This new Greenwood cocktail spot (where the old Teacher’s Lounge used to be) isn’t afraid of a gimmick. Its menu at launch included the Pisco & Paparazzi, a drink that comes garnished with a Polaroid of yourself drinking it — yes, the bartender comes out with a camera. Another concoction, the Kimcheech and Chong (an ingenious combination of mezcal, lime, orange, orgeat, peach bitters, and kimchi brine) comes with an orange peel rolled up and singed so as to resemble a joint, get it? But bartenders and owners Matthew Gomez and Matt Hassler are serious cocktail crafters and are doing seriously delicious work here. The Korean-inflected food menu from chef Amy Beaumier (the third owner) makes you want to make a meal out of bar snacks, including marinated mayak eggs served with roe, a kimchi pimento cheese dip, and pork and shrimp sandwiches on the bar’s own milk bread.

One of the most-hyped food trucks of the spring landed in the Maple Leaf parking lot of Project 9 Brewing in early May. Originated in Oregon but with its heart somewhere between Chicago and Texas, Sammich specializes in meaty, messy sandwiches like the Italian Beef, which is loaded with peppers and best enjoyed with au jus poured all over everything. Sammich sandwiches pair nicely with beer, but also with an afternoon nap.

It’s baaaaaaack. The good news is that the twice-closed diner by the side of Aurora reopened in February; the bad news is the former 24-hour spot is now only open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. But Beth’s devotees will take what they can get, and this local legend is still serving its infamous 12-egg omelets alongside smaller portions of comfort food. It’s not spacious or fancy or pretentious or “elevated,” and thank god for that.

The Madison Park location, wood-panel-and-flowers interior, and lo-fi beats to study and/or relax to soundtrack makes Sushi Suzuki seem like a spa for the Lululemon set. And watching chef Yasutaka Suzuki and his team slice fish and hand-craft each piece of nigiri does have an ASMR quality. Suzuki cultivates a chill, relaxed air, joking with customers around the L-shaped sushi bar and encouraging them to take photos of bizarrely long cornet fish heads and still-alive prawns. But this is serious, fly-the-fish-in-from-Japan omakase; Suzuki worked for sushi master Shiro Kashiba at Shiro’s and was a partner at Sushi Kashiba. In 20 or so courses you get an education in how subtle changes in rice temperature impact flavor and the dramatic difference between cuts of tuna. It’s more expensive than a spa day, but you’ll leave feeling refreshed and alive.

Is this in a mall? Is $50 sort of a lot to pay for a cake? Okay, we hear you. But have you bitten into the rich, dense center of a birthday cake truffle? Or let the cereal milk soft serve topped with corn flakes transport you back into your carefree, unselfconscious youth? If you’re going to be in Bellevue Square anyway, why not eat something sweet and memorable?

The name of this ID bar is Japanese for “the usual” or “regulars,” and though it’s getting some unfamiliar faces among its customers after the Seattle Times raved about it, it still has the feel of a laid-back pub that just happens to serve innovative cocktails and attention-getting dishes like Seattle dog musubi. If you want a tip, order the oysters, which when we had them were topped with Hawaiian chili oil, a sweet-spicy-briny mouthful we’re still thinking about days later.  

Seattle has a lot of Thai places but not many that serve pak mor, a dumpling-like dish consisting of a filling wrapped in a delicate rice noodle skin. At E-Jae Pak Mor, which opened in April across the street from Uwajimaya, these are the star attraction — earthy and complicated, with a sweet sauce that pairs perfectly with it. The noodle soups here aren’t as takeout-friendly, so why not sit in the colorful dining room and have some combo of slow-cooked beef, fish balls, and pork shoulder? You won’t be disappointed.

Acclaimed chef Dan Mallahan and his wife and business partner Jackie Mallahan opened their much-hyped Alki Beach spot in January, serving extremely local seafood sourced with the help of members of the Quinault and Makah tribes. This is a destination for anyone interested in what “Northwest cuisine” can mean, with menu items like pull-apart rolls served with shittake butter and rockfish accompanied by brussel sprout leaves, salsify, and celery root mousse.

Georgetown’s Pig Iron BBQ has been in a chrysalis since it closed during the pandemic, and now it has emerged butterfly-like as a pork burger joint. Substituting pork for beef makes a huge difference — the patties here are sweet, fatty, and seared to give a kiss of caramelization. The fixings aren’t bad either, like the pickled jalapenos on the Texas Heat sandwich that balance out the pork’s sweetness. The fried tomatoes are a side we could eat all day, though honestly if you fried anything in batter and dipped it in Pig Iron’s roast jalapeno scallion buttermilk sauce we’d want to put a ring on it. The only downside is the short hours, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.