Here's a summary of recommendations for Bellevue and Seattle restaurants
based on net postings and email to me. Also, after net.recs, there's
what seems to be a fairly comprehensive Seattle restaurant guide done
for a conference which was sent to me.
Thanks to the following for their recommendations:
[email removed] (Mike A Christensen)
[email removed] (David Prager)
[email removed] (Jonathan Schachter)
[email removed] (Lisa COPELAND)
[email removed] (Peter Wung)
[email removed] (David Ruggiero)
[email removed] (Irving_Wolfe)
[email removed] (Radhika Thekkath)
[email removed] Terence Y. Lo
[email removed] (Mary Malmros)
Bellevue Recommendations:
Hunan Something?Garden? on N.E. 8th St. I always get fish
there and it's always pretty good. The menu's got a lot
of pedestrian selections but the seafood selections are good.
I Love Sushi -- located behind Hunan Whatever. Despite the
dorky name it's quite good.
Seoul Olympic -- on 112th St (forget if it's NE or SE...from the
intersection with NE 8th you go north. It's just a few blocks away, and
it's located on the top floor of a parking garage/office complex called
"The Commons" or some such. There is a sign for the restaurant but it's
small and easy to miss. Korean food, VERY good, fresh, tasty stuff. Since
you're a carnivore you should probably have the beef bulgoki -- it is
wonderful. I have done remarkably little exploration on their menu simply
because the bulgoki is so great. Don't be scared by the descriptions of
entrails and whatnot on the menu -- the bulgoki is simply grilled beef.
The King and I - Thai - inexpensive to moderate - Very good Thai food, I would
recommend no more than two to two and a half stars "hotness", unless
you are Thai.
The Eastside Public Market - Mall Food - This actually has some pretty decent
food places, in particular the Indian, Greek and Vietnamese places are
all pretty good. I think I ate about five lunches here.
The Rib Rack - Barbeque - Inexpensive - Tucked away in the back of Factoria
Square Shopping Center - Pretty good barbeque.
Seattle Recommendations:
Place Pigalle - Continental - Moderate to Expensive - in the back of the Pike
Street Market at the corner of the "L". I had a very good pasta dish.
View of Puget Sound. An Oasis in the Bustle of Pike Street Market.
Axum - Etheopian - Inexpensive - I must not be fan of Etheopean cooking, since
this was highly recommeneded. Not bad, just not my style. In a hard
to find location in the University (of W.) district. Recommended by
another netter who eats there frequently.
Kokeb - Ethiopian - Yes, I've consistently liked Kokeb, although it's
better to go there early or late because service is slow at peak hours.
The food is very good. Larger and a bit less casual than Axum
Salute' - Good Italian - NE 55th
Ristorate Salvadore - Good Italian - Roosevelt Way
Tratoria Mitchelli - Fair Italian - Very good breakfasts - on Yesler
Sea Garden - Cantonese with outstanding seafood- International District
Thai Thai - Maybe the best Thai I've had - Between Seattle and Seatac
Tai Ho - Not Thai, but Northern Chinese - get the Tai Ho Noodles
on Bothell Way
The Thai Restaurant -- Try the wrapped marinated chicken. There are
zillions of Thai restaurants in Seattle and this one is the best for
dinner; Bahn Thai may be better for lunch because The Thai Restaurant has
only a limited lunch menu.
Mediterranean Kitchen -- Lebanese; try the Shish Tawook
Quitana Roo - A not so California Mexican place - in Edmonds near Ferry
Cactus - More South American than Mexican - in Madison Park
318 Tavern - Good local dive for burgers and fries - 318 Nickerson
B&O Espresso - Best desserts in town, people watching - Capital Hill
Ivar's: Really good salmon, but I was entranced by the chowder. Great stuff.
F. X. McCrory's; Has lot's o' beers. In fact I think they had most of the
microbrewery brands from the pacific northwest. Their steaks were great.
Kind of pricey though. They are right across the street from the Kingdome,
close to the older part of Seattle.
Palomino -- a little upscale but not pretentious or expensive. I was taken
out to dinner here by a couple of very rich, badly dressed geeks. The
food was quite good, but not expensive (at least not by Boston standards).
We split a focaccia, and I had the four-cheese pizza. Everyone else
ordered pasta.
El Puerco Lloron -- Mexican, located at the base of Pike Place Hillclimb
(or very near the base). This was my first experience with a place that
uses fresh corn tortillas (there's a woman running 'em through a press).
