Seattle’s Top Restaurant Standbys of 2016: ‘Vif, Forever and Ever, Amen’

As is tradition, Eater closes out the year by surveying local food writers on various restaurant-related topics. Readers, please feel free to chime in with your own thoughts in the comments section below.

Today’s second question: What were your top Seattle restaurant standbys of 2016?

Allecia Vermillion, senior food and drink editor, Seattle Met:

Vif, forever and ever, amen. Everything feels so homey, except I’m certainly not making food this good at my actual house. And Vendemmia, where I can drag my toddler for spaghetti, but also booked the chef’s counter for my anniversary. It’s not a restaurant, per se, but a concerning amount of my household income went to Hello, Robin this year.

Chelsea Lin, food and dining editor, Seattle magazine:

Sushi Kashiba, always. Le Pichet. Revel and Joule. The Wandering Goose. Li'l Woody's for burgers. Lark to impress guests. Dough Zone. Jack's. Poppy.

Jackie Varriano, editor, Zagat Seattle:

This can kind of be an embarrassing list, for it’s largely dependent on what’s around my neighborhood. My dirty little secret is that I ate at Chef Liao’s way too much this past year. But also, my favorite standbys were Delancey, Chiang’s, Luna Azul’s killer taco Tuesday special (four street tacos for five bucks), Anar and Mamnoon Street.

Nicole Sprinkle, food writer and critic, Seattle Weekly:

Tavolata, Kedai Makan, Delancey, Brimmer and Heeltap, Le Petit Cochon.

Surly Gourmand, "world’s greatest food writer":

Le Pichet is, and always will be, the platonic ideal of the best restaurant in Seattle: the service is elegant without being pretentious. The oeufs plats, a dish of eggs baked in cheese, is a thermonuclear hangover killer. You can get a classic cocktail, and none of the bartenders look like an extra from Westworld.

Angela Garbes, food writer, formerly The Stranger:

Bar del Corso, Dim Sum House, Salvadorean Bakery, Vientiane Asian Grocery, Vif.

Julien Perry, consume editor, The Fresh Toast:

My standbys don't change much. They steadfastly remain: Single Shot, Cafe Barjot, Kedai Makan, Le Caviste, Jarr Bar, (Lower) Bar Ferdinand.

Leslie Kelly, senior food editor, Allrecipes:

I'm always happy after eating and drinking at Porkchop and Co. — oooh, the crispy pork belly and fresh-off-the cob corn dish was a highlight of August — Lloydmartin, Terra Plata, Salumi, Revel, L'il Woody's, Single Shot, and the lunch buffet at Kastoori Grill at Pike Place Market, which I hit at least once a week. Because...goat curry and soft serve mango ice cream!

Bethany Jean Clement, food writer, The Seattle Times:

I like to walk or bike to places, and living on Capitol Hill means tons of (too many?!) choices. My favorites: Café Presse (and also Le Pichet, which I would walk or bike 1,000 miles for — still closer than Paris), Ba Bar, Monsoon, Suika, Fogon, Machiavelli, Little Uncle, and Kedai Makan (when the wait is bearable).