Top 10 restaurants will always please your taste buds

Our favorite places to dine this year are a motley group.

One one hand, we loved the sophisticated menu at Adams’ Northwest Bistro in Monroe, and on the other, the veddy British tea shop in Bothell’s Country Village.

We found a favorite Thai place in Mill Creek and a neighborhood Mexican restaurant in Mukilteo, a new breakfast spot and an expanded brewpub.

If you missed these the first time around, it’s not too late.

1. Adam’s Northwest Bistro &Brewery

This is big-city dining in the heart of Monroe. An accomplished Seattle chef is preparing a menu that features all house-made, locally sourced, seasonal items.

Picture Walla Wall sweet onion and ale soup, perfectly prepared duck breast with roasted winter vegetables, and a molten brownie with dark chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. Yes, that’s what we thought, too.

104 N. Lewis St., Monroe; 360-794-4056; www.adamsnw bistro.com.

This bistro was reviewed Nov. 29.

2. Diamond Knot Brewery and Alehouse

A popular hangout for years, the brewery has expanded and remodeled and now serves breakfast. The pub fare includes much-lauded hand-formed burgers, stone-grilled sandwiches, pizza and an array of snacks and bar food.

Now you can enjoy a hangover cure: brioche and gravy, chicken and waffles and all the other breakfast standards.

And don’t forget the beer.

621 Front St., Suite A, Mukilteo; 425-355-4488; www.diamond knot.com.

It was reviewed June 21.

3. Kama’aina Grindz

Apparently, folks in Snohomish County love Hawaiian food. They have taken to the new cafe in downtown Everett.

Three tips: Call ahead if you can, check the board for coming specials and try the fish tacos. “Perfect.”

2933 Colby Ave., Everett; 425-322-5280; kamaainagrindz.com.

It was reviewed May 17.

4. King Noodle House

If you are craving a steaming bowl of Asian noodles, this is the place for you. The noodles are hand-pulled and featured in flavorful bowls of broth custom-built to order by vegetable and protein.

Service is utilitarian, but the sauce served with the dumplings is sublime.

7518 Evergreen Way, Everett, 425-513-8888; www.kingnoodle house.com.

It was reviewed Feb. 15.

5. Mongo’s Clearview Urban American Grill

This neighborhood joint offer fast service of interesting versions of familiar family fare. Speed does not impair quality.

Dining is casual, with communal tables; you order at the counter. You can tell by the starters that the food is something special: bruschetta, calamari, filet mignon sliders.

Don’t wait; this place isn’t going to get less crowded.

6510 Highway 9 SE, Suite 101, Snohomish; 360-668-4433; eatatmongos.com

The restaurant was reviewed April 12.

6. Ole Soul Southern Creole

This family-owned business features the wife running the front and the husband cooking in the kitchen.

The food is excellent, local if possible, fresh always and served to order.

Take your appetite and allow plenty of time. It’s a restaurant experience to savor.

1105 Hewitt Ave., Everett; 425-252-4000.

This review ran Nov. 22.

7. The Rusty Pelican

In the mood for breakfast and it’s already past noon? No worries. This cafe, one of three in the area, serves its array of succulent breakfast items until closing.

You can pick one of a dozen omelets or seven versions of eggs Benedict. Try ricotta pancakes, waffles, crepes. The service is quick but the attitude is slow. Take your time.

15704 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek; 425-585-0525; rustypelicancafe.com.

This cafe was reviewed Aug. 16.

8. Sabor a Mexico

A neighborhood Mexican restaurant with friendly service and well-prepared standards.

It’s a good destination after a long day on Whidbey and a short ferry ride. Try the fajitas, the tasty guacamole or the excellent chili colorado. Add a margarita or an imported beer.

8410 Mukilteo Speedway, Suite A; Mukilteo; 425-710-9094; www.saboramexico.com.

It was reviewed Sept. 6.

9. Thai Bistro

A wonderful discovery, this immaculate restaurant serves a Tom Kha soup that will cure whatever ails you.

Among the many offerings, it’s hard to get passed the curries. The veggie versions are particularly impressive, with fresh, crisp, beautifully prepared vegetbles served in generous amounts with the curry sauce of your choice.

The bar does a booming business in mixed and blended drinks.

Or you can order take out. Don’t forget some extra soup for lunch the next day.

1018 164th St., Mill Creek; 425-787-9707; www.thaibistro.us.

This restaurant was reviewed Feb. 22.

10. Village Eatery and Tea House

This charming tea shop in Country Village is a lovely spot to meet a friend for lunch and suitable for a special occasion, like Mother’s Day or someone’s birthday.

The bakery display is enticing and the choice of tea is large and intriguing.

740 238th St., Suite B, Bothell; 425-483-2005; www.villageeatery andteacompany.com.

The review ran Sept. 27.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.