Although located in a city suburb called Kirkland, Cafe Juanita has received too much press for its northern Italian food to be considered a hidden gem. From outside it could be a library branch, but inside it's one of the city's loveliest eateries. Most of the tables are edged up against comfortable banquettes, walls are dotted with small framed photographs, and there's a cute brick fireplace. Seafood appetizers are excellent—tender red prawns come lightly sautéed and accompanied by chunks of avocado. For mains, try the tender saddle of Oregon lamb. Desserts usually involve scoops of homemade gelato in inventive flavors, such as artichoke, and the wine list has earned a reputation for its impeccable selection of reds. If you're dining during the week, make your reservation for 7 p.m. or later to avoid driving in the hellish rush-hour traffic on the 520 bridge.

Closed Mondays.

This elegant restaurant, just north of the Downtown core, has been serving Pacific Northwest cuisine for over five decades. It seems to have undergone a subtle transformation lately, reminding residents that it is still a contender for the city's premier dining experience. The service is flawless, the view over Lake Union is impossible to top, and live piano music tinkles through the hushed, Asian-accented dining room. Try the famous copper-grilled steaks or the spicy Peter Canlis prawns, and save room for the Grand Marnier soufflé. The restaurant has a 15,000-bottle wine cellar and three full-time sommeliers. Despite the place's formal reputation—it's the only restaurant in town with an enforced dress code—and a few pricey entrées (a $70 Wagyu steak), Canlis is not as prohibitively expensive as it seems. Reservations are essential; if you can't secure one, drop by and try dining at the bar, which is first-come, first-served.

Closed Sundays.

After spending a lot of time in Paris, Crémant's chef-owner, Scott Emerick, wanted to give Seattleites the best of French bistro dining, so opened his own place in the residential area of Madrona, east of the city center. While the look is far from French—grays and whites, artfully exposed concrete walls—it's all about the menu. Expect all the classics, such as steak frites, but Crémant's signature dish is the bouillabaisse, and we defy you to find a better one in the city: Every piece of shellfish is perfectly cooked, and the fragrant brew comes with a luscious saffron aioli. For dessert, the waitstaff usually recommends the cognac au chocolat, the chef's own concoction involving Valhrona chocolate and cream in cognac, but don't overlook the prunes in Armagnac or the excellent cheese list. The space is small, but in true bistro spirit, it's not hush-hush romantic but lively and loud as it fills up.

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Stylish bamboo accents, artsy ceramic ware, and the lack of fluorescent lighting put Green Leaf in a class above most Vietnamese joints in the International District. So does the cooking—the food here is as delicious as it is authentic. Pho glistens with rafts of fresh herbs and liberal layers of lemongrass; other standouts include omeletlike scallion pancakes with shrimp and the house-made spring rolls. Best of all, you won't have to pay extra for the ambience—prices are on par with the neighborhood's simpler takeaway spots.

Open daily 11 am to 10 pm.

You'll have to plan your entire day around dinner at the Herbfarm. Not only is it out in the suburb of Woodinville, but dinner here is a four-hour, nine-course affair, which includes a garden stroll and lessons from the proprietors on the origins of the food you're enjoying. The restaurant, in a building that looks like a century-old farmhouse, is adjacent to a farm and garden that supply much of the menu's raw ingredients. The menu changes not only seasonally but almost daily; ask what's being served when you make your reservation, as meals are strictly organized around a theme and may include all seafood or all meat. Northwest wines are matched to five courses.

Bold Korean flavors meet classic French technique at this tiny, buzzing bistro in the Wallingford district. If the pairing sounds like a stretch, fear not: Husband-and-wife team Seif Chirchi and Rachel Yang (both alums of Alain Ducasse) rein in the disparate elements to brilliant effect. Rich ingredients like Bleu d'Auvergne, crème fraîche, and buttermilk temper spicy soups and relishes, while tender, fatty short ribs get punched up with sweet-hot-soy kalbi marinades. Several types of whole fish are always on the menu and served with a variety of pickled and sweet-and-sour vegetables (the pear-and-daikon kimchi is a must-try). Desserts, like the red wine–poached Asian pear, are a refreshingly pared-back finale.

Open Sundays through Thursdays 5 to 10 pm, Fridays and Saturdays 5 to 11 pm.

