The 10 Restaurants That Defined Seattle Dining in 2022

Every meal at Brimmer & Heeltap feels like you’re a special guest at owner Jen Doak’s dinner table. Her service team is one of the most capable and welcoming in the city. During warmer months, diners take advantage of the intimate outdoor garden café for date nights.

Currently, chef MacGregor Tadie’s comfort fare, like chicken liver pate and gnocchetti with lamb ragu, is the draw. Save room for the satisfyingly moist olive oil cake — raspberries and crème fraîche add a nice zip to every bite. Oh, and don’t forget the craft cocktails and thoughtfully curated wine list (Doak managed The Tasting Room in Post Alley for years). So as we turn the page on another year, raise a P.S.T. (Pacific Standard Time), made with gin, dry vermouth, Cocchi Americano, and orange bitters, to a great new year ahead.

Pro tip: In the morning, the space shifts to Red Arrow Coffee for coffee and pastries.

If you need a Parisian fix (minus a passport), book one of the bistro tables or belly up to the bar at this neighborhood staple. L’Oursin shines on the classics, like a perfectly executed steak frites, a dry-aged zabuton steak with a Cognac pepper sauce, or a slow-cooked duck leg confit with a pressed potato pavé, grilled turnips, and a tangy mustard jus. Chef J.J. Proville also incorporates ingredients from the Pacific Northwest. A soft-boiled egg is topped with tonnato and jewel-like balls of ikura. The firm, mild flesh of grilled sturgeon complements chanterelles and lobster mushrooms, served alongside potato mousseline. For picnics, hostess gifts, or a fancy night in, swing by the well-stocked market and wine shop for provisions.

The beloved West Seattle spot in the old Alki Homestead hasn’t skipped a beat since chef Mike Easton sold it to the restaurant’s longtime manager Cameron Williams and executive chef Katie Gallego. Although the frequently rotating menu still shines on stellar pasta dishes, don’t overlook everything else.

Start with marinated beets with horseradish crema, crisp apple, taggiasca olives, and celery. A thick bone-in pork chop is plated with farro salad and rhubarb. The crostata is also a knockout, a simple baked pastry, typically filled with fruit preserves or soft cheese, depending upon the night. Walk-ins are always welcome at the bar if you can’t snag a reservation. Or come by between 4 and 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and grab a snack and spritz at the bar during antipasti hour … because focaccia, prosciutto, burrata, and the house Negroni should be a part of every meal.

Since the New York Times named Off Alley one of the 50 places in America they’re most excited about right now, it’s been a tough table to score. Chef Evan Leichtling’s daily changing menu highlights animal extremities and innards, although non-meat-centric dishes warrant serious consideration. Always order the whipped lardo toast if it’s available. Same with the fermented pork and celery root stew with Dungeness crab salad, Leichtling’s take on surf and turf. If you have 45 minutes to wait, it doesn’t get much better than the spider steak and beef tendon pot pie. A handful of wines are available by the glass; ditto for beers and cocktails, handwritten in a sweet little book.

Pro tip: Off Alley takes reservations between 5 and 5:45 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday, not more than three weeks in advance. From 6 p.m. on, it’s first come, first served. If you’re bundled up, the patio is pleasant, with blankets and a heater.

Text 206-488-6170 for reservations. Find more info here.

Since 1998, this woman-owned Madison Valley staple has become a neighborhood go-to for all things Basque. Think everything from Ibérico de bellota to bleu de Basque. Although the secret back patio is a dreamy date spot, the famed 11 front-row seats at the copper-topped bar are most coveted. (Kitchen bar tables and seats at the chef’s counter are first come, first served, and you can always order wine while you wait.) For a taste of Spain, order the spot-on simple red and golden beet salad with sherry vinegar, garlic, and olive oil with a side of Grand Central Bakery baguette to sop up the juices. Or find comfort in venado — an earthy grilled venison with oyster mushrooms and licorice-root sauce. Desserts range from sweet to savory (and there’s always cheese!). If the creamy butternut squash flan is on the menu, don’t skip this outstanding finish.

Renowned for its wood-fired, thin-crust Neapolitan pizza, this beloved Beacon Hill restaurant is as solid for a date night as it is for a solo meal at the bar. Small plates frequently change, though pizzas and salads tend to stay the same, with the addition of nightly specials. To start, the escarole and radicchio salad with a soft-boiled egg is a reliable bet. The pork and porcini ragu with potato parsnip puree and pecorino is pure comfort during colder months. An expertly made Negroni is a must for an aperitivo. Oh, and don’t miss the Romana pizza with olives, and  anchovies — and spend a few extra bucks to add mozzarella di bufala.

Find more info here.

The yellow building that houses Finistère is as cheery and warm as the food it serves, thanks to owners Scott Ross and Deborah Taylor. They are a power couple: Ross is the quintessential host, while Taylor brings her culinary prowess from Eleven Madison Park, Canlis, and Per Se to the kitchen. It’s well worth a ferry ride from Seattle. Taylor’s dialed-in fare, like pig head terrine on a bed of arugula, cornichon, and peppers, with a drizzle of stone-ground mustard aioli, and a smooth-as-silk Kuri squash soup, give serious French bistro vibes. During happy hour, dig into heartier comfort dishes, like a bowl of radiatore with pancetta, kale, and duck jus. Finally, take a moment to wander the restaurant and take in the featured art; the works tend to be as spectacular as the food.

There’s a lot to love about Rondo Japanese. For one, the menu is vast and varied, and doesn’t feature your usual suspects. Specials rotate daily and might include an uni and seafood bibimbap, aburi garlic shrimp roll topped with umami aioli, or ramen with a black tantan base, oxtail broth, and curry ground beef-infused beef tongue. Don’t sleep on the Rondo lunch set, which changes daily. For $20, a recent menu featured their famous fried chicken, three kinds of sashimi, grilled fish, and more. Happy “Hiru-Nomi” Hour happens daily from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Don’t forget to pick up some housemade rayu (chile oil). Made with three kinds of nuts and scallions extracted in spiced oil, it’ll perk up your meals at home.

Find more info here.

One night, you might find a stew of hen of the woods mushrooms and whole roasted chanterelles cooked slowly with lamb and pumpkin. Another night, bassal Munir, a delicious mix of gently preserved baby onions with Lebanese wine, honey, fresh farmer’s cheese, and pine nuts. Grilled skewers of meat are also a mainstay. Oh, and during eggplant season (usually early fall), the lebneh Gilbert, named for a family member, is luxuriously rich and topped with slow-cooked eggplant with peppers and pomegranate seeds. Sunday nights feature a chef’s choice menu. Expect a 10-course Arabic feast for $40, with three or four mezze per person, pita, a stack of small plates, and family-style platters. The beer and wine list is Lebanese-leaning. If you prefer whiskey, choose from more than 100 selections.

Find more info here.

People frequent husband-and-wife team Shaun McCrain and Jill Kinney’s popular Ballard restaurant for its three-course prix fixe dinner menu ($120 per person). Here, sophisticated French-inspired dishes reign supreme. Potato salad is jazzed up with applewood smoked bacon, shaved celery, mustard seed vinaigrette, and a luscious duck-fat aioli. Copine puts an elegant spin on a comfort food classic with tender chicken fried sweetbreads on a slightly sweet buttermilk waffle with pickled onions, herb salad, and rosemary gravy that melts in your mouth. For something lighter, savor Bristol Bay sockeye salmon rillettes with crispy nori, cucumber pickle, radish, and tamari reduction. The wine list focuses on European bottles, but there’s still great Pacific Northwest representation.