The usual taquitos/burritos and so on, but made with some less common
fillings (e.g., carnitas). I ate here twice and it was great both times.
Second time I had tamales, which practically nobody ever makes because
they're such a pain in the butt. They were pretty yummy. NO atmosphere.
Ho Ho Seafood -- Chinese, in the International District. They do a simply
fantastic job with seafood. Order off the specials, and if the pan-fried
halibut is on, GET IT. Inexpensive. Fairly noisy/busy, but the staff is
very pleasant and things seem to go smoothly.
A general recommendation was made for the University district, particularly
University Avenue aka "The Av". Korean, sushi, Mexican, Chinese and
a microbrewery were mentioned as being in the area.
Coffeehouses: SBC (Seattle Best Coffee) and Starbuck were recommended.
Elsewhere Recommendations:
Redmond:
Big Time Pizza: - Traditional style pizza with innovative
ingredients
Ballard:
Le Gourmand - Gourmet - Very strong recommendations for quality and
freshness and quality of ingredients. One of the finest restaurants
in the Northwest. While $80-90 for dinner for two not including wine,
word was that this was actually quite reasonable given the quality.
Kirkland:
Anthony's Homeport -- I ate at the one in Des Moines, but the original's in
Kirkland, just north of Bellevue. I had some of the best salmon I've ever
had here, and a wonderful wild blackberry cobbler for dessert. Heaven.
You should make sure to have salmon some time while you're there -- IMHO
Pacific Northwest salmon blows the doors off any other variety I've ever
had (esp. smoked salmon....alder-smoked king salmon, take me now Lord...).
Finally, Mike Christensen forwarded the PPOPP Restaurant Guide. He wasn't
sure what the PPOPP stood for, but it appears to be a good general
guide to Seattle restaurants done for a conference.
PPOPP Restaurant Guide,
Compiled by Anderson and Beame
Seattle is a very good city for restaurants. There are good restaurants in
all price ranges and for most major cuisines. Seafood is a very good bet.
A number of restaurants have sprung up that serve what could be called
``Northwest Cuisine'', specializing in fresh local ingredients. European
restaurants are well represented, with Italian being particularly strong.
There are a large number of Thai restaurants which are consistently good
and a smattering of Vietnamese restaurants. There are a number of good
Japanese restaurants. However, the Chinese restaurants are not
particularly good -- try Portland or Vancouver. In addition to being a
good place to eat, Seattle is also a good place to drink. There are
several Northwest microbreweries that make very good beers.
Another option is to take a bus, Metro is cheap (55 or 75 cents), and for
some destinations, convenient. The bus provides a convenient connection
with the University District.
Street addresses in Seattle are potentially confusing. Seattle is divided
into a number of regions, and the streets are designated with the
appropriate compass points. In downtown the compass point is empty. The
compass points are significant, since 1st Ave N is different from 1st Ave
NE is different from 1st Ave NW is different from 1st Ave. Streets
generally run east--west and Avenues generally run north--south (although
in some areas, such as downtown, east--west and north--south are used in a
weak sense). Both streets and avenues are numbered, so after a series of
wrong turns, you could find yourself at the corner of 45th and 45th (in
fact there are several different places in the city that you could find
yourself at this intersection). The compass point comes before a
street name, as in N 50th Street, and after an avenue name, as in 9th
Avenue NE. This makes the use of ``street'' and ``avenue'' redundant, so
they are often omitted.
The restaurants below are open seven days a week unless otherwise noted.
Restaurants are classified as inexpensive, inexpensive-moderate, moderate,
moderate-expensive, and expensive. A listing of restaurants by type of
food follows the main listings.
Downtown:
Most are located in hotels or office towers and so have a definite lack of
funkiness.
McCormick's Fish House, 722 Fourth Avenue, 682-3900,
Moderate--Expensive. Very wide range of fresh seafood, much of it flown in.
Metropolitan Grill, 820 Second Avenue, 624-3287.
Moderate--Expensive. Steak.
Enoteca, 414 Olive Way, 624-9108, Moderate-Expensive,
Wine Bar and nouvelle Northwest Cuisine. Across from the Westlake Center.
Closed Sunday.
Fullers, Sheraton Hotel, Sixth Avenue and Pike, Expensive, 447-5544. Very
good.
Prego, Stouffer Madison Hotel, 515 Madison St. (upstairs), 583-0300.
Moderate-Expensive. Large portions of vaguely nouvelle Italian cuisine.
