Diners' Choice: Innovative restaurants in Eastside

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are fit for foodies in Eastside? 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!

Cafe Juanita

4.9

4.9 (3445)

$50 and over

Italian

Kirkland

About the restaurant

Cafe Juanita features Executive Chef and Owner Holly Smith's award winning Northern Italian cuisine prepared using the freshest Northwest ingredients and complimented by an award-winning wine list.
Cafe Juanita serves prix-fixe multi-course tasting menus with optional wine pairings, and many other tempting possibilities to embellish your meal. Current menus can be viewed at www.cafejuanita.com. We are happy to modify dishes for dietary restrictions; please advise when making reservations. We offer four tasting menus from which you may choose: omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan, ranging in price per person from $175-$205. We have a supplemental a la carte menu, and tasting menu items can also be ordered a la carte.
Dress code is elegant, formal *no leisure or athletic attire please.

Top review

Timothy

Dined 5 days ago

I've been in Michelin starred restaurants that aren't as exceptional. Service is outstanding, the sommelier knowledge and flexibility top-notch, and the food incredible. You won't necessarily be 'stuffed' at the end but that's not why you visit a place like this. Fantastic for special occasions. Bonus, the car valets are courteous and careful.

Kro Bar

4.9

4.9 (667)

$31 to $50

Dining Bar

Bothell

About the restaurant

The krō bär is an eclectic bar with a speakeasy vibe and a passion for spirits and great food with a nod to another era.

Tucked away on Main Street in Bothell, a walkable neighborhood teaming with local art, culture and food, the artfully handcrafted krō bär has been reclaimed from the bones of Bothell’s historic hardware store in the Mohn building. The 16-foot-high tin ceilings, a hanging catwalk and the original wood floors were uncovered and restored.

Please note we are 21 and older only.

Due to the size of our location, we are unable to seat parties of more than 4 guests.

Top review

CynthiaVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Always an amazing time! If you get the chance, make reservations at the bar to see Cameron, the "Spiritual Advisor", make the most amazing cocktails (and jokes)! He is an artist!

Barking Frog

4.8

4.8 (4299)

$50 and over

Northwest

Woodinville

About the restaurant

It's difficult to say what is most appealing about the Barking Frog - the food, the wine, the atmosphere. All of the above earned this casual bistro featuring country fresh Northwest cuisine rave reviews. Honors have included "Restaurant of the Year", "Most Innovative Wine List" and "Wine Grand Award" awards, presented by the Washington Wine Commission. Delectable dishes entice guests to linger in the light-filled dining room or to gather around the fireplace. While in the summer, lunch and dinner are served in the courtyard.

Visit our sister restaurant, Fireside Lounge, take a more relaxed approach to you day with friends and fellow guests. Serving seasonal cocktails and casual bites. Daily happy hour from 3-5:30pm. Live music during the week.

Top review

joan

Dined 4 days ago

Everything was great!!! The food, the service, the ambience.

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4.8

4.8 (40)

$30 and under

Fusion / Eclectic

Mercer Island

About the restaurant

Modern PNW Gastropub. Korean BBQ, burgers, booze, wings, tacos, and more with heavy Korean, Hawaiian, and Mexican influences. Full service cocktail bar with an extensive liquor collection. Intentional fusion dishes like bulgogi cheeseburgers, kalua pork tacos, and our seared ahi banchan salad, pair perfectly with traditional Korean BBQ and Hawaiian dishes. Free and plentiful above ground parking and easy freeway access makes this the perfect meeting place for friends on Mercer Island, Seattle, and the Eastside.

Our Korean Fried Chicken Wings must be experienced
Happy Hour 3-6 Monday through Thursday
11:00 AM Hawaiian style brunch (including our famous loco moco) on Sundays
Great Vegetarian and Gluten Free options

Top review

Emily

Dined 6 days ago

Such friendly service. We caught Taco Tuesday and it was delicious. Festive atmosphere with our waiter kicking off karaoke - fun!

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Experience

The Board Room Private Dinning

Bottle & Bull

4.7

4.7 (520)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Kirkland

About the restaurant

Experience the travels of Ernest Hemingway through your palette; eating and drinking your way through the cities that Hemingway loved to frequent; Havana, Paris, Florence and Pamplona (where he discovered his love for bull fighting!) to name a few.
We focus on locally sourced, farm-to-table menus with hand crafted cocktails, as fluid as the seasons.
Like Ernest Hemingway our hunger knows no borders!
Open to those 21 and older.

Top review

AnneVIP

Dined on Jun 22, 2025

Great night out with friends. Craft cocktails and delicious food!

