Summer is officially here and we couldn’t be happier! With the sunny season, there are so many amazing restaurants to try throughout the city. Here are some of our current favorites that you need to check out.

Alder & Ash

Alder & Ash is a beautiful brasserie that recently opened in the heart of downtown Seattle. Their incredible food is complemented by a thoughtfully curated wine list and a robust selection of craft cocktails. With a New American menu that pays homage to local products and producers, Alder & Ash is a stylish and welcome addition to Seattle’s downtown dining scene. The space is luxurious, cozy, and inviting.

The expansive dinner menu includes delectable shareables such as the Ash Smoked Rockfish Dip; Caviar Tots with keta salmon caviar, and Chinook Salmon Crispy Rice. Raw bar offerings include the Puget Sound Oysters on the half shell with a mezcal cocktail sauce and apple mignonette, Chilled Dungeness Crab, Gulf Shrimp Louie, and Ahi Tuna Tartare. Larger plates include favorites like the Foraged Mushroom Tagliatelle with confit garlic brodo, Pan Seared Salish Sea Halibut, and the perfectly tender Painted Hills Mignon with a smoked bone marrow bordelaise. Alder & Ash has breakfast and lunch service as well.

Alder & Ash is located at 629 Pike Street in downtown Seattle. Breakfast is offered daily from 6:00 to 10:30 am, followed by lunch from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and dinner from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. For reservations and more information, visit alderandashsea.com.

Lai Rai

We didn’t even realize how much we needed an Asian fusion brunch in the city until we visited Lai Rai. This new Belltown restaurant features elevated South Asian cuisine with a modern twist. “Lai Rai” means to take your time, enjoy your company, and be in the moment, which is exactly what we did.

Lai Rai’s new brunch menu is fantastic, featuring plays on classics like the chicken and waffles with a panko crusted chicken and roasted rice powder waffles, and a passionfruit-blood orange-guava hot sauce and brown butter syrup. Rusty’s Brunchwrap Supreme is an ode to Taco Bell’s most popular item, but this one comes with grilled chicken, scrambled eggs, house-made Beecher’s cheese whiz, lime leaf creme fraiche, kimchi, and P.O.G. hot sauce. Talk about a flavor explosion.

Some other favorites by the talented Chef Christopher Ritter are the Brunch Banh Mi with fried chicken, the Pork Roll Egg Rolls, and the Lai Rai hash browns with peppers, pork belly, Beecher’s cheese whiz, and creamy peanut sauce, topped with a fried egg. The desserts and pastries are created by Chef Victoria Altman, who has run several notable pastry programs previously. At Lai Rai, she creates new, colorful desserts inspired by Asian flavors, including creamy Ube Mango Tart, Orange Blossom Éclairs, or Vietnamese tiramisu with matcha crumble.

Lai Rai is located at 2234 1st Ave in Belltown. Open for dinner and happy hour Wednesday to Sunday, and for brunch on Sundays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. For more information, visit lairaibar.com.

Salt District

Sunny patios, fresh seafood, and refreshing cocktails are just a few of our favorite things about summer, and Salt District has it all! This downtown spot on the Seattle waterfront and has stunning views of the sound and the Olympics and offers classic Italian and seafood dishes with a PNW influence, complemented by craft cocktails and a well-rounded wine list.

Menu highlights include the meatballs alla forno, three different kinds of bruschetta, grilled octopus, caprese salad, and a variety of delicious pastas. Salt District offers heartier dishes as well, like the filet mignon medallions, grilled king salmon, and mushroom risotto. For a sweet indulgence, we loved the chocolate panna cotta. Cocktails like the Bayside Bellini and Witch on the Water are perfect for sipping on warm summery day.

Salt District is located at 1101 Alaskan Way on Seattle’s historic Pier 55. Open daily from 3:00 pm to 9:30 pm with happy hour running daily from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. For more information, visit saltdistrictsea.com.

The Fonté Bar

Exciting news for all the coffee lovers! Local favorite Fonté Coffee Roaster has opened The Fonté Bar in the expansive lobby of the new Rainier Square building in downtown. The Fonté Bar is a lively cafe by day and a craft cocktail bar experience by night. With a beautiful interior and a sprawling outdoor patio, this is sure to be the hot-spot this summer.

Daytime offerings include Fonté’s celebrated coffee and espresso drinks, crafted with the highest quality and hand-roasted beans from around the globe. Breakfast options include grab-and-go fare made daily such as the popular Fonté breakfast burritos and hand-made fresh baked goods at Fonté’s own bakery and café in downtown Seattle.

