📍Added in February: Tat’s Deli is a Pioneer Square institution, best known for its no-nonsense, East Coast–style sandwiches. The cheesesteak is the obvious classic—thin-sliced beef, melted cheese, and a properly chewy-and-crispy roll—but don’t miss the Tat’strami: house-made pastrami piled high with sauerkraut and slaw for a perfect balance of rich, smoky, and tangy. Big flavors, zero fuss, and deeply satisfying.

📍Added in February: Tucked just below Pike Place, Zig Zag Café is a cornerstone of Seattle’s modern cocktail history. Its influential bar program helped define the city’s drink culture, and today that same care extends to excellent mocktails. The food is consistently on point, and live jazz on many nights makes this cozy hideaway perfect for casual hangouts, late-night dining, or intimate dates. A true Seattle classic.

📍Added in February: Sisters and Brothers, in Interbay, lives in a space that once housed a Chinese restaurant and now turns out some of the most legitimately hot chicken I’ve had outside of Nashville. The chicken is extremely juicy with a hefty, shattering crunch, served properly with white bread and pickles. The sides are just as strong: juicy braised collards, smoked gouda mac and cheese, and fried okra that’s crisp and slime-free. You're gonna want your napkins and cold milk for this one.

📍Added in February: The fried chicken here is all about texture and balance: mildly spiced even at the hottest level, with a crisp, light coating and tons of surface area for maximum crunch. You can get it in popcorn, sandwich, or whole-piece form (paired with a long list of classic sides done right). Set in a historic former pharmacy at the Capitol Hill–First Hill crossroads, Triangle is also known for inventive cocktails and an unusually deep NA cocktail program. A true neighborhood standby.

📍Added in February: Mammoth Sandwiches (originally an Eastlake favorite) is now a clutch City Center stop when you need something good in a neighborhood not known for its dining. The Cro-Magnon is a hot-Italian–style sandwich with a pile of cold cuts, giardiniera, and a generous hit of vinegary, juicy Italian dressing on a nicely crisped roll—messy in the best way. An easy win within walking distance of the Armory and the Space Needle.

My kids and I love a good diner. My daughter is a hash fiend, my toddler son is an egg and omelet monster, and I bounce back and forth between the corned beef hash and the French toast. 14 Carrot does the latter exceptionally well: custardy brioche griddled golden brown with soft butter and that extra-thick diner syrup that tastes oh-so wrong and oh-so right. (P.S. There are 82 carrots in the diner—my daughter counted them.)

Seattle has quietly become a great pizza city: Post Alley, Stevie’s Famous, Slice Box, and Ananas nail the NYC slice; My Friend Derek’s and Moto deliver Detroit-style perfection; Windy City Pie covers Chicago. But the standout is newcomer Alex Kim’s A.K. Pizza in Othello, where the pies are crispy, bubbly, and full of flavor, with just the right char. His NYC-style pepperoni pie alone should earn Seattle a spot on the map of the world’s great pizza cities.

Khampaeng Panyathong created one of Seattle’s most iconic burgers at Taurus Ox when he combined a standard smashed burger with Lao flavors like jaew and cured pork belly. With Ananas, his new(ish) pizzeria, he aims to do the same with pizza. He’s got a few of your standard flavors but mixes them up with a pie topped with khao soi pork and bamboo shoots, or one with anchovy and pineapple. He’s never been to NYC, but that didn’t stop him from opening a New York–style pizzeria.

There are two locations of this spot (one in the University district and one in The Marketplace at Factoria) serving up crisp-on-the-outside, moist-in-the-middle arepas—savory griddled corn cakes from Venezuela and Colombia. They come stuffed to the brim with a wild array of fillings, from classic pabellón (shredded beef, fried ripe plantain, black beans, and cheese) to vegetarian and chicken options. Their empanadas are also top-notch.

Aviv Hummus Bar in Capitol Hill serves fresh balls of crisp and light falafel whose diminutive size belies their intense flavor. It’s everything I want in a falafel bar. Hot, stretchy, cloudlike pita. Silky smooth tahini and hummus. Fried eggplant rich with olive oil. Spicy condiments like an herbaceous zhug and a coriander-packed amba. Creamy chickpeas. Fresh, crunchy cucumbers and juicy tomatoes. I could eat like this every day.

Nobody would say that Ba Bar—with locations in Capitol Hill, South Lake, and U Village—flies under the radar, but the slow-roasted duck suprème, served with broken rice, pickled carrots and daikon, pineapple, and nuoc cham, may well be one of the best deals in town. Few restaurants serve duck as juicy and crisp, let alone for only $21. The whole menu is packed with value, but the bún bò huế (spicy beef noodles) and chewy caramelized pork floss cookies are extra special.

The more I visit Backyard Bagel, the more I’m convinced that it has truly captured the essence of the New York bagel experience. From the warmth and crackle of the freshly baked bagels, to the lack of toasters (fresh bagels need no toasting), to the generous schmears, to the proper cutting into quarters, they’ve nailed it. The bagels are a little fluffier and lighter than your typical New York bagel, but it’s a stylistic choice I can get behind.

Bagel Oasis has been delivering hot, fresh, crackly, chewy New York-style bagels since well before the new wave of bagel shops hit Seattle after the pandemic. They aren’t the flashiest bagels in town, but they’ve got the malty flavor of a true New York bagel. I do wish there was more everything on their everything (the toppings sort of slough off as you eat), but otherwise, it’s hard to fault this bagel. It’s nice to have a good, solid weekday bagel shop.

Bar Del Corso in Beacon Hill is simply outstanding in every way. The pizza is crisp, leopard-spotted, and lightly chewy like the best in Naples; the baccala fritters are whipped and light as a feather; and the prosciutto is properly aged and sliced paper thin so it melts in your mouth. Come in the summer and sit on the back patio to sip perfect Negronis while eating bits of charred octopus and whatever the seasonal vegetable specials are.

This is a fantastic butcher shop where the butchers truly know the meat, from the cut, to the diet, to the breed, to the aging process (many months long in some cases!). If you’re the type who likes a steak with character (and are willing to pay for it), this is the shop for you. For a more hands-off experience, book a table at The Peasant, a posh, meat-focused restaurant inside the shop (open Thursday–Sunday) that handily dispels the notion that British food is bland.

We stumbled on these delicious cookies after finishing dinner at (the unfortunately recently shuttered) Dan Gui Blossoms near Green Lake. Not only were the cookies excellent (the Colombian corn especially), but the staff was so incredibly kind to us and the kids, even minutes before closing. The fresh, chewy-in-the-middle cookies are the main draw here, but they’ve also got packaged, toffee-like crisp cookies that are excellent (and last longer).

