Tacoma's Grann redefines the collision of cuisines, here at the intersection of Southern BBQ, Creole, and Indian.
When we launched our list of the best restaurants in Washington in 2023, it was the result of more than a year of research—intense fork-lifting, double-entrée-ordering, yes-on-dessert research. Seattle Met‘s food and travel editors drove (and flew!) to the corners of the state to assemble our picks: meals whose memory stays with you long after you've returned home. We found tasting menus and taco stands, comfort food and outdoor oyster saloons. But even after publishing (along with highlights on Spokane, Yakima, and Leavenworth, among others), we kept eating.
Since the first version of our list, restaurants have closed, chefs have moved on, and—most importantly—new gems have emerged. As our editors continued to bounce from the Columbia River to the Canadian border, we refined our list of the best destination restaurants. Here's our new 30 best.
For the sake of semantics: We struck out for destinations beyond Seattle's immediate metropolitan area, but of course food editor Naomi Tomky has updated our list of Seattle's 50 best restaurants regularly during that time. Many spots take a well-earned seasonal break during slow times of the year, so check before you go. And eat well, no matter where your travels take you. We sure will.
The Coast / Western Washington / Eastern Washington
The Coast
San Juan and Whidbey Islands and the Olympic Peninsula
Squash season at Ursa Minor turns into something beautiful.
Ursa Minor
Lopez Island
Cocktails at Matia Kitchen kick off a memorable meal.
Matia Kitchen
Orcas Island
Acclaim and attention came fast when Matia Kitchen shifted from pop-up to permanent status in 2021 (and made the New York Times’s best restaurant list in 2022), and the restaurant is already in its second iteration in a downtown Eastsound spot. But for every diner who mispronounces the name—it’s “may-shah”—there’s one bowled over by the miso-maple vinaigrette on chicory greens or a squash confit in a delicate mole sauce. Chef Avery Adams turns local produce into something so sophisticated, somehow all the best-of lists undersell the experience.
Goldie's and the Roost
Whidbey Island
Rising Tide brings a little refinement to the wild coast.
Rising Tide Tavern
Pacific City/Seabrook
The founder of Seabrook plucked two alums of Canlis’s wine program to open a casual restaurant on the coast that translates polished hospitality to an audience heavy on fleece and flip-flops. Thus, a menu both straightforward and prepped to perfection—smashburgers, clam chowder, decadent dips with housemade chips. All seafood, from the fish and chips to the seasonal catch entree, comes from the nearby Quinault Indian Nation. Just as impressive: any dish that involves the crispy, curlicue sidewinder fries. The kids menu is immensely well received, as are the cocktails.
Almost too beautiful to eat: Setsunai noodles hide out on Lopez Island.
Setsunai Noodle Bar
Lopez Island
In an archipelago absolutely bursting with memorable cuisine, the single best meal might be tucked in the back of an alleyway on sleepy Lopez Island. For almost a decade, chef Josh Ratza has been making his own ramen and udon, creating rich, balanced bowls of warmth and umami. His pottery background might be why the ceramics are all so stunning, though the perfectly jammy eggs would make any dish look good. Make a reservation; the small collection of outdoor counter seats and high-tops fills even on the stormiest of days.
Chef Deborah Taylor brings an impressive background to Finistère in Port Townsend.
Finistère
Port Townsend
The combined resume of chef Deborah Taylor and her husband Scott Ross reads like a best-of for both New York City and Seattle: Per Se and Canlis for her, Txikito and Tilth for him. Still, what the couple brought to the almost-too-precious Victorian town comes delivered without fuss: local oysters and albacore crudo, then a pleasantly rich housemade mafaldine with duck confit. The dining room recalls Scandinavian minimalism with rotating local art on the walls, a break from the townwide dollhouse-meets-industrial mashup.
Fans of the Wandering Goose can fly south to recapture the magic (and the cocktails).
The Wandering Goose
Tokeland
Capitol Hill's loss was the coast's very lucky gain when Heather Earnhardt fully decamped to the historic Tokeland Hotel she purchased in 2018, closing Seattle's mostly breakfast Wandering Goose. The big, buttery biscuits and crispy fried chicken made the trip, but the hotel's expanded restaurant went broader to add fried oysters from nearby Willapa Bay and local fish given a cornmeal treatment with grits. Cozy breakfast might be the highlight, especially with a backdrop of funky farmhouse tchotchkes and antiques to warm this damp stretch of rural coast. Still, dinner maintains Earnhardt's commitment to Southern style; most plates sport an element from east of the Mississippi, from Charleston gold rice grits to pimento cheese.
Shellfish star at Hama Hama, an outdoor restaurant plunked down in the middle of a working oyster farm.
