24 Best Restaurants in Spokane and Eastern Washington, Washington

Since the early 1980s, Breadline has been a top dining destination in the Okanogan Valley for hearty servings of eclectic fare. The menu features local organic produce, a variety of freshly baked breads, and locally raised natural Angus beef. You'll find Cajun dishes such as jambalaya, as well as an around-the-world assortment of cuisines, including Italian and Greek. The bakery features such sweet treats as lavender shortbread cookies, espresso brownies, elaborately-decorated cakes, and other pastries and breads for take-out.

In a former flour mill with great views of the Spokane River, Clink's has been a Spokane institution since 1974. The seafood, steaks, and prime rib are excellent; the Broadway pea salad, French onion soup, and beer-battered fish-and-chips are all popular at lunch. Some favorite dessert choices include seasonal bread pudding, molten chocolate cake, and key lime pie.

Right off the Maple Street Bridge, this is the state's oldest railroad-car restaurant; built as an observation car in 1906, it has original light fixtures, stained-glass windows, and mahogany details. Generously sized breakfasts are the specialty here, including unique items like Creole Benedict with lobster, shrimp, and crab. On the sweeter side, there's orange cranberry French toast and cinnamon roll waffles. For dinner there's such comfort food as turkey with mashed potatoes, meat loaf, and chicken-fried steak.

The Anthony's chain is renowned for fine waterfront dining in western Washington, and this outpost on the Columbia River waterfront continues the tradition. Seafood is the specialty—from fish-focused appetizers, including panfried Willapa Bay oysters and fresh Northwest manila clams, to entrées with Dungeness crab (whole, in fettuccine, or in crab cakes), Idaho rainbow trout, Alaskan weathervane scallops, char-grilled Alaskan halibut, and salmon. Several steaks are among the other entrée offerings.

The staff is friendly at this small, casual brewpub, which serves several house-brewed beers to go with the delicious wood-fired pizzas, sandwiches (the hot grinder is a specialty), salads, and soups. Local memorabilia is displayed throughout the restaurant, and the history of the Hanford Nuclear Site is depicted in photos on the walls. Dessert choices get clever names to match the nuclear theme, like the B-Reactor brownie.

This Pullman spot has a loyal following of both local residents and out-of-towners, who come for the excellent bar and the Southern-inspired menu that also highlights WSU's locally produced cheese in such dishes as Cougar lobster mac and cheese and Pullman poutine. Gulf gumbo, Bayou catfish, shrimp/crab etouffe, and the "Rajin' Cajun Pasta" (which comes with chicken, shrimp, Andouille sausage, and a heat warning) give a decidedly Louisiana slant to the menu. The bar offers more than a dozen craft cocktails and groups them as "beginner," "intermediate," and "advanced" to reflect their sweetness and alcohol taste.

This casual eatery in the relaxed Browne's Addition neighborhood serves tasty pub food like grilled lamb sandwiches, blackened chicken alfredo, and a Korean pork bowl, and you can wash it all down with one of the 16 beers on tap. A copper bar stands along one wall, backed by a mirror and lots of memorabilia, giving the interior a saloonlike appearance.

Operated by a neighborhood nonprofit that helps young people learn job skills, Fresh Soul blends a worthy purpose with really good Southern food. At lunchtime, a pulled pork or catfish sandwich will hit the spot, and for dinner, the big combo meals (think fried chicken legs with beans, potato salad, and cornbread) are tasty and filling. The colorful cafe has a few tables, but everything is also nicely packaged for take-out.

Set inside Huckleberry's Natural Market, this bistro has a coffee and juice bar, pre-made sandwiches and salads, and lots of items that can be made fresh to eat in or take-out, including sandwiches, salads, burgers, and wraps. If you're in a hurry, call in your order so it will be ready when you arrive; otherwise there may be a wait during the busy lunch hour. Evenings are more leisurely and you can kick by with a beer or glass of wine while your food is prepared, or try the pasta bar available Friday and Saturday evenings.

There are 10 ales on tap at Ice Harbor Brewery's restaurant, along with a rotating hard seltzer and cider, and a good selection of cocktails and local wines. You can order your favorite bar snacks like pulled pork nachos, wings, and pretzels, along with more substantial fare including bacon cheddar prime rib panini, shrimp po boy, beer-battered cod-and-chips, and several burger options. For a late lunch or early dinner, the weekday happy hour is a great value.

Tucked into a strip mall in south Spokane near the Creek at Qualchan Golf Course, this neighborhood restaurant serves a wide-ranging menu that changes frequently. Some standards include salmon with asparagus and fingerling potatoes, seared scallops, bistro salad with gorgonzola and figs, and rich desserts. For a sweet ending to your meal, try the seasonal fruit cobbler, peanut butter chocolate cake, or the "bucket of love" (gluten-free flourless mini-chocolate cakes dusted with spices). Sunday brunch features varied choices, from English-toffee-banana-pecan French toast to corned-beef hash with apples.

