$ = $25 or less per person; $$ = $25–$40; $$$ = $40 and up.
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City of Seattle

Beacon Hill

El Delicioso 2500 Beacon Ave. S., 322-1307. The counter in the southern end of the ABC Market, Beacon Hill’s Chinese-Mexican grocery store, advertises tacos, empanadas, and tortas. Most customers are eating pupusas, the cornmeal cakes stuffed with your choice of fillings, patted out and fried to order. Each costs less than $2, and they come with a hefty dose of oregano-spiked, tart cabbage slaw. The only downside is that you have to cut them apart with plastic knives and sporks. $

International District

Duk Li Dim Sum 664 S. Weller St., 340-6122. Just around the corner from the crowded dim sum powerhouse Jade Garden, Duk Li Dim Sum stands on its own as a quick, inexpensive, and satisfying dumpling haven. Though the menu selection might be limited, Duk Li Dim Sum still has all the dim sum favorites like shu mai, Chinese broccoli and steamed dumplings. The fast and attentive service—and low prices—makes this tiny restaurant even better. $

Fuji Bakery 526 S. King St. (between South Fifth Avenue & South Sixth Avenue), 623-4050. The classics are all here at Fuji Bakery—flaky croissants, griottes with shiny, brandied cherries, and gleaming lemon-infused cakebreads. Specialties include the cube-shaped brioche Japon with red beans and raspberry puree and the green-tea danish. There’s even a savory nod to the Northwest—a wild salmon brioche. Everything is sized for the ladies but nothing skimps on the ingredients—many organic—or the flavor. Most elegant of all is the organic sweet red-bean bun. Burnished to a lovely copper color, it appears to have just spent a few days basking on the Cotes d’Azur. A splash of black sesame tops the bun on the outside and muddled, subtly sweet red beans fill the inside. It’s no wonder that Fuji Bakery presents their wares like treasures. $

Gyro House 212 Fifth Ave. S., 624-7266. Most of America’s gyros meat comes from Chicago, so telling most local gyro shops apart simply entails finding out which Midwestern firm supplies them. That said, this friendly cafe on the edge of the ID sets itself apart by doing the most it can with a standardized product: swaddling the strips of beef-lamb (blam?) in thick, soft pita; tenderly piling on fresh lettuce and tomato; and drizzling on tangy yogurt. If you’re a fan of more local fare, the chicken and lamb shawarma are juicy and justly seasoned, and the flaky-gooey baklava varieties are worth a splurge; figure out which of the trays has come out of the oven the most recently, and order that one. $

Saigon Deli 1237 S. Jackson St., 322-3700. Not to be confused with the Saigon Vietnam deli, the New Saigon Deli, or the Seattle Deli—all within two blocks, all selling the same mix of sandwiches and prepared foods—Saigon Deli scores points for its clean interior, which is big enough to host a dozen customers; its ultra-fast service; its warm, crisp rolls; and its tofu and meatball Vietnamese sandwiches. $

Szechuan Noodle Bowl 420 Eighth Ave. S., 623-4198. An ID staple, tiny Szechuan Noodle Bowl specializes in . . . wait for it . . . bowls of spicy noodle soup. There’s a subtle anise-tinged sweetness to the broth of the beef noodle soup, and it softens you up so the chile kick hurts all the more deliciously; the bowl is topped with beef stewed so long it can barely remember to hold its shape. Forget the cold sesame noodles and stick to the soups and SNB’s two cult dishes: the dumplings and the fried green-onion pancake. $

Leschi & Madrona

Naam Thai 1404 34th Ave., 568-6226. If all of the Thai restaurants in Seattle stretch from the earth to the moon, with the shittiest one on the bottom and the best one on top, Naam Thai just barely grazes the edge of the lunar surface. That’s how fucking badass it is. I’ve eaten Pad See Iew many, many, many times, and without a doubt Naam Thai fucking nailed it. Silky wide rice noodles, like welcome mats for your taste buds, were piled high on a platter with lightly sauteed broccoli and soft supple slices of beef in a sweet and smoky sauce. The sauce in Total Green Beans was so tasty I would drink it from an elephant’s butt. Panang Curry was the best. Rich creamy pink curry sauce, thick with coconut milk, embraced tender chunks of chicken breast, sliced red and green bell peppers, and was topped with ground peanuts and a fine dusting of red pepper.