Hama Hama Oyster Saloon
Lilliwaup
In the middle of a working oyster farm, a formation of wooden A-frame structures overlook Hood Canal tidal flats. Each one protects a picnic table (and a heater) and delivers a meal you can’t replicate anywhere else in the world. The fifth-generation oyster farm’s long-standing outdoor restaurant recently added those A-frames and a reservation system (the $75 fee includes prepayment on two dozen oysters). The supporting menu—crab cakes, hearty clam dishes, a sourdough grilled cheese—has more culinary intent. But oysters remain the draw, in packed summer months as well as winter, when the scene is quiet and half-shell season is at its peak. Some tables don’t require reservations, and even on the most crowded days, the Stump Bar dispenses beer, wine, and buckets of you-shuck bivalves.
Western Washington
Beyond the water, but west of the Cascades
Khinkali dumplings at Dediko beg to be picked up.
Dediko
Vancouver
The Northwest could use more restaurants serving the distinct cuisine of the nation of Georgia. So stumbling on a low-lit den of khachapuri, grilled kebab, and khinkali dumplings in a pocket of downtown Vancouver feels like the best kind of dream sequence. It’s hard to bypass those staple dishes, but Dediko’s menu is filled with dips and grilled meat compositions that deserve your attention. This tiny spot also pours wines from Georgia and caps dinner off with a honey cake that will soothe your I-5 rush hour road rage.
Little Conejo
Vancouver
Vancouver’s evolving restaurant scene feels like its own thing, not a satellite of Portland just across the river. At its heart is this counter-service taqueria (with a sibling food truck up in Ridgefield) that fills corn tortillas and griddled tortas with big hunks of battered fish, lengua, chicken tinga, and a choriqueso that’s not messing around. Each one feels like its own considered dish, especially with the bar’s smart mezcal cocktails. Blame the crowds for a rather convoluted ordering and seating process…then put it all behind you with a taco.
La Tarasca
Centralia
“We don’t do burritos,” Mercedes Zaragoza tells a takeout customer over the phone one afternoon. “Recipes and flavors come from my home region of Michoacán.” The sign on the door—“We don’t serve chips”—suggests she’s had a few such conversations. Instead, La Tarasca presents an introductory dish of pickled carrots and specializes in Michoacán’s signature: supremely tender carnitas. A quarter chicken comes smothered in the region’s reddish mole, more peppery and peanut-filled than the famous style from Oaxaca. Zaragoza’s mother, Margarita Ayala, opened this dining room place in 1997; the kitchen still makes every tortilla, salsa, and adobada taco platter from scratch. Her extended family carries on both the food and the practice of lavishing warm service (and great salsa) on each table.
In Olympia, Nineveh Assyrian brings ancient flavors to life.
Nineveh Assyrian
Olympia
It's hard to say if this is the only Assyrian restaurant in the country—owners Lisa and David don't think so—but it's one of the very, very few. Celebrating Middle Eastern food in the capital city was initially about guaranteeing a good falafel in their adopted city (the siblings are from Ohio), but they dug deeper to highlight their ancestral cuisine. Harking back to an empire that collapsed in 612 BC, it marries flavors from Persia, Iraq, and Israel, sometimes within a single dish. Rich chipteh, a meatball soup, pairs with barley bread cooked in the Iraqi style. A downtown food truck sells takeout, but the brick-and-mortar restaurant sings in bright blue and gold framed family photos.
The Carlson Block
Wilkeson
Don't feel bad if you've never heard of this microscopic coal-mining town northwest of Mount Rainier; downtown consists of little more than a classic dive bar, a coffee shop, and a line out the door for increasingly famous pizza. Ian Galbraith can only make so much sourdough pie crust every day, so on summer weekends the kitchen sells out within 90 minutes of the door opening. A brussels sprouts and bacon combo hasn't left the menu since the pizzeria's 2016 debut, and a fennel and housemade sausage version pairs well with a crust that's bubbly but somehow not too filling. With the closure of the nearby Fairfax Bridge over the Carbon River that leads into Mount Rainier National Park. But the pizzeria still has the kind of lineup that has everyone questioning their choices during the interminable wait—an hour, way out here?—but uttering the words “worth it” as they exit.
Grann
Tacoma
Indo Asian Street Eatery
Tacoma
Though Tacoma’s Indochine restaurant has long specialized in long, languid meals, this spinoff from the daughter of the founding family and her husband went in a livelier direction with a cocktail emphasis, some shared tables, and a firepit. Flavors pull from around Asia, like a Thai curry and Korean kimchi barbecue, plus an addictive khao nam tod, a crispy rice salad with sausage. When news spread of new owners in 2025, Indo Asian's many fans held their breath. The welcome news: It's just as good.