Seated lunch and dinner service will offer an ingredients-driven menu that nods to Fonté’s coffee roots with staples such as Costa Rican Chicken, a traditional recipe from the Tres Ríos region in Costa Rica where Fonté sources coffee beans from. A distinctive cocktail program will be a main focus at The Fonté Bar, with unique offerings like a trolley-bar service for mixing up ice cold martinis tableside. Another signature offering will be F2 Espresso Martinis, crafted using a La Marzocco Modbar Espresso Machine which was designed specifically for bartenders to pull espresso from.

The Fonté Bar is located at 401 Union Street in downtown Seattle. Open daily from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm, with the coffee bar offering service from 5am to 3pm and the cocktail bar offering service from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm. For more information, visit www.fontecoffee.com.

Duke’s Seafood

Duke’s Seafood is a fantastic option for enjoying fresh seafood and cocktails on a sunny patio. Duke’s has multiple locations, with our favorites being the Alki Beach and South Lake Union locations. Soak in the gorgeous water views while indulging in some delicious food and drinks at this iconic Seattle institution.

Duke’s just premiered their new summer Duketails, including the refreshing Cucumber Mojito, the beautiful Blueberry Lemon Drop, Duke’ Famous Bloody Mary (that comes with two jumbo prawns!) and many more. There are plenty of cocktail options to choose from, as well as an expansive wine and beer list.

The food menu is sure to satisfy, with so many delectable seafood dishes to choose from. Some of our favorite starters are the Coco Loco Prawns, the Alaska Salmon Sliders, and the Award Winning Clam Chowder. Must-order mains include the Off the Hook Stuffed Wild Salmon, the Stuffed and Puffed Prawns, and of course, the famous Dungeness Crab “Un”cakes, which were voted 2023 Best Crab Cake in Seattle. If seafood isn’t really your thing, the Filet Mignon is an absolute stunner of a dish. And finally, you must leave room for the “I Want You So Bad” Marionberry Pie—you won’t regret it.

Duke’s has multiple locations and is open daily. Lunch is served from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, and dinner service begins at 3:00 pm. Happy hour runs every day from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. For more information, visit dukesseafood.com.

Rasai

Fremont’s Rasai is well known for its modern Indian cuisine, elevated flavor profiles, and focus on sustainability. Now is the perfect time to check them out, as Rasai has introduced a new seasonal menu with lots of bright colors and unique flavors. The new menu includes cocktails, beer, wine, snacks, entrees, and sweets.

For dinner, we recommend starting with a few snacks before digging into the larger mains. We loved the burrata salad with cumin and mango vinaigrette, the incredibly juicy short rib bao, and the tempura prawns with gochujang and berry. For mains, favorites include the wild mushroom korma, the halibut with Kaffir lime, lemongrass, and crispy couscous, and the Laal Maas lamb shank with a Rajasthani curry. The naan sampler and berry almond cake are also musts.

During the daytime, tantalize the taste buds with a creative mix of flavor combinations and textures over weekend brunch. Take a trip through India with a modern take on traditional Indian breakfast from all parts of India. Dishes range from Fermented Lentil Pancakes with Southern-Indian mushroom or shrimp curry, Mangalorean Pork Tacos, a medley of scrambled eggs on brioche with onions and tomatoes, and more.

Rasai is located at 473 North 36th Street in Fremont. They are open for dinner Tuesday to Sunday from 5:00 pm to 10pm, and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm. For more information or to make a reservation, visit rasaiwa.com.

Skillet Post Alley

Skillet is one of the best spots in the city for hearty comfort food, and they just opened a brand new location in the iconic Post Alley of Seattle. The award-winning, full-service diner will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The new space is open, airy, and relaxed, and the food is approachable, yet thoughtful. Skillet uses fresh, locally sourced ingredients and is continuously redefining the meaning of comfort.

Skillet Post Alley offers various small plates like the fried chicken bites with blue cheese, the Seattle Poutine, and the kale Caesar salad. They have a wide variety of burgers and sandwiches like the “Good Burger” with bacon, white cheddar, and chicken fried red onions, and the Blackened Salmon Sammy. Other favorites include the shepherd’s pie, the shrimp and grits, and mac & cheese. The menu also features Skillet’s world famous fried chicken in several shapes and forms, like chicken & waffles, the chicken breakfast burrito, and the hot honey chicken biscuit. All of the fried chicken is made with in-house fennel seed crusted chicken thighs.

The new Post Alley location will also offer the amazing Skillet brunch that we all know and love. The brunch menu includes classics like the Avocado Breakfast Burrito, Chilaquiles, and Griddle Cakes. Our personal favorite is The Chub, with bacon, brie, American cheese, a fried egg, arugula, tomato, bacon jam, and jalapeño aioli, all on a buttery brioche bun.

Skillet Post Alley is located at 1301 Post Alley in downtown Seattle. They are open Sunday to Thursday from 7:00 am to midnight, and Friday and Saturday from 7:00 am to 2:00 am. For more information, visit skilletfood.com.