High-end dining establishments are popping up all around the Pacific Northwest in residential suburbs as more chefs seek to take their craft out of the crowded cities. The Herb Farm was the first restaurant to land Woodinville on the map, shortly followed by its sister restaurant Barking Frog. While these restaurants are still thriving, they’re no longer the isolated standouts among the culinary landscape of the city of Woodinville.
Here are the best restaurants in Woodinville. From cheap eats to the best experiences in the city, we’ve included restaurants to fit every category of dining. After this list of our top 13, make sure to keep reading for more ideas that bring our list to 22 different restaurant options!
The Best Restaurants in Woodinville
- Herbfarm
- Barking Frog
- Lifted Taco
- Von’s 1000 Spirits
- Heritage Restaurant & Bar
- TThe Restaurant at DeLILLE Cellars
- Brix Wine Cafe
- Purple Cafe
- Vivi Pizzeria
- The PicNic Table
- Pablo y Pablo
- Woodinville Cafe
- Twisted Cuban
1. Herbfarm
- Price: $$$$
The Herbfarm was one of the 12 restaurants we deemed Michelin-worthy in the Seattle area. The restaurant opened in 2001 and is an iconic local establishment that helped create Woodinville’s burgeoning tourist district.
What makes Herbfarm unique? It uses only the most high-quality local ingredients and changes menus throughout the year. For example, winter menus will include more truffles while spring will feature more produce and local seafood. Expect a series of courses that that while generally on the smaller side, are expertly plated and incorporate fresh vegetables and meats from the region.
One important note is that Herbfram is very expensive. Dinners are over $300 per person (with paired beverages), but this is obviously supposed to be an experience.
2. Barking Frog
- Price: $$$
Barking Frog serves beautiful food.
The restaurant, which is located at Willows Lodge, isn’t quite as expensive as Herbfarm. Yet, its dedication to seasonal ingredients and inventive Northwest meals makes Barking Frog stand out
Menus will change at Barking Frog as the year progresses but expect an assortment of foraged and Northwest ingredients in a very inviting space. If you’re looking for a high-end dinner in the area without needing to spend (and reserve as far in advance!) to the same level as Herbfarm, Barking Frog is a great option.
3. Lifted Taco
- Price: $
Here’s where the list of best restaurants goes from very expensive to very down to Earth. Simply put, Lifeted Taco is great.
Oh sure, you can grab guacamole and chips here, or a classic margarita. They’re both excellent, I should add.
However, the star of the show is the restaurant’s unconventional tacos. There’s the BBQ Bacon Meatloaf Taco, the Shrromz Tacos, Seoul Glow Taco (with Beef Bulgogoi), and the Ribeye Taco.
Frankly, by the time you read this review, the tacos may have changed. That’s because Lifted Taco is always experimenting, so check out their most current menu here. The bottom line is that Lifted Taco is one of Woodinville’s most interesting restaurants and if you’re a local you’d be missing out if you don’t try it!
4. Von’s 1000 Spirits
- Price: $$
One of the newer establishments, at first glance you may think this place is only another distillery by the name and location. However, come inside and you’ll find fresh pasta, pizza, burgers, and salmon chowder!
Von’s is thriving after only being open a short time, with the small parking lot overflowing on a regular basis. Valet is available. No dinner reservations on the weekends, so plan to have a cocktail or two while you wait for a table.
As an aside, my favorite is the sourdough pasta. It’s a house specialty, so don’t be afraid to order it!
5. Heritage Restaurant & Bar
- Price: $$
With a rotating seasonal menu, Heritage keeps people coming back for their tried-and-true staples as well as to see what’s new the chef has in store. The Dungeness crab hush puppies are a personal favorite of mine. Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, date night, or just because, Heritage delivers.
6. The Restaurant at DeLILLE Cellars
- Price: $$-$$$
DeLILLE has been one of the Pacific Northwest’s top event venues for decades. Winning awards for their delicious wine, beautiful spaces, and knowledge of how to pair food with their customers’ expectations.
Now you can experience the magic of their wine-centric dining without having to be a guest at one of their events. Chef Toni has made some unique twists to some old favorites to allow them to complement DeDILLE’s wines. Who would have ever thought nachos would be the perfect accompaniment to your favorite wine?
Chef Toni of course! Reservations are required.
7. Brix Wine Cafe
- Price: $$
Having moved to Woodinville a few years ago from Kirkland, Brix has been a local favorite among the wine crowd for some years now. Brix has a superb happy hour menu for those looking to dine early or a selection of cheese with your wine as an aperitif prior to dinner.
The bar area fills up fast, so plan to arrive early for happy hour. Personal recommendations are the risotto or pumpkin ravioli should they be in season.