Would some New Yorkers take issue with the fact that a slice at Big Mario’s is a full one-sixth of a pie instead of one-eighth? Would they be annoyed by the crackery crust of a folded slice? Would they refuse to pay $5 for a slice? Sure. But that’s okay. It just means more not-quite-New-Yorky NY pizza for us. Fast, casual service is Big Mario’s hallmark. I love that you can walk in, place an order, get it handed to you on a paper plate, and be out the door in under a minute.

Billiard Hoang looks like a pool hall from the outside, but walk in, and you'll find that half the space is a restaurant worth visiting. I love the rich, gelatinous oxtail pho (I'm a sucker for all things oxtail), with extra-thin and bouncy rice noodles and lots of fresh herbs, as well as their grilled pork banh mi. It's a classic version with juicy strips of grilled pork (with plenty of crispy caramelized bits) and fresh vegetables stuffed into a crisp rice-flour baguette.

Blackbird Bakery is an essential first stop when I get off the ferry to Bainbridge. Their toast, whether simply spread with soft salted butter or loaded up with jam, is rightfully lauded, but the quiche, with its sturdy, deep, buttery crust and its filling cooked to the consistency of a creamy custard in a great crème brûlée, is consistently among the best I’ve had anywhere. I’m especially fond of the potato version, whose soft texture echoes the creaminess of the custard.

Do you like Caribbean-themed restaurants built in former gas stations? How about man-made sandy beaches in the middle of the city? What are your thoughts on really excellent fried plantains, juicy Cuban shredded beef, and generous portions of rice and black beans? Hitting Bongos, with its walled-in, sand-filled patio, is like taking a lunch break–sized vacation. I encourage eating the gloriously crusty and messy roast pork sandwich while stretching your toes in the sand.

Bottega Gabriele started as a series of Italian sandwich pop-ups. I recently visited the brick-and-mortar shop in Pioneer Square, run by the two sons of a Sardinian importer, and was blown away by the quality and simplicity of the sandwiches. You’ll find a selection of Sardinian cheeses and imported meats (mortadella, prosciutto, capicola, etc.) tucked into split slabs of focaccia spread with fiery 'nduja, a soft and smoky Calabrian sausage produced in the shop next door.

Buckshot Honey is a perfect post-ski (or post-hike) stop. The smoked brisket on rye—roasted onions, pickled peppers, black pepper mayo, and house provolone whiz—is tender and lightly smoky. Don’t sleep on the braised collards or the cheddar apple pie, either. It’s a cozy space that serves some excellent nontraditional barbecue.

In my never-ending quest to taste all the teriyaki in Seattle, Buxx stands out as one of the best. What differentiates it? Sure, the chicken is tender, juicy, and not over-marinated. Yes, the sauce has that essential balance between sweet and savory, neither too loose nor too gloppy. But the real key is the intensity of the sear and the level of char they get on the chicken. The crisp edges and intensely smoky grilled flavor make this about as good as teriyaki gets.

Located in the industrial Fourth Avenue drag in SoSo, By’s Fish and Chips is about as old school and no frills as a fast food restaurant comes. The namesake fish and chips are panko-coated and generous, but I come for the burgers that are stacked one to three patties high (one is enough for me) on a soft toasted kaiser roll. They’re thin, well seasoned, and drip-down-your-arm juicy, while the fries are flavor-packed and just the right level of greasy.

The quintessential neighborhood Italian restaurant, perfect for a standing date night or a lively celebration with the whole family (try to snag reservations for $10 pizza-and-pasta Mondays). Their handmade lasagna with its many layers, al dente bite, and bright tomato sauce is a Seattle classic, but don’t overlook the dense, olive oil–rich eggplant or the tomatoes roasted in the wood-fired oven. The steak, tucked away at the bottom of the menu, is low-key one of the better steaks in town.

I know it’s dangerous to claim any cheesesteak made outside of Philadelphia as “proper” (let alone “authentic”). But the cheesesteaks at Calozzi’s Cheesesteaks in Georgetown, by the Duwamish Waterway, with their Amoroso’s rolls and their griddled, shaved, and chopped ribeye bound with sharp provolone, are as proper as it gets (whether “wit” or “witout” fried onions). If you really want to ruffle some Philly feathers, ask them to chop pickled peppers in with the meat.

From the iconic and gorgeously updated mid-century modern building, to the casual confidence of the service, to the flawless execution of chef Aisha Ibrahim’s Filipino- and Japanese-inflected tasting menu, Canlis is a rare example of a historic restaurant that has managed to not just keep up with the times, but to continue to lead the way. (On a personal note, my dad is rarely impressed by my restaurant choices. I took him to Canlis. He was impressed.)

Carmelo’s serves some of Seattle’s best tacos from an unassuming window on the side of a convenience store. The tortillas are handmade and toasted until crisp around the edges; the fillings are juicy, flavorful, and generous. While the meat options are all good, the veg are consistently my favorite, especially the smoky nopales and the mushrooms with lots of saucy chiles and beans. Good stuff (and great horchata).

The namesake dish at Carnitas Michoacan, a fast-service taqueria just off the Beacon Hill light-rail station, is made with a variety of cuts of pork (belly, shoulder, skin, ears, and more), slow-braised in its own lard, chopped together, then piled onto fresh corn tortillas and garnished with onions and cilantro. Top the tacos as you will from their selection of excellent housemade salsas. Speaking of the tortillas, they are handmade and cooked to order, pliable and elastic, with a spotty char.

Legendary San Gabriel Valley restaurant Chengdu Taste’s Seattle outpost stands shoulder to shoulder with the original for intensely flavored, well-executed Sichuan food. The classics, like mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, dan dan noodles, and fish-fragrant eggplant are all well represented, but my favorite dishes are the impossibly succulent cold-poached green onion chicken with its numbing and fragrant green Sichuan pepper broth and the comfortingly slick, silken tofu stew with egg yolk.

Started by a chef who honed his fried chicken recipe in the oil fields of Louisiana, Cookie’s Country Chicken serves some of the best Southern fried chicken in Seattle. It boasts a crisp, craggly, highly seasoned crust and juicy meat (especially when fresh out of the fryer) and a variety of classic sides done right. If you can stand the heat, order it with up to four levels of spiciness (and they aren’t messing around with the spice).

I don’t know what’s taken me so long to heed the advice of countless Seattle pizza lovers, but now that I’ve been to Cornelly, I will strongly recommend its pizzas, with their slightly-thicker-and-chewier-than-NY-style crackly crust. Their topping selections are often abundant but never overwrought and always in perfect balance. (Don’t sleep on the pasta either!)

