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Readers Vote: 10 of Seattle's Most Underrated Restaurants

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When it comes to restaurants that deserve more love, there are none more deserving than these. On Friday, weopened up the comments thread(andTwitterandFacebookandtipline) to find out which places readers think deserve more love and affection...and press! Is it the neighborhood joint? The decades old restaurant that has fallen off the radar? Perhaps the spot that's just far enough out of town that folks don't often consider putting the extra miles on their car to visit.

Here, in alphabetical order, is a map of the Top 10 vote-grabbers in the category of most underrated Seattle restaurants. If your favorite is missing, please feel free to add it to the comments.


Also nominated:Tilikum Place Cafe,Gainsbourg, Saltoro,Cafe Parco,Cicchetti,Kabul,Golden Beetle, Lucky Chinese,Peyrassol,Solo Bar,Setsuna,Blue Glass,Harvest Vine,People's Pub,Tutta Bella, andCitrus Thai.

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Art of the Table

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No stranger to rave reviews, AOTT deserves more general attention where this gushing reader is concerned: "One of my favorite restaurants. Chef Dusty does some amazing things using all local ingredients. Not an easy thing to accomplish in February and he does it perfectly."

Cafe Lago

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當你在隻要Lago咖啡館,you sometimes get ignored. Unless you're the lasagna. Commenter Dandy Lion says, "Lovely space. Well regarded in the neighborhood but deserves wider notice. Soulful mostly traditional Italian. Open kitchen. Lago hasn't changed the menu much in 22 years because customers won't allow it."

Canon

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Its cocktails are nearly iconic, but the food? As one reader pointed out, "They're well known as a bar, but their food is terrific and gets no mention. The salmon and short rib I've had there knocked my socks off."

Fairly new compared to the other restaurants on this list. This commenter echoed many others' opinion on why it deserves more attention: "Ch'an is customer service orientated AND their food is very good."

Dinette

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This sleepy Capitol Hill spot got the most nominations, sparking comments like, "Such a lovely dining room, and this, in harmony with the always soulful, savory, and seasonal big and small plates, the warm & attentive service, and possibly Seattle's most hardworking small kitchen, is a combination that makes for grand memories."

Djan's Modern Thai

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It's been around for awhile now, but when was the last time you heard a rave about this Wallingford Thai restaurant? Says one commenter, "Djan's is some of the best Thai in Seattle. Why this is one of the better kept secrets is beyond me."

Eva Restaurant

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Hey, it's in Tangletown, not invisible! One reader's nomination: "Eva in Tangletown deserves a mention = great food at reasonable prices in a charming space."

Olivar

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A lot of votes for this place, but the comments were basically the same, "Olivar is amazing!" and "Olivar on Capitol Hill is hugely underrated!"

Portage

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This upper Queen Anne spot gets overlooked a lot. Having How to Cook a Wolf across the street doesn't help. As one reader suggested, "Portage on Queen Anne for classic, delicious, inconspicuous French cuisine (think: courses, intimate)."

Ristorante Machiavelli

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This casual, inexpensive venerable Capitol Hill Italian restaurant garnered several votes, and comments that sounded a lot like this one: "Machiavelli is criminally underrated."

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Art of the Table

No stranger to rave reviews, AOTT deserves more general attention where this gushing reader is concerned: "One of my favorite restaurants. Chef Dusty does some amazing things using all local ingredients. Not an easy thing to accomplish in February and he does it perfectly."

Cafe Lago

當你在隻要Lago咖啡館,you sometimes get ignored. Unless you're the lasagna. Commenter Dandy Lion says, "Lovely space. Well regarded in the neighborhood but deserves wider notice. Soulful mostly traditional Italian. Open kitchen. Lago hasn't changed the menu much in 22 years because customers won't allow it."

Canon

Its cocktails are nearly iconic, but the food? As one reader pointed out, "They're well known as a bar, but their food is terrific and gets no mention. The salmon and short rib I've had there knocked my socks off."

Chan

Fairly new compared to the other restaurants on this list. This commenter echoed many others' opinion on why it deserves more attention: "Ch'an is customer service orientated AND their food is very good."

Dinette

This sleepy Capitol Hill spot got the most nominations, sparking comments like, "Such a lovely dining room, and this, in harmony with the always soulful, savory, and seasonal big and small plates, the warm & attentive service, and possibly Seattle's most hardworking small kitchen, is a combination that makes for grand memories."

Djan's Modern Thai

It's been around for awhile now, but when was the last time you heard a rave about this Wallingford Thai restaurant? Says one commenter, "Djan's is some of the best Thai in Seattle. Why this is one of the better kept secrets is beyond me."

Eva Restaurant

Hey, it's in Tangletown, not invisible! One reader's nomination: "Eva in Tangletown deserves a mention = great food at reasonable prices in a charming space."

Olivar

A lot of votes for this place, but the comments were basically the same, "Olivar is amazing!" and "Olivar on Capitol Hill is hugely underrated!"

Portage

This upper Queen Anne spot gets overlooked a lot. Having How to Cook a Wolf across the street doesn't help. As one reader suggested, "Portage on Queen Anne for classic, delicious, inconspicuous French cuisine (think: courses, intimate)."

Ristorante Machiavelli

This casual, inexpensive venerable Capitol Hill Italian restaurant garnered several votes, and comments that sounded a lot like this one: "Machiavelli is criminally underrated."

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