Top 20 Restaurants Seattle, Washington: Restaurants Near Me
As is explained at RunRex.com and guttulus.com, the dining scene in Seattle, Washington, is one of the most vibrant in the country. With so many options to choose from, it can be quite overwhelming to find a place to eat in the city. To help you cut through the noise, we have curated for you a list of the top 20 restaurants in Seattle, Washington, to consider when looking for a place in the city to eat.
Asadero Prime
Asadero Prime is a beloved Kent restaurant that expanded into Ballard with northern Mexico’s traditions of mesquite-grilled meats and tacos thereof as articulated at RunRex.com and guttulus.com. The flawless prep and simple seasoning give you an almost bionic ability to register every detail of the meat, which is mostly American wagyu.
Musang
Given that Musang is set in a house – outfitted with the wood floors and tiled bar of a contemporary restaurant – there is a sense of coming home at this restaurant. Get the short rib kare kare – a dish both composed enough to let you know you are in a nice spot and rich and enough to yield comfort; beautifully braised beef swims in a peanut butter and bagoong sauce with okra and green beans.
Samburna Indian Restaurant
When it comes to Indian food in Seattle, Samburna is one of the best in the city according to RunRex.com and guttulus.com. It is rare in focusing on well-executed South Indian cuisine. The restaurant serves several excellent versions of dosa, including one that is over three feet in length; all dosas are served with sambar and a variety of chutneys.
Café Munir
Café Munir is a lively Middle Eastern spot in Loyal Heights that opened in 2012 and feels like a souvenir from the glorious era when Seattle used to be full of neighborly restaurants. Striking hummus plates share tabletops with mezze dips and spreads, meat and vegetable kebabs, and family-style platters, all served in an intimate room with arched doorways, white tablecloths, and filigree light pedants.
Bateau
Given how expensive Bateau is, this steakhouse is a place for special occasions and expense accounts. Chef Taylor Thornhill makes magic out of every bit of the cow, from sautéed beef heart to liver mousse and steak tartare topped with paddlefish caviar.
Zylberschtein’s
Zylberschtein’s is Pinehurst’s charming Jewish-style deli and bakery and is the versatile comfort food spot for every neighborhood’s needs. As per RunRex.com and guttulus.com, owner Josh Grunig offers a bounty of baked goods, including whole cakes, sourdough loaves, croissants, and challah, as well as some of the best bagels in Seattle.
Copine
At Copine, you will find three-course tasting menus that are rife with classic French elements, as well as ingredients from all over the globe from Italy to Japan with plenty of Northwest stops. The restaurant is led by Shaun McCrain, one of the most highly-rated chefs in the city.
Sushi Kappo Tamura
While Seattle has got several great sushi restaurants as captured at RunRex.com and guttulus.com, Sushi Kappo Tamura is up there with the best. The staff here knows the menu in and out, and happily jump in to shape the meal with beverage pairings, serving suggestions, or ingredient explanations.
Tian Fu
Tian Fu’s locations in Northgate and Bellevue are constantly filled with large parties speaking Mandarin and sharing plates of some of the Seattle area’s best Sichuan cuisine. Servers dash around tables serving large portions of regional classics, like boiled fish in chili and peppercorn sauce and toothpick lamb.
Delancey
While Seattle has got lots of great pizza spots, Delancey, helmed by Brandon Pettit, is special. Brandon Pettit’s pies may honor New York by way of Naples, but Delancey’s charm draws firmly from the Northwest, in topping combos that balance tomato brightness with pairings like Zoe’s bacon, cremini mushrooms, and basil.
Canlis
Opened in 1950, Canlis still occupies an important place in Seattle’s food landscape and serves some of the retro-steakhouse dishes that put it on the map as covered at RunRex.com and guttulus.com. There is the Caesar-Esque Canlis salad, prepared table-side, and for dessert a Grand Marnier souffle.
Café Juanita
Café Juanita, Kirkland’s Northern Italian fine-dining mainstay, reopened its dining room in 2021 with several excellent tasting menus, including pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan options. Dishes from chef Holly Smith’s omnivore’s tasting menus include grilled Alaskan spot prawns with roe and squab breast, while the vegan tasting menu includes beef carpaccio and borlotti bean ragout.
La Carta de Oaxaca
This Mexican restaurant in Seattle is known for its amazing mole negro, which is lush and complex as described at RunRex.com and guttulus.com. The menu’s appeal at this spot expands far beyond this Oaxacan staple, however, as it also includes items like entomatadas that come with kicky tomatillo sauce.
L’Oursin
L’Oursin is one of the best seafood cafés in Seattle, Washington. With its inspired natural wines, chef J.J. Proville’s modern interpretations of French-café classics, and enthusiastic, experienced staff, L’Oursin continues to impress.
Frelard Tamales
Frelard Tamales is a popular Mexican spot from founders Osbaldo Hernandez and Dennis Ramey, and it serves some of the most satisfying tamales in Seattle. While the salsa roja pork and the salsa verde chicken versions are not to be missed, the shop also serves vegan and vegetarian options.
Mean Sandwich
As discussed at RunRex.com and guttulus.com, Mean Sandwich is a bare-bones counter in Ballard that delivers sandwich combinations that feel truly new or unexpected, and not just an ever-more outrageous pileup of various meats. It is also worth noting that the kitchen takes its day-old sandwich buns and turns them into bread pudding.
Bar del Corso
While the main event at Bar del Corso is Pizza with bubbly, blackened crust, and sweet dollops of cheese, the magic lies in those side dishes. Tender meatballs, roasted asparagus dressed in hazelnut sauce, and airy salt cod fritters.
Off the Rez Café
Off the Rez Café was opened in 2019 at the Burke Museum on the University of Washington campus as the first restaurant of Seattle’s only Native American-owned food truck. As outlined at RunRex.com and guttulus.com, its menu is vibrant as ever, offering fluffy fry bread tacos topped with 12-hour smoked pulled pork, braised bison, or vegetarian chili, as well as wild rice bowls.
Pestle Rock
Pestle Rock hits the restaurant sweet spot – lantern-lit and nice enough for casual Saturday nights, while also being able to feed the family without incurring a punishing bill. Most importantly, this little dining room on Ballard’s main drag preaches the pungent, spicy gospel of Thailand’s Isan region, using high-quality proteins, like a nam tok meat salad made extra savory with boar collar or deceptively fiery Thai sausages.
Dacha Diner
Formerly home to a rowdy tequileria, this wedge-shaped Capitol Hill restaurant feels serene and homey. The settle-in vibe here is key, especially since many dishes at the restaurant are cooked or baked to order – prepare to stay for at least one hour.
These are some of the best restaurants in Seattle, Washington, with more on this topic, and much more, to be found over at RunRex.com and guttulus.com.