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WhereGreggEats.com
Washington Restaurants
My old home state ... sadly I was never satisfied with the abundance of true hole in the wall places there, but there are some.
Here is the Washington State Roadfood.com RESTAURANT LIST by city. Pretty sparse compared to most other states.
This page is also stark, but far better than the one I replaced, which had totally disintegrated over time.
But, here goes ...
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GETTING A DRINK
Wine and beer is for sale at supermarkets and convenience stores most of the time, seven days a week. Probably not on Sunday mornings though.
Liquor (and wine) is sold at state-run stores ... stores that close pretty early.
In smaller towns independents run the stores and their hours are even more disappointing in most cases.
Some stores are now open Sundays. There is usually a list of those on the doors of the ones that are closed.
FIND WASHINGTON STATE LIQOUR STORES ... their site has in-store inventory online as well.
ASHFORD/ELBEE SCALEBURGERS |
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A hard to pass by converted scale house. Hearty, sloppy burgers. They are either excellent, or they just seem that way after a day in the mountains.
Highway 706, Elbe, WA 98330. |
ASHFORD/ELBEE HONORABLE MENTION: Rainier Mountaineering Deli ... is set up mainly for their climbing clients. They pack a superb bag lunch. |
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BELLEVUE LA COCINA de PUERCO |
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An old time stand by on Old Main Street, featuring nice, rustic Mexican fare at good price. Don't miss the Burnt Cream dessert. (Beer/wine. Lunch/Dinner.)
10246 Main Street,
Bellevue, WA 98004 |
GILBERT'S MAIN STREET DELI |
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Very good food. Hugh portions. Amiable owner. Not a place to come if you are in a hurry.
10024 Main Street,
Bellevue, WA 98004 |
BELLEVUE HONORABLE MENTION: Tsoni's ... white tablecloth dining in a strip mall. Z'Tejas ... at the Bellevue Square. No surprises, but it is on my Approved Chain list. Dixie BBQ ... decent BBQ and very good desserts. He makes a fuss over his hot sauce which is very good. He does tri-tip instead of brisket. For a real Q experience, I'd head to Peco's in Seattle. Daman's Tavern ... A decent place with some home cooking, in the shadow of Microsoft. |
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ISSAQUAH GAS LAMP |
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This was the closest decent pub to my house. They serve solid, consistent food and the regulars are friendly. Gregg Orders: Cup of Chili and/or a Philly Chessesteak. (For some reason, Stolly and tonics always hit the spot here.) (Full bar. Lunch/Dinner.) Two pool tables and a C+ juke box.
1315 NW Mall Street,
Issaquah, WA 98027 |
About Issaquah ... Someday soon, this is going to be the THE place for finding your favorite chain. Fisher's Meat Market on Front Street is one of the last solid butcher shops. I've heard the local Krispy Kreme is (was) one of the busiest in the USA ... not to say you should eat there. Everything there is TOO sweet for me. THE BBQ place in the shopping center is too generic for my taste. |
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FALL CITY RAGING RIVER SALOON |
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Tucked away in out of the way Fall City. Here is a tavern where you can be comfortable, get reasonablly priced food and drink. Wednesday night line dancing draws a fun crowd. (Full bar. Lunch/Dinner.)
33723 SE Redmond Fall City Road,
Fall City, WA 98024
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SMALL FRYES |
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A shack with excellent burgers and fries.
4225 Preston Fall City Road SE,
Fall City, WA 98024 |
KENT CAVE MAN KITCHEN |
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Rustic bbq/grill combo place. Ideally take out, but I seem to recall they had some sort of seating. (No alcohol. Lunch/Dinner.)
807 W Valley Hwy, Kent, WA |
FIRE CREEK GRILL |
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A seperate sushi and American restaurant under one roof. Good. Affordable sushi. (Full bar. Lunch/Dinner.)
2019 W Meeker Street,
Kent, WA 98032 |
MERCER ISLAND |
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Isn't this nice ??? UNBELEIVABLY, this is on the side of a building that houses several businesses ... Eat pho, move car before visiting boutique next door, move car before you get a haircut. Gawd forbid, you want to get a coffee across the street! |
I'll start off with a rant on Mercer Island ... They have been building, building, building in downtown -- without the benefit of any addition to the infrastructure to, say, maybe accommodate umpteen more cars on the streets. Gawd forbid any of these cars want to park!
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I LOVE PHO |
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Good enough pho to ward off a trip to Seattle. (Beer/Wine. Lunch/Early Dinner) |
THE ISLANDER RESTAURANT |
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Puny drinks (poured delicately into a little thimble thing, just like at a big hotel), inconsistent, high-priced food ... with an attitude:
The Islander (formerly) The Pleasant Hour Restaurant, recently built an outside deck -- with a stairway to the deck ... they don't see the stairway as an entryway. So they put up a sign to ward off any "intruders" to their restaurant.
... High prices, puny drinks, customers who innocently wander in the wrong door are treated as intruders. (Full bar. Lunch/Dinner.)
7440 SE 27th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-6676
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THE ROANOKE TAVERN |
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Mercer Island's Old Faithful. In an old house/inn where the ferry dock used to be. The closest thing you'll find to an east coast tavern around here. Burgers, burittos, a weekend brunch. (Full basic bar. Lunch/Dinner.)