Cheap, fast, and pure nostalgia, Dick’s is a Seattle essential. Thin, griddled burgers, wrapped in foil, are available in just four forms: plain, cheeseburger, Special, or Deluxe. Get the Deluxe: double patty, veggies, cheese, and their excellent tartar sauce with chunky pickles and a hint of cloves. Fries are fresh-cut and steam themselves soft in the bag; milkshakes demand a spoon. Lunch, dinner, or midnight—it’s always time for a greasy bag of Dick’s.

As a transplanted New Yorker who grew up on a steady diet of bagels and pastrami sandwiches, finding a good source for both in my new hometown was a top priority. Vance Dingfelder of Dingfelder’s in the heart of Capitol Hill is a real, live New Yorker who takes his pastrami and whitefish salad seriously. Thick, hand-cut slices of pastrami piled ludicrously high only work because of how tender and juicy they are. Get some kosher dills and latkes while you’re at it.

I first had Brandon Pettit’s pizza years ago at Delancey, the Ballard pizza shop he opened with his then-wife Molly Wizenberg. But it’s his New York–style Dino’s in Capitol Hill that I tend to visit more these days. As a transplanted New Yorker, it’s rare that a slice really scratches my pizza itch, but slice after slice, the triangles and squares deliver. (It’s 21+, so you’ll have to get it to go if you want to share with your kids.)

DOCE sells traditional yeasted doughnuts (excellent ones at that) inspired by the flavors of Latin America. The tres leches version is filled with condensed milk custard; another has the classic combo of guava and cheese. My favorite is filled with passion-fruit pastry cream and served with a crème brûlée-style crackly sugar top. I love how the cracks get pushed into the stretchy yeasted dough underneath!

The wood-fire pizza oven that used to churn out Neapolitan-ish pies when this spot was called Little Lago now breathes life into the decidedly New York-ier pies at Dude’z. They’re smaller than an NYC pie (12 inches, with six slices), but the crusts have the distinct balance between tender and chewy with an undercarriage that’s crisp enough to stand out proud when folded. The cheese is flavorful, aged mozzarella, the sauce is bright and fresh, and the toppings are thoughtful.

As a former New Yorker, I crave the easy comfort of a breakfast sandwich properly wrapped in foil, so the steam from the bacon and eggs softens the bread and fully melts the cheese, giving the combo a satisfying sense of wholeness. On paper, the breakfast sandwich at Eastlake Specialty Market is nothing special—Costco bacon and English muffins, fried eggs, American cheese—but the speedy, friendly service, low cost, and that magical steam make it a moment of breakfast clarity.

The diner-in-a-record-shop atmosphere at Easy Street Records is top-notch, as are the biscuits, which are light and airy, even when topped with a couple of fried eggs and a ladle of sausage gravy that manages to stay loose and saucy. Sausage gravy can often be paste-like, but not here. Add a side of golden-brown, crisp-yet-creamy hash browns for a breakfast that will keep you filled until dinnertime.

El Cabrito in Burien is a small Oaxacan restaurant that focuses on the region’s two most iconic dishes: mole (available as plates, enchiladas, tacos, and other forms) and tlayuda. It’s the latter that I mostly come for. Think: a handmade corn tortilla the size of a large pizza toasted until crisp and charred, topped with a smear of refried black beans, shredded queso Oaxaca, carne asada, cabbage, avocado, tomato, and a really tasty chipotle salsa. It ticks all the boxes.

I’ve dedicated a good chunk of my professional life to smash burgers, but I’ve never tasted one as rich, beefy, crispy, and savory as the one at this Guamanian restaurant in Beacon Hill. Everything here is excellent (the seafood tostada especially), but the burger is the showstopper. How do they get the edges so crispy? How does a simple mix of Kewpie mayo, onions, and pickles complement it so perfectly? What is even happening? It’s confusingly good, and I’m here for it.

The namesake chicken and waffles at Fat’s Chicken & Waffles are fine, but to be honest, the rest of the menu is where the real magic is. Creamy grits with plump shrimp and buttery shrimp sauce ranks up there as some of the best I’ve had. Red beans and rice are complex, with pickled pork and smoked hocks. And the fried chicken (in by-the-piece or biscuit sandwich form) is grease-free and crisp, with that coveted cosmic oneness between coating and skin.

The sunny, family-friendly outdoor patio at Fremont Brewing is a great place to find yourself on a summer day when the misters are on, you've picked up some teriyaki from nearby I Love Teriyaki (one of the best teriyaki spots in town), and you've got a freshly-poured beer on the picnic bench in front of you. Want to keep your afternoon acohol-free? They've got one of the finest non-alcoholic beers on the market (and a nearby waterfront to enjoy them on).

I grew up with Japanese-French bakeries on the East Coast, so I was thrilled to find Fuji Bakery in Seattle. They make some of the area’s best shokupan (Japanese milk bread)—try it in their crisp chicken katsu or soufflé-light egg salad sandwiches. You’ll also find classics like ham-and-cheese bread, fruit tarts, and curry rolls (milk bread stuffed with curried beef, panko-crusted, and fried like a doughnut), plus malasadas filled with passion fruit, ube, green tea, and more.

The quality of the hash browns and the speed of service can make or break a diner for me. Geraldine’s Counter, in Columbia City, scores big on both fronts. The hash browns have the right balance of creamy and crispy bits. The pancakes are wide and buttery (and highly recommended by my kids). The tender-crisp biscuit is one of the best in Seattle. If you’ve got kids, stop by Chrysanthemum next door afterwards. It’s a secondhand toy-and-clothing store that encourages play.

This South American bakery in the heart of the Central District is operated by three generations of the Rocha family, who bake South American and European cookies, pastries, and breads daily. But my favorite treat here are the pupusas from the hot breakfast menu. Freshly griddled, hand-filled corn cakes come crisp on the outside and warm and gooey in the center, with a side of tangy curtido and tomato salsa. (Don’t sleep on the “skinny egg and bean” burritos either.)

Chicken teriyaki is the unofficial dish of Seattle, and because it’s so plentiful, the best option is usually the one closest to you. One of the rare exceptions to that is Grillbird in West Seattle. They do a Hawaiian take, worth a trip even if you’re outside the neighborhood. The chicken and beef are juicy, charred, and flavorful; the sauce is gingery and bright; the sides, which have a Hawaiian theme, are exceptional, especially the mac salad; and their burger game is also strong.

