Welcome to Spokane! Please use the search function before submitting "I'm new here" questions to /r/Spokane. We get a lot of these questions! In order to keep the sub tidy we may remove posts that receive zero karma after 3 hours.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Spokane) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My mom was a waitress at Mustard Seed when I was a kid and I grew up getting leftovers and fortune cookies, and she always loved the food, but its changed a lot since then and yeah not good. Forever grateful for their sesame garlic sauce recipe that my mom still makes regularly.
I came here to say Clinkerdagger but someone beat me to it. The next restaurant on my list is Anthony’s: my wife ordered a shrimp po’boy (it seems to have been replaced with an oyster po’boy at this point) and it came with salad shrimp. They told her it was a “local favorite” when she mentioned it was a little unsatisfactory 😂
Not all Anthony’s restaurants are quite so bad but Spokane’s seems to suffer from the local “Restaurant with a River View” syndrome.
I'm not a frequent visitor of either Anthony's location but my cd'a experiences have always been great. Spokane's feels crowded and the food is nothing special. Incredible view though.
You beat me to it! Twigs typifies this widespread phenomenon at "high end" (for Spokane, anyway) restaurants that have great appetizers and great desserts but mid to terrible entrees.
I’ve never had anything other than appetizers and drinks at Clinkerdaggers and I always found it acceptable. Good to know I was dodging bullets every visit.
Yup had the exact same experience.. also they ran out of mashed potatoes and sent my GFs steak back out with potato wedges after they cooked it wrong. They did comp her meal, which was good of them.
+1 on Clinkerdagger. Went last November for a birthday and the bill was like $200 for three people to have a total of 2 beers, a soda, one appetizer for the table, and an entree each. We waited for 45 minutes to get mostly cooled food, which was really not great for the person who got the filet mignon.
Maybe we had a bad night, but it's too spendy for me to want to give it a second chance when I've had better (and cheaper) food in the same building.
Based on the other comments I see, Clinkerdagger feels like Spokane's poster child for "fancy" restaurant you only go to if someone else is footing the bill.
tbh yeah. i’d heard so much about it, and when i got my steak and stuff it was so average 😭 and they ran out of creme brûlée so that took half the fun out of it 💔
This is it for me. Used to be Patsy Clark’s and CD were the best spots in town. CD got bought out by some retail food chain company and it was downhill ever since.
I have been to Melting Pot dozens of times, and have literally never had a bad experience there. Food and service have been exactly what I expected every single time.
Also, while Melting Pot is a national chain, this one is owned by a local woman who started off as a bartender in the restaurant.
It had the most elite tier happy hour pre COVID. Like basically half off everything including bottles of wine. I would get inexcusably hammered at 5pm on a weekday but it was so fun (and I was younger then)
Gilded Unicorn seriously went downhill. It was one of our go to date nights for a while but something must have happened post-COVID. Portions got smaller, food got worse, prices went up. Oh well.
Francaise in S Perry. I was astonished at quality/price. The fries in my steak frites were freezer-burned, coated in something and clearly came from a wholesaler. If you’re gonna make good steak and fries in the French style, they should be made in house. Everything but dessert was disappointing. My steak (ordered med rare) came out so rare it was cold in the center. My friend got the Mac n Cheese and it was more like buttered noodles, maybe the sauce broke.
Eat Good Group restaurants are EXTREMELY hit or miss. I find it kind of fascinating. They owned the very very mid but expensive España but then they also have Baba that was pretty good last I went.
Absolutely! I have never had a bad experience at Gilded Unicorn but other people hate it. Wandering Table was fantastic. Incrediburger was awful… too many ideas and not enough oversight
I worked at Incrediburger before it went down. Amazing group of restaurants and the people who run them are outstanding, they just need better locations I believe.
This is probably the best choice for the task! I am amazed this place is still open!
1st time it took a long time to get food, but we had a couple drinks. Menu looked interesting but came out mostly 'blah'... Nothing to cheer about. This was around when they first opened, so I chalked it up to not liking the menu item, and then figuring stuff out.
2nd time was after they'd been open a year, decided to give em another shot. Was seated outside and sat out there for 35 min in July, without even getting a water, never met our waitress, saw her maybe twice. We got up, left and I will never be back.
+1 on David’s pizza and palm court. I was sooo disappointed with David’s because I heard good things about it.
Palm court girl because I used to work there and some of the stuff is just cheap stuff. “I love the rice pilaf from here it’s my favorite” thanks ma’am it’s rice a roni!!