1825 72nd Avenue SE,
Mercer Island, WA 98040
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OLYMPIA THE RANCH HOUSE |
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This place was set up in a nice restaurant along the highway to the coast and got pulverized in a lndslide over the winter. I was always good. Nice smokers working full time outside. I hear they found space in a hotel downtown. Their website tells the story, with pictures. LINK
621 Capitol Way South, Olympia, WA 98501 |
Pictures from their site:
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PORT ANGELES FRUGAL'S BURGERS |
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A much better choice than the across the street McDonalds. I see from their site that they have three other locations statewide.
1520 E Front St, Port Angeles, WA (360) 452-4320
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ROSLYN CAREK'S MARKET |
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This is not a restaurant. This isn't really a market anymore. I figure that it was a small town meat market at one time or another ... but now, they sell jerky. Jerky plus, smoked sausage and nothing else ... except bacon and some selected steaks. They do everything themselves and I suspect they make a fine living at it. Nobody does Jerky better. It is about a 20 minute side trip when driving between Seattle and Ellensburg ... but worth it. Note: Think ahead. You'll be getting thirsty. Roslyn will seem a little bit familiar to you, if you were a fan of the TV series, Northern Exposure. Some years ago, it was the set of the fictional Cicely, Alaska. The town is getting back to normal and makes a decent side trip for what it was before it was a tourist stop.
510 S A Street,
Roslyn, WA 98941
Roslyn is an interesting town. Rustic enough to be the set for the TV show Northern Exposure and beautiful enough to attract a mega resort that will probably turn the town into a caricature of its former self. WIKIPEDIA: ROSLYN, WA |
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SAN JUAN ISLAND: ORCAS OUTLOOK INN |
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I usually say that you are better off finding a good restaurant and then finding a good view of the water -- this place is an exception. Having a nice glass of wine, or one of their sake elixirs on the porch overlooking the bay is a worthwhile way to spend some time. We had appetizers and a glass of wine and left feeling confident that lunch or dinner would be very good. I'm told the hotel itself is a kind of an updated-hippie kind of a place and a valid option if you're gonna be staying overnight.
171 Main Street,
Eastsound, WA 98245
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SHIPS BAY OYSTER HOUSE |
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We ate at the bar and the food was excellent. This place has the reputation among locals as the place to eat ... the bar was almost all locals. Suzanne, the bartender we had on the day we were there, did a great job with a busy bar -- and mixed some great drinks too. The adjacent hotel looked to be valid. Not at all rustic. I'd stay there.
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SEATTLE PIKE STREET MARKET |
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MIKE'S CHILI PARLOR |
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A not very pretentious brick tavern that could have been built in Milwaukee and moved here, the place does only one thing I know of, chili -- over pasta. Order the fries, maybe the chili fries. This is another place you might want to hide from your cardiologist, but chances are you'll run into him here. It's a guy place. Tavern-wise, it has never been an overly friendly place to us. Eat, leave. The folks at the bar, if they were regulars, although nice enough, have never have been all that embracing. There is a pool table, but we've never felt like staying to kill time. (Full bar. Lunch/Dinner.)
1447 NW Ballard Way,
Seattle, WA 98107
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PECO'S PIT |
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I am adamant about this: If you see a line for food -- get in it! This is why. Peco's is nothing from the outside. You'll stand in line for a long time and you'll come away from the window with a superb BBQ sandwich on a "just right" onion bun and you'll be looking for a sliver of a spot at one of their outdoor picnic tables. Rain or shine. Medium sauce is great, although I'll bet I'd be fine with spicy. I've never had the pork. Everybody is happy, no matter what they order. Gregg Orders: A Peco's Beef sandwich, medium, spiked with a sausage, Dr. Pepper and chips. (No alchohol. Open a few days a week for lunch.)
2260 1st Avenue South, Seattle, WA (206) 623-0629
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TWO BELLS TAVERN |
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Kind of a new age place in Belltown with a nice burger on a crusty French roll. Great potato salad. (Full bar. Lunch/Dinner.)
2313 4th Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98121 |
FOUR SEAS |
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Bring as many people as you can for dim sum lunch. (Full bar. Lunch/Dinner.)
714 S King St
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PHO BAC |
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Very rustic pho in a odd building at the edge of the International District. My favorite of all the pho I've had anywhere in the country.
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SALMON COOKER |
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Rustic salmon and other local fish smoke right down in the middle of the touristy waterfront.
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SEATTLE HONORABLE MENTION: People around here rave about Red Mill Burgers ... they're okay. I like the greasy burgers and fries at Dick's every once in a while ... have the Dick's Deluxe. El Goucho is a decent place for steak and martinis .. (I think "Goucho" means gaudy.) Kau Kau in C'town for BBQ Duck/Pork. Taco Del Mar for fish tacos. Hunt Club at Sorrento Hotel for unique lunch. Sazerac downtown is a white tablecloth restaurant I like. Metropolitan Grill for a Happy Hour with great snacks. Bakeman's Restaurant, downtown for a turkey sandwich at lunch. Places that are clichés, that I don't suggest making your big night out at: Daniel's, Salty's, Chandler's, Cutter's 570bars.com gives a review of all the bars in Seattle. |
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YAKIMA MINER'S BURGERS |
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A very popular place with excellent burgers. Try the Big Miner.
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ZILLAH EL RANCHITO |
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This place is about 5 miles outside of Yakima. This place is in the middle of an ultra-small town where English IS a second language and here is where the families of the locals come to eat authentic, rustic food in a cafeteria setting. A sign said it was closed temporarily a while ago. No word if it has re-opened as promised. Call ahead. And then let me know?
"We will be Closing On Oct. 14, 2007 and Reopen on Feb 1, 2008. Thank You for all your support within these years"
1319 1st Avenue,
Zillah, WA 98953
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