Just beyond the grill in the entry hides a bastion of great food influenced by the grilling traditions of South America, Portugal, the Mediterranean, and beyond. Here, grilled meat and seafood comes by the pound, accompanied by beautiful vegetable dishes and the occasional roasted beet or carrot margarita. Ciudad, with its whitewashed warehouse ambience and folkoric Stacey Rozich mural, defies easy descriptors—and that’s part of the charm.

Okay, technically this isn’t a restaurant. But it seems worth mentioning that the town’s best, most towering layer cakes originate at this bakery on Airport Way. Baker Charlie Dunmire moved to this new location in 2023, and her fan base came along. Whole cakes—in flavors like London fog, funfetti, and chocolate porter—get reserved months in advance. But the bakery sells individual slices daily, plus particularly excellent cupcakes.

A utilitarian walkup window serves Philadelphia native Al Calozzi’s whiz-laden cheesesteaks. Sandwiches are two-meals enormous; versions with mushrooms, bell peppers, even pepperoni or pizza sauce can be ordered with your choice of cheese—mozzarella, provolone, white American, or classic Cheez Whiz.

Fonda la Catrina’s next-door sibling serves the same caliber of Mexican food with a focus on mariscos, or shellfish. This might include a rich rockfish soup, ceviche, shrimp tostadas, and clams in a creamy chipotle broth. The fish tacos are a destination unto themselves. Come to think of it, so are the mezcal drinks. El Sirenito also boasts two other hallmarks of an indispensable restaurant: a patio and a happy hour.

It’s a worn-in (no minors) tavern with old brick walls and a die-hard love of motorsports. It’s also a patio oasis filled with covered tables and personable art. Not to mention a low-key sandwich specialist that roasts its own beef and makes a house giardiniera so good, the shop sells it by the jar…except it’s often sold out. The 18-sandwich menu includes the top-selling troublemaker—which proves sliced chicken can be decadent—and a sterling Italian beef.

A longstanding local favorite for homestyle Hawaiian plates like lawai crispy chicken, kalua pork, curry beef stew, and lau lau—steamed taro leaves filled with pork and butterfish. Plate lunches come with a generous scoop of rice and macaroni salad, but the restaurant also serves breakfast all day.

This pocket-size lunchroom is hardly the first to adapt bibimbap to our prevailing grain bowl culture, but good luck finding another place that does it so well. Various versions—salmon in dashi, kimchi fried rice, or a seasonal vegetable medley in a great black garlic vinaigrette—satisfy carnivores and clean eaters, and the plug-and-play mix of ingredients accommodates a ton of dietary restrictions. In a perfect world, this place would be as Seattle-ubiquitous as Evergreens. 

Japan’s panko-crusted deep -ried pork cutlets meet Americans' love of enormous, flavor-packed burgers at this local chainlet. It’s truly a brilliant mashup, even before you factor in the black sesame milkshakes and fries dusted with nori flakes. The Georgetown location has booths and other seating, but also does plenty of takeout.

Sure, coffee’s technically the draw, especially with a menu full of classic Vietnamese phin preparations and lattes flavored with jackfruit or even pho spices. But this takeout-only counter also excels at the art of the banh mi, starting with notably good baguettes. You can even get a mini five-inch version to help save room for a cookie or a tofu pudding latte.

It’s all about the sweet and savory crepes at this friendly cafe next to Boeing Field, though the menu also includes waffles, breakfast burritos, and pitchers of mimosas. It’s a rare Georgetown spot that serves weekday breakfast and weekend brunch.

Prolific restaurateur Marcus Lalario took his time opening an Italian restaurant good enough for his Turin-born father. At Mezzanotte, planes descend overhead to Boeing Field, a large patio is covered in winter, but a perpetual party in the summer. Most of all, though, there’s pasta—five housemade shapes augmented with clever antipasti and some mains. The chef’s counter serves the Italian grandma’s version of an omakase.

A chili shack roadhouse that’s all about live music and heaping bowls of chili. Slim serves four kinds—traditional rex, brisket and bean, a verde with New Mexico chiles, and turkey with white bean. The friendly staff is also happy to ladle it over fries, burgers, and hot dogs.