Pike Place Market

Le Panier – Very French Bakery 1902 Pike Place, 441-3669. A respite from the hustle and bustle of Pike Place Market, Le Panier allows you watch passers-by amidst the aromas of pain du chocolate and espresso. The croissants are perfectly respectable and the coffee is from top-notch local roaster Caffe Umbria. Grab a seat at the window counter—if you can snag one— and watch the foot traffic go by. If there are none, grab a baguette or savory croissant to take home. $

The Pike Pub and Brewery 1415 First Ave., 622-6044. Owners Charles and Rose Ann Finkel helped catalyze the craft-beer movement in the late 1970s, and they’ve still got the passion. Their friendly, rambling pub, located in the lower levels of the market, attracts beer geeks of both the local and tourist species. For bar food, try the killer burger (it’s grass-fed and local) with your pint of Kilt Lifter or Naughty Nellie. For dessert, another cult favorite: the XXXXX Stout float. $-$$

Sisters European Snacks 1530 Post Alley, 623-6723. It has changed hands since the original Sisters ran it, but this little deli (just across from Seattle’s Best Coffee, on the stretch of Post Alley that turns diagonal) is still one of the Market’s very best places for a fresh-made sandwich. The Santa Barbara—with turkey, avocado, and cheese, on focaccia—is the daily special seemingly every day. And why not? It’s a great meal, especially with the salad that accompanies each of the sandwiches. The counter with stools is a perfect perch in the summertime to watch the Market parade and enjoy a nearby busker while keeping a comfortable distance from the tourist craziness. $

Three Girls Bakery 1514 Pike Place, Ste. 1, 622-1045. Nothing says “you’re in the Market now” like pulling up a stool at this beloved Pike Place lunch counter. The sandwiches are overstuffed, the service is friendly, and your fellow travelers are always entertaining. It’s a cozy spot to while away the lunch hour, but don’t dawdle, because there’s always someone hovering just outside waiting to take your spot. If you’re just passing through, stop at the Girls’ takeout window, where there’s an array of tempting (and reasonably priced) breads and pastries wooing the throngs of Market visitors. $

Queen Anne

La Palma Restaurant 3456 15th Ave. W. WA, 284-1001. Interbay has one thing going for it: La Palma, one of the city’s most durable family-owned greasy-Mex restaurants. The entire restaurant feels like a hole-in-the-wall cantina. There’s an upper-deck area where customers can gaze at sports on a wall-embedded TV (or into the kitchen, where they can watch their food being prepped), and an employee-only utility bar adjacent to the kitchen where jumbo margaritas are mixed. As for the food, it ranges from merely OK to pretty good. The Steak La Palma was tough but generously apportioned, the beef taco was too juicy for its shell, and the cheese enchilada and tostada were solid. Service is cheerful and attentive, the perfect end-of-day pick-me-up for the Interbay grinder. $

Laredos Grill 555 Aloha St. #100, 218-1040. This Queen Anne sports bar—sorry, “Northern Mexican” restaurant—serves Tex-Mex food similar to Peso’s, but not as carefully made: mediocre cocktails, limp salads (with chips in them), lackluster salsas, and a bizarre chicken breast drowned in sour cream. There are two bright spots, however, for you to nosh on at Laredos while you watch the flat-screen TVs: the warm, light, salty tortilla chips (which the servers replenish continually) and the tacos al pastor. Rubbed with chiles and cooked on the spit, the pork—a Lebanese-Mexican variation on shawarma—is sliced off in tender chunks and wrapped between freshly made corn tortillas with tiny chunks of charred pineapple. $-$$

Nielsen’s Pastries 520 Second Ave. W., 282-3004. Charmingly sleepy and old-fashioned, Nielsen’s serves up its fabulously comforting creations from the sub-ground floor of a residential building on a Queen Anne side street. If you don’t know it’s there, you’ll likely drive right by. But that would be a mistake. Because then you couldn’t debate with your friends which of the wonderful Danish treats—the giant Kringle, the Napoleon hat, the snitter—is the one you’ll be ravenously returning for tomorrow. $

Sam’s Sushi 521 Queen Anne Ave. N., 282-4612. Not exactly one of the city’s top sushi destinations by a long shot, Sam’s is a solid option when you’re in the neighborhood and looking for some basic Japanese done well, without a lot of fuss or attitude. Sam’s has so little street presence you can easily walk by it a dozen times without noticing it, but that can be to your advantage when there’s a concert at KeyArena and you want to get some quick miso and sushi. $-$$

Uptown China 200 Queen Anne Ave. N., 285-7710. Drop by for perennial palate-stimulating favorites such as General Tsao’s chicken, Mongolian beef, and mu shoo pork. Service is always efficient and deft, and the fare here is ideal for beer-drinking, so beware the Key Arena pre- and post-event crowds. $