La Mar Cocina Peruana Bellevue

4.7

4.7 (325)

$31 to $50

Peruvian

Bellevue

About the restaurant

La Mar Cocina Peruana, led by acclaimed chef Gastón Acurio, brings authentic Peruvian cuisine to downtown Bellevue, Washington. This cebichería celebrates traditional Peruvian flavors in a casual yet upscale setting. The restaurant features a pisco bar, a cebiche bar with a raw fish display, and an open-air kitchen that overlooks both upper and lower dining areas, including a private room for intimate gatherings. Under Executive Chef Kaoru Chang, La Mar emphasizes fresh seafood sourced directly from the sea, showcasing the essence of Peruvian culinary traditions.

Parking available at Bellevue Plaza. Entrance located on 105th Street. Parking validated for all restaurant guests.

Top review

JohnVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Wonderful tour of Peruvian flavors. High quality and great presentation of every dish. Flavors were all amazing!

Big Fish Grill-Woodinville

4.5

4.5 (428)

$30 and under

Northwest

Woodinville

About the restaurant

"Fresh, inviting, simply perfect" is our motto at The Big Fish Grill. Best known for fresh seafood, we offer seafood fare with a Northwest twist. From our seafood cobb salad, seared sea scallops and coconut crusted rockfish, to our hand dipped halibut fish & chips, we prepare and serve our food with the freshest products available; always keeping our guests in mind. Our guests are our priority and something we've always held true to is "anticipating guest's needs and desires." We pride ourselves in customer service with a personal touch and when a guest dines with us we want them to feel as though they are in our home.

Top review

JosephVIP

Dined on Mar 29, 2025

Diverse set of guests, two adult drinkers, one adult non drinker and two teen age girls. One Mqrtini, two Manhattens that were excellent. One steak, fish tacos, Jambalaya, Paella and two oyster appetizers with an oyster shooter. Such a wide ranging set of orders and they were all exceptional. To top it off we got great service from Tonya.

El Encanto

4.5

4.5 (457)

$31 to $50

Mexican

Kirkland

About the restaurant

El Encanto is the latest restaurant to join Carillon Point, from the group that brought you Cantinetta and COMO. Enjoy Chef Gabriel's elevated Mexican menu featuring recipes passed down through generations. We offer two semi private dining tables that come with their own patio (weather permitting), available to book via email. Expansive outdoor dining and lounges overlook Lake Washington, which will be on a first come, first served basis. Come enjoy the gorgeous PNW with us, a margarita and your new favorite Mexican dishes!

Top review

CherylVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Drinks were innovative, menu was interesting, food was well prepared and tasty although perhaps overly salty. We enjoyed excellent service from all staff we encountered - friendly and competent. Situated on the shores of Lake Washington at Carillon Point, the view is difficult to beat. This is the former Beach Cafe property. The Mexican-themed remodel has made it louder. We were celebrating our anniversary but could hardly hear one another above the constant din. Vibrant, I suppose, if that's what you want - my mistake! Patio furniture is stained and lumpy and so the patio space is not particularly inviting, despite the fantastic views. Nevertheless, it's a good value for the price and probably a good bet for a happy hour with friends but not for an intimate dinner.

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Rock Creek Seafood & Spirits - Kirkland

4.5

4.5 (333)

$31 to $50

Seafood

Kirkland

About the restaurant

RockCreek Seafood & Spirits is now serve Kirkland community and beyond! With over 10 years of serving globally sourced seafood to the Seattle area, we are thrilled to expand upon our RockCreek classics!

Top review

Erin

Dined 7 days ago

It was a quiet night but a Monday. Prices of the main entrees are high given it is just the protein. And the built in tip that also gets taxed adds about 25% to the bill. But I respect what they are doing for service staff - who are very good. Food is tasty, ambience is nice, service is good.

Hearth

4.4

4.4 (480)

$30 and under

American

Kirkland

About the restaurant

Hearth: Kirkland's Vibrant Hearth. Where workdays turn to evenings, and every occasion finds its flame. Centered around our welcoming oven, Hearth is the gathering place, offering an inviting atmosphere, elevated comfort food with an adventurous spirit is a true sense of community. From energizing breakfasts to productive lunches to memorable dinners, all alongside expertly crafted cocktails, local beers and thoughtfully selected wines.

Top review

Michelle

Dined 2 days ago

Hearth brunch was a delicious and delightful treat for me and my best friend to catch up, relax and savor a beautiful summer’s day in downtown Kirkland. Candace made excellent food and drink recommendations and took excellent care of us, making us feel pampered with just the right amount of attention! I look forward to next time…

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Popular dish

Beignets

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