The 12 Best Places To Eat And Drink In Seattle 2023

Seattle repeatedly ranks among the top culinary cities in the U.S. Known for its fresh seafood harvested from the cold Pacific Northwest waters, its coffee, and the world-famous Pike Place market, it's no wonder foodies flock from around the globe to drink and dine at its thousands of restaurants and bars. Tucked into its many unique neighborhoods, from Ballard to Capitol Hill to West Seattle, you'll find options ranging from five-star fine dining to food trucks. 

Unlike the sweeping vistas from the Space Needle, Seattle's culinary landscape is always changing. Old favorites stay steadfast, and new establishments come and go. Whether your taste is classic or contemporary, traditional or trendy, you'll find what you're looking for in Seattle. To get your taste buds tickling and your thirst brewing, here are some of the top spots in 2023 to eat and drink on your next trip to the PNW.

Go to Mama Sambusa Kitchen for the famous sambusa — "the only love triangle you'd want to be a part of," per the restaurant's website – but stay for the story. In 1996, Marian Ahmed left Somalia behind in hopes of providing her two daughters with a better life in America. She started Mama Sambusa Kitchen in 2002 as a food truck and established the brick-and-mortar Seattle location in 2009. For 14 years, Ahmed and her team have been serving up their handcrafted and made-fresh-daily crispy stuffed triangles of love to hungry Seattleites who keep coming back for more. 

Choose from beef, chicken, salmon, or veggie sambusas (or try them all — they're only $4 each). Savor the crispy crust and savory filling flavored with onions, garlic, and a special blend of East African spices. But don't stop there. Mama Sambusa Kitchen features a full menu of salads, sandwiches, pasta, and sweets. Pair your sambusa with Shakira's Spicy Chicken Salad, Shadia's Crispy Shrimp Tacos, or Fuad's Fettucine Alfredo. Finish with a slice of Deqa's housemade Date Cheesecake. Wash it all down with a glass of housemade lemonade in a variety of flavors. 

All the menu items are named for family members, and Mama Sambusa Kitchen prides itself on being a woman-owned, Black, Muslim business. 

You may not be able to remember its name, but you're definitely going to want to get to know ʔálʔal Cafe in Seattle's downtown-adjacent historic Pioneer Square neighborhood. Pronounced "all-all" (not so hard), the cafe is part of the non-profit Chief Seattle Club, a multi-purpose building featuring an urban housing complex for Native peoples. Located on the ground floor, the cafe's menu features an array of pre-colonial, traditional foods all sourced from local Indigenous communities. 

Eat in or take away sweet and savory items such as smoked salmon, rabbit stew, blue corn mush, and "indigi pies" packed with local huckleberries, Saskatoon berries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Sip on an array of your favorite espresso drinks, or relax with a cup of Indigenous herbal tea  Check out the cafe market, where you can pick up Indigenous-sourced products like nasturtium-smoked sea salt, tribal honey, and anishinaabe-zhiiwaagamizigan (that's maple syrup in the Ojibwe language spoken by the largest tribe in North America).

ʔálʔal Cafe serves foods unlike any other cafe in Seattle. It also has a singular mission: to showcase traditional Indigenous foods from the region and invest in the communities that produce them. It's a must-visit for the socially conscious foodie, or for anyone who likes good food in a friendly setting. 

Iconic Seattle publication The Stranger calls the new craft cocktail bar Dark Room "the most innovative thing happening in Greenwood," a diverse neighborhood in North Seattle. Debuting earlier this year, the idea for Dark Room — "an elevated experience where everyone is welcome," per the bar's website – was cooked up by two bartenders and a chef. The menu showcases an array of inventive drinks and a limited number of Korean-inspired small plates. 

The cocktail menu is indeed inventive and features many imported liqueurs you probably haven't heard of, much less tried. For example, the Night Caper has genever, a botanic malted spirit from Holland; Cocchi Americano, a quinine-flavored Italian wine; and Nonino, a type of Italian grappa. It's punctuated with flavors of caper and jalapeno brine and celery and orange bitters. 