Uptown Espresso 525 Queen Anne Ave. N., 285-3757. Well before the “third wave” of roasters turned Seattle coffee shops into temples of fussy hipness, there were the comfy bohemian neighborhood joints like the Uptown, a haven for readers, first-daters, and post-movie confab-ers for decades now. (The tables out front are instantly occupied in nice weather, and by smokers year-round.) Coffee, available from two serving stations in the bifurcated room, is always right on target, and the baristas are some of the sweetest, least supercilious, in town. $

Rainier Valley

Olympic Express 7101 Martin Luther King Jr Wy S. Ste 107 723-2384. Olympic Express is fully committed to making every bite you take totally scrumptious. The banh mi is served on bread so greasy it’s almost a pastry with mayonnaise inside. The egg roll soaks through the bag and the Thai coffee doesn’t skimp on the sweetened-condensed milk. Fried food is delicious regardless of what country it comes from. Olympic Express is no exception. $$

Taqueria Costa Alegre 9000 Rainier Ave. S., 725-0300. Parked across from Rainier Beach High, Costa Alegre outclasses all of Seattle’s rickety converted school buses. This converted city bus has cowboy-print curtains on the windows, cushions on the seats, a drinks fridge, and a working space heater. Compared to the other buses, though, the menu’s a bit minimal: the $1.25 tacos only come in chicken (OK), steak (fine), tongue (good), and adobada (great), the latter served with pineapples as well as onions and cilantro. Costa Alegre’s other specialty is something called alambres: onions, peppers, beef, and bacon sauteed together and smothered in melted cheese. You can order the alambres as a plate of tasty mess, to be scooped up with tortillas, or as a sandwich which spurts out avalanches of peppers and bacon on every third bite. $

Ravenna & Wedgwood

Mona’s Bistro and Lounge 6421 Latona Ave. N.E., 526-1188. This low-lit bistro has the fancy-casual thing down pat: blood-red walls, a pan-Euro menu, and a knack for attracting couples. Entertainment comes in the form of live jazz and acoustic folk four nights a week. Just off Green Lake, the lounge couples upscale Mediterranean fare with a handful of fresh-and-local signature cocktails, a half-dozen taps and an extensive wine list. The pork loin saltimbocca is popular, and Mona’s molten chocolate cake is one of the best in town. $

Orange King 1411 N.W. 42nd St., 632-1331. Judging from the name, you’d think this longtime U-District lunch spot would be like Orange Julius, but it’s not. Rather, it’s part of the region’s burgeoning teriyaki/burger genre, and its French Fries—ringers for Mickey D’s pencil-thin pleasures—are salty and delicious. $

University District

Piatti Ristorante & Bar 2695 N.E. University Village Lane, 524-9088. The ample appetizer platter of fried calamari is a command performance, and succulent to the last crispy nugget. Then there are the house-made desserts, though you may find yourself replete too soon to appreciate them fully; still, that panna cotta with saba and mandarin syrup sauce looks awfully attractive . . . $$

Shultzy’s Sausage 4114 University Way N.E., 548-9461. Serving up sausages and char-grilled burgers in the University District, Shultzy’s menu reaches mouthwatering when it hits cheesesteak territory. The Tim’s Steak, loaded with cheddar cheese, bacon, grilled onions, and barbecue sauce, is a standout despite being far from the most Bavarian option at this German-themed eatery. Entrees are accompanied by the so-called “World’s Best Shoestring Fries,” and they live up to their ambitiously golden-brown expectations. From the nine taps flow a varied and constantly rotating selection of beers that are almost exclusively imported from Germany and Belgium or sourced from the Northwest. But the college link wouldn’t be complete without an education: Enroll in their “beer school” and learn exactly what you’ve been missing. Shultzy’s links were also finalists in Seattle Weekly’s best hot dog competition. $

Varlamos Pizzeria 3617 N.E. 45th St., 522-8515. It’s only been around for 15 years, but this family-run joint has the feel of a neighborhood institution that’s been there forever. For a kid-friendly night out, it’s become a big hit among the Laurelhurst crowd. Undergrads in purple are also usually to be found filling up the lively dining room. Fun and unpretentious, Valarmos serves up solid, thick-crust pies and great salads. You needn’t be a member of the Gates family to be treated well. $

