Skip to content

4 New Restaurants You Must Visit in Seattle

In today’s dining scene, it’s hard to keep up with restaurant openings. But it’s our job (and our pleasure) to do just that. Here are a few new places worth checking out

By Chelsea Lin June 26, 2019

Close-up of woman's hands holding menu
Close-up of woman’s hands holding menu

This article originally appeared in the July 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.

This article appears in print in the July 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

Watson’s Counter
Ballard
6201 15th Ave. NW
All bets are off at this charming all-day café with a Korean twist, where the menu ranges from poutine topped with braised short ribs ($15‒$18) to thick-cut French toast coated in Fruity Pebbles ($7‒$12). (For the record, both are worth trying.)

Windy City Pie
Phinney Ridge
5918 Phinney Ave. N; 206.486.4743
For the first time, the city’s best Chicago-style deep-dish pizza is now available in a full-service restaurant setting (with cocktails!), in the former location of the Phinney Market Pub & Eatery. Get the Sweet Pete: a flavor bomb of pineapple, house sausage, candied bacon and giardiniera encased in caramelized cheese ($27).

El Xolo
Capitol Hill
209 Broadway E (inside Nacho Borracho)
Although it’s but a walk-up window in the back of a well-graffitied Capitol Hill bar, this new taco business from a London Plane alum is refined beyond its appearance. Tacos are in the $3.50 range; come with patience, as house-made tortillas take time.

Bisato
Pioneer Square
84 Yesler Way; 206.624.1111
This isn’t a time warp: James Beard Award–winning chef Scott Carsberg is back, as is his storied fine dining restaurant that had closed in 2012. Go all in with the tasting menu, an impressive showcase of the chef’s talents ($150).

Follow Us

Bloom Thai: Turning Tables into Friends

Bloom Thai: Turning Tables into Friends

This hidden Thai food gem started as a pandemic pop-up. Now, in its permanent home in Lakewood, the restaurant has quietly amassed a following thanks to its fusion of flavors and gregarious chef.

For months before I went to Bloom Thai, I was regaled by Instagram reels about the tiny Lakewood restaurant. “The owner is so nice!” people exclaimed. “She came out and sat with us,” one influencer said, while another announced that “Auntie gave us free Thai tea!” and so on. The food looked legendary, too, and…

Industry Entrées: New Restaurants Around the Sound

Industry Entrées: New Restaurants Around the Sound

Seattle’s newest spots to eat, drink, and gather with friends.

Balandra Fremont Taking over the legendary former Art of the Table space on Stone Way—following a brief stint as Robin’s—is Balandra, a chef-driven tapas and wine bar. Named for a Spanish sailing ship, it’s the debut from first-time owner Anna Bennett, who hails from the Eastside, with veteran chef Ivan Barraza at the helm. Along…

Seattle’s Vietnamese Coffee Wave

Seattle’s Vietnamese Coffee Wave

Rooted in history, evolution, and flavor, the city’s current bean boom is more than a caffeine fix.

While the number of Vietnamese coffee shops in Seattle has risen in the past few years, the beverage itself is not a new phenomenon in the region. Many Vietnamese restaurants in South Seattle have long served the beverage alongside other traditional dishes, such as bánh mì and pho. In fact, Bao Nguyen, shopkeeper of the…

Where to Get Vietnamese Coffee in Seattle

Where to Get Vietnamese Coffee in Seattle

Eight spots we love across the city.

Vietnamese coffee has long been part of Seattle’s Vietnamese restaurant scene, and a new wave of cafés is now building on that foundation with fresh takes and flavors. Here are eight places to try. 1. Aroom Coffee Aroom Coffee serves classic Vietnamese coffee drinks, including egg coffee, coconut coffee, and cà phê đen (traditional phin-brewed…