Bresse chickens—a French breed, raised in Washington—star on a satisfying Chinese menu unlike any other in the region. This tender chicken can come with rice, as a shredded salad, and as a transcendent chicken noodle soup. Non-chicken dishes, like potstickers and tofu salad, are just as memorable.

The restaurant that helped signal downtown Redmond’s transformation into a denser, more walkable space remains a versatile staple for the area. Woodblock bridges the Microsoft and non-tech communities with dishes that are safe, but not boring: grain bowls, burgers, salads, towering fried chicken sandwiches, and drinks of the whiskey-based and nonalcoholic variety. Better yet, Woodblock is open for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and weeknight happy hour.

This two-decade institution serves an Italian menu that ranges from lobster ravioli to pork tenderloin and a small stack of spicy shrimp. Sages is an old-school caprese salads and tablecloth type spot, but its dedicated menu of gluten-free dishes is a handy bit of modern hospitality. Open for lunch and dinner.

In the midst of an otherwise unremarkable pizza menu hides a sprinkling of Indian pizzas worth seeking out. Butter chicken, tandoori chicken, and karahi paneer veggie pies offer a creamy, spicy spin on the classic mozzarella-and-tomato-sauce paradigm. The location perched near the Bellevue-Redmond border is great for takeout.

In the mother of all nondescript strip malls resides a Redmond outpost of Seattle’s lively katsu restaurant (the proprietors also own Redmond staple Thai 65). This place is all about expertly fried cutlets—pork, fancier pork, jidori chicken, even pork-wrapped cheese. They come with darkly chocolate curry, floating in bubbling nabe, or in a memorable rendition of chicken parm, swathed in tomato miso sauce and a snowy shower of grated parmesan.

A newish spot in the Bella Bottega shopping center serves up tabletop Korean barbecue in both family style and all-you-can-eat renditions. Diners also get to avail themselves of a salad bar and a hot bar filled with fried chicken and tteokbokki. Long tables and plentiful smokeless tabletop grills make this a great spot for groups.

A converted home with a great front patio serves the town’s favorite homegrown pizza, from the same owners as Woodblock. Twelve-inch wood-fired pies feel like a hybrid of NYC and Naples, topped with classic combos or flights of fancy like pineapple, chicken sausage, and barbecue sauce. Like at Woodblock, Spark’s bar program exceeds expectations.