I don’t miss much about New York, but I do miss its bagel culture—freshly baked all day so every one’s hot, crackly, and chewy inside. Andrew Rubinstein (formerly of Rubinstein Bagels) gets it. His new shop, Hey Bagel, keeps it simple: fresh bagels all day, a few great schmears (no sandwiches—just tear and dip), and excellent coffee. Don’t ask them to toast one—they can’t, and a real bagel doesn’t need it.

Joe’z Burgers, located in the ever-changing little market space on Fuhrman Avenue near Portage Bay, specializes in Oklahoma onion burgers—that is, beef smash-griddled with a pile of thin-shaved onions that frizzle and caramelize as the beef cooks. They serve their burgers on a housemade sesame bun that’s buttery and soft, along with absolutely killer fries that perfectly straddle the line between crispy and greasy.

Impeccable hand-cut soba noodles served hot or cold with a variety of traditional and nontraditional seasonal toppings (try the kimchi, tomato, and burrata) are reason enough to come here, but the rest of the menu is equally stellar. Try a silky corn-and-crab chawanmushi, crisp shiso and uni tempura, and a foie gras “tofu” (a custard-light foie gras mousse) that comes in a delicate dashi broth with fresh wasabi. The latter is one of the best things I’ve eaten in Seattle.

If a panko-breaded, deep-fried burger patty sounds like a gut bomb, don’t worry—this one eats surprisingly light. Tucked into a hearty roll with Japanese mayo and sweet-savory katsu sauce, it’s balanced out by a generous pile of shredded cabbage and crisp vegetables. Want something heavier? Try one of the specialty burgers loaded with cheese, mushrooms, or fried eggs. The nori-dusted fries are also excellent.

Ken’s Market, a Phinney Ridge staple since 1955, hides one of the city’s best sandwich and burger spots. Burgers are served Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: a no-frills smash with crisp edges, onions, and American cheese. The sandwich lineup—hot, cold, and ready-to-go—makes it a perfect lunch stop. A recent porchetta on a crisp hoagie with arugula and mustardy dressing was drippingly juicy.

Of Seattle’s homegrown burger mini-chains, Kidd Valley sets itself apart by sprinkling their thin patties with seasoned salt and chargrilling them, giving them a good shot of smoky backyard flavor (which goes best with their spicy onions). Toppings are classic: shredduce, special sauce, a choice of cheese, and tomatoes that are more about texture than flavor. The best item on the menu is the onion rings, which are impossibly, shatteringly crisp and light.

Chef Aaron Verzosa’s Kilig serves Filipino comfort food with precision and heart. The sizzling sisig—made with pork shoulder and ear, topped with a runny egg—crackles with tang and richness. Meaty lumpiang are stuffed to the brim with pork, shrimp, and crisp water chestnuts. The real standout was the chicken wings: coated in honey and chilies with an impossibly crisp crust that stays crunchy even after it’s been in the fridge overnight.

I’ve been working my way through the whole menu at Kobuta & Ookami, a Japanese katsu shop that fries up impossibly crisp cutlets. The menu lets you choose your protein and preparation: I recommend the fattier pork loin over the pork tenderloin, or if going with chicken, get the version with umeboshi stuffed in it. Either way, I like it in the “nabe” preparation, where it comes in a hot pot with broth and egg yolk. The key to their crispness? Fresh (not dried!) panko crumbs.

This is the brick-and-mortar evolution of owners Avery and Ashley Hardin’s popular sandwich truck, Layers, which serves sandwiches that are simple but exciting. The Captain Rick with Oregon tuna on soft slices of toasted Pullman is the platonic ideal of a childhood tuna sandwich, complete with a fistful of potato chips. As a former Bay Area resident, I appreciate anything served on Dutch crunch, with its craggy, crunchy crust, especially thinly sliced Fra’ Mani salumi. Always order the potatoes.

Le Pichet is a classic, reliable, no-surprises French bistro near Pike Place Market that does solid and very reasonably priced versions of bistro classics like steak frites, charcuterie, duck confit, and a roast chicken for two. It’s the perfect spot for a pastis and a few bites of cheese on a summer afternoon, or onion soup and brandy on a damp Seattle winter evening.

L’Oursin is as close as you’ll get to an unpretentious, perfectly French bistro in Seattle with well-executed versions of the classics. Think: escargot in a buttery garlic-and-parsley sauce, pork and foie gras pâté en croûte, and hanger steak frites with a creamy brandy sauce. My favorite way to dine here is with their preset, family-style meals offered to tables of seven or more, because it saves me having to decide among all the things I want to eat.

Several spots are in the running for best omakase in Seattle, but none is as intimate as Ltd Edition. Getting a reservation at the counter can be a challenge, as can some of the bites in the 15-to-20-course menu, though Chef Keiji is a master at taking cues from guests and curating the perfect meal. If you’re into sake, there is no better deal than the $45 pairing that features a dozen or so pours during the course of the meal.

Lupo in Fremont specializes in what I’d call the neo-Neapolitan style of pizza, and they do an exceptional job of it. The crust is crispier than your standard Neapolitan—crisp enough to eat a slice by hand—with a cloud-like lightness and a pattern of deeply charred leopard spots. The toppings are simple (fancy pepperoni, sausage and olive, cacio e pepe, or mushroom) but perfectly balanced, and the hearth-baked bread has a deep crust and moist, chewy crumb.

I love a good Italian hoagie when the cold cuts are sliced nice and thin and the toppings have enough vinegary tang to bite through it all, and, boy, does Lyon’s deli in Westlake know how to slice a thin cold cut and pile a pepperoncini or two on a roll. They also know how to toast a mean tuna melt, which I nominate as the official best sandwich for Seattle weather in any season other than summer (though honestly, you can still hit me up with hot tuna on a hot day).

Like any good British pub, this is the kind of place where you’re equally comfortable drinking alone or bringing the family for a meal and a pint. The pizza is decent and the burgers are great, but the fish-and-chips are the secret star here, with waves of crisp, golden beer batter coating thick, juicy filets of cod. (Sticklers will point out the fries are too thin and crisp compared to the ones from the local chippy, but these are not bad qualities for potatoes to have).

Finding a Mexican spot that starts with fresh masa is such a treat, and I love Maíz in Pike Place, serving a variety of Mexican snacks made from masa milled at their sister restaurant Sazon. Killer tacos on soft and supple handmade tortillas. Generously topped huaraches and moist, flavorful tamales. Tender-crisp sopes dripping with the juices of whichever guisados of the day you choose to top them with. They’ve also got fantastic horchata that is delicately spiced and not too sweet.

