Diners' Choice: Lively restaurants in Seattle / Eastern Washington

OpenTable

Updated May 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants that have the most vibrant bar scenes in Seattle / Eastern Washington? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Radiator Whiskey (21 and over)

4.9

4.9 (483)

$30 and under

Comfort Food

Downtown

About the restaurant

(21 & over only)
In the heart of Pike Place Market, Radiator Whiskey Bar features food that brings a smile and drinks in every variety of container and iteration; straight, mixed, bottled, canned and on tap. Step inside Radiator Whiskey and be immersed in Pacific Northwest atmosphere, warm tones, industrial architecture and plenty of natural wood accents including a larger than live whiskey barrel wall.
(21 & over only)
Radiator Whiskey has daily happy hour drink specials and daily rotating meat specials on top of the regular menu. All the dishes are created fresh with options such as smoked chicken Caesar salad, smoked & fried chicken, braised beef brisket and warm cornbread.
Must be 21 and over.
Please bring valid identifications per Washington state law.

Top review

Darcy

Dined 4 days ago

Our server was incredible. She was funny and attentive! Love the vibe here all around. And the food was dynamite. We will be back!

Cowiche Creek Brewing Company

4.9

4.9 (54)

$30 and under

Brewery

Cowiche

About the restaurant

Cowiche Creek Brewing is one of the most unique dining experiences in the Yakima Valley. Located on a 40 acre working farm with expansive valley views and indoor/outdoor seating, the brewery highlights crisp, hop-forward ales paired with the kitchen's rotating, seasonal menu. Their culinary creativity elevates the menu beyond traditional brewpub fare; including USDA Prime Grade burgers (ground in-house), homemade pastas, and specialty dining events featuring oysters, birria tacos, prime rib, and lobster rolls.

Top review

JoanVIP

Dined on May 11, 2025

We are always treated as valued guests. The special Mother’s Day menu was varied and tasty. I only wish we were there earlier to try some of their special offerings that sold out. See you next week!

Katana Sushi & Sake House

4.8

4.8 (105)

$30 and under

Sushi

Everett

About the restaurant

Katana Sushi & Sake House brings high quality sushi to Everett.

Top review

jeffVIP

Dined on May 3, 2025

Consistently amazing Sushi. Tonight the Rainbow Roll was on point. All of the fish was melt in your mout fresh!

Inside Passage

4.8

4.8 (304)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

Capitol Hill / First Hill

About the restaurant

Inside Passage is a Northwest sunken ship, underwater, tropical cocktail bar with a sea creature named Kiki that lives above the bar. Created and run by your friends at Rumba and found within. Cocktails have elaborate, outrageous presentations and are crafted with premium ingredients and exotic flavors.

Reservations are released on a rolling basis, six weeks out. If you are looking for a date beyond that range, please check back! Inside Passage is a 21+ establishment.
https://www.insidepassageseattle.com/

Top review

Trisha

Dined 4 days ago

Extremely friendly with show stopping presentation drinks!

Rumba Seattle

4.8

4.8 (63)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

Downtown

About the restaurant

Rumba is the Northwest's premiere rum bar featuring over 700 different rums. We make delicious rum-forward craft drinks with our freshly squeezed juices, balanced house syrups, and sourced best-quality ingredients. Our drinks are flavorful, focused and "not too sweet!"

https://www.rumbaonpike.com/

Top review

Sarah

Dined on May 10, 2025

What a fantastic experience and accommodating staff! We absolutely had a blast. Everything was amazing. Thank you all so much.

Discover more

Experience

Group Seating 9-15 people

Oak

4.7

4.7 (265)

$30 and under

American

International District

About the restaurant

Oak is an independently owned community-minded neighborhood restaurant and bar. Our all-ages dining room welcomes folks and their families from all walks of life. We serve a full menu of delicious vegan and organic burger, and poultry options.

Top review

Joel

Dined 4 days ago

Oak was the epitome of a great neighborhood pub with great choices for food, wine and beer. Although we we are not Vegan, we noted the wide selection of Vegan options on the menu. The beer and wine selections while limited were carefully selected and reasonably priced as was the food. The ambiance was great and the restaurant quiet enough to easily have a conversation. The service was excellent. Overall a great place to come back to again and again.

The Ballard Cut

4.7

4.7 (652)

$31 to $50

Farm-to-table

Ballard / Fremont

About the restaurant

The Ballard Cut is a farm-to-table restaurant and whisk(e)y bar specializing in local and seasonal ingredients. Our 1200+ bottle whiskey list ranges from Japanese and Scotch single malts to American bourbons and ryes. The collection is curated to include contemporary and affordable bottles as well as rare and antique vintages. Enjoy a scratch cocktail on our patio as you take in the energetic Ballard nightlife; share a bottle of wine and a tomahawk steak with friends and family; or take a trip around the world with a custom whisk(e)y flight built by our passionate and experienced staff.

Helmed by owner Tommy Patrick and chef Rachael Peebles, The Ballard Cut is the culmination of decades of hard work and dedication in the restaurant industry. We sincerely hope you enjoy your dining experience.

*We have both indoor and outdoor sidewalk seating available. Please call during business hours to confirm any seating requests.*

Top review

JenniferVIP

Dined on May 8, 2025

The food was great! The drinks were amazing, but we REALLY enjoyed our server! She made the evening FUN! I find fun service a rarity and so appreciate anyone willing to spread joy!! I regret that I don’t remember our servers name!

Crawlspace Gastropub

4.7

4.7 (28)

$30 and under

Fusion / Eclectic

Mercer Island

About the restaurant

Modern PNW Gastropub. Korean BBQ, burgers, booze, wings, tacos, and more with heavy Korean, Hawaiian, and Mexican influences. Full service cocktail bar with an extensive liquor collection. Intentional fusion dishes like bulgogi cheeseburgers, kalua pork tacos, and our seared ahi banchan salad, pair perfectly with traditional Korean BBQ and Hawaiian dishes. Free and plentiful above ground parking and easy freeway access makes this the perfect meeting place for friends on Mercer Island, Seattle, and the Eastside.

Our Korean Fried Chicken Wings must be experienced
Happy Hour 3-6 Monday through Thursday
11:00 AM Hawaiian style brunch (including our famous loco moco) on Sundays
Great Vegetarian and Gluten Free options

Top review

Jaymee

Dined 4 days ago

We LOVE the Crawlspace! The tofu tacos and orange chicken are spectacular. Excellent service, fun ambience (especially during holidays!), and the owners, Jason and Robin, are awesome. A great place to come with your family or friends.

Discover more

Experience

The Board Room Private Dinning

Roccos

4.6

4.6 (577)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Belltown / Pike Place Market

About the restaurant

We are committed to providing a product and service accessible to all who desire a great environment and high quality food/drink. We believe in using local, organic and artisan products whenever possible. At Rocco’s, we make as much from scratch as possible. This includes all our sauces, dressings, dough, ricotta, sausage, as well as many bar items. Some of our sources include Field Roast, Olsen Farms, Zoe’s Artisan Cured Meats, Collin’s Family Orchard.

Top review

Doug

Dined 4 days ago

Pizza was pretty good but could of had more sauce. Asked for extra sauce and was charged for it, don't feel I should have to pay for something that should of already been there. Pizza are huge but not $60 huge, I understand it's Seattle and city prices are inflated but really!

Albatross by Karma Vineyards

4.5

4.5 (151)

$30 and under

American

Chelan

About the restaurant

Craft Cocktails. Delicious Dishes. All Made from Scratch from the Karma brand you've come to know and love!

Top review

marci

Dined on May 11, 2025

The food and service was great! I would recommend.