The Dahlia Lounge, 1904 Fourth Avenue. Eclectic Cuisine. Moderate--Expensive.
Wild Ginger, 1400 Western, 623-4450. Westernized Asian. Moderate.
Italia, 1010 Western, 623-1917, Basic yuppie Italian. Moderate.
Cafe Alexis, First Avenue and Madison, 624-3646. Inventive menu,
in a pleasant hotel. Moderate-Expensive.
Pike Place Market:
These are really just as reachable on foot as the previous ones but are
all located in or near the market and away from the office towers.
Just follow Pike down towards the water.
Place Pigalle, Pike Place Market, 624-1756. Inside the market,
great views, decent fresh seafood. Moderate.
Campagne, 86 Pine, 728-2800, Expensive. Very good French country restaurant.
El Puerco Lloron, 1501 Western Avenue (Pike Place Hillclimb), Inexpensive.
Authentic Mexican food.
The Other Place, 96 Union, 623-7340. Expensive. Fish, lamb and game
excellently prepared in simple sauces. Closed Sunday.
Chez Shea, Pike Place Market, 467-9990. Tiny restaurant serving Northwest
cuisine upstairs in the Market Building itself. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Expensive.
Cafe Sport, 2020 Western Ave, 443-6000. Known for its unusual combinations
of ingredients. Had a recent chef change so somewhat unknown now. Expensive.
Tlaquepaque, 1122 Post Alley, 467-8226. Moderate.
Lively Mexican place where you won't find a burrito. Closed Sunday.
On the Waterfront:
Winding down through the Market is the Pike Place Hillclimb which leads to
a waterfront boardwalk and many touristy restaurants and shops.
Ivar's Acres of Clams, Pier 54. If you are out for a stroll on the boardwalk.
In business since a time before Seattle had restaurants. Inexpensive.
Top of the Pier, Alaskan Way & Broad, 441-1867. Moderate--Expensive.
North end of the water front. Seafood and a good view.
Pioneer Square:
Heading south along 1st Avenue leads past Pioneer Square at Yesler to a
number of renovated turn-of-the-century office buildings with many art
galleries and bar/cafes.
Viet My, 129 Prefontaine Place S, 382-9923. Inexpensive. Hole in the
wall place with good Vietnamese food.
Trattoria Mitchelli, 84 Yesler Way, 623-3883. Open nearly all the
time. It's only OK Italian food but at 3 AM who cares. Moderate.
Il Terrazzo Carmine, 411 1st Avenue S, 467-7797. Classic Italian
cuisine. Very good food in formal atmosphere. Expensive. Closed Sunday.
Eliot Bay Bookstore and Cafe, 1st Ave S and S Main. The best bookstore in
Seattle. The basement is a coffee house with an extremely pleasant
atmosphere. Worth a visit. Inexpensive.
F. X. McRory's, 4199 Occidental Ave S, 632-4800. Moderate. Steaks
and Chops. Good Bar. So, you want a 30 ounce steak.
North of the Market:
A short distance to the north of Pike Place Market along 1st Avenue.
Labuznik, 1924 1st Avenue, 682-1624, Expensive. Seattle's best restaurant.
Imaginative preparation of meat dishes. Rack of lamb (for two) is superb.
Closed Sunday and Monday.
Kaleenka Russian Cafe, 1933 1st Ave, 728-1278. Moderate. Russian and
Siberian cuisine. Closed Sunday.
Mama's Mexican Kitchen, 2234 2nd Ave, 728-6262. Inexpensive--Moderate.
Queen City Grill, 2201 1st Ave, 443-0975. Seafood and Chops. Moderate.
Well prepared seafood. A very good bet.
International District:
An area east of the Kingdome surrounding the superb Japanese supermarket,
Uwajimaya. Take 6th Avenue south from the hotel past the intervening
highway exits and down the hill.
Mikado, 514 S Jackson Street, 622-5206, Moderate. One of the best Japanese
restaurants on the west cost. Closed Sunday.
Nikko, 1206 S King Street, 322-4905, Moderate--Expensive. Best sushi in
Seattle.
Chau's Chinese Restaurant, 310 Fourth Ave S, 621-0006. Inexpensive.
Very good Cantonese. Skip the menu, ask your waiter.
House of Hong, 409 8th Ave S, 622-7997. Inexpensive. Good Cantonese.
Thanh Vi, 1046 S Jackson, 329-0208. Inexpensive. Vietnamese (Southern).
Little Bit of Saigon, 1036-A S Jackson St, 325-3663. Inexpensive. Good
Vietnamese (predominantly Northern).
