 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
      |
DINING Quality of places to eat is very subjective, these are personal selections taking into account value, service, atmosphere, and quality of meal. Rarely does somewhere rank high in all 4, all of the below suggestions at least rank high in 3 out of 4. Breakfast  Frank's Diner - Old rail car converted to diner, typical breakfast fare cooked right in front of your eyes, mostly counter seating, a few booths. Always a wait Saturday and Sunday mornings, crowded but a reasonable wait other mornings. Great place for 2 or 3 people to eat, groups any larger have a tough time sitting together and conversations at the counter between more than 3 people are difficult. 1516 W. 2nd Ave. Best Place to Meet a Friend for Breakfast. Knights Diner - Same idea as Frank's Diner above except less seating (no booths) and a little further from town. Advantage over Franks is that there may be less of a line, if any, most mornings since it is not so close to downtown. Similar menu, similar prices, same outstanding food. 2909 N. Market Street Maggie's South Hill Grill - OK, I might be biased because Maggie is my neighbor, but we also love to go to Breakfast here, always a 'special' and something always different. Only open for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, and it might be busy but we have never waited to find a table. 2808 East 29th Fergusons - This is one of the north sides most popular places for breakfast, people feel that for what it lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in quality and value. Wall Street Diner - Trying to become the north sides premier breakfast place, creative menu, fun atmosphere, great service. Probably a line at the peak times but it moves quickly. 4428 N. Wall St. Best Place to take someone on their Birthday for breakfast. The Chalet - Breakfast on the South Hill, always busy but always a table ready for you. Atmosphere is average but service, price, and quality are great. 2918 S. Grand Blvd. Skyway Café - This might be my favorite; if you can find it, it might become yours too. Eat your breakfast in a typical diner and watch the small planes come and go, helicopters often land and take-off right outside your window, service is fast, mostly local customers who probably drink coffee and at least one meal there everyday. Located at Felts Field, north of Trent off of Fancher. Best Place to take one or two of the young kids for breakfast.
span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">Lunch
Maggie's South Hill Grill - Wraps, sandwiches, kid's meals, pastas, great fast service and more are all here. Never a diappointment. 2808 East 29th
Dominis - If you like it simple, here it is, meat piled high on your choice of bread, the small sandwich is big and the large is too big. All you can eat popcorn, business people coming in and out constantly from 11-1. 703 West Sprague. Best Place to meet someone for a quick business lunch.  Zips - Constantly voted Spokane's best fast food burger, the fries are almost always good, and they have chicken and fish as well. Locations everywhere. D'Lish's - Good chance this place will unseat Zips as Spokane's favorite burger place, small but great menu, burgers, fries and sodas only. 1625 N. Division Mustard Seed - Spokane's most reliable Chinese restaurant, great menu, quick service, and comfortable atmosphere. One is located at the Northtown Mall, the other is at 9806 East Sprague. Clinkerdaggers - Get out the checkbook but there is not a better atmosphere to surprise or impress someone for lunch. Located in the Flour Mill. Best Place to take someone for a special occasion but you don't have time to take them to dinner. Cyrus O'Learys - If you have time to sit down and relax, there is a full exciting menu here with full meals, salads, sandwiches, and burgers, steaks and chicken. Perfect for just two trying to have a nice lunch or a large group celebrating a birthday together. 516 W. Main Ave. The Onion - Similar to Cyrus O'Learys above, a little more focus on burgers and sandwiches, for lunch it may be a little less crowded because it is just a little east of downtown, but if the Opera House or Convention Center has something going on, this will be the more crowded. 302 W. Riverside and 7522 N. Division Dinner Clinkerdaggers - This is Spokane's favorite fancy restaurant; birthdays, anniversaries, Valentines Day, etc. Prime Rib is their specialty; pea salad and French Onion soups are always recommended; seafood, pastas, and chicken are also available. Service is always excellent, atmosphere is perfect, and reservations are a must. Located in the Flour Mill.  Italian Kitchen - Small cute little Italian Restaurant with a great menu, cozy atmosphere, nice service, and reasonable prices. 113 N. Bernard Street The Onion - Family burger place, busy atmosphere, great place for the whole family or for that great meal before a movie. Not just burgers though; chicken, salads and pastas too. Tall stack of onion rings is probably their most common trademark. 