Wallingford

Sea Thai 2313 N. 45th St., 547-1961. Along Wallingford’s power axis of takeout food, Sea Tai is known for its bustling delivery business and small dining area. Half the fun in eating there is watching the takeout traffic. Local families often park their dogs and kids on the sidewalk while dashing in for orders of Ginger Chicken, Tom Yum Talay, and Yum Neau. If it were legal to park cars on the sidewalk, customers would do that, too. The food is good and cheap, an everyday treat when you’re too tired to cook. You can order online at seathai.com, but the delivery zone is bounded by 20th Ave NE and 1st Ave NW, the Ship Canal to NE 65th St. Or you can move to Wallingford. $

West Seattle

Prost! 3407 California Ave. S.W., 420-7174. Though smaller than its brethren, Prost West follows the same Teutonic-loft template as Chris Navarra’s other German bars: walls painted burgundy, heavy wooden tables that look like they could survive a swordfight, and bar shelves stocked with hundreds of branded glasses, including some steins that offer a binge with a handle. Navarra’s approach to the food is to buy the best Germanic ingredients he can—bratwurst and bockwurst from Bavarian Meat, pretzels from Morning Star Bakery, pickles from Germany—and simply to prepare them right. For those of you who like your pork pink and big, the kassler rippchen is a smoked pork chop as big as a CD case. It’s the best thing on the menu, too. $

White Center

Taqueria El Rincon S.W. 112th and 16th Ave. S.W., Seattle. Of all the converted school buses in White Center, we like this one the best. You can sit inside if you’d like (the benches have been taken out; a few stools have replaced them), or in nice weather, park yourself at one of the picnic benches. Or, take your order to go. Just be sure to order the carnitas tacos; the cumin-spiced slow-cooked pork is incredible. The $3 tortas (Mexican sandwiches, gringo) are also delicious, and don’t forget an order of homemade flan before you head home. $


Eastside

Bellevue

Oma Bap 120 Bellevue Way N.E., 425-467-7000. Oma Bap doesn’t serve Korean food. The two-month old Bellevue eatery serves Korean-inspired food, which is all the more interesting. Oma Bap is structured like a Korean Chipotle: staffers assemble dishes from a steam table stocked with brown and white rice, bulgogi, chicken, tofu, and spicy pork. It’s up to customers to add their own chili pepper paste, which Oma Bap has had to revise for neophytes’ tastes. The bibimbap has mushrooms and zucchini, purple cabbage, carrots, and lots of lettuce but the dish takes on a salad texture without a runny egg and extra sesame oil to bring the vegetable together. Like Subway, Oma Bap offers healthy food at an affordable price. $

Issaquah

Noodle Boat 700 N.W. Gilman Blvd. Ste E104B (between North Seventh Avenue & Maple Street), Ste E104B, 425-391-8096. The kao soi dish at Noodle Boat is bathed in a yellow coconut curry that is at once lime-tart and turmeric-fragrant. The dish is fleshed out with just enough fish sauce and the perfect amount of coconut sweetness. Kao soi at Noodle Boat is a must-try meal! $$

Rollin’ Log Tavern 50 E. Sunset Way, Issaquah, 392-2964. After the entire population of the U.S. became a bunch of losers (aka Prohibition), The Rollin’ Log was inevitably repurposed from a Post Office to a bordello and speakeasy. Today, it’s just a bar, though there are pool tables, a jukebox, a taxidermy moose, and, of course, alcohol. Above the barroom are two apartments. But the Rollin’ Log ALSO has something else: something . . . SUPERNATURAL. $

Room 38 38 Front St. N., Issaquah, 425-391-3836. Based in Issaquah, Room 38 is a typical upscale bar, with a full menu and top-shelf liquor. It’s small inside, and best known for its mini burgers—eight open-faced sandwiches, each patty about an inch and a half across, served perched upon wedges of pita, topped with a caul of melted provolone, and doused in a drowsy sea of viscous orange chipotle sauce. The fries are superb. They were obviously hand-cut, and came fresh from the fryer with a glittering clearcoat of hot oil: crisp outside, fluffy like a baked potato inside, and perfectly salty. Avoid the Heaven Martini, which tastes like a bag of melted Skittles, and stick with beer to wash down your greasy bar fare.