Chef Jonathon Sundstrom left the W Hotel's popular Earth and Ocean to open this small, rustic bistro, serving inventive small plates. Exposed beams, wooden booths, and sheer fabric hanging from the ceiling create a cozy yet airy ambience. The menu changes frequently, reflecting what's in season and available from small local producers. Among the highlights are the ripened cheeses, foraged mushrooms, charcuterie, and vegetable dishes. Be forewarned: Service can be slow, the room noisy, and the wait up to an hour (they only take reservations for parties of six or more). Go before six for the shortest wait and most attentive service. Dinner only.

Closed Mondays.

This authentic-feeling French bistro near the Pike Place Market is the next best thing to a trip to Paris. The zinc bar, slate tabletops, tile floor, even the elbow-to-elbow seating conjure the French capital. Daily specials and an assortment of cheeses are scrawled on a blackboard, and the thoughtfully chosen wine list includes many affordable options served by the glass (or in a small ceramic pitcher, the restaurant's namesake). Try the whole chicken, roasted to order. It takes up to an hour to prepare, so snack on a plate of house-made pâté while you soak up the atmosphere.

You have to sample Asian cuisine while you're in Seattle, and Saito's—frequented by local celebrities such as Mariners baseball star Kazuhiro Sasaki—is one current hot spot. Look elsewhere for fusion—here, the menu focuses on traditional Japanese fare, such as gyoza (pork dumplings), kasuzuke (broiled black cod), and unajyu (broiled freshwater eel brushed with a tangy sweet sauce). For the perfect accompaniment, choose from more than 40 different sakes and sake cocktails. Grab a seat at the bar to watch chef Yutaka Saito artfully craft his exquisite sashimi and sushi rolls.

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Salumi devotees are a passionate bunch, lining up outside this closet-size Italian eatery near Pioneer Square every afternoon, swooning over their favorite house-cured salami sandwiches. Don't be intimidated by the wait—the line moves fast, and the hearty fare is well worth it (the owner is Armandino Batali, father of Mario). The friendly counter staff will help you choose from the 15 different salami varieties, offering little samples even when the place is really jumping. Everyone's favorite seems to be the Finocchiona: an intense mix of cracked fennel seeds, white pepper, and a bit of curry powder. Lunch only.

Taking the "local and seasonal" maxim to the max, soon-to-be-celebrity chef Matt Dillon infuses his dishes with ingredients (think fiddleheads and nettles) foraged from the forests of the Northwest. Something of a DIY guerilla, Dillon is fond of working with nontraditional spaces and has transformed this tiny strip mall storefront into a chic bistro with lime-green walls that practically glow with good cheer. Curtains shield the dining room from the outside world, and a chalkboard lists in a flowery script daily specials that might include barbecued quail, air-light tagliatelle with mussels, or a pork belly cooked crisp with Yakima cherries. Hard-core foodies appreciate the leisurely pace at dinner and the European feel of the two communal tables. The restaurant only accepts reservations for large parties, so plan accordingly—if you don't score one of the few spots at the stand-up bar, you may have to find somewhere else to wait the hour or so for your table.

Open Thursdays through Saturdays 5:30 to 10:30 pm, Sundays 10 am to 2 pm.

Tilth doesn't just use organic ingredients here and there—it's a certified organic restaurant (there are only a few such places in the whole country). Of course, that wouldn't mean a thing if the food wasn't great, and celeb chef Maria Hines's small-plates menu is full of winners. Everyone raves about the crisp pork belly, and succulent duck provides a nice twist on the mini-burger fad. Greens are also good—embellished with hazelnuts and blood oranges, for example. This place gets you out of Downtown's gourmand ghetto and into a cute Craftsman house in low-key Wallingford. The tiny dining room has the feel of a home spruced up for a dinner party, which unfortunately gets very loud when full: Don't dine during peak hours if you want intimacy.

Closed Mondays.

Celeb chef Ethan Stowell's take on seasonal Northwest cuisine is surprisingly unpretentious. His understated Downtown restaurant is where foodies come when they want to relax. The menu changes daily but is always seafood-heavy; the search for the perfect sea scallop begins and ends here, while the rare tuna, branzino, and Dungeness crab appetizers are also highlights. Normally it would be a crime to only order starters in a restaurant with such a thoughtful selection of entrées, but at Union you can make a very satisfying meal out of grazing between first and second courses. Union's color scheme is reds, grays, and taupes, with a few large oil paintings that are just this side of weird. The bar is equally attractive, and you'll find yourself wanting to linger after your meal.