Seattle Restaurant Week (October 23-November 5) is a great opportunity to explore restaurants throughout the Greater Seattle Area. Wondering where to start? We’ve put together a list of ten destinations that showcase a diversity of neighborhoods, flavors, and communities.
Explore these businesses, check out their Seattle Restaurant Week menus, and let us know where you decide to #SpendLikeItMatters!
1. Anar (South Lake Union) #BIPOCowned #WomanOwned
Wassef and Racha Haroun have created a curated selection of delicious juices and vegetarian dishes with flavors inspired by Mediterranean cuisines at their cafe, Anar. The menu features bowls, salads, and mezze, perfect for a delicous and healthy meal on the go.
Bonus: Each of the house juices are distinct in color and flavor and feature ingredients like orange blossoms and rose water.
2. Blossom Vegetarian (Renton) #BIPOCowned #WomanOwned
Are you a vegetarian who misses some of the comforts of Vietnamese meat dishes? Chef and Buddhist nun, Hue Phan opened Blossom Vegetarian restaurant eager to recreate some of her favorites dishes. Menu items like lemongrass chicken and sesame beef are made with soy-based meats and carefully prepared to perfection.
3. Dumpling the Noodle (Wallingford) #BIPOCowned
If your mouth waters at the thought of juicy, flavorful buns and dumplings — you’re in for a real treat at Dumpling The Noodle. This Wallingford Chinese spot is known for their specialty dishes. As their namesake implies, they’re also known for noodles, Chili the Beef Lamen to be exact. Regulars will tell you that if you like it spicy, you ought to ask for extra spice, because they make their dishes fairly mild. Owner Sen Mao is the mind behind the popular restaurant and focuses on quality service.
4. Kaffa Coffee (Rainier Beach) #BIPOCowned #WomanOwned
The Kaffa region in Ethiopia is recognized as the birthplace of coffee, and Kaffa Coffee & Wine Bar offers an opportunity to experience Ethiopian coffee culture In Seattle. In addition to Ethiopian coffee ceremonies, owner Milen Gebreselassie also offers a wonderful selection of wine and Ethiopian cuisine.
5. Itsumono (Chinatown-International District) #BIPOCowned
Playful fusion and darn-good cocktails await you at this unique Japantown destination. Chow down on a Nashville karage sandwich with nori-dusted curly fries, a teriyaki burger, or go with the elevated scallops atop a bed of risotto’ed miso soup. Is your mouth watering yet? Owners Mike Vu and Hisato Kawaminami brought this concept to life in the space formerly home to Kaname Izakaya. Open since 2021, the restaurant made an immediate splash in the culinary scene and continues to ‘wow’ guests with its innovative menu.
6. Maria Luisa Empanadas (SODO) #BIPOCowned
Maria Luisa Empanadas’ chef and owner Rodrigo Cappagli remembers his grandmother, the namesake of his restaurant, making hundreds of empanadas for their Sunday family gatherings. The sounds of Tango music playing and the delicious smells that seeped from her kitchen live on through each batch of empanadas Rodrigo makes and shares with the world. The authentic Argentinian empanadas served at Maria Luisa are packed with a variety of mouthwatering fillings.
7. Marimakan Seattle (Lynnwood) #BIPOCowned #WomanOwned
Virginia Rachel Ranti loves cooking for people, so after being laid off from a catering company in 2021, she decided to open her pop-up, Marimakan Crab House. Virginia was born in Indonesia, but grew up in Singapore. At Marimakan, she serves food inspired by what she experienced visiting Singaporean hawker centers with her grandma. The specialty is whole Singapore-style Dungeness crab. Virginia handpicks her crabs and cooks them fresh on the same day, prepping them with South East Asian flavors.
8. Now Make Me A Sandwich (Burien) #BIPOCowned
Pedro Degollado first opened Now Make Me A Sandwich as a food truck in 2018, making his dream a reality after years in the food industry. A few years later in 2022, he opened a brick and mortar in Burien. His restaurant serves delicious sandwiches inspired by cuisine all over the world, including grilled cheese, house Reubens, po-boys, tortas, and more. Everything is made from scratch, and Pedro and his team take pride in what they do.
9. So Tasty (Bellevue) #BIPOCowned #WomanOwned
The name of Samantha Chen and Shou An Chen’s restaurant is well deserved. So Tasty is a Chinese restaurant known for their soup pots, fried rice, milk tea, and, most of all, their fried chicken. The chicken is flavorful with minimal grease, and available as wings, drumsticks, or thighs.
10. Taste of Congo (Tukwila) #BIPOCowned #WomanOwned
Caroline Musitu has been cooking since she was young, helping her mom cater weddings, parties, and church programs in the Congonese capital, Kinshasa. When she moved to Seattle, Caroline built on traditional Congonese recipes she learned from her family to create her catering company and food stand, Taste of Congo.
These are just ten of many delicious destinations – check out all of the Seattle Restaurant Week participants here.