Open since 1950, Marco Polo is an off-the-beaten-path pure dive bar. Their signature broasted chicken is cooked in a pressure fryer and comes out heavily seasoned, juicy inside, and crackling outside. The jo-jo potatoes you can pair it with are cooked in the same fryer, delivering a crisp crust and creamy, nearly mashed-potato-like interior that will still burn your tongue a good 15 minutes after it’s served.

The namesake Mean Sandwich at Dan Crookston’s Ballard sandwich shop is a slab of corned beef braised until tender, cooked on a flattop until crisp and hot along the edges, and served in a buttery bun with pickled cabbage, fresh mint, and coarse homemade yellow mustard. It’s like the world’s most decadent fried bologna sandwich. There are no misses on the menu, but try the oyster po’boy (on a crisp Vietnamese banh mi roll), the smashed burger, and the addictively crispy fried potato skins.

Whether I’m headed there for a celebration with friends or posting up solo at the bar to chat with bartender Rob over a drink and a chop, I’m a sucker for a swanky steak house experience. The Metropolitan Grill does it right with a wide selection of custom dry-aged steaks, a fabulous wine list, plenty of character, and an off-menu burger that is one of the finer sandwiches in town. Though I typically lean ribeye, their bourbon-aged New York strip might be the best steak I’ve ever had, anywhere.

Korean-Mexican fusion is nothing new, but it’s rarely done as well as at this truck parked outside of Project 9 Brewing in Maple Leaf. The Korean-inspired meats (think: kalbi or gochujang-marinated al pastor) are tender, juicy, and insanely flavorful with crackly charred edges. Order them in a kimchi “gringa” taco and they come packed into a flour tortilla with crisply browned cheese. The salsa bar with a variety of Mexican and Korean sauces and pickles is also top-notch.

"This cannot be this crispy," was the first thought that went through my head when I bit into the fried-chicken sandwich from Milk Drunk, closely followed by "How is this so juicy," and "Why does this taste so good?" in quick succession. As I swallowed, my brain said to me "Good thing it's so big." I agreed. Milk Drunk's fried-chicken sandwiches are spectacular, but so is their soft serve, so choose wisely. (This means get both.)

I’ve been a fan of Mioposto’s various locations since moving to Seattle, and the new location of the homegrown Neapolitan pizza spot in my neighborhood of Eastlake is just as good as the rest. The menu is mostly tender-crisp Neapolitan-ish pizza, but don’t sleep on the salads, apps (the chickpeas and broccolini!), sandwiches (especially the breakfast versions), or the heavily charred ribeye steak.

Time was when it was very difficult to score a pizza from Moto. The Detroit-style deep-pan pizzas, with their characteristic caramelized cheese “skirt" and wild toppings, would be pre-ordered and sell out months in advance. These days, with an operations manual as finely tuned as his pizza recipe, chef-owner Lee Kindell operates five locations (including one in T-Mobile Park right by Section 314). More Detroit pizza for all is a good thing.

With their new brick-and-mortar location and increased production, ordering a bagel from Mt. Bagel no longer resembles trying to score a Taylor Swift concert ticket. Their bagels defy categorization (and for some may be bagel-like in shape only), but there's no denying the delicious appeal of an open, airy, chewy crumb under a crisp, crackly crust. They don't make sandwiches, so the best thing is to order a bagel and a tub of cream cheese to tear and dip at your leisure.

Good pizza is all about the crust, and at My Friend Derek’s—Green Lake’s Detroit-style pizza joint—the crust is perfect. Airy and chewy with a crisply fried bottom like great focaccia, but slightly denser, it easily supports a generous pile of toppings. My favorite is, well, Derek’s Fav: grana padano, lots of cuppy pepperoni, bright sauce, mozzarella, and Castelvetrano olives. Honestly, every pie is a winner, finished with a shatteringly crisp cheese crust.

Teriyaki joints are a dime a dozen in Seattle, but Nikko stands out for its large portions, chicken that’s been deeply marinated to help it retain juiciness, and plenty of char. I love the sauce here, which has a sweet-savory balance. Like most teriyaki shops, Nikko serves a simple chopped iceberg lettuce salad on the side of their teriyaki combo, but their dressing, which has a distinct sesame-oil aroma to it, is an upgrade from the standard sweet mayo.

Fried smelts with clams and bacon toast. French toast with foie gras ice cream. Sweetbreads with morels and peas. It’s hard to tell you what to order at Off Alley, because the menu is among the most dynamic in the city, with both the food and wine changing daily. With 12 seats, an arcane reservation system, and a challenging menu, Off Alley is not the most straightforward restaurant to get into (literally or figuratively), but it’s worth the effort.

If you know Lyon’s Grocery, you know the sandwiches at Otherside. Owners Won and Joan are behind the craveable creations at both spots. The basics shine—a golden-brown tuna melt, a BLT piled with thick-cut crispy bacon, an Italian sub with just the right vinegary tang—but don’t skip the wilder options. The Bull Rider—roast beef, Mama Lil’s peppers, pepper jack, caramelized onions, and a side of beef jus—is a deeply satisfying French dip riff.

Oxbow Bakery opened a couple years ago with a menu focusing on great bagels (they're still the main draw) and a few pastries, but since then has introduced a pizza program that bakes one of the finer slices in town. It's not New York-style, it's not Neapolitan; it's just real bread-baker's pizza with a correspondingly chewy and open-hole structure and darkly blistered crust. They always have a seasonal special worth tasting (along with any quiche in the window).

At Paju, chef Bill Jeong serves modern Korean dishes with refined techniques and flavors culled from around the world. Order the octopus (plump as a sausage), which comes in a smoky dashi beurre blanc, or the mushrooms with parmesan, white kimchi, and truffle. If you see anything with bugak—nori fried crisp as a taco shell—get it!

Chef Janet Becerra brings serious skill and subtlety to this bright, modern Mexican spot. The menu changes seasonally, but this time featured a crisp, toasty tlayuda with mushrooms and marinated green coriander seeds that popped like caviar. The rare beef aguachile with serrano and lime was another stand-out, and the suadero tacos—slow-cooked brisket on house-nixtamalized tortillas—are always on the menu for a reason.

It was over a decade ago that my colleague Carey Jones was traveling the country eating sandwiches for Serious Eats and claimed the roast pork sandwich with grilled onions and pickled jalapeños at Paseo to be one of the best sandwiches in the country. Since that time, Paseo has changed ownership (and, purportedly, recipes), but the sandwich, with its juicy pork, garlicky aioli, crusty bread, and all-important griddled onions, is as good as ever.

