City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 783-0454

Address: 1918 NW 65th St. (North)

Description: The hickory- and cherrywood-smoked brisket at this Ballard restaurant is all-natural beef from Painted Hills Farms that has been smoked for 14 hours. Smokin’ Pete’s also serves pork, chicken, sausage, and catfish and is vegetarian-friendly—unusual for meat-heavy barbecue cuisine. The sides are pure Southern comfort food, from collard greens and dirty rice to blackened broccoli and mac-n-cheese.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 722-3229

Address: 3427 Rainier Ave. South (South)

Description: Anyone who loves barbecue knows that there are many styles completely different from one another, from sweet molasses-based Kansas City BBQ to the spicy Texas variety. Willie’s boasts Louisiana-style cooking, with ribs, brisket, chicken, and sausage along with a variety of side dishes. The succulent meats are all slow-smoked on-site, and the service prides itself on having a hospitable southern style. The sweet potato pie dessert is simply heavenly; if you’ve never tried this before, one taste of Willie’s and you will be sold.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 932-8695

Address: 4720 California Ave. SW (South)

Description: Besides its half-dozen year-round beers, Elliott Bay offers a variety of seasonals made with only 100 percent organic barley and a number of other imported and domestic selections as well. The brewery boasts some of the highest quality pub food, with items from hummus and crab cakes to gourmet burgers, all made from scratch. And if you’re interested in organic eating and drinking, 12 of Elliott Bay’s house-brewed beers have been awarded organic certification by the Washington Department of Agriculture. The brewpub also practices sustainability, receiving 60 percent of its electricity from wind power sources and recycling all its food waste. No hard liquor is served, only beer and wine.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 328-3120

Address: 507 15th Ave. East (Central)

Description: Hopvine is one of, you guessed it, three pubs in the 3 Pubs family. Its mission is to introduce you to some of the best beers in the world—meaning, to the owners, beer brewed in their own backyard. Hopvine is in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, while Latona Pub is in Green Lake and Fiddler’s Inn is farther north. All three pubs are neighborhood-type places, with basic pub food and lots of events usually going on. A fun, casual place to hang out and drink good beer.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 622-6044

Address: 1415 1st Ave. (Central)

Description: Charles Finkel started this pub in 1989, housed in a former bordello in Pike Place Market. The pub still has “Naughty Nellie” rooms for private parties, and you can watch the brewers at work as you savor their end product at this unique, multilevel brewery. The food is local, sustainable, and seasonal, with offerings such as bratwurst, smoked salmon, and farmhouse artisan cheeses. Brewery tours are available, or take a stroll through the museum. Michael Jackson—the beer critic, not the late pop star—has called Pike Brewing “a shrine to beer.”

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 682-3377

Address: 1201 1st Ave. South (Central)

Description: The original pub location of Pyramid Breweries, this alehouse serves Pyramid year-round drafts as well as rotating seasonals and is a great place for friends or families to gather. Its location right across the street from Safeco Field and down the street from Qwest Field make it the ideal spot to gather before or after a game. Can’t decide on a beer? Try one of the sampler trays. The pub also has a full menu of American and Northwest fare.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 527-2676

Address: 8515 35th Ave. NE (North)

Description: Wedgwood is very family-friendly, with a separate cafe seating area just for families and a kids’ menu, coloring books, and crayons. For the adults, they offer 18 draft taps that are constantly rotating with small, hard-to-find brewery creations. A full bar also is available for any cocktail you wish to order. Like many good pubs, Wedgwood is known for its burgers, using highly seasoned patties with fresh garlic. Veggie burgers are also on the menu, as are Philly steak sandwiches, buffalo-style chicken wings, and an assortment of house-made soups daily. Dogs are welcome on the outdoor seating patio.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 624-7755

Address: 1101 4th Ave. (Central)

Description: Sazerac promises “serious fun and damn good food.” This hopping restaurant in Hotel Monaco is a lively gathering place with a unique menu that adds the flavors and styles of the Northwest into traditional southern Cajun recipes. Flash-fried catfish with jalapeño meunière sauce and a rooster, crawfish, and andouille gumbo are two of the more unusual finds on the menu, and the restaurant always has an excellent selection of charcuterie and cheeses. Sazerac also has multicourse tasting lunches and dinners, as well as cooking and bartending classes for a fun option. Don’t miss the bar; the name Sazerac comes from a very old cocktail, and the mixology on hand here is truly inventive.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 789-6441

Address: 6012 Phinney Ave. North (North)

Description: This is the place to come if you want pot stickers. The traditional Chinese dish is so ubiquitous and deceptively simple that many places churn out rubbery, tasteless versions. At Chef Liao they are delivered perfectly crispy on the outside, while tender and flavorful on the inside. The Yummy Yam Fish, whitefish stir-fried with sliced sweet potato, is also popular. Along with noodle soups, chow mein dishes, and a decent vegetarian selection, Chef Liao also offers Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese dishes.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 682-2828

Address: 628 S. Weller St. (Central)

Description: This authentic Cantonese-style restaurant in the International District offers traditional, country-style dishes such as hot pots, chicken in black bean sauce, salt and pepper pork, and noodle bowls. The fried bread appetizer is very popular, served with a dish of sweet condensed milk for dipping.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 292-8828

Address: 516 Maynard Ave. South (Central)

Description: Using high-quality, fresh ingredients, this simple spot with friendly service is the place to go for good Chinese food at a good price. Specialties include a steamed whole tilapia, sautéed squid with broccoli, shredded squab, and honey-walnut prawns. Honey Court also serves dim sum, a popular lunch option.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 523-6855

Address: 5211 University Way NE (North)

Description: While tapas is generally Spanish small plate dishes, Jack’s unabashedly calls its delicious northern Chinese home cooking by the name. Jack’s serves small dishes made for sharing of dim sum, noodles, sesame bread, and pickled vegetables. Unusual finds such as leek calzones can be found, and there are great vegetarian dishes that are not just afterthoughts.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 623-2100

Address: 509 7th Ave. South (Central)

Description: Seemingly always busy, Sea Garden is a popular International District spot serving delightfully named dishes such as Eight Treasure casserole and Double Pleasure whole flounder. Items that consistently get the most raves from diners are the salt and pepper pork chops, crab in black bean sauce, congee, and the salt and pepper squid. You can choose your seafood from the tanks if you wish. The dining room is nice and roomy, service is generally very good, and a full bar is available.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (206) 625-1600

Address: 301 E. Pine St. (Capitol Hill)

Description: Although this place can be at times tragically hip, it is still one of my favorite spots in Seattle. As the name implies, it’s very literary, with a vintage library and the feel of a place that Dylan Thomas or William Burroughs would have hung out. Its corner location with big windows all around offers a view of the pedestrian-heavy surrounding neighborhood, with the Space Needle as a backdrop. It’s definitely a community spot, with exhibits of local artists’ works and a movie screening on the first Thurs of each month. In addition to serving excellent coffee drinks, Bauhaus also has a great selection of teas and scrumptious scones and croissants.

City: Seattle, WA

Category: Restaurants

Address: 1811 Queen Anne Ave. North #101 (Queen A