Green Village, 721 S King, 624-3634. Peking/Szechuan. Moderate. Closed
Sunday-Tuesday.
Capitol Hill:
Across the I-5 from the hotel and up the hill. Head east across Pike, take
Melrose north to Olive Way and up the hill.
Ayutthaya Thai Restaurant, 727 E Pike St., 324-8833. Inexpensive. Very good
Thai food. Closed Sunday.
Settebello, 1525 E Olive Way, 323-7772. Moderate. Very good Italian
restaurant. Closed Sunday.
Mamounia, 1556 E Olive Way, 329-3886. Moderate. Middle Eastern.
Closed Sunday and Monday.
Testarossa Stuffed Pizza, 210 Broadway E (upstairs), 328-0878.
Excellent Chicago-style stuffed pizza with fresh ingredients. Pesto pizza
anyone? Inexpensive.
Aoki, 621 Broadway E, 324-3633. Moderate. Highly recommended sushi.
Closed Monday.
Pacific Desserts, 420 E Denny Way, 328-1950. Best dessert place in Seattle.
Dilettante Chocolates, 416 Broadway E. Crowded place serving high octane
stuff.
Seattle Center:
On foot, the easiest route is to go north on any of 1st Ave through 4th Ave.
Most restaurants are on the far side of the former world's fair grounds which
now houses several theatres. The Space Needle restaurant is not
recommended for dinner.
Thai Restaurant, 101 John St at 1st Ave, 285-9000. Very good Thai food.
Inexpensive--Moderate. Closed Monday.
Phoenecia, 100 Mercer St., 285-6739. Middle Eastern restaurant hidden
away in the corners of an old bakery. Moderate. Closed Sunday.
Le Tastevin, 19 W Harrison St, 283-0991. Light French cuisine and
excellent wine list. Expensive.
Pacific Desserts, 127 Mercer St. More crowded branch of Capitol Hill
dessert place.
University District:
Catch any bus whose number is in the 70's on Olive Way between 4th and 5th
Avenue and ask the driver to tell you when you're there.
Chile Pepper, 5000 University Way NE, 526-5004, Inexpensive. Very good
regional Mexican cuisine. Closed Sunday.
Tandoor. 5024 University Way NE, 523-7477, Moderate Well prepared Indian food.
Sala Thai. 5010 University Way NE, Moderate. A new Thai restaurant.
Axum, 4142 Brooklyn Ave NE (entrance by aerobic studio around the corner),
547-6848. Ethiopian. Inexpensive--Moderate.
Brew pubs: Big Time Brewing Company, 4133 Univ. Way NE, and Noggins Brew
Pub, 4142 Brooklyn NE. Both are very good, although Noggins about to fold.
Coffee houses: The best place for coffee is Cafe Allegro, which is located
in the alley between University Way and 15th Ave N, between 42nd and 43rd
Streets. Another coffee house is Espresso Roma on University Way (a
Berkeley transplant). The counterpersons are generally too stoned to make
a decent espresso, but they can do a reasonable job on hot chocolate.
Toscana, 1312 NE 43rd St, 547-7679 (in the alley), Moderate, Italian. The
owner is an unforgettable character. Definitely worth a visit.
Blue Moon Tavern 712 NE 45th St. An infamous and endangered tavern. They
do not serve food.
Lake Union:
These restaurants are located around Lake Union. The only one to walk
to is Chandler's Crab House on the south end of the lake.
Hunan Harbor, 2040 Westlake Ave N, 286-1688. Moderate. As Cantonese as it
is Hunan despite its name. Good view.
Julia's 14-Carrot Cafe, 2305 Eastlake Ave E., Inexpensive, 324-1442.
Ex-hippie cuisine, bizarre vegie concoctions and good hamburgers. Closed
Sunday and Monday.
Adriatica, 1107 Dexter Avenue N., 285-5000, Expensive. Excellent Italian
and Yugoslavian food.
Chandler's Crab House, 901 Fairview Ave N., 223-2722. Expensive. Fresh
seafood with a nice view over Lake Union.
Ballard and Other Places:
These restaurants are all north of downtown and require a car to get to.
Ray's Boathouse, 6049 Seaview NW, Expensive, 789-3770. The premier Seattle
seafood restaurant with a great view. Reservations are difficult (if you
call now, you might be able to get reservations for the next time STOC is
in Seattle). (The upstairs portion of the restaurant (Ray's Cafe) does not
take reservations, has much of the main menu, and has a more relaxed
atmosphere. Moderate.)