A small menu focused on a single concept typically means that concept is gonna be executed well. Case in point: Pasta Casalinga and its menu of a handful of pasta dishes. The fresh pasta is pleasantly chewy and comes paired with seasonal flavors. Tucked away in the corner of the mall near Pike Place Market, what it lacks in ambience it more than makes up for in quality.

Part breakfast spot, part vegan haven, part bike shop, and part cocktail bar, Peloton Cafe is the kind of mashup only Seattle can pull off. The menu splits evenly between meaty and meat-free brunch staples: burritos, egg sandwiches, and bowls. The standout Basic Breakfast Sandwich is anything but: a crisp fried egg with a jammy yolk dripping over arugula and thick-cut bacon, all tied together with a just-spicy-enough Aleppo chile aioli.

Not many soups require sticky fingers and wet wipes to eat, but that's the beef rib pho at Pho Bac Súp Shop. The bowl comes filled with their rich, delicately spiced, and herbaceous beef broth ladled over a pile of rice noodles with a slab of fatty, cartilaginous beef ribs (or sometimes a single Flinstones-esque specimen). It's a glorious mess I like to wash down with a salty egg-yolk soda. Don't miss the crispy chicken wings, coated in garlicky tamarind fish sauce, either!

For Californians missing their beloved In-N-Out, the Pick-Quick Drive-In’s burgers are a near taste-alike, down to the extra-toasty bun, whole leaves of crisp iceberg lettuce, slab of tomato, choice of grilled onions or a massive slice of raw onion (I always do both), and sweet-tangy-creamy spread. Unlike In-N-Out, they offer a handful of drive-thru staples (chicken, hot dogs, chili), and their fries are a salty, greasy, and delicious upgrade to In-N-Out’s sticks of cardboard.

I’m typically a traditionalist when it comes to pizza toppings—give me a margherita or a pepperoni and I’m satisfied—but at Pizza by Ruffin, a shop that opened in South Lake Union, I make exceptions. Here, husband-and-wife team Isaiah and Colleen top their Roman pizza al taglio with flavors of the Black diaspora, like mushrooms and Jamaican curry, barbecue pork, and doro wat with potato.

Post Alley Pizza makes quite possibly the best slices in town. The dough is crisper, chewier, and charred a little more than a run-of-the-mill NY slice, while the toppings are flavorful and restrained (typically limited to cheese, pepperoni, and a couple of daily specials). If the pizza isn’t enough of a draw, they serve one of the finest Italian hoagies money can buy, packed with sliced meats, cheese, and chicories on a housemade sesame roll. (Make sure to add some spicy anchovy “jazz.”)

Proper Fish serves the best fish and chips around: a flaky fillet the size of a cricket bat, golden-battered and fried to perfection. British-born chef Harvey Wolff brings his roots and Nosh food truck legacy to this sit-down spot. Thick-cut fries are crisp and deeply golden, and the minty mushy peas are bright and fresh. Everything’s hot, crunchy, and properly done. Worth the ferry ride.

Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos rose from the ashes of Porkchop restaurant in Ballard, embracing a brunch and breakfast–focused menu that delivers some of the best-in-category coffee, bagels, burritos, and biscuits in the city. The everything bagels are the kind that by the time you’re at your last couple of bites, you have a nice little pile of everything seasoning left on the parchment paper to dip the cream cheese side into.

Rainier Teriyaki, down in Mount Baker, is consistently one of the best teriyaki options in the city. The chicken is juicy and freshly cooked, with a deep char and plenty of those crispy nubbins that mark the finest teriyaki. (The spicy version is equally stand-out.) Their rice, with its short, separate grains, is aromatic. Of the dozens of teriyaki joints I’ve tried, Rainier is my most-visited.

In most cases, the quality of a sandwich is directly dependent on the quality of the bread. The bread at Royal Grinders tastes like the soft, squishy, “Italian” bread you find in supermarket bakeries, yet somehow it works so well when it’s toasted crisp like garlic bread and used to cradle hot, gooey, mayo-y fillings. It’s a perfect example of a sandwich becoming more than the sum of its parts.

The folks at Seattle Biscuit Company sure know how to slap something delicious into a split biscuit, whether it’s crisp and juicy fried chicken, seasonal vegetables, or the Willie Lee, a breakfast sandwich with fried egg, bacon, Beecher’s cheese, and berry jam. Those biscuits, by the way, are the perfect brunch sandwich vessel: buttery, rich, and tender, but just sturdy and crisp enough to hold together to the last bite. (Okay, second-to-last.)

At 34 years old, Serafina is one of the oldest Italian restaurants in Seattle, but it doesn’t show its age: It’s a true East Lake neighborhood gem. I come here for the excellent braised eggplant, the classic eggplant rollatini (served old-school on a bed of angel hair with marinara), the tender meatballs, and the excellent nonalcoholic beverage program. The large space makes it great for family meals, date nights, or lingering solo at the bar over a plate of handmade pasta.

Even though husband-and-wife team Ryan and Leanna Lengle are not native New Yorkers, their pizzeria serves up some of the New Yorkiest New York slices in Seattle. The triangle slices are foldable and crisp yet tender, with a bright tomato sauce and just the right amount of aged mozzarella. But their Sicilian squares, with their light-as-a-cloud texture, are what have me going back.

Smash That has parked at various breweries but seems settled at Fremont Brewery—good news for locals craving thin, crisp, beefy, messy burgers. The classic smash is a Seattle top five, but fried and pickled jalapeños make it one of my favorite burgers anywhere. The fries are also excellent, especially loaded with cheese, chopped burger, onions, and fry sauce if messy’s your style.

If I’m not at the farmers markets on the weekends, Sosio’s in Pike Place Market is my go-to for the best quality local and seasonal fruits and vegetables in town. Normally I’m the kind of shopper who likes to feel my fruit before purchasing. But at Sosio’s, trusting the staff to pick the best peach for you (whether you’re going to eat it today, tomorrow, or in two days) is part of the process. They have yet to steer me wrong.

What the kathi rolls from Spice Waala in Capitol Hill lack in size, they make up for in flavor, thanks to the multiday rest their fillings (lamb, chicken, paneer, or potato) take in a spiced yogurt marinade. Equally delicious are the snacks, especially the chickpea chaat, tossed in a pair of chutneys. Spice Waala partners with local organizations to provide meals to those in need and is a true community-forward spot.

I’ve never had a bad bite at Spinasse in Capitol Hill. I always love the anchovy and butter toast everyone gets to start, and anything served on their bread is wonderful, but the tajarin with butter and sage is its most well-known dish for a reason. Light and stretchy hand-cut pasta with just the right chew, sauce that’s buttery but not greasy with a light perfume of sage, and lots of Parmesan is not a tough sell.

