The 7 Best Places To Eat In Seattle Today

Let it be known that in a city like Seattle, there are truly so many incredible restaurants. This list comprises some of the best places to eat in Seattle today. It includes a few of the James Beard Award-Winning restaurants. There are others on this list that were featured on The Seattle Met’s list of 100 best restaurants. From traditional Japanese to an iconic Filipino diner, look and you will find. There's something for everyone in a city with this many great places to eat. There’s affordable Italian food, wood-fired pizza, Sri Lankan, bakers, brunch, dinner, and more. No matter what part of the city you are in, you can sample some of the world’s cuisines at the best places to eat in Seattle, today. 

In this post, you’ll get a thorough run-down of the price points and the menus. Learn about the background of these great eateries. What better way to explore a city than through the food that it offers? Keep on reading as we delve into the food, fun, and cuisine, that make Seattle so great. Especially for the foodies! Let's get into the restaurant landscape of beautiful Seattle, Washington.

Pancita

5501 30th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105

Pancita (previously named Pair) offers Mexican cuisine with a twist. Opened first in 2004 as a bistro, this restaurant is run by the duo Felix and Sarah Pair. With seasonal ingredients, the Pancita team crafts a menu of small plates with plenty of seasoning. A sample menu features cold plates like Sikil Pak, spicy pepita dip with cucumber, radishes, and carrots, in chili ancho ($15). There's serrano caesar salad ($17), and scallop aguachile ($24). Try albacore tuna tostada with fried leeks ($15), and carne asada tostada ($12). Taste savory dishes like pork chorizo molotes with cotija ($18), and a brisket taco with salsa verde ($11). Mains include plan trout ($40), and chicken with mole ($32). Desserts feature chocolate flan ($13), and seasonal fruit ($11). You'll have to go there in person to try out their current menu and sample a classic Seattle eatery.

Onibaba

515 S. Main St., Seattle, WA 98104

Onibaba serves onigiri and other dishes inspired by the flavors of Tsukushinbo, another Sushi restaurant in the Seattle area. Their onigiri offerings include salty salmon, spicy cod roe, pickled radish, and seasoned bonito flakes. There's also crab salad with avocado and tobiko, salmon with salmon roe, tuna, unagi, shrimp tempura, marinated egg, and pork cutlet. Vegetarian onigiri includes rice and seaweed, sour plum and shisho leaf, pickled mustard greens, and sweet kelp with sesame seeds. There's spam musubi, broiled egg with avocado, pickled radish, and grilled onigiri with cheese. Add sweet miso paste, shoyu butter, and corn butter. They also have an array of ochazuke broth with all kinds of toppings and a side of pickled vegetables. Try the donburi rice bowl or several variations of Udon noodle soup. Small plates feature edamame, seaweed salad, tofu, gyoza, fried chicken, mackerel, salmon, and fresh salads.

Canlis

2576 Aurora Ave North, Seattle, WA, 98109

Here's the first James Beard Award winner mentioned on this list. We present to you Canlis restaurant in the Queen Anne neighborhood. This restaurant has been a staple in the area since 1950. Now in its third generation of ownership, it continues to be a fine-dining icon. The current menu takes influence from Japanese cuisine, with three courses, all kinds of interesting snacks, and a surprise. The tasting menu costs $175 per person. Currently, it features items like sablefish with hazelnut, corn, and kombu, artichokes with wildflowers, spinach, and walnuts, and duck with summer squash, blueberries, and dashi.

For the second course, try halibut with snap peas and nori, and eggplant Zurita with cherry tomatoes. Try coulotte with walla walla onions, oysters, and chives. For dessert enjoy your option of smoked nougatine cacao with milk ice cream, strawberries with rhubarb and white chocolate, and dried persimmon with Devonshire cream, vermouth, and yuzu. The location alone is well worth a reservation, but the food seems pretty incredible. No wonder Canlis is one of the best places to eat in Seattle today.