302 W. Riverside and 7522 N. Division Milford's Fish House - Spokane is not known for it's many places to find good seafood, partly because the demand does not seem too high for it. However, there is one place that stands out, Milford's. Located a few blocks north of Downtown, in a beautiful old building with an incredible atmosphere, the staff is exceptional, and if you are living or visiting in Spokane and want an excellent seafood dinner, this may be your only option. 719 North Monroe Street, 326-7251 Maggie's South Hill Grill - If it is good enough for me to recommend for breakfast and lunch, then it is good enough for dinner. Flat Iron Steak, great daily specials, pork sandwich, pastas, beer and wine and incredible selection of desserts. 2808 East 29th Shogun - Japanese Restaurant, known for their sushi and having your meal diced, sliced, chopped and sautéed right in front of you. Kids love the show put on by the cooks and it is a popular request for birthday dinners. Kinds of pricey but you are paying for the show as well. 821 East 3rd Ave. Commellinis - In the middle of nowhere, charming rustic dining experience. Prices and portions are excellent; service is good about half the time, depending on how prepared they are for the crowd and if they have any private parties keeping the kitchen and wait staff too busy. Get a reservation and get directions or you will get lost. 14100 N. Dartford Drive Chef in the Forest - This one is a secret and you have to drive a little (about 30 minutes). Imagine the little cottage in the woods, with the chef always working on something new, where everything is fresh and excellent from the salad, to the bread, to the main course (whether it be the pepper corn streak, duck or lobster), accompanying vegetables, and a 'can't say no to' dessert tray. Ask for a table by the fireplace, get reservations and directions, some nights it is packed, other nights you will feel as if the chef is working just for you. Hauser Lake Idaho, 208-773-3654. Best Place to dine for any occasion.  Cyrus O'Leary's - Ideal for that first date or somewhere to take the in-laws when they visit. This place is universally likable by everyone who goes there. The menu may be a little overwhelming for those that have a hard time making decisions, but you will find something you like, burgers, chicken, fajitas, salads, pasta, steaks. 516 W. Main Ave. Rocky Rococo Pizza - Deep Dish Pizza, lots of seating, easy place to take company from out of town when you do not know what to feed all their kids. There are no games here for young kids but the food will make up for that. 520 West Main Mustard Seed - Over a hundred Chinese Restaurants in town, this is the one most likely to cater to any tastes. Portions are average; quality, atmosphere, and service are always reliable. Northtown Mall and 9806 East Sprague Thai on First - Frequently hailed as Spokane best Thai restaurant. 411 West 1st Avenue Europa - Not sure how to describe the food except to say it is always excellent. Atmosphere is perfect, service is always good (not always fast), food ranges from all sorts of pasta dishes, salads, calzones, pizza, and nightly specials. The lounge here is a great get-away to sip a glass of wine and order off of a smaller menu. OK for families but ideal for the adult group of any size from 2 on up. S. 125 Wall. Best Place to take an out of town friend for dinner. Best Place to meet an old friend for dinner. Best Place for a late dinner and cocktail after a movie or show. Riverview Thai Restaurant - Fun location in an old warehouse on the river. 1003 E. Trent. Chapala - Fast Mexican food, large portions, large menu, always reliable. 1801 N. Hamilton and 2620 East 29th Casa De Oro - Same as Chapala above and I tend to go to the one with the smallest crowd, the Casa de Oro south has a better atmosphere than the Chapala south, but overall I find them to be very similar. (I am certain the owners of these places would both disagree). Reasonable portions at reasonable prices and quick service. 2820 East 29th and 1611 N. Mullan Rd. Gordy's Sichuan Cafe - Spokane's best kept secret for Chinese food, the owners probably like it that way because they can only seat a few tables at a time. Wild and unique menu, everything is fresh, atmosphere is nothing to talk about but everyone talks about the food for days after they eat there. You might not find seating for a group of more than 5. This is a small 'hole in the wall' at 501 E. 30th. Best Place for Chinese Food. The Usual Places  Red Robin - downtown, Northpointe Shopping Center and Valley Mall Chilis - downtown and Northtown Mall Tony Romas - 7640 North Division and at the Valley Mall Applebees - Northpointe Shopping Center, 2007 East 29th and 12217 East Mission Chuck E. Cheeses - 10007 North Division Outback Steakhouse - 5628 N. Division St. (Franklin Park Mall) and at the Valley Mall Spaghetti Factory - South 152 Monroe Olive Garden - 221 North Wall Street |