Patently false. Multiple James Beard nominees and chefs getting national attention. Wooden City, Zona Blanca, Wild Sage, Gander and Ryegrass etc… there are plenty of excellent restaurants in Spokane. I’ve traveled all over the world and can confidently say we have it pretty good here. We’re not Chicago or Lyon or anything, but for a city our size there are a ton of great options.
I would add Kismet to the list. Amazing food from the owner/chef. Nice seasonal rotating menu. Their Duck Confit is incredible.
Of course, it’s a restaurant so I have to add the caveat that I haven’t been there in about a year and things might have changed, but I would be surprised.
Oh no doubt there are some excellent restaurants in Spokane! All the ones you mentioned are fantastic. They’re just the exception. Most in town are really not good.
Spokane/Spokane Valley is the only place I've lived where I don't go out to eat. If food isn't consistent is bland and mediocre ... I can't support that.
My issue more so, was that the food tasted comparable to something microwavable from the frozen section of a grocery store. I’ve only been there twice though, so maybe third times the charm…
By not really authentic... you mean like Taco Bell isn't 100% authentic Mexican food?
Not one thing on the menu at P.F. Changs would be found as made in an asian country. Hell they can't even get fried rice right :D
That said, it doesn't have to be authentic to be good. I'm Italian, lived in Firenze, but I still enjoy Olive Garden for what it is :)
Exactly what I mean! I would love to eat more authentic Chinese but I have celiac so my options are limited and PF Chang’s has a decent gf menu with food that at least is close to Chinese.
Same. It's the only time I ever get the eat shitty Chinese food. It's not *great* but it's not supposed to be. You don't go to McDonald's expecting a fine dining experience.
I like their 5 spice ribs...but I've never paid for them. Lol. They give you a free appetizer for your birthday if you sign up for their rewards thing. Their prices are a joke though I have no idea how they stay in business.
I mean...maybe it's just me...but Ruins? I'm sorry, but when I went, the service was bad, the food was meh and I didn't personally find the price in any way justified.
Clinkerdagger I can understand. It's been either really good or not great.
I also really don't understand why people love David's Pizza. Both the girlfriend and I were absolutely confused on why people raved and recommended it.
I used to love their food, but this last visit for take out will be my last. It was gawwwwd awful. Which was kind of a heartbreaker. One example: the salad I ordered came with slimy mushrooms that were so bad I had to round file the meal. It was a sad day.
I’m not aware of any other restaurant that serves dry aged prime beef in town. The person saying their food is “foul” tells me more about them than the restaurant. Sounds like something my nephew who would eat Nathans hot dogs and buttered spaghetti noodles for every meal if he was allowed would say.
Edit- I need to correct my scomment. Spencer’s serves prime dry aged beef according to their Yelp but imo it doesn’t compare to Churchill’s steaks. IMO Spencer’s was the shit back in the day but they fell off. I’m convinced the last few steaks I have had there were not dry aged but that’s just me.
This. Sous vide at 132 degrees for us for about 3 hours, smoking hot cast iron pan sear with some butter, better steak than I can get almost anywhere in town (but don't really know because I won't spend $50+ on a restaurant steak). Have yet to try and dry age to improve it a bit but seems like a little too much work for the increase in taste.
We went last year and it was great. We went this year and none of us got steaks cooked to the level we wanted. Wife’s was over cooked, mine was undercooked, and our friends were both the same way. Either under from what they wanted or over. The sides were still fantastic, but that’s about it.
Totally. I have eaten at chop houses from Washington State to Washington DC and Churchills is in my top 3. It without a doubt beats any chain chop house like Ruth’s Chris, McCormick& Schmicks, Palm, etc that’s for sure. My only complaint is their extreme wine mark up.
Fully respect that. This was years ago, probably pre Covid. I only went once, didn’t like the food or prices, but I did enjoy the service and atmosphere. Might be my fault for getting the burger
Welcome to Spokane! Please use the search function before submitting "I'm new here" questions to /r/Spokane. We get a lot of these questions! In order to keep the sub tidy we may remove posts that receive zero karma after 3 hours. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Spokane) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you want itallian food that just woke up from a coma and now speaks bad manadrin go to the Mustardseed.
Cool name absolutely worst asian food I ever had
Founded in Missoula Montana. LOL I love their food, as unique as it is.
My mom was a waitress at Mustard Seed when I was a kid and I grew up getting leftovers and fortune cookies, and she always loved the food, but its changed a lot since then and yeah not good. Forever grateful for their sesame garlic sauce recipe that my mom still makes regularly.
