The Best Restaurants In Bellevue

This is a see-and-be-seen sushi spot where everyone is united—Microsoft VPsinfluencersand tourists who thought Bellevue was actually located in Seattle. And despite the fact that the luxe dining room feels like the setting of a Real Housewives episodethis 23-course omakase delivers the same kind of sushi mastery you would expect from the team behind Sushi Kashiba. Reservations are requiredso plan well in advance to come here for your next big celebratory dinner. And while counter omakase is pricey and limited (they only have two seatings a day)the proximity to the chef makes for a great show. 

Lazy lunches that happen to involve Japanese food don’t get much better than Ramen Nori. This spot specializes in both sushi and ramenand their showing is so good that it’s hard to decide between the two. Pesto swirls and parmesan melt together to elevate a bowl of creamy tonkotsu broth. Crackly pan-seared gyoza don’t even need a sauce dunk. And nigiri is sculpted with precisionwasabi dollop and all.

Expensive party restaurants often have bad food—call it correlationnot causation—but La Mar is the Peruvian transplant here to squash that claim. The dining room with furnishings seemingly plucked from a luxury showroom feels right at home on Old Mainonly the menu is stacked with really great stuff. Snacks like flaky chicken empanadas or wonton tacos stuffed with creamy tuna tartare would be demolished at a wedding cocktail hour. Blowtorched Nikkei nigiri highlights hamachi that nearly disintegrates beneath bright sauce drizzles. Even the complimentary taro chips and herby green dip are poundable. With a massive space and ample weeknight reservations availablea serious birthday dinner or after-work team drinks become effortless to plan.

Frying Fish’s is the kind of place that might describe itself on a dating profile as “excellent foodreliablegreat with groups.” And unlike most profilesthat would not be a gross exaggeration. Hereyou can satisfy a large crew with easeno matter if you’re with people who live for tingling Sichuan heator just want dependable classics like a very good pork with bean curd. Don’t worry about squeezing ineither. More than one oversized booth makes it easy to seat 15 people you kind of knowand 17–20 you know well enough to get up close and personal with.

Broiler Bay is not the kind of burger spot where you’ll find cloth napkinsgruyereor anything involving truffle. It’s the kind where you show uporder a charbroiled double bacon cheeseburger on a sesame seed bun with onion rings and a large Oreo shakeeat it lovingly with copious amounts of fry sauce at a table with a very wobbly legand continue on your way. These are the best burgers in Bellevueso don’t miss them.

This Thai restaurant (with a second location in the University District) has a terrific fully vegan menu. Bright green plants hang from every available ceiling space and a bustling kitchen churns out dishes with flavorful seitantofuand jackfruit tweaks. The creamy avocado curry is comforting and the vegetable satay is deeply marinated in yellow curry with a tangy peanut sauce for dunking. And for all the mushroom loversthe drunken mushroom dish has four different kinds of fungi swimming in a sticky basil sauce that we can't stop thinking about. (We are said mushroom lovers.)

Hadidilao is an experience. At this popular hot pot chainthe staff escorts you to a booth like you’ve got a FastPass and then proceeds to dance tableside while hand-pulling noodles. And don’t even get us started on all the free stuff (toyspints of ice creamlotionmanicures). All the bells and whistles are nicebut the hot pot is truly great—their tom yum broth has tons of lemongrass and lime that pair nicely with delicate beef tonguewhile the extra-spicy mala broths will have you tearing up over slivers of lamb shoulder. Be sure to load up at the sauce and toppings bar (just watch out for airborne noodles and robot servers).

If you need to convince someone that you have your sh*t togethertake them to a dinner at Seastar. It’s the kind of upscale seafood spot that would be the perfect setting for that token classy restaurant date scene in a rom-com. It’s also a solid place for a business dinnerparticularly one covered by a corporate card. Always start with the crab bisqueand then you can’t go wrong with a fish entree (like king salmon or mahi mahi). Just try not to laugh hysterically when you see the bill.

Some of the best meals can only be described by using a series of colorful expletivesand Desi Tadka is no exception. This vegetarian spot that serves Punjabi food has a lineup of dishes with such tremendous flavor that the occasional cursing is warranted. Use the onion kulcha—with red oniongreen chiliesand whole spices baked into every square of the dough—to scoop up heaps of sweet paneer tikka and bhindi masalaand let the profanity commence. Keep this place in mind for takeoutor a casual weekday lunch.

There's been a ton of hype surrounding the first US location of a popular Japanese tempura restaurant. But even with one or two menu missesit's well worth it. Must-order options include huge portions of silky katsu currycreamy carbonara that rivals those from local Italian restaurantsand most importantlythe tempura. This signature dish is drizzled in the restaurant’s dashi-heavy kohaku sauce (much thicker than traditional tempura sauce) and situated on a bed of warm fluffy rice. Save room for dessert too—the sweet potato crème brûlée is something that we now lovingly dream about eating.