I say this with no adopted-hometown bias: Spinnaker makes some of the finest chocolate in the world. Their obsession with the technical led them to several novel production steps, including new bean-sorting methods and a nib-only roasting process that delivers a more even roast. The result is extraordinarily snappy, smooth-melting bars that showcase the flavor and aroma of their single-origin beans. I’d get a few to taste side by side.

A great burger for under $10 is hard to find in Seattle these days. But at Star Brass Works, you’ll find a pub burger that’s reasonable in size (no snake jaw required) but big in flavor: juicy beef, melty American cheese, onions, pickles, and zingy special sauce. It’s the griddle-cooked analog to the famed grilled pub burger at Loretta’s Northwesterner, their sister spot a few blocks away. The onion rings—beer-battered, grease-free, and ultra-crisp—are among the best in town.

I was impressed with the tender-crisp, by-the-slice, New York-with-a-sourdough-twist pizza at Stevie’s Famous in Burien. Its second location in the former Breezy Town pizza space in the Clock-Out Lounge is just as impressive. The slices sport plenty of charring and a lightly sour crust with top-notch toppings like cuppy pepperoni, Calabrian chiles, and burrata.

When chef Taichi Kitamura isn’t behind the bar of his sushi-and-sashimi mecca under the Ship Canal Bridge, he’s out on the water fishing for salmon, squid, or trout. His menu combines seasonal Japanese seafood and sustainably harvested local species for the type of omakase experience you can only have in the Pacific Northwest in the hands of a master fisherman and chef.

It’s just a truck parked in a gas station in Rainier Valley, but the taco meats here are excellent. The lengua in particular is among the best I’ve had in Seattle, positively dripping in juice and nicely seasoned. The carne asada is thin-sliced with plenty of char for a smoky grilled flavor. While the salsa selection is small, it’s hot and, most importantly, flavorful. Keep an eye out for the $30-for-15 tacos al pastor special, cut directly from a rotating trompo.

Real tacos al pastor cooked on a trompo in front of an open flame in Seattle? It seemed too good to be true, yet there I was, standing under a portable halogen floodlight, tucking into a plate of tacos stuffed with charred spiced pork that the cook had just shaved directly off the spit. Tender, juicy, and packed with flavor, eating them on the street and paying in cash are part of the seasoning.

Tacos al pastor—once the domain of late-night L.A. streets—have found a new home in Seattle. In recent years, late-night taquerias have popped up (with some just as quickly shutting down) across the city, and Tacos La Cuadra has led the charge with juicy, fire-roasted pork carved off the trompo, topped with pineapple and killer salsas. I still love grabbing them from the street, but La Cuadra now boasts two brick-and-mortar spots.

Seattle seems to be in the middle of an al pastor revolution (get it?). Any number of street stalls serving marinated pork shoulder carved off a vertical spit and tucked into corn tortillas or quesadillas are popping up throughout the city. The newest one to hit my radar: Head out to the O’Reilly Auto Parts at Aurora Avenue and 127th Street at night, and you'll find Tacos Nazareno. The gringas are where it’s at (if you like crispy griddled cheese and flavor-packed pork).

I love a good specialty shop, and Taqueria El Cinco de Mayo delivers. This South Seattle birria-focused truck recently opened a brick-and-mortar spot on Rainier, serving beef that’s braised in chili broth and pulled into juicy shreds. You’ll find it in tacos, sandwiches, and quesadillas, but the standout is the quesabirria: tender beef and melted cheese folded into a broth-dipped corn tortilla, griddled until crisp, and served with rich broth for dipping.

The green papaya salad at Khampaeng Panyathong’s Taurus Ox is not for amateurs. It’s not as fiery hot as some versions I’ve had, but it is relentless with the fermented seafood funk. There’s no weak spot on the menu, but other favorites are the Lao sausage, the yellow squash curry (ask for a side of chili oil if you want heat), the crispy rice and pork skin salad, and, of course, the Lao burger so good it turned into its own spinoff restaurant, Ox Burger.

Taylor Shellfish’s multiple locations focus almost entirely on bivalves and crustaceans raised or harvested from the bounty of the Pacific Northwest’s cold waters. Think: whole Dungeness crab (with crab fat mayo), plump Pacific oysters, peel-and-eat prawns, and briny clams and mussels. If you’ve never had geoduck, the local giant clam, Taylor is the place to do it. With a location right across from Seattle Center, it’s also an easy stop for tourists or before a show at Climate Pledge.

I was told by several people that Temple Pastries makes the finest croissants in Seattle. So far, I have not been able to prove them wrong. Temple’s croissants and pastries are made with laser-cut precision and a focus on technique that almost overshadows their unique but subtle work with flavors and ingredients. I’m an especially big fan of the rye pain au chocolat and the croissant bread, which is served by the loaf and makes for some fantastically rich and custardy French toast.

In my ever-expanding quest to eat at every teriyaki joint in Seattle, I’m rarely surprised these days, but what a surprise Teriyaki & Pho was. The chicken is insanely charred with great smokiness and a sauce that is balanced between sweet and savory. The chicken is only lightly marinated but cooked so well that it retains its juiciness nonetheless. Rather than the typical iceberg salad, theirs comes served with crisp cabbage, sweet mayo dressing on the side.

I am not the kind of person to buy into hype or place too much trust on “best of” lists, but the Filipino fried chicken at The Chicken Supply in Phinney Ridge tests the limits of how good and crispy fried chicken can be. It’s incredible. Mind-blowingly good. The crust bubbles and crisps with micro-blisters that crackle and crunch with each bite while the chicken underneath bursts with juice and flavor. (The coconut collards are my favorite side.)

Sometimes it feels like every other chef in Seattle has spent time in the kitchen at the Harvest Vine, Carolin Messier’s Madison Valley Basque tapas bar, which has expanded from 16 seats in 1998 to its current 74 while managing to maintain all its coziness. I especially love eating at the upstairs bar to chat with the cooks as they prepare dishes like shaved beets with olive oil and sherry vinegar or piquillo peppers stuffed with salt cod. It’s all very simple and delicious.

The Independent makes some of the finest pizzas in Seattle: crisp, supple, wood-fired crusts with nice charring and outstanding toppings. But its standout pie is the white clam. As an East Coaster who grew up on the simple clam apizzas of New Haven shops like Frank Pepe and Zuppardi’s, The Independent’s is a little fancier than I’m used to, with its flavors of white wine and Parm. But it’s no less delicious for it. Grab a pie and take it to Madison Park Beach for a picnic.

