This new Greenwoodcocktail spot(老教師休息室曾經是)不是afraid of a gimmick. It’s menu at launch included the Pisco & Paparazzi, a drink that comes garnished with a Polaroid of yourself drinking it — yes, the bartender comes out with a camera. Another concoction, the Kimcheech and Chong (an ingenious combination of mezcal, lime, orange, orgeat, peach bitters, and kimchi brine) comes with an orange peel rolled up and singed so as to resemble a joint, get it? But bartenders and owners Matthew Gomez and Matt Hassler are serious cocktail crafters and are doing seriously delicious work here. The Korean-inflected food menu from chef Amy Beaumier (the third owner) makes you want to make a meal out of bar snacks, included marinated mayak eggs served with roe, a kimchi pimento cheese dip, and pork and shrimp sandwiches on the bar’s own milk bread.

It’s baaaaaaack. The good news is that thetwice-closed dinerby the side of Aurora reopened in February; the bad news is the former 24-hour spot is now only open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. But Beth’s devotees will take what they can get, and thislocal legendis still serving its infamous 12-egg omelets alongside smaller portions of comfort food. It’s not spacious or fancy or pretentious or “elevated,” and thank god for that.

If you’re struck with a bad case of the Lulemon Blues while walking around pre-revolution Green Lake, duck into this refreshingly unpretentious fish and chips shop, which has been around in some form since 1940 but just reopened in late 2022. The fish is flaky on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside, and the fries cry out for vinegar and tartar sauce. What more could you ask for?

Pike Place Market’s terrific but tinyMaíz現在有一個先於兄弟丹尼在三角形,where owners Aldo Góngora, his wife Angelica Góngora, and sister-in-law Roxana Martin are showing off their nixtamalized heirloom-corn tortillas alongside a wider range of specialties, from a complex pork pozole rojo and a dish of griddled barbacoa lamb, olla beans, and consomé at brunch to chochoyote caldo (a seafood stew) and a peanutty chicken mole at dinner. The fancy sit-down Mexican restaurantMaíz Molino, which means corn mill, also serves micheladas and creative cocktails like Whitexican, which you’d best believe also features freshly ground corn in the form of pinole, plus espresso, mezcal, corn liqueur, and almond milk.

Is this in a mall? Is $50 sort of a lot to pay for a cake? Okay, we hear you. But have you bitten into the rich, dense center of a birthday cake truffle? Or let the cereal milk soft serve topped with corn flakes transport you back into your carefree, unselfconscious youth? If you’re going to be in Bellevue Square anyway, why not eat something sweet and memorable?

In many places, Seattle included, it’s hard enough to come by a Jewish deli, and vegan Jewish delis are practically unheard of.Justin King is working to change thatwithBen & Esther’s, a growing Portland-based chain that recently opened a Capitol Hill location. The shop serves its bagels with lox made from salt-roasted carrots, swaps the whitefish for brined-and-smoked hearts of palm, and bakes babka and rugelach with Earth Balance instead of butter. The space is relatively simple and small, but you can sit at a handful of tables on the ground floor and on the mezzanine, or take your sandwiches, deli items by the pound, and espresso egg creams to go.

For what looks like a bog standard Belltown club-slash-bar, Lai Rai is doing wildly ambitious things with its menu. It opened in October but didn’t bring on chef Christopher Ritter (of Stateside and a few other notable restaurants) until December, and the things he and his team are doing here are not to be missed. There’s a Philly cheesesteak banh mi with “fancy Cheese Whiz,” a shrimp toast that melts in your mouth, triple-fried chicken with a sweet kick from fish sauce caramel — and also the best, most tender, fall-off-the-bone-est pork ribs in Seattle?? Or at least, if there are better ribs here please let us know at seattle@eater.com!

Chef Heong Soon Park (Bacco Cafe, Meet Korean BBQ) has reopenedChan, his excellent Korean restaurant. The former Pike Place Market spot is now in a sleek space at the Paramount Hotel downtown, which used to house happy hour favorite Dragonfish Asian Cafe. You’ll find menu classics like bulgogi sliders, fried rice cakes, and Korean fried chicken; creative cocktails featuring the likes of Japanese whiskey, plum sake, and lotus root; and even lounge-only happy hour discounts from 4 to 6 p.m. Park also owns the Paramount’sSpruce Cafe.

Brendan McGill spent 2022 shaking off a pandemic-induced focus on quick-service and takeout. Following the success ofEater Award-winningSeabird, the ocean-to-table masterpiece that replaced his acclaimed Hitchcock on Bainbridge Island, he turned downtown’s Bar Taglio intoBar Soleain November. It’s not a massive shift so much as a recommitment to excellent Italian fare through a local lens in a lively dine-in space. As such, rush over here for pizza (Neo-Neapolitan, now); wine, antipasti, and aperitivo drinks like a creamy draft Negroni (the Nitroni); seafood (wine-cooked clams), and an exploration of vegetables and Roman influences (roasted carrots with garum, or fermented fish paste).

Chief Seattle Club, the nonprofit owner ofʔálʔal Cafe, provides support to Native people experiencing homelessness; ʔálʔal, pronounced “all-all,” is the Lushootseed word for “home” and also the name of the building itself, which contains housing for formerly unhoused, mostly Native residents. The beautiful new weekday cafe opened in late 2022 in dzidzəlalič, or Pioneer Square, showcasing Indigenous artists and dishes like wild rice bowls with berry vinaigrette and bison barbacoa tacos garnished with pickled onions. Check the website to learn more about the traditionalingredientsʔálʔal sources from many different tribes, including blue corn from the Diné (Navajo) and Ute peoples, coffee from the Squaxin Island Tribe, and wild rice from the Red Lake Nation.

After showing proof of concept with ahugely popular pop-up, cookbook author Sara Upshaw has opened herhighly anticipatedgluten-free Korean restaurant,Ohsun Banchan Deli & Cafe. Expect about half vegan options among noodles, soups, stewed meats, and 10 or so seasonally rotating banchan, the kinds of fermented side dishes (like various styles of kimchi) that typically accompany rice at Korean meals. The counter-service spot in Pioneer Square also serves soju, wine, cider, and gluten-free beer in the evenings.

Acclaimed chef Dan Mallahan and his wife and business partner Jackie Mallahan opened theirmuch-hypedAlki Beach spot in January, serving extremely local seafood sourced with the help of members of the Quinault and Makah tribes. This is a destination for anyone interested in what “Northwest cuisine” can mean, with menu items like pull-apart rolls served with shittake butter and rockfish accompanied by brussel sprout leaves, salsify, and celery root mousse.

Halal food cartMama Sambusa Kitchenhas made the leap to a permanent home in Rainier Valley for the Somali street foods that Marian Ahmed (aka Mama Sambusa) and her daughter Chef Mohammed have perfected over the decades. Crispy sambusas filled with beef or veggies are obviously the star, but you’ll also find spaghetti, lamb and rice bowls, and decadent cheesecakes. The late-night hero typically stays open until 4 a.m., and will still focus primarily on to-go business as it only seats four for now; keep an eye out for brunch in the future as well.