Eastern Washington
From the Cascades to the Idaho border
Passatempo pairs rustic Italian with some of Walla Walla's best wines.
Passatempo Taverna
Walla Walla
Sam Shelton is out to rewrite the narrative around the wine country standout launched by, but long split from, Mike Easton and Jim German. Raised in Walla Walla, she returned home in 2016 just a year after the taverna launched, to serve as general manager. Eventually she also became the executive chef. Housemade pastas reign, sandwiched between classic Italian starters and a short list of pizzas and steaks; house specialty pastas that pull from Walla Walla's rich farm country tend to overshadow classic Roman styles. It's almost a pity the individually baked focaccia is so invitingly soft, since it takes room from crusty handmade gnocchi in local asparagus. Leftovers like these are why hotel room fridges were invented.
At Bar Bacetto, Mike and Erin Easton lavish attention, and pasta, on 18 diners at a time.
Bar Bacetto
Waitsburg
Fond memories of Mike Easton’s original restaurant aren’t a requirement to enjoy his current one. But fans of his original Il Corvo might shed a few joyful tears when they sample the same astonishing pasta that once built line-around-the-block loyalties. In 2021, Easton and his wife, Erin, traded Seattle for Waitsburg, 20 miles north of Walla Walla. Here, in the history-laden building that once held Jimgermanbar, they engage with nearby farms to take that pasta to new, deeply seasonal places. Except now, it’s for dinner, with Erin’s cocktails and lots of Italian wine (and polenta for any gluten-averse visitors). Tiny Bacetto seats just 18 people (oh, and no minors), so reservations are essential.
Want to eat in a wine barrel? Salted Mill is up for that.
Salted Mill
Walla Walla
It's easy to miss at first; in Walla Walla's historic mill building, where beloved restaurants like Whitehouse-Crawford and Kinglet made the wine town a fine-dining destination, Salted Mill is doing something a little different. It only takes a few minutes overhearing locals chatting across the bar top to realize the change; this storied brick hall is now mostly about fun. From the wine barrel–shaped booths to the swordfish glazed in gochujang, the once-serious space has become a stress-free place to have a loud chat after a long day of wine tasting. Don't hold back; the duck fat fries aren't supposed to be healthy.
Canyon River Grill
Ellensburg
After sunsetting a mini empire in Seattle—that once included Steelhead Diner, Blueacre Seafood, and Orfeo—during the early pandemic, Kevin Davis downsized into a single 40-seater on the Yakima River just south of Ellensburg. There the avid fisherman is back to cooking on the line every service; he fits right in next door to a fly-fishing guide service run by friends. Seafood, naturally, shines the brightest in the rustic lodge (though not fish from the largely catch-and-release river out back). A stream-caught rainbow trout arrives bathed in fermented black bean sauce, the Yakima corn hush puppies stacked on plates painted with casting flies. The china may be a remnant of the old Steelhead, but, like Davis, it feels more at home here. Especially when the patio opens for in-your-face views of the dusty cliffs that drop to the river.
The Early Bird
Ellensburg
It makes sense that one of the best places to eat in this college town is a breakfast joint—every student needs to refuel—but the downtown restaurant also serves as a proper end to a Gorge Amphitheatre overnight. Don't be fooled by the counter service setup; this is a place to hunker down for a serious meal, like pork chili made with large chunks of green chiles, or a decadent sweet waffle plate. Chicken and waffles are best with a sweet honey sriracha.
Dan Koommoo at Crafted helped elevate Yakima's dining scene.
Crafted
Yakima
Nomad Kitchen sits among farmland, so vegetables often come first.
Nomad Kitchen and Mercantile
Tieton
Don't speed past the apple warehouses in this rural region west of Yakima; big trucks are pulling out, laden with crops, and you don't want to miss the darling downtown block that makes up Tieton. Despite the wandering name, Nomad built up here slowly, growing from small shop of outdoor gear to takeout eatery and finally to a sizable restaurant with a chef's counter and bar in 2023. Chef and owner Craig Singer likes using local produce to play with classic Asian dishes like larb and bulgogi (perfect with half pork belly and half cauliflower, doused in sauce you could eat with a spoon), but the line cook behind the chef's counter reports that classics like rich boeuf bourguignon sell out on weekend nights.
Inland Pacific Kitchen/Nekojita Ramen
Spokane
A dining room all but hidden inside a former cracker factory subverts the “old brick and railroad tracks” ambience with tall windows and plush banquettes. Here, a cadre of chefs brings a host of seasonal ingredients into impressive harmony, existing as one restaurant (Inland Pacific Kitchen) for brunch and another (Nekojita Ramen) for dinner. The midday meal specializes in twists on American classics, piling braised pork shoulder on French toast or adding macha to the salsa on biscuits and gravy. Night means rich ramen bowls or black pork and ube gyoza, flavors that demand a house cocktail created by Hogwash Cocktail Den, the speakeasy-style bar in the basement.
