Café Lago
Tuscan-inspired Italian
“Café Lago has been a favorite of my wife and me for more than 20 years. It's a neighborhood gem we keep coming back to.”Plan a visit ↗
Jeff’s local field notes · Seattle & the Eastside
Good food.
A sense of place.
A personal restaurant guide for exploring Seattle, Kirkland and Redmond, one table at a time.
From a neighborhood pizza stop to a dinner worth planning around, these are restaurants I named among my personal favorites. Start with what sounds good, then get to know the place around it.
“I’ve always believed that you don’t just buy a house; you buy a 10-block radius.”
12 favorites in this edition. A personal selection, not a ranking.
Start with these
Jeff’s opening three.
Café Lago, DERU and COMO: three personal starting points, from Montlake to Kirkland.
DERU Market
From-scratch café & restaurant
“DERU captures why I built this neighborhood guide: one restaurant connecting Kirkland with the wider Seattle community.”Plan a visit ↗
COMO
Lombardy-inspired Italian
“A great date-night spot: a wonderful location, a good view and a great place to take someone visiting.”Plan a visit ↗
The restaurant shortlist
Find your next table.
Jeff chooses the restaurants. The descriptions and visit notes below come from their official websites. A favorite is a personal recommendation, not a score or a promise about every visit.
Showing all 12 favorites
Café Lago
Tuscan-inspired Italian
An Italian restaurant on Montlake’s 24th Avenue E, with handmade pasta, lasagna and wood-fired pizza at the center of its cooking.
2305 24th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
Before you goUse the restaurant’s official site for its current menu and reservation options.
Sources & review date
Business details reviewed .
Homer
Mediterranean & Middle Eastern-inspired
Wood-fired cooking and dishes designed for sharing, drawing on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors and Pacific Northwest ingredients.
3013 Beacon Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144
Before you goCheck the operator’s current seating and reservation information when planning a visit.
Joule
Modern Korean steakhouse
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi’s take on a Korean steakhouse, with shareable dishes and an open kitchen at its Stone Way location.
3506 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA 98103
Before you goThe operator links its current food menu, reservations and takeout options from the restaurant page.
Café Juanita
Northern Italian tasting menus
Northern Italian cooking presented through seasonal tasting menus in Kirkland’s Juanita area. A more structured dining experience than a casual drop-in meal.
9702 NE 120th Place, Kirkland, WA 98034
Before you goReview the current tasting-menu choices, attire guidance and reservation policies directly with the restaurant.
Sources & review date
Business details reviewed .
COMO
Lombardy-inspired Italian
A Carillon Point restaurant whose Italian menu takes its inspiration from Lombardy and the Lake Como region, with handmade pasta as a focus.
1270 Carillon Point, Kirkland, WA 98033
Before you goCheck the official reservation page for current dining options; a dining-room reservation does not guarantee a patio table.
Sources & review date
Business details reviewed .
Canlis
Fine dining
A family-owned Seattle fine-dining restaurant in a landmark building overlooking Lake Union. Its architecture and setting are part of the experience.
2576 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109
Before you goRead the restaurant’s current menu and before-your-visit guidance, including attire and booking details.
Spinasse
Piedmont-inspired Italian
Handmade pasta and the cooking traditions of Piedmont, interpreted with Pacific Northwest ingredients on Capitol Hill’s 14th Avenue.
1531 14th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
Before you goThe restaurant recommends reservations; use its official website for current availability and policies.
Sources & review date
Business details reviewed .
Spark Pizza
Wood-fired pizza
A downtown Redmond pizza stop from the owners of Woodblock, built around wood-fired pizza with additional styles appearing on its specials menu.
8110 164th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052
Before you goThe operator currently describes covered-deck dining. Check its visit information and current menu before heading over.
Sources & review date
Business details reviewed .
DERU Market
From-scratch café & restaurant
A locally owned Kirkland restaurant serving from-scratch breakfast, lunch and dinner, with dine-in, takeaway and cake options.
723 9th Ave, Kirkland, WA 98033
Before you goDine-in seating uses a same-day waitlist. Takeaway is a separate option; check the restaurant’s instructions before visiting.
Delancey
Wood-fired pizza
Wood-fired pizza made with long-fermented dough and Washington-grown wheat, alongside seasonal starters at its NW 70th Street restaurant.
1415 NW 70th St, Seattle, WA 98117
Before you goPrimarily walk-in, with limited large-party reservations. Check the operator’s current arrangements before gathering a group.
My Friend Derek’s
Detroit-style pizza
Detroit-style pizza at the operator’s current Tangletown location. Its website distinguishes weekday pizza service from weekend sandwich service.
2108 N 55th St, Seattle, WA 98103
Before you goCheck the current menu and service schedule: the operator currently lists sandwiches, not pizza, on weekends.
Harry’s Beach House
Pacific Northwest dining
Pacific Northwest-focused dining along Alki Beach.
2676 Alki Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
Before you goCheck directly with the restaurant for current dining arrangements.
No matches in this selection.
Try another city or clear your search. This is a personal shortlist, not a complete restaurant directory.
Beyond the table
A starting point for the neighborhood.
Seattle · Montlake
Café Lago & Montlake
Put dinner in context with the neighborhood’s streets, architecture and connections to the water.
Explore Montlake →
Eastside · Kirkland
Three different Kirkland stops
Café Juanita, COMO and DERU are in different parts of Kirkland. Choose your restaurant, then use the area guides to orient yourself.
Explore Kirkland →Personal choices. Clear sources.
A shortlist, not a leaderboard.
The selections come from the personal-favorites list in Jeff’s Seattle Foodie Guide. They are not paid review scores, an exhaustive directory or an independently judged “best restaurant” ranking.
Restaurant descriptions, addresses and visit details are checked against the official sources linked on each card. The research review date is not a record of an in-person visit. Current locations do not imply Jeff has visited every location a business has operated.
Menus, hours, booking rules and locations can change. Check directly before you travel, especially for holidays, dietary needs or accessibility requirements. This page does not show live opening status or reservation availability.
Suggest a correction →A few useful distinctions
Does this guide include the Eastside?
Yes. This edition includes Café Juanita, COMO and DERU in Kirkland, and Spark Pizza in Redmond. They are labeled by their actual cities, not grouped under Bellevue.
Are these Jeff’s favorite dishes?
The restaurants are Jeff’s personal selections. Menu descriptions are sourced business information, not claims about his usual order. A personal order or firsthand note appears only when Jeff has supplied it.
Where is My Friend Derek’s?
The operator currently lists 2108 N 55th Street in Tangletown, Seattle. Check its official site for the current pizza and sandwich schedule before visiting.
How does this connect to real estate?
A restaurant can be a starting point for learning an area. It is not a prediction about property values or a recommendation to buy a home. For housing and condo research, visit Jeff’s Seattle condo specialist profile and the neighborhood directory.
A shortlist built around your life
Tell Jeff what you are looking for
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