The 30 Seattle Restaurant Experiences You Must Have Before You Die

Call it our Where-to-Eat Bucket List: Dining moments so special, so iconic, so emblematic of the culinary extravaganza we call Seattle…you must experience them at least once in your life.

By Kathryn RobinsonWith contribution from Kristin Cordova

Table 19 at Bizzarro

What was once a plywood-covered back corner of Wallingford’s rococo ristorante Bizzarro became the famously intimate Table 19 when a customer requested a private place to propose. Bizzarro hastened to accommodate, installing a candlelit table behind a framing post, rendering that initial guest’s “Yes!” the first of a million memorable moments in the hidden alcove. Bizzarro, 1307 N 46th St, Wallingford, 206-632-7277; bizzarroitaliancafe.com

Oysters at Elliott’s Oyster House

Oysters on the half shell? Blessedly plentiful in this part of the world. Two dozen varieties in one place? That can only be the 21-foot ice bar at Elliott’s Oyster House. Order up a sampler ($23–$28 for a dozen—but just 50 cents apiece from 3 till 3:30pm) and someone much more knowledgeable than you will cleanly shuck your fresh Olympias or Totten Virginicas or pearly Kusshis before your eyes, then serve the briny little beasties with or without a mignonette. It’s like Oyster University, with a watery Elliott Bay view for inspiration. This local jewel hides in plain sight behind lackluster fish plates and about a jillion quacking tourists. Elliott’s Oyster House, 1201 Alaskan Way, Pier 56, Downtown, 206-623-4340; elliottsoysterhouse.com

Watch the Show at Harvest Vine

It may just be a copper counter with a dozen seats. But to a tapas fan, one who has savored Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez’s Galacian-style octopus and slow-roasted suckling pig, it’s front and center on the most riveting food show in town. From any of the seats surrounding the open kitchen it’s an open question whether diners prefer the culinary choreography, complete with fire and sharp knives, or the artistic platings. Then the food arrives and beats ’em both. Harvest Vine, 2701 E Madison St, Madison Valley, 206-320-9771; harvestvine.com

Thinking Drinker’s Cocktail Combo at Spur

In Seattle, liquor is a legitimate part of dinner and mixologists are gastronomes. The epicenter of this trend is Spur, the sleek, chic Belltown bar that’s also the most intelligent of the new field of gastropubs. Here, visionaries of solids and liquids pair cocktails like the refreshing Gentleman’s Lemonade with nibbles like chicken in duck confit with garlic chips and Dijon pudding. The average swiller might not appreciate the five elements of taste carefully built into both dish and drink—those would be rich, acidic, salty, sweet, and bitter—or the way the mustardy-­barbecue overtones of the chicken naturally resonate with the Southern notes of whiskey and lemonade in the cocktail. But food chemists? Never had such a blast at happy hour in their lives. Spur, 113 Blanchard St, Belltown, 206-728-6706; spurseattle.com

Paella for Two at Taberna del Alabardero

Tapas we got in this town, and plenty of ’em. Paella, the Valencian saffron rice dish studded with meats and seafoods and vegetables, wasn’t adequately represented until the sunny Spanish restaurant from Madrid, Taberna del Alabardero, opened quietly in Belltown last year. Order any of the four varieties per night, and it’ll arrive straight from the fire in its shallow pan, its caramelized and crispy rice and charry squid or shrimp or roasted red pepper to be scraped into bowls right there at the table. The perfect midwinter feast. Taberna del Alabardero, 2328 First Ave, Belltown, 206-448-8884; alabardero.com/seattle

After the Party at Palace Kitchen

Party’s over and you’re feeling peckish? If it’s good homemade noodles you want, at a Formica table in Mom’s warm kitchen, you can make for the humble, sweet-­natured Hing Loon in the heart of the International District, which ladles up its Cantonese solace till 1am (2am weekends). A hipper late-night scene smolders within the sandblasted walls of Belltown’s pasta house Tavolàta till midnight. But for the best postfunction in town, look no further than downtown’s Palace Kitchen. It’s always a cocktail party in full roar, under the dim medieval lights and wafting aromas of grilled meat. In the wee hours, no single meal hits closer to the spot than “breakfast” of grilled steak and butter-poached eggs with fried potatoes. And a side of tequila. Hing Loon, 628 S Weller St, International District, 206-682-2828. Palace Kitchen, 2030 Fifth Ave, Belltown, 206-448-2001; tomdouglas.com. Tavolàta, 2323 Second Ave, Belltown, 206-838-8008; tavolata.com