At Cochinito, each taco contains an entire meal's worth of flavor.
Cochinito Taqueria
Spokane
The world is full of cheffy tacos, but Travis Dickinson’s layers of flavor (and the reasonable price tag) put Cochinito’s in a stratosphere of their own. Dickinson, the chef and co-owner, applies the techniques and sourcing of his training in higher-end Portland kitchens to a lineup of 10-ish fillings. His ethos: Treat each tortilla like a tiny plate. In this case, plates are made of house-blended yellow and white masa, and might support chunks of steelhead al pastor. Or duck confit, bits of roasted brussels sprouts, stewy mole, and candied hazelnuts. This handiwork comes on metal trays, but you can dignify that fast-casual vibe with a really good margarita.
Gander and Ryegrass is waiting for special occasions in Spokane.
Gander and Ryegrass
Spokane
“We do something really crazy here,” servers caution upon your arrival. The craziness in question is the “chef’s marathon” tasting menu—six courses that remain a mystery until they arrive at the table. No disrespect to chef Peter Froese’s other, three-course option, but the real madness would be bypassing this marathon of modern Italian fare. Dinner starts with stuzzichini (a.k.a. snacks), then a splay of seasonal vegetables with subtle prosciutto. A particularly brilliant touch: One course of delicate pasta on individual plates, followed by a hearty bowl to share with tongs—both ends of the pasta pleasure spectrum, delivered in one sitting. Wine pairings are also exceptionally fun. The lunch menu centers on share plates, but whatever the time of day, this just might be the best meal in Spokane.
Wooden City
Spokane
Did a chain restaurant really make the list? Yes, if you consider that this is the second Wooden City, opened two years after the Tacoma location's debut in 2018 (and before the now-shuttered Green Lake outpost). But while the original is no slouch, the Spokane version hits hardest. The tile and open loft in the old beauty school space bounce energy into all corners, and food is served later than in most neighboring restaurants. Skip the serviceable pizzas in favor of blistered peppers matched with sausage, or a beet ravioli topped with goat cheese and pistachio that will sway even the most beet-averse.
Tamale master Felipe Hernández has become a legend.
Los Hernández Tamales
Union Gap
Felipe Hernández may have scored a James Beard America's Classics award in 2018, but he didn't change much at his humble tamale shop just south of Yakima, a white cinderblock building surrounded by auto dealers. Pork tamales are a bestseller year-round, but in late spring the staff, mostly family, moves into a higher gear for their seasonal signature, fresh local asparagus and sharp pepper jack cheese wrapped in homemade masa. Even with a second location in rapidly expanding Yakima, the asparagus version faces occasional sellouts, though the shop makes them through August. Score two hot with beans and rice—and maybe a chilled Jarritos in a glass bottle—for a meal on tables draped in plastic tablecloths, a simple idea perfectly executed with warmth and flavor. Then add a dozen frozen to go.
Few places balance adventure and comfort as well as the Black Cypress.
The Black Cypress
Pullman
Roast chicken with bread salad and kale, pork chops, handmade spaghetti carbonara—this menu looks straightforward. But meticulous details make you remember why these dishes became dinner icons in the first place. Owner Nikiforos Pitsilionis keeps the staples consistent, but the kitchen has loads of fun on the fresh sheet, with specials like braised local ram (yes, ram)—processed at the nearby Washington State University’s animal science program meat lab—atop house pappardelle. Pitsilionis’s heritage surfaces on dishes like skewers of properly Greek souvlaki. The cocktail program welcomes all comers, but also makes its own orgeat, not to mention flawless drinks. This combo of humble perfectionism suits Pullman, and charms visitors.
Yodelin Broth Company
Leavenworth
Larch
Leavenworth
Ben Herreid sold his mushroom ravioli at farmers markets a decade before he ever opened a restaurant in downtown Leavenworth. It immediately became a menu staple he can't remove without complaints. But now with the luxury of a dining room in a tourist town, he can switch up the filling for the latest foraged fungi from the surrounding mountains. He's hardly hemmed in, though; with at least a half dozen other pastas on offer at a time, he still gets to venture into campanelle made with a bronze die press or macaroni done Cajun style, heaped onto plates in a volume that leaves tourists wondering what they're going to do with leftovers. Forgoing the German fare around them—”You can only eat so much bratwurst,” he reasons—Herreid and partner lean into a mountaineering theme, complete with a mountain goat head mounted above the bar.