Diners' Choice: Neighborhood gem restaurants in Seattle

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are the best neighborhood gems in Seattle? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Cora Pizza and Plates

5.0

5 (57)

$30 and under

Italian

Capitol Hill / First Hill

About the restaurant

Welcome to Cora Pizza & Plates, a neighborhood Italian restaurant in Seattle’s Capitol Hill featuring wood fired pizzas, heartening pastas, and seasonal vegetables and salads from James Beard Award-winning Chef John Sundstrom of Lark. Visit our rustic and cozy space, perfect for a date night or family dinner, and enjoy our refined but approachable plates, complemented by a curated wine list, batch cocktails and boozy slushies.

Top review

ClaudiaVIP

Dined on Jun 13, 2025

Great service and good ambiance for this local spot. We enjoyed the mushroom pizza and the rigatoni so much! Would definitely come back!

Nick's on Madison

4.9

4.9 (546)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Madison Valley

About the restaurant

Located just outside of the Arboretum on Madison Street. Nick’s on Madison is your favorite neighborhood spot for casual sophistication. Seasonal dishes, draft beer, wines and craft cocktails. Follow us on Instagram @nicks_on_madison

Top review

DougVIP

Dined on Jun 1, 2025

Our favorite neighborhood place! Friendly atmosphere, wonderful staff, excellent food and drink. Great French Dip sandwich! The Caesar salad and the Burrata appetizer are also highly recommended.

The Shambles

4.9

4.9 (143)

$31 to $50

American

Roosevelt

About the restaurant

We are a 21+ restaurant and bar. Founded in 2018 by Joel and Matthew and purchased in late 2022 by Becky and Jon, the vision remains the same: Old English pub vibes, high quality food.

We loved The Shambles from the minute we walked in and now we continue the heritage of what was created before us. On the food side: high quality steaks, cut in house. Cooks who have the freedom to create seasonal dishes ranging from foraged mushrooms to house made sausages. To go with your meal, we offer skillfully made, non-fussy cocktails, carefully selected wines, a plethora of beers, sours, and ciders on tap and a a robust non alcoholic selection. We top it all off with warm and knowledgeable service. At the Shambles, you can join us for a lovely date night, get together with friends OR choose to sit at the bar and get an ear full of cheesy jokes and unfiltered chatter We are serious about our service from top to bottom and we can’t wait to serve you!

Top review

Sara

Dined 1 day ago

Definitely earned its spot on all the lists. Steak was wonderful as well as the rockfish and cauliflower steak. We had a lovely time, and will be back.

That's Amore - Seattle

4.8

4.8 (1150)

$31 to $50

Italian

Leschi / Madrona / Madison Park

About the restaurant

An understated storefront hides a coveted skyline view—just one of the many ways you could underestimate this longtime cafe on Mount Baker’s main drag. The menu, the sign—even the name—are a bit of a throwback, but current owners Guy Devillier and David Hoefer took over in 2018 and keep things attuned to today. Carbonara packs more nuance than you might expect, the slightly crackly pizza’s better than it has to be, and the bar pours lambrusco and negroni. No wonder tables are loaded with a diversity of diners.

Top review

Francisco

Dined 7 days ago

Fantastic restaurant. The setting is in a nice quiet neighborhood which makes it feel more personal. We opted for sitting outside because the weather was fantastic. Our server was very attentive and on point with drinks, refils, taking our order, and recommendations! The food: We started off with the fresh bread and chefs choice of butter. This included 3 different butters, one was a garlic type, the 2nd was a basil type, the third plain better. We opted for the meatballs per the recommendation of the waitress and she was spot on. Not an over exaggeration to say this may be the best plate of meatballs I've ever had. We each ordered a drink (margarita and a not so old fashion) both were nice and strong. Our water never ran dry as the evening went on.... finally the main course. I ordered the Bucatini Carbanora and my date ordered the rigatoni. Both fantastic with fresh pastas. For desert we ordered the Tiramisu. Overall the place was a 10/10 and would recommend this to anyone and everyone. Especially for a date night where they will go above and beyond!

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4.8

4.8 (150)

$30 and under

Italian

Delridge

About the restaurant

Local eatery highlighting house extruded pasta, pizza, and familiar starters using seasonal & local ingredients

Top review

Sean

Dined 2 days ago

Everything is fresh made, service was excellent as was the salad, pasta and pizza. Will definitely be back

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4.7

4.7 (268)

$30 and under

American

International District

About the restaurant

Oak is an independently owned community-minded neighborhood restaurant and bar. Our all-ages dining room welcomes folks and their families from all walks of life. We serve a full menu of delicious vegan and organic burger, and poultry options.

Top review

GregoryVIP

Dined on Jun 22, 2025

Excellent food and vegetarian / meat options. Incredibly friendly service

The Ballard Cut

4.7

4.7 (657)

$31 to $50

Farm-to-table

Ballard

About the restaurant

The Ballard Cut is a farm-to-table restaurant and whisk(e)y bar specializing in local and seasonal ingredients. Our 1200+ bottle whiskey list ranges from Japanese and Scotch single malts to American bourbons and ryes. The collection is curated to include contemporary and affordable bottles as well as rare and antique vintages. Enjoy a scratch cocktail on our patio as you take in the energetic Ballard nightlife; share a bottle of wine and a tomahawk steak with friends and family; or take a trip around the world with a custom whisk(e)y flight built by our passionate and experienced staff.