Built in 1933, this restaurant is shaped like a gigantic milk bottle; since 1978 the eatery has been selling homemade ice cream. Fries are made from hand-cut potatoes, buns are made in-house, and burgers, sandwiches, salads, and soup (in winter only) round out the menu. The Milk Bottle makes a cameo in Johnny Depp's rom-com Benny & Joon.

As the late-afternoon rays of sunlight wash over the dining room and deck at this lakeside restaurant, you can indulge in main courses like Parmesan-crusted halibut over linguine and baby back ribs or share several of the smaller plates like ginger-chicken lettuce wraps, mahimahi tacos, and fried calamari. Chocolate lovers will appreciate the mile-high mud pie, half-baked chocolate-chip cookies, and chocolate-banana bread pudding.

In a refurbished railroad dining car, this small and charming Italian restaurant is fun for the whole family, but it's also a nice choice for a romantic meal. The traditional fare includes bruschetta, chicken and veal Parmesan, and several steak and seafood options. The house specialty, tortellini Oreste, features rose-shaped tortellini stuffed with ricotta cheese and sautéed with tomatoes and walnuts in pesto sauce; scallops or prawns can be added. Family-style dinners are available for take-out, too.

The owners of one of Moses Lake's oldest restaurants set out to make it a favorite family gathering place where, as the name implies, steaks are the main event, ranging from an 8-ounce sirloin to a 24-ounce porterhouse. Green bean fries are a popular appetizer choice and salad choices are varied, including a hot chicken salad. Check out the house-made desserts, including Texas sheet cake and strawberry shortbread ice cream cake.

Adjacent to The Davenport Lusso, this casual eatery offers standard pub fare like fish-and-chips, beef sliders, and several kinds of burgers. Starters include the signature fried pickles, hand-cut onion rings, and wings with your choice of sauce. Two of the signature cocktails feature huckleberries and there's a beer sampler option.

Made daily from scratch, the calzones are always fresh at this cozy storefront and include the most popular, Coug (pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives), followed by the Gourmet (artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto sauce). Pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, and salads are also served.

This pub-style eatery, housed in one of Spokane's many historic brick buildings, has an urban contemporary vibe thanks to lots of burnished-metal artwork by local artists. Sandwiches and burgers make this a handy place for a weekend lunch or lighter dinner; halibut-and-chips, whiskey-sauced ribeye steak with roasted potatoes, and (of course) a steelhead fillet with garlic-parmesan butter are heartier fare. The bar menu features reasonably-priced signature cocktails.

Pressed-tin ceilings, vintage photographs, and a century-old bar with ornate columns evoke the past at this former saloon and pharmacy, enthusiastically serving American fare for decades. There are more than a dozen sandwiches and burgers on the menu, along with heartier dishes like pot roast dinner, two kinds of fish-and-chips, wild Alaskan salmon, and sirloin steak. For sharing, there's the baked Cougar Gold cheese dip with flatbread and a decadent warm chocolate chip cookie for dessert. Area 51 Taphouse is located inside the restaurant and offers 51 beverages on tap.

If you're adventurous, the chef will create your meal based on what is in season, and is likely to include some of the house standards, such as deviled eggs with maple-bacon filling, fried brussels sprouts, and albacore tuna ceviche. The many small plates make this a popular spot for both a light lunch and tapas-style dinner. There are also a few full-plate options like smoked chicken wings, spaghetti stuffed meatballs, and burgers made of brisket and topped with bacon jam. Save room for the unique desserts, including banana bread pudding and olive oil–dark chocolate gelato.

This local favorite expanded into a larger space just up the street, so now even more people can enjoy the contemporary Italian food, along with the neighborly feel of the two-level dining room, the cozy bar, and the hip upstairs lounge. The menu focuses on bold flavors and fresh, local, and organic ingredients for dishes like pappardelle bolognese, grilled king salmon with risotto cake, and braised lamb chop. Weekday lunches offer tasty choices, too, including Waygu beef burgers, root vegetable salads, and seasonal soups. Customers are often greeted by the friendly owner, Walla Walla native Tom Maccarone.

Finding a modern, city-style coffee shop in a tiny town like Grand Coulee (population less than 1,000) is quite a treat, so hopefully the locals and tourists who come to see the dam and laser show in summer will keep this place in business. An ever-changing menu of lunch specials, from soups to salads to the weekly Wednesday panini, complements standbys like cinnamon rolls, breakfast sandwiches, scones, and other pastries. And of course there is coffee—from drip to espresso drinks, all made with coffee beans from Twisp-based Blue Star Coffee Roasters.

The past seems to echo through this restaurant, which is across the street from the Weinhard Hotel in what was once the town's pharmacy. The menu changes frequently to highlight seasonal specialties and local purveyors; some signature items include the chef's salad, rib-eye steak, and dark chocolate cake. Try a panini sandwich or grilled cheese for lunch; for dinner, the seafood curry or salmon scampi are good bets. Raspberry-rhubarb pie and coconut-lemon pie are dessert favorites.