This new-ish bistro in downtown Langley has been pretty much an instant hit for its snappy PNW-meets-Mediterranean menu — and the sweeping view of Saratoga Passage probably doesn’t hurt either. Crowd favorites are the roasted wild salmon with shaved corn relish, shallot, cumin, turmeric, and fennel seed, as well as the harissa-roasted carrots and the curly mafalda carbonara with prosciutto. Diners love the bittersweet chocolate pots de crème too, and Savory has one of the most diverse, interesting wine lists on Whidbey.

Langley’s century-old Star Store is a strange combo of a chic clothing boutique, general mercantile, and neighborhood food market, with an entire wine shop hidden in the back. It’s also got a full-service deli, and the fried chicken is just killer. Deli salads and sandos are lovely too, with an array of frou-frou options, making for a perfect snack stop before or after catching a film at the darling Clyde Theater next door.

Opened in April, Ulysses is a sequel to the shop’s popular espresso hut counterpart down the road in Bayview. Brewing beans from Espresso Vivace, this tiny cafe’s a welcome addition to tiny Langley, which has had limited coffee options following the pandemic-related loss of Useless Bay Coffee Company. The spectacular cinnamon and pecan rolls are baked onsite and always sell out, so best to get there early.

Attached to the vast Mukilteo Coffee Roasters property in Bayview, this ornate little cafe is a total fairy tale, to say nothing of the spacious gardens surrounding it. Kids will dig the artsy details, like the dragon-head sculpture sticking out over the barista station. The menu’s a collaboration between MCR’s coffee and local bakery Seabiscuit, and the burgers and eggy breakfast standards are a cut above.

Bayview’s Orchard Kitchen is a dreamy farm-to-table restaurant that lives up to its name: the restaurant’s set on five acres of gardens and orchards, with all-outdoor summer seating amid the crops. Menus are prix fixe, hyperseasonal, and change weekly; recent mains include slow-roasted Whidbey-raised lamb and Dungeness crab lasagne with browned butter, crab sauce, and chili oil. The cheese list is a reliable star.

The Flower House is yet another obscure Whidbey gem, tucked in the community gardens surrounding the historic Bayview Cash Store, noticeable by the color-pops of flowers in all directions. The espresso here is on par with Vita or Victrola, and everything on the menu’s thoughtfully crafted and aesthetically pleasing. Cilantro-pesto avocado toast and the Ruby sandwich (pastrami, red sauerkraut, pickles, and provolone on multigrain, served hot) are standouts, as are the rotating salads.

“Ken’s Korner,” the semi-haunted ‘80s mall in Clinton, is home to a bunch of weirdly charming businesses, among them Pickles Deli. This place is beloved by islanders for its long litany of hot and cold sandwiches — and, of course, its manifold flavors of pickles. No need to choose just one; the deli offers a pickle flight, and diners have the fascinating option of swapping out the bread on their sandwich choices for a gigantic halved pickle instead.

Deep in the forest, near Cultus Bay, hides an ancient wooden schoolhouse-turned-gas station and mini-mart. There’s a good selection of beer and cider, which patrons then can enjoy either on a huge covered porch or what’s possibly the state’s smallest bar (the size of a walk-in closet). Bailey’s also has the best cheeseburgers on the island —juicy and enormous, piled with thick strips of bacon and Beecher’s cheese — and the porch often has live music on the weekends.