The Top Restaurants by Cuisine in Seattle

by The OpenTable team

Updated February 20, 2020

Where’s the best Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, or Indian food in town? Where’s the best steak, the best pizza, the best plate of oysters? We’ve pulled data from thousands of restaurants to find the top spots among Seattle’s most expert, seasoned diners, broken down by each type of cuisine.

Spinasse

4.8

4.8 (3783)

$50 and over

Italian

Capitol Hill / First Hill

About the restaurant

ITALIAN: There’s no shortage of great Italian restaurants in Seattle, but Spinasse consistently shines as one of the brightest. Come here for superlative dishes like hand-cut tajarin with butter and sage; lamb agnolotti en brodo; and cavatelli with morel ragu.

Top review

Doug

Dined 2 days ago

Per usual this place and never disappoints. We always sit at the bar and tonight‘s service was exceptional. The butter noodles are obviously a must have and the duck was perfect.

The Whale Wins

4.6

4.6 (929)

$31 to $50

American

Wallingford

About the restaurant

AMERICAN: There’s a reason The Whale Wins is one of Seattle’s most acclaimed and talked-about-restaurants: James Beard Award–winning chef Renee Erickson’s food is some of the best in town. This is seasonal, hearth-driving cooking at its finest, with an ever-changing menu that never ceases to delight.

Top review

Lucy

Dined 6 days ago

Great service, delicious food and cocktails. Not a lot of people there on a Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, so it was nice and quiet too.

Sushi Kappo Tamura - Dining Room

4.8

4.8 (1734)

$50 and over

Japanese

Lake Union / Eastlake

About the restaurant

JAPANESE: It’s easy for sushi restaurants to feel serious, quiet, austere. Not Sushi Kappo Tamura. Here, it’s clear that chef Taichi Kitamura and the rest of the staff are having a great time, and you certainly will, too; this is some of the best sushi in Seattle, with ingredients that are prepared thoughtfully and elegantly, blending Seattle’s incredible bounty with Japanese tradition.

Top review

Mark

Dined 2 days ago

Excellent food and service as always. Had to wait 15 mins for table (they offered free drink which was appreciated).

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4.7

4.7 (3019)

$31 to $50

French

Belltown / Pike Place Market

About the restaurant

FRENCH: Smack in the middle of Pike Place Market you’ll find Cafe Campagne, a classic French brasserie that’s been churning out duck confit, beef tartare, and steak frites since 1994. The space is warm and inviting, the banquettes are comfortable, and the waitstaff is always friendly and attentive.

Top review

Jerryvip

Dined 3 days ago

Everything was great especially the home made desserts.

Joule

4.7

4.7 (1392)

$31 to $50

Steakhouse

Wallingford

About the restaurant

STEAKHOUSE: Yes, Joule has a section of the menu dedicated to steak, but that doesn’t make it your average steakhouse. This is chefs Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi’s take on a Korean steakhouse, with dishes like kalbi with grilled kimchi, chuck flap steak with harissa, and rib eye with spicy peanut oil. The rest of the menu is just as exciting as the beef, especially the crispy eggplant, spicy rice cakes, and black-sesame noodles.

Top review

Erikavip

Dined 6 days ago

A lovely evening and delicious meal all around. Standouts included the short rib steak and Chinese broccoli. Wine list is too locally focused for our tastes, but the cocktails more than made up for it :)

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4.8

4.8 (1155)

$50 and over

Vegan

Wallingford

About the restaurant

VEGETARIAN/VEGAN: Whether or not you’re into the “woo-woo” stuff that accompanies a meal at Harvest Beat—yes, they ring a gong before dinner—you will certainly be into the food, which is a set menu of deeply delicious vegetarian cooking. Each dish is layered and complex, with combinations of vegetables and spices and acid that will leave you thinking about your meal well after heading home for the night.

Top review

Ryan

Dined on Nov 23, 2024

This was my second visit and while very good, not quite as enjoyable as my first visit which was in the early summer. I will definitely be back, but may take a while longer. I deeply appreciate the experience and what they are trying to do to elevate vegan cuisine. Sadly, this visit was a bit underwhelming. A couple of the dishes were a swing and a miss, in my opinion, in terms of both flavor and preparation. Just kind of basic, boring, or in one case, rather poorly prepared. The wine pairings were very good, however. Service was a little off this evening too. One issue in particular: My partner REALLY did not like the main course. After they placed it, it was obvious she was no enjoying it, but no one visited to inquire (at this price point, for a single-seating event where everyone is getting the same dish served at the same time, this is not really acceptable). When we later mentioned this, instead of offering to make amends (they had earlier served a soup that required no real prep which she loved, which they could have served her), we were told "Oh next time you can tell us things you don't like and we'll make sure to make something else for you". Nice offer, but they don't publish their menu, so there is no way to really know. Tasting menus can be tricky this way, and we have done MANY, but my main gripe was that they didn't make any attempt, nor make monetary compensation. "Too bad". Kind of made the experience far less "magical".