If you're the type who chooses a cocktail for its name, you're going to want to try the "Figgy Swizzit." It's Dark Room's take on the classic fruity swizzle drink, but its ingredients are anything but classic. A mix of fig-infused Tsipouro (a grape-distilled spirit from Greece), the Italian liqueur Centerba, and falernum (a Caribbean spirit), this swizzle has less fruit and much more depth — almost a little darkness to it.  

Speaking of darkness — true to its name, Dark Room is very dark. Cozy up in the dim light with your craft cocktail and dish of Anju — an assortment of sesame-marinated olives, fried Marcona almonds, edamame, and, of all things, potato chips.

Be transported straight from Seattle to the Piedmont region of Italy via Spinasse, continually rated one of the city's top spots for authentic Italian food. Handmade pasta is the star of the show here, as well as other seasonal dishes featuring local farm fresh and artisanal products from the region.

You'll find a traditional Italian menu with antipasti (starters), primi (pasta), and secondi (mains). Don't skip a course (sharing is OK), or you'll chance missing out on Prosciutto di Parma, made with apples, black currant vinegar, and toasted mustard seeds; Prochetta Tonata — poached pork loin with salsa tonnata and caper berries; risotto with lamb, rosemary, and marinated olives; goat cheese gnocchi with nettle ragù bianca, heirloom potatoes, and toasted pine nuts; and braised duck leg with sautéed maitake mushrooms and creamy polenta. 

You can also opt for the Menu Degustazione, which allows parties of two or more with an appetite to sample every antipasto, primo, and secondo on the menu. Served family style, you can also choose a wine pairing, or select your own glasses from the Northern Italian wine list. Save room for dessert — there's a chocolate cake filled with gianduja mousse, chocolate buttercream, brutti ma buoni, and luxardo cherries. We'll take two, please.

With two locations in Ballard and Shillshole, you'll never be too far from getting a fix of critically acclaimed Un Bien's famous Caribbean sandwiches. Crowds gather at both spots to savor sammies like The Press, with its bits of roasted pork, slices of smoked ham, banana peppers, and Swiss cheese melted together in a hot press; and the Caribbean Roast, with slow-roasted pork shoulder that's covered in marinade. All are served on freshly baked baguettes with aioli, cilantro, and caramelized onions. 

Other offerings include Caribbean sautés with choices of prawns, scallops, fish of the day, or tofu sautéed in extra virgin olive oil and housemade garlic tapenade; a Caribbean Roast Dinner of succulent roasted pork shoulder in marinade; the Smokin' Thighs Dinner with tenderized, marinated, and grilled chicken thighs; or a Caribbean Roll packed with jasmine rice, black beans, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeños, pickled cabbage, and roast pork or a chicken thigh.

Un Bien is more of a shack than a sit-down restaurant, so don't expect anything fancy. You get a lot of food for the price, but you may have to take it to go if the limited outdoor seating is occupied. Just something to keep in mind during Seattle's interminable drizzly season.  

It's not clear why this much-loved Ballard neighborhood oyster bar is named after a poem in Lewis Caroll's "Alice and Wonderland." But hey, it's catchy. And you definitely won't forget it. You won't forget the oysters, the vibe, or that giant coral-like chandelier hanging from the restaurant's ceiling either. Forget the reservations though — they don't take them. This James Beard Award finalist for outstanding restaurant in 2022 is walk-in only. 

Many oyster bars have a pretentious atmosphere, but not this one. The goal was to meld restaurant and fishing pub, serving "tallboys, muscadet, piles of chubby oysters and smart plates" in a "lively, approachable space in Old Ballard." Mission achieved.

The menu changes daily, but you'll always find a curated selection of the freshest oysters, many of them local to Washington State. After slurping down the region's finest bivalves, cleanse your pallet with the pea vine salad topped with blue cheese dressing, hazelnuts, sultanas, and bacon, or the charred asparagus with harissa hollandaise, soft egg, fried shallot. From the Fish & Shellfish menu, sample scallop crudo with saffron aioli, mint, rice cracker, and black lime; grilled sardines with walnut, parsley, and shallot; or hama hama clams with vadouvan curry, grilled onion, yoghurt, and cilantro. Meat eaters won't be disappointed with the steak tartare, chicken liver mousse, or grilled lamb with pea purée and ramps. There's also a fine selection of cheeses and sweets to round out your meal.