Eater Seattle

Kat Thompson is the audience editor of Eater’s Southern California/Southwest region. In our Dining Reports, we share a firsthand perspective of a recent restaurant visit, covering everything from the vibe to must-get dishes. See more in the Eater app. Download the app If I were to describe the perfect neighborhood restaurant, Cafe Lolo would completely fit my definition.

Open for: Lunch and dinner, every day but Sunday After five years as a food truck, El Cabrito became a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Burien’s Ambaum Boulevard in 2019, with a few seats indoors and some covered tables on a back patio.

Stealthily versatile Sunny Hill is a pizzeria/burger joint/farm-to-table restaurant all in one. Pizza is in the form of an indulgent Detroit-style square pie complete with brick cheese and zingy sauce on top, or as a satisfying New York-ish 12-inch round. The burger (bread and butter pickles, shredded iceberg lettuce, frizzled onions, umami ketchup) is an unpretentious but well conceived hit (don’t forget waffle fries with black garlic ranch and/or umami ketchup).

Grilled halal meats are the star at this bare-bones Palestinian-Jordanian spot on a bustling stretch of Greenwood. The chicken maqluba — layers of savory chicken, fried eggplant, cauliflower and spice-studded rice — is a must, but save space on the table for the texturally ideal falafel and smooth, balanced dips. This is a nice place for a quiet sit-down lunch or a casual group dinner, though their pita sandwiches make for good and quick takeout.

Missy Frederick is the Editorial Director for Eater’s dining team. She has covered the D.C. restaurant industry since 2007, offers expertise in business reporting and regional American dishes, and holds strong opinions on bar food and booze. The James Beard Awards Foundation announced its official 2026 slate of award nominees on Tuesday, March 31, and two Seattle names are among them.

In our Dining Reports, we share a firsthand perspective of a recent restaurant visit, covering everything from the vibe to must-get dishes. See more in the Eater app. Download the app Tucked away inside Analog Coffee, B-Side Foods is a local cult favorite thanks to a rare alchemy of vibes and substance.

Jay Friedman has been a freelance food writer for nearly 20 years and has contributed to Eater Seattle since 2016. In our Dining Reports, we share a firsthand perspective of a recent restaurant visit, covering everything from the vibe to must-get dishes. See more in the Eater app. Download the app The owners of the locally successful Isarn chain debuted Gao Lhao Bangkok Noodle Shop in 2025, bringing Bangkok’s iconic Chinatown scene to Green Lake.

Jay Friedman has been a freelance food writer for nearly 20 years and has contributed to Eater Seattle since 2016. In our Dining Reports, we share a firsthand perspective of a recent restaurant visit, covering everything from the vibe to must-get dishes. See more in the Eater app. Download the app Away from the most buzzy parts of Capitol Hill, Morfire is a relaxed and reasonably priced place for Thai hot pot and more.

Mark DeJoy is a lifelong Seattleite who has been writing about PNW food and nightlife since 2021. In our Dining Reports, we share a firsthand perspective of a recent restaurant visit, covering everything from the vibe to must-get dishes. See more in the Eater app. Download the app In 2023, brothers Dom and Vin Minichiello teamed up with also-brothers Mike and Fletch Morgan to transform a Buffalo wings pop-up into Belltown’s Vindicktive Bar & Wings.

Paolo Bicchieri is the associate editor for the Northern California and Pacific Northwest region writing about restaurant and bar trends, coffee and cafes, and pop-ups. There’s a renewed sense of optimism in the rainy Northwest once again. That’s because the James Beard Foundation announced its longlist for 2026 on Tuesday, January 21. The Evergreen State has a slew of nominations hoping to fare better in 2026 after a rough go at the 2025 James Beard Awards.