Saleh Al Lago, 6804 E Green Lake Way N, 522-7943, Moderate--Expensive.
Central Italian food. Consistently good. Closed Sunday.
Salute!, 3410 NE 55th Street, 527-8600, Inexpensive--Moderate. Italian.
Reasonable food and great atmosphere. This is the place for you if you
like to wait a long time in a small crowded room for at table. No
Reservations. Closed Monday.
Le Gourmand, 425 NW Market St., 784-3463, Expensive. Intimate
place with some of the best Northwest cuisine. Closed Sunday-Tuesday.
Greenlake Grill, 7850 Green Lake Dr. N, 522-3490, Moderate--Expensive.
Imaginatively prepared fresh seafood.
Chinook's at Salmon Bay, Fishermen's Terminal, Ballard, 283-HOOK. A new
cafeteria-like place that serves good fresh fish and chowders.
Inexpensive-Moderate.
Rain City Grill, 2359 Tenth Avenue E, 325-5003, Moderate. Innovative food,
umbrellas hanging from ceiling.
Salvatore Ristorante, 6100 Roosevelt Way NE., 527-9301. Moderate. Best
Italian restaurant close to the University.
Sante Fe Cafe, 2255 NE 65th Street 524-7736, and 5910 Phinney Avenue N,
783-9733, Moderate. New Mexican food, very good, green chile burritos a
specialty. Northwest Beers. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Toyoda Sushi, 12543 Lake City Way NE, 367-7972. Inexpensive--Moderate.
High quality sushi. Closed Tuesday.
Union Bay Cafe, 3505 NE 45th St, 527-8364. Moderate--Expensive. Small cafe
with continental/Northwest food. Great desserts. Closed Monday.
Wanza, 6409 Roosevelt Ave NE, 525-3950. Inexpensive. Ethiopian. Closed
Monday.
Seafood
Ray's Boathouse, Ballard.
Green Lake Grill, Green Lake.
McCormick's Fish House, Downtown.
Chandler's Crab House, Lake Union.
Chinook's, Ballard.
Ivar's Acres of Clams, Waterfront.
Top of the Pier, Waterfront.
Continental/Northwest
Labuznik, North of the Market.
Adriatica, Lake Union.
Le Gourmand, Ballard.
Fullers, Downtown.
Campagne, Pike Place Market.
Le Tastevin, Seattle Center.
Enoteca, Downtown.
Chez Shea, Pike Place Market.
Cafe Alexis, Downtown.
Union Bay Cafe, NE Seattle.
Cafe Sport, Pike Place Market.
The Other Place, Pike Place Market.
Queen City Grill, North of the Market.
Rain City Grill, Capitol Hill.
Place Pigalle, Pike Place Market.
Italian
Settebello, Capitol Hill.
Saleh Al Lago, Green Lake.
Il Terrazzo Carmine, Pioneer Square.
1904, Downtown.
Prego, Downtown.
Toscana, University District.
Salute!, NE Seattle.
Salvatore, NE Seattle.
Trattoria Mitchelli, Pioneer Square.
Steak
Metropolitan Grill, Downtown.
F. X. McRory's, Pioneer Square.
Thai
The Thai Restaurant, Seattle Center.
Ayutthaya, Capitol Hill.
Sala Thai, University District.
Japanese
Mikado, International District.
Nikko, International District.
Aoki, Capitol Hill.
Toyoda Sushi, NE Seattle (Lake City).
Vietnamese
Viet My, Pioneer Square.
Thanh Vi, International District.
Little Bit of Saigon, International District.
Chinese
Green Village, International District.
Chau's, International District.
House of Hong, International District.
Hunan Harbor, Lake Union.
Mexican
El Puerco Lloron, Pike Place Market.
The Chile Pepper, University District.
Santa Fe Cafe (New Mexican actually), NE Seattle.
Tlaquepaque, Pike Place Market.
Mama's Mexican Kitchen, North of the Market.
Ethiopian
Axum, University District.
Wanza, NE Seattle.
Middle Eastern
Phoenecia, Seattle Center.
Mamounia, Capitol Hill.
Pizza
Testarossa, Capitol Hill.
Salute!, NE Seattle.
Other
Tandoor, University District.
Kaleenka Russian Cafe, North of the Market.
Julia's 14--Carrot Cafe, Lake Union.
The Dahlia Lounge, Downtown.
Wild Ginger, Downtown.Seattle, WA