Best locally owned restaurants in the Spokane area? (Olympia, South Hill: 2009, house)

[Mopac1980]

What are some of the best locally owned restaurants in the Spokane area?

[WendyK]

I put this link in the thread about Mexican restaurants last week. This site has a very comprehensive list of most all the restaurants in Spokane along with their own reviews plus reader reviews and comments. I like this because it's not sugar coated - very honest opinions about the different place.

tasteeverythingonce: the only restaurant guide in spokane

[kaimik]

We just moved here and our new neighbors own Mamma Mia's on Francis. We haven't been there to eat yet, but have heard from a number of people that it's excellent. It's not super-fancy, but I know they make all their food from scratch. And when we had dinner at their house, they had some of the restaurant food there and it was so delicious!

[RetiredChef]

I posted this on the Chowhound board but it might help you. Also check out Tasteeverythingonce.com and Yelp.com for other thoughts and reviews.

Just my thoughts and recommendations on some restaurants (these are all in Spokane area).


Basically Good Restaurants

Ambrosia
Café Maron (Dinner only, lunches are a disappointment)
Catacombs
Europa
Fat Daddy’s (pizza and Italian)
Gordy's Sichuan – The “only” good Chinese food in town.
Hay J’s (It has been hit and miss but mostly hits)
Italian Kitchen (The best Italian food in Spokane, but probably a 6 on a 1-10 scale everywhere else)
Latah Bistro
Mizuna (Probably the best on the list and most consistent)
Moxie
Niko’s (very inconsistent, they can be very good to below average.)
Picabu Neighborhood Bistro
Rock City Grill – Think TGIF but with better food. You either seem to like this place or hate it, we have always had good food and service.
Sante’s Restaurant and Charcuterie – The new kid in town, charming interior, great waitstaff, think old style European service.
Spencer’s NOT LOCALLY OWNED (Steaks - while the wolf lodge has the local following Spencer’s has better meat and is a more refined dining atmosphere)
Steelhead Bar and Grille – Good for bar food.
Vin Rouge – Panned by many people but we have had some very good meals there at a very reasonable price.
Taste of India – Surprisingly authentic.
The Elk – nothing fancy just good pub/bistro food.
Thai on first (most Thai is good in this town)
????Wild Sage???? Have eaten there twice, the first time we had the worst meal I have ever had in recent memory, the second time, (it took a free meal from some good friends to persuade us to go back), was excellent, so this is a guarded recommendation. If they continue on the lines of the second meal it will tie for first with Mizuna’s as being “the best” in Spokane.



Just Average restaurants (these include most chains)

Anthony’s NOT LOCALLY OWNED (food is banal)
Café Neo – (not a good experience the first time, sister restaurant to Ambrosia so hopefully they will get better but spending $25 for THREE scallops was outrageous.)
Clinkerdaggers NOT LOCALLY OWNED (very overpriced)
Cyrus O’Leary’s
Lindaman’s (It’s a deli with prepared items that is very overpriced for what you get, but edible)
The Onion
Tomato Street (lunch specials are good deals, noisy)



Overrated popular places

Downriver Grill – Think Denny’s with much better plate presentation and a higher price tag.

Ferrante’s – VERY Expensive (for what you get), small pizzas that feature tasteless sauce and cheese and pasta dishes that would be better served as a appetizer, that you order at a counter and then pick up at the kitchen when they YELL your name.
G.W. Hunters (Post Falls) – Huge local following for very plain and highly overpriced coffee shop food featuring elk, venison and duck.

Mama Mia’s – OMG the worst overcooked pasta with tinny tasting sauce, even our friends kids would not eat it, however calzones were awesome.

Luna's – Great Wine list, service was excellent, food was okay (soup had rubbery crab, lamb had to be sent back three times and the cassoulette overpowered the flavors and the NY cheesecake was really a French style cheesecake, but what to you expect from what many consider Spokane’s finest dining restaurant) like I said food was okay after working out problems but not worth the money.

Old European breakfast house – so-so breakfast food at high prices.

Twigs (The one on the north side is very inconsistent and the restaurant has no sound absorption, so it is very LOUD in there. The one on the south hill has a better atmosphere, you can at least talk but the food is too inconsistent for me to spend money in these places)

White House (Post Falls) – Uhhhh huhhhh, If your motto is the more garlic the better it tastes than you will love this place. Forget about any nuances of food or al dente pasta. This is simply garlicky slop on a plate – not for us. However, it is VERY popular and most people seem to like it. Maybe we went on a off night but all of the entrees we had were not good.


SPECIAL SPOKANE WARNING

Anything that pertains to be Chinese (except Gordy’s) stay away from, almost all Chinese food in this town is terrible, I mean really really bad.

Mexican food is also a joke, although usually slightly more edible. The popular Casa De Oro is about authentic as Taco Bell, however let me assure you that Taco Bell does taste better. There are a couple of exceptions De Leon foods, but they are more of a deli inside of a Mexican market than a real sit-down restaurant. Pueblo Amigo and El Gallo Giro come to mind, they are edible, but nothing super.


CDA area places that we liked

Café DOMA
Moontime & The Porch same owners I think similar concepts.
Syringa
The Olympia
Wolf Lodge Steakhouse – Think cowboy steakhouse, jeans, boots and a hat type dining experience, but the steaks are good and cooked correctly, although I find them a tad bit salty.

Food also depends upon where you are from. If you came from big city with good food then the Spokane restaurants will disappoint you at first, however, they ARE getting better. If you are used to good authentic Chinese and Mexican then really heed my warning.

I hope this helps

[BethAnnSpokane]

Not sure what part of town works for you, but on the South Hill is The Laguna cafe' locally owned, LOVE IT!

[natman]

Knights Diner - Best breakfast in town.

[natman]

Lenny's in Cheney is great too.

[jessysunshine]

Frank's Diner is AWESOME
Cathay Inn
Dick's
Zip's
Village Inn
Five Mile Heights Pizza (I've yet a chance to eat there, but my friends love it and say it's the best pizza in town)

[st33lcas3]

Is Ferguson's still on Garland? It's not a fancy place, but you get good food for a decent price. The Milk Bottle down the street has some great burgers too.

[WendyK]

Originally Posted by st33lcas3

Is Ferguson's still on Garland? It's not a fancy place, but you get good food for a decent price. The Milk Bottle down the street has some great burgers too.

Funny you should ask about Ferguson's - this was in today's paper. Spokesman.com | Ferguson’s ready for a close-up | Mar 5, 2009

I've never been there -- looks to be very popular with the locals in the Garland area.
Oh I just realized you can't read the full article without a subscription..sorry about that.