The delightful funk of stinky tofu is merely an opening act to the parade of Shaohan Impression’s spice-heavy dishes. Just about everything listed with chili pepper icons are winnersespecially the steamed fish covered in a Christmas-like array of fiery red and green peppers. It all makes for an exciting dinner inside a brightefficiently run dining roomwhere people hover over steaming stone potsdueling for pieces of seafood and melty braised pork with their chopsticks. And on dreary nightsthere’s just something soothing about the colorful dishes and easy-going energy in the strip mall spoteven if your mouth remains tingly all the way home.

There are more than 40 varieties of dosas at the bustling casual-counter service placewhere you’ll find families gathered at long tables to accommodate the massive dishes. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices—including Indian-Chinese fusions like the noodle dosa—but quantity doesn’t dilute the quality. If you only have room for a coupleget the Chettinad dosa with its tender potato filling and hints of cardamomalongside the onion chili version for some spice. And fill your table with a few sides like the paani poori that’s so flaky and delicate it should be served on a tiny velvet pillow.

Some of Bellevue's best tacos are hidden in the parking lot of a probation office. La Chingona Taqueria has a menu of excellent food with immaculate vibes to matchdespite the whole parking lot thing. The covered patio is decorated with papel picado and plenty of picnic tables to hang out with friends while double-fisting tacos and beer. Their baja fish is the best dish herecomplete with a sweet and airy breadingtons of shredded cabbageand a chipotle crema for the books. They now have a full-fledged restaurant in West Seattletoo.

Speaking of burgersBurgermaster is an absolute classicand for those who have been to other locations and are confusedthe one in Bellevue is way better than the rest. Eating at this drive-in is simple—park your carturn your lights on for serviceorder cheeseburgersshoestring friesa crab and swiss meltand flawless panko-crusted onion ringsand have a nice dinner in your front seat. And don't forget an artificially flavored green mint shake blended with nearly an entire sleeve of Oreos. It’s Burgermaster’s greatest contribution to the world. Aside from the onion rings.

For date-night Vietnamesehead to Monsoon on Old Main—it’s a little smaller than the Capitol Hill locationbut serves the same menuwith dishes like claypot catfish and crunchy drunken chicken. And much like their Capitol Hill counterpartthey serve a dim sum brunch on Sundays complete with shrimp dumplingspork bunsand plenty of mimosas.

The only thing worse than showing up to a work potluck with a mystery casserole is showing up empty-handed. Insteadarrive with a box full of Japanese milk bread sandwiches from Sandwich House Tres. While these crustless triangles look almost too perfect to eatdon’t let that stop you from attempting to buy the place out. The fluffy egg salad would be a hot commodity on the school lunch trading marketespecially when that same filling is dolloped on top of a fried shrimp cutlet with cabbage. For something sweetthe fruit sandwiches are just as good. They sell out quicklyso be sure to get here before 10am. 

The Eastside is where Dough Zone's dumpling reign beganand nothing warms us up much better on a chilly gray day than steamy dan dan noodlespork q-baochicken wontons in hot and sour brothand potstickers. We even love the plain broccoli dunked in seafood sauce. For those getting lunch with coworkers or who just feel like popping a dozen xiao long bao in your mouth like you’re playing a game of Hungry Hungry HipposDough Zone will always be waiting for you.

Follow the ridiculous neon glow from DaVinci Dental to K-BBQ Wooblinglocated in the building across the street. This upscale Korean BBQ spot is perfect for a special occasion or date night that calls for lots of pork belly and slivers of kimchi pancake. The proteins arrive curled in the shape of roses and served on fancy wooden display boardsthe grill is Sur La Table-qualityand they even delicately score each piece of meat for you to maximize on the crispy bits.

Garlic Crush is the Middle Eastern restaurant version of that best friend you can count on no matter what your mood is. If you’re feeling takeoutkebab plates travel really well. If you want something vegetarianget some crunchy falafel. If you’re ravenousthe gyro plate will fill you up. If you forgot snacks for your cocktail partya large order of homemade hummus will have your back. Dessert? Two words: fresh baklava. If the weather’s nice and you line up a few outdoor tablesyou’ll have a very enjoyable feast.

No matter where you stand in the Dough Zone vs. Din Tai Fung dumpling debateSupreme Dumplings swoops in and makes you second-guess everything. Between fried rice topped with a massive pork chop and green beans stir-fried with shitakescarrotsand enough garlic to keep the entire Cullen coven awaythis Chinese spot nails all of the classics. And while we still ultimately prefer Dough ZoneSupreme has some standouts—like chewy tan tan noodles in sesame sauce and truffle xiao long bao with a perfect soup-to-meat ratio.

Right next to the Macy’s entrance at Bellevue Square Mall is a food stand that’ll save you when you can’t handle another mediocre salad from Earl’s. Istanbul Cuisine serves Turkish pide and gözleme made to-order on a griddleand these flatbreads make for one of the best quick lunches in Bellevue. There are meat-based options like curry-rubbed chicken or ground lambbut the spinach and feta gözleme is a standoutstuffed with lots of caramelized onions and melty mozzarella. Dip it in some minty yogurt sauce to cut through the richness.