These restaurants offer tasting menus and omakase meals that put the chef in the driver’s seat. Don’t be intimidated—there’s no better way to explore Seattle’s culinary potential.
Courtesy: Kevin Zasler/Eden Hill
Sushi Kashiba
Shiro Kashiba, who first brought sushi to Seattle in 1970, taught the city how to dine omakase (in Japanese it means “I’ll leave it up to you”). Five decades later, rapt diners at his Pike Place Market restaurant know to forgo the regular sushi menu and let Kashiba and his lieutenants present a beautiful parade: spot prawns, three cuts of salmon, four types of tuna, and his famed uni hand roll. The omakase is available anywhere in the small, serene restaurant, but the 14-seat sushi bar is the best sort of dinner theater. 86 Pine St, Ste 1; sushikashiba.com
Staple & Fancy
The weathered-brick dining room remains a favorite among restaurateur Ethan Stowell’s many great spots, mostly for the Northwest-meets-Italian tasting menu. The exact lineup changes often but begins with an array of snacks, like fried oysters and charcuterie, then moves on to salads, seafood (maybe a grilled hamachi collar), and pasta dishes the likes of which built Stowell’s reputation in his early days. *4739 Ballard Ave NW; ethanstowellrestaurants.com
Le Petit Cochon
In the heart of Fremont, a truly memorable restaurant hides in plain sight in a second-floor dining room. Here, chef Derek Ronspies draws on deep relationships with local farmers to produce meat-forward fare that’s somehow both irreverent and elegant. The six-course, $95 “swine dining” menu offers favorite dishes like pork tartare that snaps with Vietnamese nuoc cham, plus a few off-menu riffs. It’s the perfect approach for a place where you want to eat everything. 701 N 36th St, Ste 200; gettinpiggy.com
The Corson Building
This former stonemason’s cottage surrounded by a lush garden in Georgetown feels like a secret; inside you’ll find just three broad tables. On Saturday and Sunday nights, there’s only one seating. Handwritten menus detail chef Emily Crawford’s rustic compositions of Northwest plants and proteins, like the kitchen’s own ham nested atop artichokes, watercress, crispy black trumpet mushrooms, and a rich smear of creamed nettles. Saturday dinners are four to five courses; the Sunday meals are a pared-down version, but the dining room remains one of the most atmospheric in town. *5609 Corson Ave S; thecorsonbuilding.com
*Visit Seattle Partner
Eden Hill
Dishes at chef Maximillian Petty’s tiny restaurant atop Queen Anne burst with sweet and spice, seasonal produce and modernist technique. The best way to take it all in is Eden Hill’s chef’s tasting menu, where diners submit to Petty’s nightly whims for seven colorful courses that might include a baked oyster in carrot foam, impeccably cooked duck breast with a dash of foie gras, and a tiny ice cream cone intermezzo with a garnish of caviar. To experience more of Petty’s culinary creativity, watch him partner with pop star Jessica Domingo in VISITSEATTLE.tv’s Turning Table series (visitseattle.org/turning-tables/eden-hill). 2209 Queen Anne Ave N; edenhillrestaurant.com
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