Senior Writer

Seattle native Kathryn Robinson, award-winning restaurant critic and senior writer at Seattle Met, has been anonymously reviewing restaurants for over 30 years—first as editor of the Best Places guidebook series, then as staff critic at Seattle Weekly and contributing critic at The Seattle Times and Seattle magazine.

Midcareer she spent a year-long sabbatical studying comparative religion as a Knight Fellow at Stanford University where she had been an undergrad 10 years earlier, gaining a knowledge base she now calls upon for her monthly “Back Fence” column on our collective urban existence and the meaning it holds for our personal lives. In her off hours she is a partner and a parent—which means she has no off hours.

Critic's Notebook

Lauded Pastry Chef Toby Matasar Opens Niche

And, by gosh, it's gluten free.

09/17/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Gabriel Chávez’s Chile en Nogada

Have you tasted it yet? Insane.

09/14/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Who Was Wrong: Server or Diner?

This could happen to you, people. Take a read.

09/10/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

So, You’ve Got Just One Meal in Seattle?

Oh, the places you’ll (be told to) go.

09/08/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Look What They’re Dispensing in Seattle Restaurant Bathrooms

It’s all about the personal care, people.

09/03/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

I'm Old Here

What Does It Take to Become a Seattle Native?

Few cities maintain such a fierce demarcation between its citizens who arrived and its citizens who belong.

08/31/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Which Colleges Serve the Best Food?

Fourteen in California, none in Oregon—and just one in Washington.

08/31/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

Support Black-Owned Restaurants in Portland This Weekend

Where racial consciousness meets dining out.

08/27/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

What It’s Really Like to Be a Waiter

Tell-all in 'The New York Times' is the must-read of the week.

08/24/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Review

Chávez Comes to Capitol Hill from the Streets of Durango

One of the city’s finest new restaurants transports the flavors of northern Mexico.

08/24/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

Critic's Notebook

The Culinary Allure of the 3pm Happy Hour

And a few of the joints that practice it.

08/20/2015 By Kathryn Robinson

I'm New Here

The 7 Inevitable Seattle Restaurant Recommendations

These are Seattle’s standards, from greasy midnight burgers to the city’s lone restaurant with a dress code. You’ll hear these restaurant names a lot. But should you actually dine there?

08/20/2015 By Kathryn Robinson