I’m always in the mood for a good sandwich, and The Other Coast Cafe serves some great ones. The hot options are the ones to get here, in particular the Rajun’ Cajun with turkey, pepperjack cheese, tomato, onion, and a hot salsa mayo on a crusty sub roll. The reuben-esque turkey pastrami with kraut, Swiss, mustard, and balsamic mayo may even make you forget about the original corned beef for a while. The sandwiches come in three sizes; come for a snack or build a sampler.

With a gorgeous setting on the edge of Lake Washington, Stonehouse serves an excellent chicken biscuit: crisp fried chicken and a fried egg inside a fluffy house-made biscuit, smothered in sausage gravy. Also notable is the BLT, which comes with thick, meaty slices of bacon, iceberg, and tomato on thick-cut, properly griddled bread. You can double the bacon to eight full slices if you’ve got the kind of dining companions who like to steal a slice or two.

The team behind the beloved Saint Bread scores another knockout with The Wayland Mill, which serves Japanese-American café items. Think dishes like a dashi-scented steamed egg sandwich on shokupan with “foo yung” slaw, teriyaki bacon, or shiitake mushrooms; a peppery ginger-scallion scone; and a biscuit topped with chashu-miso gravy. The sleeper hit is the peanut-butter shoyu icebox pie with its chocolate-sesame crust—a surprisingly delicious sweet-savory combination.

I love walking the bridges and foot paths that lead from Goose Beach, past the Museum of History and Industry, to the Center for Wooden Boats in South Lake Union. From there it's a short hop over to the water to sit down for a basket of fish and chips or a dozen shucked oysters at the White Swan Public House or its waterfront fish shack, The 100 Pound Clam. It's a rare South Lake Union spot where the food (usually) matches the view. Stick with raw or gently-cooked seafood!

Toshi Kasahara invented Seattle-style teriyaki—sweet, smoky grilled chicken over rice—and he’s still making it himself five days a week at this humble shop. No staff, no frills, just the original dish, done right. “It’s not a passion—it’s a business,” he told me. And yet his creation reshaped fast-casual dining in the Northwest. Decades later, it’s still one of the best teriyaki plates you’ll find anywhere.

Un Bien was opened by the sons of Lorenzo Lorenzo, the original owner of legendary Fremont neighborhood Caribbean sandwich shop Paseo, which operates today under new ownership. Roast pork, garlic aioli, crusty bread, and griddled onion lovers will argue over who makes the better sandwich, but for me the only question is which one is closer. Un Bien is a fabulous (essential?) stop after a morning exploring the low tide at Golden Gardens.

The breakfast sandwich here is a near-perfect taste-alike for a classic New York bodega bacon-egg-and-cheese. That is, if your corner bodega’s grill were run by a couple of Canlis alums. They nail it, down to the poppy-coated kaiser rolls (buttery, baked fresh), the paper wrapper to trap in steam, and a real vanilla egg cream on the side. If you’re not in the mood for a breakfast sandwich, anything from the pastry case is a sure bet (especially the chocolate hazelnut cake).

There’s a lot of great fish and chips in Seattle, and the giant slab of golden batter–coated cod at Von’s is up there among the best. The batter, made with a 75-year-old sourdough starter, comes crunchy and stays crunchy until the last bite, even after a dip through the tartar sauce. The fries are somewhere between a crisp shoestring-style fry and a properly greasy British-style chip with plenty of potato flavor.

Imagine a Greek diner in northern Jersey with its gloriously mediocre, bottomless coffee and butter-soaked English muffins, fried eggs that hit that sweet spot where the whites are just set but the yolks are still oozy, and that East Coast service style I call “efficiently friendly.” Now airlift it to Northlake and you’ve got Voula’s, a near-perfect diner experience with life-changing hash browns.

West of Chicago Pizza Company’s deep dish might be its more popular offering, but it’s the cracker-thin, square-cut thin crust that is the sleeper hit on the menu. Pair that with an Italian beef—thinly sliced beef that’s braised to melting tenderness and stuffed into a roll topped with Marconi giardiniera—and you’ve got a true native Chicagoan experience. Ask for the sandwich “dipped” in beef jus if you value flavor over stain-free clothing.

The namesake wings at West Wings are fantastic—crisp, juicy, and offered with an impressive range of sauces and dry rubs. The Exploding Pepper wings stand out, coated in hot chilies, warm Northern Chinese spices, and tingly Sichuan peppercorn. But the sleeper hit is the burger: a mustard-griddled patty with caramelized onions, pickles, special sauce, and crisp veggies. It’s like a homemade, dialed-in take on an In-N-Out Animal-Style burger.

If throwing back oysters and bubbly while basking in the late-day sunlight of those perfect Seattle summer evenings on the water sounds like your idea of a good time, there's no better place to do it than Westward, Renee Erickson's seafood spot tucked into a cove in north Lake Union. (That deck is the perfect place to take in the fourth of July fireworks, though the cove nearby works if you can't nab a spot.)

Windy City Pie makes the best Chicago-style deep-dish pan pizza I’ve ever had (and that includes in Chicago): crisply blackened cheese crust (inspired by Chicago spots like Burt’s Place and Pequod’s), chewy focaccia-like crust, plenty of wild topping options. As good as it is, I like their tavern-style thin crust even more. It comes cracker-thin and cut into crushable two-bite squares. Order it with housemade sausage and hot giardiniera, which stand up well to the highly seasoned sauce.

Though I miss their Tex-Mex spot across the street (the enchiladas with smoked meat were killer), Wood Shop BBQ continues to serve some of the best barbecue Seattle has to offer. Their selection of pork ribs, tender brisket (fatty or lean—you want the fatty), sausages, and pulled pork are all slow-smoked in the massive smokers nestled behind the outdoor patio. The kale Caesar and jalapeño-tinged mac-and-cheese are worthy accompaniments.

The Xochi truck in Issaquah specializes in tacos de guisados—meats that are slow braised or stewed in flavorful sauces. Think chicken tinga simmered with tomatoes and chiles, pork shoulder rubbed with achiote, or, my favorite, chicharrón, which come braised until meltingly tender. The vegetable tacos get just as much attention as the meats; try the caramelized broccoli or the roasted chiles in a creamy sauce.

As a New Yorker, I take my pastrami seriously. Fortunately, so does Zylberschtein’s, a top-notch North Seattle Jewish deli and bakery whose thick-sliced, hand-cut pastrami melts in your mouth with plenty of spices and a hint of smoke. I love them for their yeasted jelly doughnuts (with their stretchy chew), their matzo ball soup (almost as good as homemade), their everything bagels (they righteously include caraway!), and their cans of Dr. Brown’s, which no respectable deli should be without.