Warning: This is a completely biased list of the places we think are the best in Seattle. We are girls who don't need all the bells and whistles. If you have good service and awesome food and are located in a strip mall on Aurora, we will be your best customers. We do not consider ourselves foodies. We simply love eating. It doesn't have to look pretty, it just has to taste good.
We are not the experts, but we eat a lot (and when I say a lot I mean a lot), so that gives us some credibility just based on the shear number of places we go. We are full believers in four meals a day and we think the best reason to have a significant other is that you get to try more items on a menu.
Here is a no-frills, no-politics, not-based-on-anything-but-our-personal-preferences list of our favorite restaurants in Seattle.
Il Corvo Pasta
Sarah's Top Picks
Just to set the tone. This is Sarah's favorite meme.
1. Il Corvo - Pasta is my jam, and Il Corvo does it best. Owner, Mike Easton, learned how to make pasta when he was studying in Florence, Italy, so you know his handmade pasta is legit! The shop is located in Pioneer Square and only opened for lunch (11am - 3pm). It's tiny and there is always a long line, but it is well worth the wait. The menu is small (usually only 3-4 pasta dishes to choose from a day), and it changes daily. You need to follow the shop on social media or check the website to get the daily offerings but guaranteed you can't go wrong with any of them.
2. Restaurant Roux - Ask me out to brunch, and I'll suggest this place. It's southern comfort food at its best with all the delicious standards. Shrimp and grit. Check. Chicken and waffles. Check and check. And, of course, the southern classic...fried green tomatoes (on a Po Boy, but it still counts). The other thing that keeps me coming back is the cocktail list that is fine tuned to perfection. Brunch is Saturday and Sunday only from 9am - 2pm, but the restaurant also serves dinner daily starting at 5pm.
3. Judy Fu's Snappy Dragon - There is a reason this place has won best Chinese food in Seattle for 7 years. One word: Dumplings. Okay, actually there are a lot of reasons other than dumplings, but the dumplings are what I love. The dumpling dough is handmade by Judy Fu herself in the back of the restaurant. In fact, you can get all of the noodle dishes with homemade noodles that are rolled and cut on the spot. We suggest you go that route. It's 100% worth the trip to the Maple Leaf neighborhood.
Chicken and waffles/Shrimp and grits at Restaurant Roux
The literal pink door
Kristina's Top Picks
1. The Pink Door - This is one of the first restaurants I ate at in Seattle and it has been a place I have celebrated a lot of life milestones. The reason I keep going back? Well, Italian, that doesn't need much explanation, everyone loves Italian and a lot of places in town make great Italian dishes, but i haven't found a place in town that can match the atmosphere (they have cabaret and aerialists, it's a hard act to beat!) along with the phenomenal menu items. Sitting outside on their deck overlooking Puget Sound, eating summer risotto with a glass of crisp white wine basically defines my happy place.
2. CJ's Eatery - Alright, we warned you, it wasn't all going to be glitz and glamour on this list. Cj's is a diner in Belltown that I just can't stay away from, but don't expect any truffle oil or aioli on the menu. What you can expect is delicious breakfast comfort food. What do I recommend? 6 words: Chicken Fried Chicken with Chorizo Gravy. It is only served on the weekends and it draws a crowd. There is really no need to try anything else (unless you don't eat meat..then this would be a bad idea).
3. Etta's - I wasn't born in the PNW, but I drank the Kool-Aid and am a full believer in the magic that is the Upper Left USA. One of the BEST parts of living here is the fresh and flavorful food that comes out of the area. I think Etta's is the place to sample the best of the PNW, especially salmon. The restaurant has great people, a well-rounded menu and drink list and most importantly, you can end the meal with their famous coconut creme pie.
The rose mimosa and chorizo gravy at CJ's
