The Eater 38 is an attempt to recognize the most quintessential Seattle restaurants, those that best exemplify the city’s thriving culinary scene and an answer to the question: “Can you recommend a restaurant?”
Seattle is known for its unparalleled seafood, with briny oysters, geoduck, mussels, and other shellfish plucked from the cold, nutrient-dense waters of the Puget Sound, and sablefish and salmon caught in the nearby ocean. These ingredients — along with the best from nearby farms and ranches — are served at many Seattle restaurants, including at sushi bars where the fish is served simply atop rice in the Edomae style, and at French-inflected Northwestern restaurants like chef Renee Erickson’s Walrus and the Carpenter and Bateau. The city is also a powerhouse for Asian food — with regional Chinese restaurants like Sichuan standout Dan Gui dotting strip malls on the Eastside, and Vietnamese noodle houses, like Pho Bac, on every corner in Little Saigon. Meanwhile, the city’s Filipino food scene is having a moment with nationally recognized restaurants like Musang, Archipelago, and The Chicken Supply popping up in recent years.
The following list includes restaurants that best reflect Seattle’s diverse dining scene. Note that removal from the list does not mean a restaurant isn’t still essential to the scene and won’t return in the future (many often do), but seasonal changes allow for new additions, keeping the 38 fresh. For a list of the best restaurants that opened in the last six months, check out the Eater Seattle Heatmap.
Added to the 38 in July: Dan Gui, Ba Bar, Zig Zag Cafe, Sushi Kappo Tamura, Ono Poke.
Know of a spot that should be on our radar? Send us a tip by emailing seattle@eater.com. As usual, this list is not ranked; it’s organized geographically.
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