9 Best Restaurants in Washington Wine Country, Washington

Helmed by James Beard finalist and ardent fly-fisherman Kevin Davis, this modern restaurant on a picturesque bend in Yakima River Canyon has tall windows and a covered deck overlooking the scenery. Stop for a hearty breakfast before a day of recreation on the river, or for a memorable lunch or dinner of artfully prepared contemporary American fare, such as grilled Idaho trout with roasted pecan–brown butter or tagliatelle with goat Bolognese and burrata. 

Named for one of the region's most famous canyons for hiking, this hip downtown restaurant offers contemporary, elevated comfort fare like tandoori chicken wings, balsamic-braised lamb shank, and butcher's cut steaks with a chimichurri glaze. Notable for its sleek design, the restaurant uses antique ice hooks and smudge pots, which double as light fixtures, to pay homage to the region's past, and the high-ceilinged bar is lined with the wood used to mold the restaurant's board-formed concrete walls.

The menu at this urbane farm-to-table downtown bistro changes according to whatever's fresh in the Yakima Valley, showcasing anything from braised short ribs with local cherries, horseradish, and pureed apples in summer to grilled albacore with a Thai chili vinaigrette, root vegetables, dried shrimp, and pickled ginger. Certain dishes you can always expect to find on the menu, like local oysters on the half-shell and wood-fired feta, along with seasonal sorbets for dessert.

Set in a grand stone-and-timber lodge that overlooks both the remains of the old Roslyn No. 9 mineshaft and the Hyatt Suncadia Resort's scenic Rope Rider Golf Course, this wine-centric dining room provides an elegant counterpoint to the area's quirky saloons. The menu mixes Pacific Northwestern and international recipes—apple chutney–baked Brie, pear-pancetta flatbread, and Angus rib-eye steaks—and Swiftwater's own mostly Bordeaux-style wines are superb.

From students recovering after a night of partying to hikers fueling up before hitting the trail, this cozy downtown café with big windows and an expansive side patio serves brunch daily—with cocktails, if you wish. Specialties include breakfast poutine with sausage gravy and salsa verde, banana–and–macadamia nut waffles, and avocado toast on sourdough with eggs, cotija cheese, and cherry tomatoes.

In this warmly inviting storefront that morphs into a full-on bar and live music haunt after 9 pm, enjoy gastropub cooking that often features internationally inspired dishes, such as pork belly ramen and mussels in a fragrant Thai red coconut curry. Decked out with deep wooden booths, exposed brick walls, and vintage chandeliers, it's a classy joint, but with an "everybody knows your name" vibe.

Smack in the center of Vintner's Village, steps from more than a dozen tasting rooms, this smartly casual bistro is part of Bunnell Family Cellar winery and offers delightfully relaxing meals, with its open kitchen, fresh flowers on the tables, and outside seating set among the restaurant's herb and vegetable gardens. Share a few small plates with friends—maybe a caprese salad, a charcuterie plate, or crisp-crust pizza with pesto and eggplant from the wood-fired oven—or consider a more substantial meal, such as wild Pacific cod with polenta and blueberry-corn salsa.

Set inside a 1923 Lutheran church, this cheery yellow house of culinary worship now serves modern American fare with global accents inside the former nave and choir loft. Standouts at dinner include garam masala–crusted rack of lamb and oven-roasted cedar plank steelhead with lemon caper butter. The gooey bananas Foster waffles are a crowd-pleaser on weekend mornings.

A pantry full of carefully curated groceries, a bar with a notable beer and spirits list, and a chill neighborhood bistro with a postindustrial look and a large patio, Provisions successfully plays multiple roles as a destination for excellent food and drink. The locavore-minded menu changes seasonally, but might feature curried cauliflower with a dill-lemon sauce, grilled kale and Italian sausage pizza, and down-home fried chicken with mashed potatoes, brown gravy, and sautéed corn. It's on the east side, a couple of miles from downtown.