Taqueria La Venadita 730 N.W. Gilman Blvd., Issaquah, 425-391-6480. Taqueria La Venadita is nothing but a hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall, flanked by a Denny’s, a dry cleaner, chain restaurants, and a kid’s cooking school. For three years or so, the Ortega family (who also own the little bodega a couple doors down) have been doing lonchera-style business at this location, serving late breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to the neighbors. Though small, somewhat spartan and damn-near invisible from the street, La Venadita is worth finding, though, if you’re looking for some seriously authentic Mexican comfort food along the lines of excellent street-style tacos, tortas, refritos and horchata. $

Kirkland

Rikki Rikki 442 Park Place Center, Kirkland, 425-828-0707. The decor is light, airy, and modern, with manga art on the walls and tables or tatami rooms. Besides standards like teriyaki chicken, tempura, udon noodles, and bento box dinners, the cooks do especially well with fish, and not just sushi or sashimi. The refreshing snow crab salad is a mound of greens, snow peas, asparagus, avocado, and fried wontons with generous amounts of crabmeat. The ginger-crusted salmon packs big flavor without overwhelming. Both are emblematic of the contemporary flair Rikki brings to Japanese cuisine. $

Santorini Greek Grill 106 Central Way, Kirkland, 425-822-0555. There’s a lot of crappy Greek food in this area, which is what makes Santorini practically a destination restaurant. The souvlaki sandwiches star chunks of tender beef or chicken treated with oregano and salt and then basted with lemon as they grill. The gyro meat comes from the same place that where all gyros originates (Chicago, natch), but it’s lovingly sliced, annointed with a tangy homemade tzatzaki, and served with piles of fresh vegetables. And then there’s the garlicky skordali, the world’s only great potato spread. $

North of Town

Lynnwood

Sam Oh Jung 17425 Highway 99, #A, Lynnwood, 425-745-3535. On the sign outside, Sam Oh Jung proclaims itself a tofu house, but the stylish strip-mall bistro is so much more. It’s a place for whiling away a winter evening over a goat or seafood junggol (stew), or in summer, slurping up mul naeng myeon, springy buckwheat noodles in an icy beef broth. The panchan range from lightly tart water kimchi to tiny fritters. And for diners who look farther beyond the barbecued meats and tofu stews on the menu, there’s sliced pig trotter with spicy shrimp sauce and bo ssam, braised pork and raw oysters that you eat together, wrapped in lettuce leaves. $$

Mountlake Terrace

Gabriel’s Fire 5803 244th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace, 425-697-4119. Gabriel Slimp serves his barbecued meats just as God and man intended: naked (with sauce on the side). You want to pay attention to how his brisket and ribs turn out, with their shiny black crust, red smoke ring just underneath, and tender but not mushy flesh, with all the fat and collagen melted out during the long, slow roast. You do get your choice of sauces, which range from sweet-tart Carolina to teriyaki; they’re not nearly as compelling as the plain meat, though, so a dab of the tomato-based Kansas is all you’ll want. Order it by the sandwich or as part of a combo plate, with a side of creamy mac ‘n’ cheese or a tangy, orange-tinted potato salad. $

Puget Sound and West

Bainbridge Island

The Four Swallows 481 Madison Ave., Bainbridge Island, 842-3397. A couple of blocks off the main strip of shops, the Four Swallows, which inhabits a restored house, is an ideal final destination to cap off an afternoon on the island. The menu, which changes daily, is rife with Northwest staples like halibut with bearnaise sauce and beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes and kale. A slight Italian slant comes through in beef carpaccio with truffled salt and a thin-crust pizza margherita.

South of Town

Federal Way

Cho Dang Tofu Restaurant 2200 S. 320th St. #B201, Federal Way, 253-839-2459. There are a couple of soondubu (soft-tofu stew) chains in the Puget Sound, but this one, found in the lobbies of Pal-Do World grocery stores, is the best. Cho Dang serves up bubbling bowls of blazingly spicy broth and fresh soft tofu. You can order your soondubu with mixed seafood, say, or dumplings, but every version comes with a half-dozen banchan—kimchi, potato salad, fried sardines—as well as rice cooked in a stone bowl. If you clean your plate, the waitress comes back around with hot barley tea to pour into your rice bowl to make a soup of the crispy brown grains that have stuck to the sides of the bowl. $

South King County

Bistro Baffi Italian Fine Dining 15217 21st Ave. S.W., Burien, 244-0737. Bistro Baffi, named after chef Michael Vujovich’s curlicued mustache, is an old-school Italian restaurant inside the shell of a brand-new one. The tables are topped with marble, the chicken piccata is smothered in cheese. The wine list includes Montepulcianos and Super Tuscans, the lasagna could feed a family of twelve. Vujovich loves seafood and red sauce and coming around to greet all the tables—which, in the end, is what tips the scales in Bistro Baffi’s favor. $$