Sunset Hill landed this stellar pizzeria in 2020, focused on both Detroit-style square and 12-inch round pies served from a Wood Stone hearth oven. Options include the Gobb Shoppe, made with wild herb raclette, asparagus, and nettles, and the Death By Stereo, pizza topped with confit garlic, Nardello peppers, sprouted broccoli, and stracchino cheese. The smash burgers are sensational as well, topped with frizzled onions (don’t forget about the waffle fries). And the seasonal spritzes make for a refreshing cocktail best enjoyed on the comfortable back patio.

The food at Munir, with influences from owner Rajah Gargour’s Lebanese background, is a vegetarian’s dream. The small plates of lentils ground with roasted garlic, house labneh, and sweet pears in savory tahini always impress, and Sundays at the restaurant mean an elaborate chef’s choice meal that’s sure to impress. The dining room—separated into two areas connected by large archways in the white wall—reopened last year. Patrons should check Instagram for seasonal items that keep the menu vibrant.

At this hybrid butcher shop-restaurant from London native Kevin Smith, customers can find premium cuts of pasture-raised meat from local farms, as well as terrines, porchetta di testa, and pâté en croûte. There are also fabulous tasting menu dinners under the moniker Peasant that include well-crafted seasonal plates and plenty of beer and wine pairings. 

A rare fine-dining establishment in a generally casual neighborhood, Copine serves a mix of American, Italian, and French fare in its three-course prix fixe dinners and a la carte bar menu. Recent tasting menu selections include raw hamachi with red Fresno chilis and cucumber, agnolotti pasta filled with morels and preserved Meyer lemons, and bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin. The bar serves wine with snacks like grilled lamb tenders with cucumber yogurt, buttermilk biscuit pork sliders, and truffle popcorn. Copine is one of celebrity chef Shota Nakajima’s favorite restaurants in Seattle.

Opened in late 2021, Stumbletown is named after the strip of 65th Avenue Northwest where people used to “stumble” for predawn drinks or coffee. There’s a small but top-shelf beer and wine selection here, but you come to Stumbletown for the “Italian-inspired” sandwiches, hand-held symphonies of cured meat, sun-dried tomato spread, hot or sweet peppers, and arugula, all on warm bread from Sea Wolf bakery.

Note: Besalu is closed for the moment.

You have to get up pretty early to experience Besalu’s pastries. On weekends the line is out the door, and if you come after noon any day of the week you’ll be greeted by desolate, empty pastry cases. The star of the show is the flaky, buttery croissants, but the bakery also puts out a wide range of seasonal treats, from chocolate pistachio babka to stone fruit danishes. Late risers can preorder pastries here.

It’s only fitting that Cookie’s Country Chicken has found a home in Ballard, a neighborhood with strong nautical ties. Owner Brian Chandler spent 10 years in the maritime industry, including a stint spent perfecting his fried chicken recipe while feeding oil industry crews in Louisiana. Chandler started Cookie’s as a pop-up, having a consistent spot in Pioneer Square. The new Ballard location includes more menu offerings, with sides like mashed potatoes with gravy, mac and cheese, and collard greens.

Set in a beautiful brick building on NW Market Street with an airy dining room and leafy patio, this neighborhood bistro serves creative dishes like radishes with salmon roe and creme fraiche, Manila clams in cider broth, and pork chops with fermented greens. It also has a deep and complex cocktail menu. The business has a wine club and a small cafe called Red Arrow Coffee in the backyard.

Formerly the much-loved Porkchop & Co, this Ballard shop was reborn as a bagel spot during the pandemic. These perfectly chewy bagels are excellent across the board, with offerings like bagels topped with za’atar and shichimi togarashi (a Japanese chili pepper and spice blend). There are also great bagel sandwich options, like the Nick and Nora, a riff on avocado toast with chili crisp. Beyond bagels, the shop serves a few satisfying one-pound breakfast burritos with fillings like Oaxacan cheese and guajillo chili salsa, and J Kenji López-Alt-approved biscuit sandwiches.

This Ballard tea shop offers 150-plus varieties of tea, available steeped and poured into cups, in tea pots, iced, or as part of elaborate chai drinks and lattes. A few teas are always kept warm to sample, and there is a selection of pastries (with gluten-free options) as well as rotating Japanese confectionaries from Phinney Ridge shop Tokara. Owner Jeannie Liu, who started off her career by founding C-ID bubble tea shop Oasis, travels around the world to source her tea from farmers and merchants, switching out about 40% of her selection each year. She’s normally around to offer suggestions if you feel stuck about what tea to choose.

The menu at this popular Ballard restaurant is minimal and lighter than one might see at more traditional Italian joints, and changes daily. Recent standouts include a chicory salad with persimmon and pomegranate molasses and a decadent saffron spaghetti bolognese with pork and veal. There’s also an outdoor deck and expanded sidewalk seating.

One of the most well-known breweries in this brewery-heavy neighborhood, Reuben’s also has perhaps Ballard’s widest variety of beers. On any given day you can try more than half a dozen IPAs, some light-bodied and juicy, others take-your-head-off high-ABV monsters. But you can also sample barrel-aged stouts, sours, a pilsner, and even cider and hard seltzer. Reuben’s has recently launched its own food truck specializing in sausages.   

Amid all the new development, Mike’s is an actual hunk of history. Founded in 1922, this dive bar is still cash-only, still rings regulars up on an antique cash register, and still serves a mysterious beer called the “Mike-ro Brew.” And there’s still an actual Mike (Mike Semandiris, the great-grandson of the original Mike) stirring chili in a huge battered pot behind the counter, which they serve on its own or poured over a burger, fries, or a hot dog. There are fancier restaurants in Ballard, but none that feel more like home.