Helmed by owner Tommy Patrick and chef Rachael Peebles, The Ballard Cut is the culmination of decades of hard work and dedication in the restaurant industry. We sincerely hope you enjoy your dining experience.

*We have both indoor and outdoor sidewalk seating available. Please call during business hours to confirm any seating requests.*

Top review

Matt

Dined on Jun 19, 2025

While in Seattle to catch a Mariners game, my group of 3 wanted to visit a nice Whiskey Bar. We found Ballard Cut through a Google search and gave it a shot. It was a short drive from the park and there was good parking. It’s in a cool neighborhood and was easy to find. We were warmly greeted and sat down during happy hour. The menu was easy to read with amazing options and great prices. We were beyond impressed with their drink selection. It would take years to try everything they have available. When served drinks, we had a bottle of the drink brought to the table. This was done so you could read about your drink, learn about its character and really appreciate the dinner as an experience. The owner Tommy came by to chat. He was visiting with several patrons along the way but we enjoyed his genuine enthusiasm about his restaurant, its products and his employees. He shared insights on the menu, drinks and his passion for service. We purchased everything he recommended and were not disappointed. While there, we tried a flight of Makers Mark and were greeted by a rep from MM. This just coincidentally added a whole new element to our experience. We also had the most fun and efficient server named Sassy. She made us laugh, was clearly enjoying herself, her coworkers and customers and was a critical element of our dinner experience. The three of us in our group are already looking forward to visiting Tommy and Sassy and their team again. It’s extremely rare for me to write a review but when dinner turns into an experience, it’s worth sharing. Thank you to Ballard Cut for an amazing night! Oh- and if Makers Mark decides to name their next line of drinks after leadership principles, I recommended “retention” as a theme. You have amazing and happy employees because you value treating people right. MM is a legacy brand with similar values and the utmost important leadership trait is a retention focused mindset. Retention, Steadfast, Wisdom! You heard it here first!

Radiator Whiskey (21 and over)

4.6

4.6 (488)

$30 and under

Comfort Food

Downtown

About the restaurant

(21 & over only)
In the heart of Pike Place Market, Radiator Whiskey Bar features food that brings a smile and drinks in every variety of container and iteration; straight, mixed, bottled, canned and on tap. Step inside Radiator Whiskey and be immersed in Pacific Northwest atmosphere, warm tones, industrial architecture and plenty of natural wood accents including a larger than live whiskey barrel wall.
(21 & over only)
Radiator Whiskey has daily happy hour drink specials and daily rotating meat specials on top of the regular menu. All the dishes are created fresh with options such as smoked chicken Caesar salad, smoked & fried chicken, braised beef brisket and warm cornbread.
Must be 21 and over.
Please bring valid identifications per Washington state law.

Top review

Dawn

Dined 3 days ago

Service was impeccable as were the barrel aged cocktails.

Via Tribunali - Queen Anne

4.6

4.6 (27)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Queen Anne

About the restaurant

Sitting atop the hill of Seattle's famed Queen Anne neighborhood can be found Via Tribunali, a true taste of southern Italy. This establishment is known for its traditional menu, which features one of the most authentic Neapolitan pizzas found outside of Naples itself. Using only fresh ingredients, the chefs at Via Tribunali rotate menu items to match the flavors of the season, giving diners the opportunity to experience real Naples cooking.Although its creative homemade pizza, like frutti di mare made with clams and mussels or Tomo 17 featuring Italian tuna, is what sets Via Tribunali apart on the Seattle culinary scene, the restaurant also offers a variety of Naples specialties. The menu sports such unique dishes as spagetti alle vongole graced with oven-roasted clams and lasagna created with house-made meat ragu.

Top review

JoeVIP

Dined on Jun 15, 2025

Great food and great service. Everything was prompt.

Sugo Hand Roll Bar

4.6

4.6 (29)

$30 and under

Sushi

Belltown / Pike Place Market

About the restaurant

Born in Seattle near the heart of historic Pike Place Market, SUGO is Seattle’s first dedicated hand roll bar. Our handrolls meet at the intersection of the freshest seafood from the Pacific Northwest and Tokyo, fluffy Koshihikari rice, and the crispiest nori this side of Japan.

We believe in sourcing our sustainable seafood responsibly so we work closely with local fishmongers who share our commitment to ocean health, ensuring that every bite supports healthy ecosystems and vibrant fisheries. The open-style temaki allows guests to enjoy a wide variety of flavors, in fun-to-eat and visually tempting bites. SUGO aims to reimagine the Seattle sushi experience by taking inspiration and paying homage to the preparation and quality of traditional Japanese sushi but introducing new fusion flavors and incorporating various other Asian and West Coast flavors.

Whether you’re a seasoned sushi aficionado or a curious newcomer, come join us and experience the magic of hand rolls.

Top review

Janie

Dined on Jun 23, 2025

Delicious and so fresh!!!! Loved the edamame with butteryaki and agedashi too. The crispy shrimp was amazing.

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