ceviche to chicken in a 30-ingredient mole sauce, at this cheerful and unpretentious eatery that also specializes in made-to-order premium margaritas (try the smooth "top shelf" with Jimador Blanco tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar). There's another location in Mount Vernon.
623 Morris St., La Conner, Washington, 98257, USA
Known For
- Homemade churros with ice cream
- Traditional chiles rellenos and molcajete (a bowl of different meats and seafood topped with pico de gallo and melted cheese)
- Creative cocktails
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
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This warmly lighted tavern in the historic North End operates under a clever and ambitious premise: every four months the kitchen unveils a new menu dedicated to the cuisine of a different region of the Americas or Europe, from Barcelona to Montreal to Argentina. To keep fans with less adventurous tastes happy, the restaurant maintains a number of noteworthy dishes on every menu.
3201 N. 26th St., Tacoma, Washington, 98407, USA
Known For
- Jointly owned craft beer bar next door
- There's always a great burger available
- Fun brunches with refreshing cocktails
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Nestled beneath towering trees, this old-fashioned roadhouse with rough-hewn fir floors and knotty-pine walls is along the main road to Mt. Rainier. It's been a favorite lunch and dinner stop since it opened in the 1940s, and these days parkgoers still come by in droves to fill up on hearty, straightforward comfort fare, such as biscuits and gravy and chicken-fried steak and eggs in the morning, bacon-and-blue-cheese burgers at lunch, and wild Alaskan salmon with blackberry vinaigrette in the evening. The restaurant is part of a rustic inn with conventional rooms and cabins.
35707 Hwy. 706 E, Ashford, Washington, 98304, USA
Known For
- Don't-miss blackberry pie à la mode
- Family-friendly vibe
- Souvenir shop
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed. in winter
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With its soaring ceilings and windows, mod lighting, and streamlined wooden booths, the downtown location of a growing Chinese dumpling empire that began in Bellevue in 2014 is as much fun for people-watching as for devouring perfectly formed pan-fried, boiled, soup, and steamed dumplings. Fillings run the gamut from chicken and vegetables with spicy garlic sauce to shrimp and zucchini, and the menu has an extensive array of sides and appetizers—try the braised pig ears or five-spice beef shank.
10300 Main St., Bellevue, Washington, 98004, USA
Known For
- Huge selection of delicious dumplings
- Local and Asian beers
- Mango pancakes for dessert
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The rarefied setting—soaring ceilings, Palladian windows, polished-wood tables—inside downtown's neoclassical 1910 post office building is one good reason to book a table here. But don't overlook the well-prepared classic Italian and Spanish fare, which ranges from simple but hearty meatballs in red sauce and garganelli pasta (a short, tubular variety) with venison Bolognese to Spanish lentil stew with chorizo, paprika, and sherry.
1102 A St., Tacoma, Washington, 98402, USA
Known For
- Attractive sidewalk terrace
- Rich and robustly flavored pastas
- Impressive selection of fine sherries
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
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The 1907 brick building that once housed the horse-drawn fire-engine brigade is now a convivial pub that's filled with firehouse memorabilia. The hearty, eclectic comfort food—burgers, tacos, mac and cheese—are well-priced and tasty. The adjacent E9 brewery turns out a nice range of craft ales and serves creatively topped pizzas.
611 N. Pine St., Tacoma, Washington, 98406, USA
Known For
- Quirky and fun historic memorabilia
- Tasty local craft beers
- Elevated pub fare
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
