- New restaurants worth checking include Milk Bar, Farzi Cafe, Driftwood Restaurant, Loxsmith Bagels, and Vindicktive Wings
- With these restaurants in Bellevue, Alki, Beacon Hill, and Belltown, there’s plenty of new restaurants around the region to try!
It’s finally starting to feel like spring in Seattle! Beyond flowers blooming, there’s also the return of the sun (we missed you!) and temperatures are passing 70 degrees. All that means that it’s time to get outside and enjoy the city.
With good weather also comes more dining out, and there are always new restaurants to explore across the Seattle area. From delicious wings, to bagels, to Indian, to cake, there are all kinds of exciting new restaurants for diners of all types. Here are five of the best new restaurant arrivals in Seattle.
1. Milk Bar
The first two entries on our list take us across Lake Washington to Bellevue Square. You might be familiar with Milk Bar. Its founder, Christina Tosi has published several bestselling cookbooks. In addition, Milk Bars have spread from New York to cities like Toronto, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles. There’s also a location near the Momofuku at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.
The “iconic” menu item is the Milk Bar Pie. It has an oatmeal cookie crust with a filling that’s made of heavy cream, vanilla, butter, sugar, egg yolk, and milk powder. If you’re interested in the recipe, you can view it on Milk Bar’s site.
Beyond the signature pie (which can be bought whole or in slices), you can get cheaper options like cookies, soft serve, shakes, and cake truffles. If you’re in a spendier mood, cakes can be purchased for around $50. Milk Bar is located inside the Nordstroms at the mall. I’ve had their compost cookie soft serve many times and it never fails to please.
- Location: 100 Bellevue Square, Bellevue, WA 98004
- Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon-Sat and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays
2. Farzi Cafe
Farzi Cafe is a global restaurant brand that started in New Delhi and has restaurants across the world today.
The restaurant is making a big push into America and has located its first restaurant in Bellevue Square. That push means the restaurant’s founding chef and team are working in the Bellevue location to ensure its success before more Farzi’s expand across the United States.
While no menu has been posted online for their Bellevue location, you can look at their London menu for an idea of what’s served. Beyond baos, momos, and biryani, there are main courses and some surprises such as a lobster risotto entree. For a look at the restaurant’s food, you may also want to view their gallery. The restaurant is a more high-end and modern approach versus many of the authentic Indian restaurants you’ll find in Overlake and Bel-Red.
- Location: 515 Bellevue Square, Bellevue, WA 98004
- Hours: 4-10 p.m. weekdays and 4-11 p.m. weekends
3. Driftwood Restaurant
A beautiful spring day is the perfect time to return to Alki Beach. After a long, leisurely, stroll along the beach, you’ll also have an outstanding brand-new restaurant to try. Driftwood Restaurant opened in January and adds another restaurant to the neighborhood.
The focus at Driftwood is fresh seafood and local ingredients. For lighter eaters that could mean small bites like local rockfish crudo or salads with ingredients sourced from local farms. If you’re looking for a larger meal, expect local seafood or pork and meat from local farms. You can view a sample menu online, but keep in mind options will change with the season.
- Location: 2722 Alki Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
- Hours: 5-10 p.m. Thursday to Monday (Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
4. Loxsmith Bagles
Loxsmith isn’t new to the Seattle area. It has long been a popular pop-up. However, what is new is its permanent storefront in Beacon Hill.
Bagels at Loxsmith range from more traditional (plain, onion, everything, salt) options you’d find in a neighborhood shop in Brooklyn to options that could please a wider audience like cinnamon raisin, blueberry, and asiago. With Seattle not having a ton of bagel shops that can stand up to New York’s best, a trip to Beacon Hill to try Loxmsith on a beautiful weekend morning should be on your agenda this spring.
- 2709 17th Ave S, Seattle, WA
- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday to Sunday
5. Vindicktive Wings
When you think about some of the best foods Seattle is famous for, there’s incredible seafood, burgers from Dicks, and even our famous Seattle dogs. Yet, while Seattle is blessed with many foods, it has long been short in restaurants with truly outstanding buffalo-style wings.
However, on May 5th, popular buffalo wing pop-up restaurant Vindicktive Wings finally opened its doors to a permanent store and created what could be Seattle’s best wing restaurant. Come here for outstanding wings but just don’t ask for ranch sauce. As a wing joint looking to emulate the best wings in Western New York, there’s plenty of blue cheese but no ranch on the menu.
- Location: 2322 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA
- Hours: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. | Opened on May 5th