Lark

952 E Seneca St, Seattle, WA, 98122

For another James Beard winner, try Seattle's Lark Restaurant. This year, Lark celebrates its 20th year. Lark‘s New American fine dining experience is located right on Capitol Hil. It has all kinds of delicious things to try. The menu is seasonal, with an emphasis on local vendors, fishers, and farmers. You can participate in the tasting menu experience ($120 per person), or enjoy their dishes a la carte.

Let's check out their menu. Start off with housemade bread (smoked faro, apple rosemary focaccia) in an agrodolce vinegar ($12), Dungeness crab bisque ($25), tuna crudo with fermented plum vinaigrette ($24), and Shigoku oysters ($36). Try the green bean salad ($17), steak tartare with capers ($26), tomatoes with burrata ($24), and seared foie gras with roasted grapes ($36). The second course features rock shrimp with tomato sofrito ($36), caramelle pasta with delicata squash ($40), or Quinault River steelhead ($48). There's lemongrass pork chops ($42), spiced duck breast with confit ($52), and Wagyu bavette steak ($56). Desserts included caramelized rice pudding with Oaxacan chocolate ($15), granny smith apple tarte ($15), baked Alaska ($15), chocolate tahini mousse ($15), and a cheese platter with malt crackers ($22).

Delancy

1415 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA 98117

Delancy is a wood-fired pizza restaurant. This restaurant ferments its own dough from locally grown wheat. It also highlights regional and sustainable meats and other seasonal ingredients. Appetizers begin with marinated olives ($7), Jersey salad ($10), tomato salad with burrata, feta and flatbread ($19). There's melon salad ($16), and local cucumbers with granita and toasted sesame oil ($17).

Try wood-fired pizza with corn basil and herbs ($18), zucchini, whipped garlic, and Calabrian chili ($17), and meatballs, with fish sauce ($18). There's classic Margherita ($18), hot salami ($22), sausage ($24), white cheese ($20), crimini mushroom ($17), and many, many more. Sides include prosciutto, pickled papers, anchovies, kale, and hot honey. Desserts feature chocolate chip cookies with grey salt, and housemade vanilla ice cream ($6).

Rupee Bar

6307 24th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107

Rupee is the resident Sri Lankan restaurant and one of the best places to eat in Seattle for sure. Run by the vision of Rachel Johnson, who was inspired by her travels throughout India and Sri Lanka during the 90’s. Rupee is a James Beard Award winner and is currently led by Chef Elisabeth Kenyon. The menu is seasonal, but a sample one includes items like naan with ghee ($4), dhal curry with red lentils ($14), deviled prawns with chili paste ($8), and eggplant with panko and tamarind sauce ($10). Try salads like bhel puri with apples, fennel, yogurt, and tamarind ($14), and kale with coconut ($12), there's mutton rolls with curry leaf ($16), fried, spiced chicken ($16), black lime turnips with Maldive sauce ($16). Mains include scallops ($27), black cod with turmeric curry ($30), and lamb shank with seeni sambol ($30).

The Walrus And The Carpenter

4743 Ballard Avenue NW, Seattle, WA 98107

And finally, what Seattle experience would be complete without some seafood from the local fishing scene? The Walrus And The Carpenter is an oyster bar with a neighborhood vibe. Started by a group of friends in 2009, The Walrus opened to the public in 2010 and has remained a gem of Seattle. Enjoy oysters at market price from the waters around Washington State.

For a treat, add some paddlefish caviar ($13), sea wolf bread and butter ($8), and marinated olives ($8). Try cucumbers with buttermilk za'atar ($19), Panzanella with stonefruit ($22), tomatoes with vanilla oil, vanilla salt, and basil ($19), and pickled green tomatoes ($20). There's seasonal grilled summer squash with goat cheese ($19), scallop crudo with corn pudding ($23), albacore crudo ($20), and fried calamari ($20). Try grilled sardines ($19), fried oysters ($20), hama hama clams ($30), and steak tartare ($21). You'll have to go in person to try the breadth of their seasonal menu, but let's hope the desserts like maple bread pudding ($12), corn panna cotta ($11), and roasted Medjool dates with vanilla olive oil ($10), are options to try at this eatery.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©canadastock/Shutterstock.com.