When Delancey opened in 2009, the pizza vaulted it into Seattle institution status, even before you throw in the impeccable seasonal salads, wood-fired odes to seasonal produce, and those bittersweet chocolate chip cookies dusted with gray salt. His 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. In a town filled with great pizza, Brandon Pettit’s restaurant feels special. Three-course tasting menus are rife with classic French elements, but actual ingredients can globe-trot from Italy to Japan with plenty of Northwest stops. A veteran of Thomas Keller’s famed Per Se, he makes dinner feel unabashedly special, from the signature amuse-bouche (cured salmon cloaked in tempura and topped with roe) to the warm greeting from Jill Kinney, his wife, partner, and fellow Per Se alum who runs the front of house with calm polish. Shaun McCrain has always operated on his own exacting frequency. Striking hummus plates (try the one topped with lamb and pine nuts) 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 pretty filigree light pendants. Rajah Gargour’s lively Middle Eastern spot in Loyal Heights opened in 2012 and feels like a souvenir from that glorious era.
EATER SEATTLE DIM SUM FULL
Seattle used to be full of neighborly restaurants that were by no means fancy, but delivered vivid, personal fare worth a drive across town. Seemingly every table has a 16-ounce carne asada draped on top of it, and the flawless prep and simple seasoning (just salt, pepper, and the savory smoke of mesquite charcoal) give you an almost bionic ability to register every vivid detail of the meat, which is mostly American wagyu. īallard / Beacon Hill / Belltown / Capitol Hill / Central District / Chinatown-International District / Columbia City / Eastlake / Fremont / Georgetown / Greenlake / Greenwood / Hillman City / Madison Valley / Madrona / Montlake / Mount Baker / Northgate / Phinney Ridge / Pike Place Market / Pioneer Square / Queen Anne / Rainier Beach / Ravenna / South Lake Union / University District / Wallingford / West Seattle / Multiple LocationsĪsadero means “grill,” or in this case, a beloved Kent restaurant that expanded into Ballard with northern Mexico’s traditions of mesquite-grilled meats and tacos thereof. Got a contender you think we should consider-or reconsider? Want to berate us for neglecting your favorite? Weigh in at.
Consider it a living document, one we will revisit twice a year (and look for an Eastside version in the coming months).
This lineup began as our 100 Very Best Restaurants project a few years back, updated and organized by neighborhood.