📍 Added in April: Korean-Mexican fusion is nothing new, but it’s rarely done as well as at this truck parked outside of Project 9 Brewing in Maple Leaf. The Korean-inspired meats (think: kalbi or gochujang-marinated al pastor) are tender, juicy, and insanely flavorful with crackly charred edges. Order them in a kimchi “gringa” taco and they come packed into a flour tortilla with crisply browned cheese. The salsa bar with a variety of Mexican and Korean sauces and pickles is also top-notch.

📍 Added in April: Joe’z Burgers, located in the ever-changing little market space on Fuhrman Avenue near Portage Bay, specializes in Oklahoma onion burgers—that is, beef smash-griddled with a pile of thin-shaved onions that frizzle and caramelize as the beef cooks. They serve their burgers on a housemade sesame bun that’s buttery and soft, along with absolutely killer fries that perfectly straddle the line between crispy and greasy.

📍 Added in April: A small menu focused on a single concept typically means that concept is gonna be executed well. Case in point: Pasta Casalinga and its menu of a handful of pasta dishes. The fresh pasta is pleasantly chewy and comes paired with seasonal flavors. Tucked away in the corner of the mall near Pike Place Market, what it lacks in ambience it more than makes up for in quality.

📍 Added in April: In my ever-expanding quest to eat at every teriyaki joint in Seattle, I’m rarely surprised these days, but what a surprise Teriyaki & Pho was. The chicken is insanely charred with great smokiness and a sauce that is balanced between sweet and savory. The chicken is only lightly marinated but cooked so well that it retains its juiciness nonetheless. Rather than the typical iceberg salad, theirs comes served with crisp cabbage, sweet mayo dressing on the side.

📍 Added in April: The wood-fire pizza oven that used to churn out Neapolitan-ish pies when this spot was called Little Lago now breathes life into the decidedly New York-ier pies at Dude’z. They’re smaller than an NYC pie (12 inches, with six slices), but the crusts have the distinct balance between tender and chewy with an undercarriage that’s crisp enough to stand out proud when folded. The cheese is flavorful, aged mozzarella, the sauce is bright and fresh, and the toppings are thoughtful.

My kids and I love a good diner. My daughter is a hash fiend, my toddler son is an egg and omelet monster, and I bounce back and forth between the corned beef hash and the French toast. 14 Carrot does the latter exceptionally well: custardy brioche griddled golden brown with soft butter and that extra-thick diner syrup that tastes oh-so wrong and oh-so right. (P.S. There are 82 carrots in the diner—my daughter counted them.)

Khampaeng Panyathong created one of Seattle’s most iconic burgers at Taurus Ox when he combined a standard smashed burger with Lao flavors like jaew and cured pork belly. With Ananas, his new(ish) pizzeria, he aims to do the same with pizza. He’s got a few of your standard flavors but mixes them up with a pie topped with khao soi pork and bamboo shoots, or one with anchovy and pineapple. He’s never been to NYC, but that didn’t stop him from opening a New York–style pizzeria.

Nobody would say that Ba Bar—with locations in Capitol Hill, South Lake, and U Village—flies under the radar, but the slow-roasted duck suprème, served with broken rice, pickled carrots and daikon, pineapple, and nuoc cham, may well be one of the best deals in town. Few restaurants serve duck as juicy and crisp, let alone for only $21. The whole menu is packed with value, but the bún bò huế (spicy beef noodles) and chewy caramelized pork floss cookies are extra special.

The more I visit Backyard Bagel, the more I’m convinced that it has truly captured the essence of the New York bagel experience. From the warmth and crackle of the freshly baked bagels, to the lack of toasters (fresh bagels need no toasting), to the generous schmears, to the proper cutting into quarters, they’ve nailed it. The bagels are a little fluffier and lighter than your typical New York bagel, but it’s a stylistic choice I can get behind.

Bagel Oasis has been delivering hot, fresh, crackly, chewy New York-style bagels since well before the new wave of bagel shops hit Seattle after the pandemic. They aren’t the flashiest bagels in town, but they’ve got the malty flavor of a true New York bagel. I do wish there was more everything on their everything (the toppings sort of slough off as you eat), but otherwise, it’s hard to fault this bagel. It’s nice to have a good, solid weekday bagel shop.