8. Purple Cafe
- Price: $$
You don’t have to drive to Seattle to take in a meal at Purple Cafe after the locations in Kirkland and Bellevue were unfortunately shut down. The location in Woodinville is still thriving. Reservations are highly recommended. Although they’ve increased their outdoor seating recently, dinner service always reaches capacity on weekends. While I’ve never had anything at Purple I didn’t enjoy, their Chopped Salad, Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, and Truffle Mac and Cheese are some personal favorites. If you’re stopping in for appetizers, the baked brie, stuffed dates, and obviously the crab cakes are worth the try.
9. Vivi Pizzeria
- Price: $$
Not just your typical Pizza restaurant, Vivi Pizzeria is a full Italian restaurant that reminds me of some places I dined while in Italy. The pizzas here are thin crust and while you can get a pepperoni pizza if that’s what you’re in the mood for, you’ll also find pear and gorgonzola as well as options with arugula if you like a little salad on your pizza.
You’ll find a large selection of pasta as well, without being too heavy on the cream or oil. Vivi Pizzeria shares a patio with 2 wineries next door and when the weather is nice, you have the option of buying a glass- or bottle- of wine from one of the wineries to pair with your food. Try the bruschetta plate with 5 different topping options!
10. The PicNic Table
- Price: $$
New to Woodinville, the PicNic Table is located in the Wearhouse District of Woodinville’s Wine Regions. While you can stop in and grab a seat, their business model is designed around offering to-go picnic baskets for those wanting to bring a bite on their journey as they make their way through Woodinville’s many wine tasting rooms.
Their menu is constantly rotating to keep up with seasonal offerings and has options for those with dietary restrictions. They even offer party platters for large groups! Eating on the go in Woodinville doesn’t have to be limited to just burgers and fries at your local drive-in thanks to the PicNic Table!
11. Pablo y Pablo
While sugary margarita mixes out of a bottle might not be your thing, who doesn’t like a margarita from freshly squeezed lime juices? How about a blood orange or a spicy papaya margarita? Pablo y Pablo opened its second location in Woodinville after the success of their Wallingford location, and it was an instant success.
If you plan to eat here on a Friday or Saturday night and you’ll have quite the wait if you don’t book ahead of time. Reservations can be made in advance on Open Table. Not only will you find their popular street tacos and nachos on the menu, but both of these have vegan options available, along with a fair amount of additional vegan selections for diners to choose from.
12. Woodinville Cafe
- Price: $-$$
You might wonder why a cafe that closes at 3 p.m. is on this list, but try to eat here on a weekend before noon and you’ll understand why. It seems simple enough, a cafe serving what looks like your basic all-American menu. But the atmosphere, the friendly staff, and the reliably great food give you the down-home comfort everyone is looking for in a breakfast diner.
Woodinville Cafe is part of a family of restaurants started by a local family to honor the area’s history and residents and the quality is high across the board. (Their location in Sammamish made our “best of” list for the city as well)
Woodinville Cafe’s formula of serving excellent food without gimmicks is clearly a winner among locals.
13. Twisted Cuban
- Price: $-$$
While I’ve enjoyed plenty of Cuban food in places like Miami, I’m also not an expert on its authenticity. However, from what I’ve been told by others, this place is pretty legit. Given the owner and chef is from Havana, I think it’s pretty safe to believe those claims.
Obviously, the Cuban sandwich is the most popular item people talk about, and the empanadas are a pretty safe bet for even a picky eater. However, if you dare to try something new go for one of their entrees such as the Masitas de Puerco Fritas.
9 Other Top Woodinville Restaurants
Obviously, Woodinville has a lot of great restaurants with new ones opening every year. While these are the top 13 worth visiting, there are plenty of other fantastic options in the city. Here are some others worthy of checking out and what they have to offer.
- Rusty Pelican: Extensive Brunch Menu
- Hollywood Tavern: Whiskey Maple Brussel Sprouts, Cajun Wings, and some other great stuff.
- 20 Corners: Brewery and full restaurant.
- Village Wines: Apps and More around outdoor fire pits.
- Akane Ramen: Good Ramen & a few other Japanese dishes.
- Cava Azul Cocina & Cantina: Mexican food that’s not too greasy.
- Cut Shop: Homemade corn dogs!
- Pasta Nova: Takes me back to the restaurants we ate at in Italy where my mom would say “now this is authentic” and all the patrons were American tourists. Very popular among locals.
- Walla Walla Steak Co: Good Steak, need I say more?
Ready for More Dining on the Eastside?
Check out our guides to the best restaurants in other cities nearby Woodinville. Each has been prepared by our team that’s eaten across the Eastside!
- The Complete Bellevue City Guide: All things Bellevue including our favorite high-end restaurants and cheap eats in the city.
- The Best Restaurants in Redmond: From great pizzas to smoked cocktails, discover the best Redmond has to offer.
- The Best Restaurants in Kirkland: Includes Cafe Juanita, which rivals the Herbfarm as a high-end dining experience on the Eastside.
