Locals like to tell me that that fall is one of the best kept secrets of the Northwest. While summer is grand, the beauty of vibrant fall foliage brings warm, joyful feelings... and the crowds thin out. Bellevue's social calendar gets busy with events around town, and it's the perfect time to check out why there's all this buzz around Bellevue's food scene. From chic new bistros to inventive food concepts, Bellevue’s latest dining spots are redefining what it means to eat out.
The bounty of the Puget Sound meets traditional Peruvian cebichería on downtown Bellevue's Main Street
A pioneer in Peruvian "haute cuisine," globally renowned chef Gastón Acurio will open his highly anticipated La Mar Bellevue this October, where you can experience the multicultural influences of Peruvian cuisine, shaped by Incan, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese traditions over many centuries. There's also a special focus on pisco, Peru's signature spirit, and they've created a Rainier Sour just for us. The multi-tiered main dining room includes a lively bar, lounge area, and cebiche bar with the day's fresh fish on display.
The hero image is La Mar Bellevue's Cebiche Nikkei, made with Ahi Tuna, Red Onion, Japanese cucumber, daikon, avocado, and tamarind leche de tigre. The image to the left, or below on mobile, is their Tiradito Bachiche with local white fish, parmesan cheese and artichoke sauce, capers, avocado, and basil oil. Yum.
In the lively Crossroads neighborhood, a new cuisine was introduced to Bellevue this year at Banaras.
Behind its ornate entryway, you'll embark on a flavor journey to the ancient city of Banaras (Varanasi) along the Ganga River. The pure vegetarian Indian restaurant brings delicacies from eastern Uttar Pradesh in India.
Banaras celebrates many different types of chaap, elegantly layered in vibrant ingredients paired with unique breads. Chef Yogesh tells me the word means "lick the bowl," as in tastes so good that you'll lick every last bit of flavor in the bowl. He's cooked in kitchens around the world and at Banaras, he makes everything from scratch, and from the heart. The garlic naan really does rival the best I've ever tasted, made with house-fermented dough. The desserts are standout, with a variety of flavors and textures in each sweet, but not too sweet, bite to round out the meal.
There's a line queued outside the new tempura spot that opened this year, to so much fanfare.
Tendon Kohaku is first US location for this Singapore-based chain, planting its flag in Bellevue and serving a delightful crunch in their tempura specialty. Using special oil and premium ingredients, the lightly battered and deep-fried seafood, meat, and veggies snuggle together on a bowl of fresh-made Hokkaido rice. Choose from anago conger eel, prawns, basa, battered onsen eggs, salmon, stea, and vegan options, too. Each set comes with a chawanmushi, which is this warm, fluffy and jiggy bowl of steamed egg, gently topped with fresh ingredients. There's also a perfectly creamy mentaiko cream sauce udon with ikura and katsu curry on the menu.
It doesn't stop there. The beverage and dessert menus are nothing to skip over - there's a bouncing cat pudding option in coconut or taro flavors for their parfaits, but matcha is their signature.
Kalbijiim is a traditional Korean dish, slow-braised, spicy-sweet, and made with fall-off-the-bone kalbi, or beef short rib.
This is stew that's been drawing crowds to queue up in Bellevue's Eastgate neighborhood, at Daeho Kalbijjim. It's a decadent meal, served on a sizzling platter and tableside fire-melted cheese, and best shared with friends, loved ones, and people who will wait in line for great food. The bright green Jinro frog is visible from the moment you enter, sitting on top a fridge full of soju to pair with the conversations that fill the dining room.
They also serve a delightful beef tartare with pear, and a variety of cold and hot soups to warm the soul. The upbeat K-Pop hovers over the background, as robots whirl by to help with service. The commotion is alive with the joy of food and the food feels like a labor of love.
We haven't even scratched the surface, but you can try with Bites of Bellevue Food Tours.
There's a variety of cuisines, restaurants, and flavors to indulge in throughout Bellevue. It's not quite possible to taste it all, so we partnered with Savor Food Tours, a local, award-winning small business, to create Bellevue's first ever food tour! They've created Savor Bellevue Food Tours to partner with our local restaurants to deliver Bites of Bellevue.
The journey begins at Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar and your tour guide will lead you through the story of Bellevue's history, heritage, growth, and vibrant local culture along the way. The tour makes its way down Old Bellevue's lively Main Street, stopping in at the Vietnamese cuisine at Monsoon, chocolates at Fran's, and more. The group explores the cultural flavors of this diverse city for two to 2.5 hours in the beautiful streets of Bellevue.
