The April Hit List: London Plane, The Fisherman’s, Marination Ma Kai, and More

Just in time for sunset views over Puget Sound, one of Seattle’s most familiar restaurants reopened its doors — and deck. Seafood at Ray’s remains as fresh as it gets, noted by the working fishing boats returning to Salmon Bay with their catch. Start with the Del Pacifico day-boat prawn cocktail, and a glass of sparkling Oregon wine, then longtime favorite Pacific Northwest sablefish in sake kasu. All while lingering over a cocktail, and looking out at the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains, a perfect spring setting.

Dining status: Indoor dining is available, walk-ins only for now (except for Easter Sunday); or order takeout here.

The Marination team has dialed in how to do takeout during the past many months. Still, it’s the reopening of the sweeping patio, with those Alki views of the waterfront and Seattle skyline, that signals a legit start of spring. Sunny or not (it’s covered seating), there’s nothing better than a plate of kalbi beef, spicy pork, or tofu tacos paired with a heap of aloha fries smothered in Kalua pork and a sunny-side-up egg. Wash it down with a slushy frosé or POG (passionfruit, orange, guava) cocktail. More info here.

Dining status: Patio dining resumes in early April; dinner and drinks are available for takeout (take it to one of the public picnic tables nearby).

“The Puss” is back. Wallingford’s fave maritime bar moved two doors down, and after more than a year of beautification, it’s bigger, better, and once again open for business. Hole up on one of three patios with an All Aboard sandwich, a meat eater’s dream piled on Macrina sourdough. The Homeport features a trifecta of cheese on grilled potato bread. Canned cocktails like the Knot Too Shabby, with pear and elderflower vodka, plus boozy lemonades, and a handful of thoughtful non-alcoholic offerings round out the mix. 

Dining status: Book a table indoors or on the patio; takeout is available.

After a decade in Belltown, Local 360 closed down at the start of COVID. With a renewed lease and a little retooling, it’s back for limited indoor seating, with daily happy hour, brunch, and dinner. Best known for sourcing ingredients within a 360-mile radius, the restaurant was a pioneer in the local farm-to-table movement, and that focus remains with things like carrot confit with ginger, and pan-seared salmon with foraged mushrooms. Peanut-butter bonbons with jam and a milk shooter are like a warm hug of childhood.

Dining status: Dinner tables available via reservation; takeout and dinners-for-two are also available. 

Brittany is known for its seafood, and rightly so. And since a trip to France may not be in the cards at the moment, L’Oursin will sate those seaside cravings with its new Breton-style shellfish towers ($145). A recent one included a generous array of prawns, oysters, langoustines, and Dungeness crab, displayed artfully on crushed ice. (The selection will rotate based on what’s fresh and available.) Pair with a glass — or two! — of Muscadet, and it automatically feels like a fancy mini-getaway. 

Dining status: Covered patio tables available by reservation. L’Oursin’s smashburger and fried chicken pop-up, Old Scratch, is  available for pickup and delivery, and its marketplace remains open for take-home goods, including spirits, beer, and wine.

Dining with a view is fantastic and all, but a four-course dinner in a private gondola on the Great Wheel is even better. Gather three of your friends for a sky-high experience, with sweeping views of Puget Sound. Prefer to keep it terra firma? You can dine indoors or out at the Alaskan Way dining room, too. For a bit of local nostalgia, order a Big Bertha, named for Seattle’s first woman mayor — and the world’s largest tunnel boring machine, which helped replace the old viaduct.

Dining status: Book Great Wheel private dining here; indoor and patio reservations available at the restaurant.

While we’ve lost a lot of longstanding restaurants in the last year, it’s nice to still be able to celebrate stalwarts like Both Ways Cafe. For more than 30 years, those high-rise buttermilk biscuits have made it a South Seattle staple, whether for locals or out-of-town visitors or former Seattleites who make it their first stop home. Thanks to relaxed dining restrictions, diners can once again relax inside (or on the patio) with refills of coffee and super-friendly service. And of course biscuits and country-sausage gravy; or a bacon, egg, and cheddar breakfast sandwich.

Dining status: Indoor and covered outdoor dining available on a first-come, first-served basis; takeout is also available. More info here.

Every morning, people queue up for coffee and pastries — including must-have kouign amann — from this much-loved Pioneer Square café/larder/flower shop. Though relaxed lunches in the breezy dining room are dearly missed, it’s still a delight to swing by for spices, small-batch tea, or a bouquet of flowers. Only counter service for now, but as the weather warms, an outdoor table will be a perfect spot to ease into the day. 

Dining status: Takeout and outdoor dining are available; get more info here.

Never one to do anything traditionally, Eric Rivera successfully pivoted his ever-changing Addo into take-home experiences during the pandemic. Right now, weekend-only themed five-course tasting menus are a steal at $85 per person; upcoming ones include a 4/20 menu with top-tier munchies, including chicken alfredo tots, and wings with fiery Cheeto dust. Later this month, he’ll feature a menu determined by whatever his favorite local foragers find in the wild. Looking ahead to this summer, Rivera plans to honor his Puerto Rican roots and roast a whole pig with all the sides on Fridays and Saturdays. Bonus: He’ll be doing nationwide shipping on that, and you can already get his housemade hot sauces and spice mixes sent anywhere. 

Dining status: Takeout available Wednesday through Sunday; more info here.

Inspired by the cuisine and culture of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, the Capital Hill spot dishes up family-style feasts with lots of fiery heat. With a seasonal Seattle twist, traditional dishes like mala dry pot get spiked with lotus root, celtuce, and locally grown asparagus and wood-ear mushrooms. Bump up the flavor with the addition of housemade smoked Chinese bacon. And after the year we’ve all had, a Sour Not Sorry cocktail is in order, made with bourbon, tamarind, lemon, simple syrup, and egg white.

Dining status: Patio and indoor dining available; reservations recommended. The full menu is also available for takeout.