Seattle is home to a cultural melting pot of exceptional foods and restaurants, but some of the best places fly a little under the radar. Thankfully, our dining and lifestyle editor, Chelsea Lin, can guide you to the best budget-friendly Valentine’s spots, vegetarian restaurants and pizza, plus dozens of other can’t-miss Seattle dining experiences.

Have a question for Chelsea? Submit here. 

Reader: Where are the best breakfast tacos? 
CL: I love all the tacos at Taco Street, including the chorizo and egg breakfast tacos. But if you’re looking for more of that Texas-style breakfast taco, get the brisket version available at Jack’s BBQ between 7 and 9 a.m. 

Favorite restaurant on the Eastside?
That’s a tough call—I think, especially when it comes to cuisines like Indian food, that there are better options on the Eastside than in Seattle. So I’ll list a few of my favorites: Deru Market in Kirkland for a quick lunch or sweet treat; Kathakali in Kirkland for Indian food, Café Juanita in Kirkland for special occasions, and Facing East in Bellevue for Taiwanese cuisine. 

What are some great “food experiences” beyond just dining and farmers markets?
I would argue that some of our restaurants offer a very experiential dining experience—I’m thinking of Addo and Archipelago specifically—but if you’re looking for something a little different, try taking a food tour through an organization like Savor Seattle. I think they’re fun even for locals, because you get the opportunity to try a bunch of bites in a single tour. 

Any good places with shrimp and grits?
My favorite shrimp and grits are at RockCreek, where you can find it on both the brunch and dinner menus. At FlintCreek, the owners’ other restaurant, they do a really great version of grits with mushrooms instead of prawns.

Best budget friendly places for Valentine’s?
I guess it depends on how inexpensive you really want to be, but someplace like Pair or Jarr Bar or Le Caviste feel intimate and special, with drinks and small shared plates where it’s easy to not spend a fortune. Also, what if you went out just for dessert instead of a whole meal? 

Best gluten-free anything?
For gluten-free baked goods, my favorite spot is Nuflours in Capitol Hill—I think they do a wonderful job working with alternative flours, and their products are really tasty. For a broader menu, I always recommend Capitol Cider, which is an entirely gluten-free facility, which I know isn’t important to everyone, but the food there is good enough that no one would know it’s gluten-free if you didn’t mention it. 

Where can I find a good cup of chocolat chaud?
Le Pichet has the best: incredibly rich and decadent and really more like a chocolate sauce than hot chocolate, served with a side of whipped cream that you can add by the spoonful. 

Best place for fresh oyster?
In these wintery months when oysters are at their best, I recommend going straight to the source. Taylor Shellfish’s actual farm up north is my favorite, because I love the drive along Chuckanut and there’s something so great about eating oysters right by the oyster flats. Of course, their seafood shops and restaurants here in Seattle are great, too. 

Who has the best pizza on Capitol Hill?
I love the thick square slices at Dino’s in Capitol Hill, especially the Weekend at Dino’s, which has bacon, pineapple and pickled jalapenos. It’s 21 and over, which is sometimes a very good thing. Good cocktails, too! 

What are your top 3 vegetarian restaurants?
I was actually a vegetarian for many years, and my favorite places to go now are ones where the vegetables are given equal treatment. I love the vegetarian dishes at both the Carlile Room and Homer—super flavorful and interesting, and I feel like you can eat very well there as either an omnivore or vegetarian. For strictly vegetarian, I love the food at Eggs and Plants and also Georgetown Liquor.

Best neighborhood for day drinks and casual bites?
Capitol Hill, probably because it has the greatest density of restaurants and bars. Try the Redhook Brewlab, which has 16 taps and a menu of casual food. My favorite is probably Rachel’s Ginger Beer, because the cocktails are just perfect for day drinking and I love fried chicken sandwiches. 

Where is a good place to get some offal dishes? (Sweetbreads, kidney, heart)
We’ve been talking about Hunan food a lot in the office recently, and I’d say in general Asian food handles offal really well. There’s a Hunan place in Bellevue called Little Garden, and their menu has all manner of innards—tendon, liver, stomach, intestines, you name it—but also much more generic Chinese American fare for anyone in your party not interested in being adventurous.

Best pasta?
Il Corvo is kind of the undisputed favorite for pasta—it’s very, very good, and you should definitely go there. But I also really love Pasta Casalinga, which is a newer place in Pike Place Market with, I think, equally great bowls of pasta, and not usually a wait. 

Last-minute date night restaurants?
Anywhere without reservations—and that’s a fair number of places these days. Manolin is one of my favorites, and it’s so cozy and the food is so good that it’s perfect for a date night. 

Best brunch place in West Seattle?
Ma’Ono makes the best brunch in West Seattle in my opinion—I particularly love the apple malasadas you should definitely order for the table. But the vibe can’t be beat at Easy Street Records, and there’s a lot to be said for eating a breakfast burrito and then shopping for records. 

Any good places to eat or shop for groceries near Elliott and Battery street in Seattle?
So specific! I’d say check out Bang Bang Café, if you haven’t been, because their New Mexican food is really good for both breakfast and lunch. If you head up Battery to Second you’ve got some great choices, like No Anchor and Tavolata, and up on Third there’s Biscuit Bitch, which is one of my favorites.

What is your favorite cooking school in the Seattle area?
I’ve taken a number of classes at the Pantry, and I really love the variety of classes they offer and the people they bring in to teach the classes. Hot Stove Society is another great option. Both of these are popular and fill up fast, so keep your eye out as new classes are added. 

Best place for tapas?
To be honest, I haven’t found much in the way of tapas here… Spanish food, for whatever reason, doesn’t seem to be popular here. The most varied menu of tapas, I think, can be found at Ocho in Ballard, and I really love the cocktails there, too.

Where is the best place to get a veggie burger?
The veggie burger I love most is a fried black bean patty from Zippy’s. I actually wrote a little roundup of the best veggie burgers last year, which you can check out here.