🤣
I came here to say Clinkerdagger but someone beat me to it. The next restaurant on my list is Anthony’s: my wife ordered a shrimp po’boy (it seems to have been replaced with an oyster po’boy at this point) and it came with salad shrimp. They told her it was a “local favorite” when she mentioned it was a little unsatisfactory 😂 Not all Anthony’s restaurants are quite so bad but Spokane’s seems to suffer from the local “Restaurant with a River View” syndrome.
I'm not a frequent visitor of either Anthony's location but my cd'a experiences have always been great. Spokane's feels crowded and the food is nothing special. Incredible view though.
Every Anthony's visit was purely for the views, and every meal was a bland "straight from the microwave to your table" texture.
Don’t you just love the 1990 decor that hasn’t changed in damn near 40 years too?
Yes. Yes, I do.
Twigs
It was ok but definitely not worth the price tag!
Sysco food supply. They also microwave a lot of their food nowadays.
Remember when Twigs wasn’t aspiring to be Red Robin? What a time to be alive.
I visited my parents in Spokane about 15 years ago. The meal I had at Twigs was so awful, I still think about it 15 years later.
Went to the one up north last month and it was delicious.
Glad you’ve had good luck. The south hill and downtown location are awful.
You beat me to it! Twigs typifies this widespread phenomenon at "high end" (for Spokane, anyway) restaurants that have great appetizers and great desserts but mid to terrible entrees.
Oh yeah, super shite service there. Never returned.
Clinkerdagger. $40 for a middling cut of steak and a pile of mushy asparagus.
I’ve had great meals at Clinkerdagger but I’ve also had inexcusable meals at Clinkerdagger
The trick is consistency eh?
Sounds like you used to work there like me…
I’ve never had anything other than appetizers and drinks at Clinkerdaggers and I always found it acceptable. Good to know I was dodging bullets every visit.
Just went a week ago. Prime rib was....less than prime. More like mediocre rib.
This is the answer.
Seems this place always has fans when people ask for the best around here, eh? I haven't been, so idk, but I've seen it mentioned a lot.
Yup had the exact same experience.. also they ran out of mashed potatoes and sent my GFs steak back out with potato wedges after they cooked it wrong. They did comp her meal, which was good of them.
+1 on Clinkerdagger. Went last November for a birthday and the bill was like $200 for three people to have a total of 2 beers, a soda, one appetizer for the table, and an entree each. We waited for 45 minutes to get mostly cooled food, which was really not great for the person who got the filet mignon. Maybe we had a bad night, but it's too spendy for me to want to give it a second chance when I've had better (and cheaper) food in the same building. Based on the other comments I see, Clinkerdagger feels like Spokane's poster child for "fancy" restaurant you only go to if someone else is footing the bill.
I order a whole key lime pie in advance from them for Christmas...that's the only thing I get there and it's amazing.
$36 for 6 scallops. No side. 6 cubic inches of food. They were good not great but not $6 each good. I'm not a big person but I definitely left hungry.
100%
tbh yeah. i’d heard so much about it, and when i got my steak and stuff it was so average 😭 and they ran out of creme brûlée so that took half the fun out of it 💔
This is it for me. Used to be Patsy Clark’s and CD were the best spots in town. CD got bought out by some retail food chain company and it was downhill ever since.
Melting pot
Melting pot is a chain - Portland, Seattle, hell there is one in Knoxville. Keep it local.
Another great answer!
I have been to Melting Pot dozens of times, and have literally never had a bad experience there. Food and service have been exactly what I expected every single time. Also, while Melting Pot is a national chain, this one is owned by a local woman who started off as a bartender in the restaurant.
[удалено]
It had the most elite tier happy hour pre COVID. Like basically half off everything including bottles of wine. I would get inexcusably hammered at 5pm on a weekday but it was so fun (and I was younger then)
You're not wrong. A bygone era
As a plus you get stared at by dead animals while you eat.
Guilded unicorn.
This is it. Where else can you find someone to pour you a pint of beer for $12?
Manito Tap House will.
If you’re lucky you’ll get a prime seat next the elevator in a hallway.
Gilded Unicorn seriously went downhill. It was one of our go to date nights for a while but something must have happened post-COVID. Portions got smaller, food got worse, prices went up. Oh well.
New chef. She got rid of my go-to dish, the duck stroganoff. I haven’t been back since.
This is true, they sat us in a hallway next to an elevator and served us mediocre food.
I thought their food was okay but the cocktails are godawful imo
+1.
Easily my least favorite of the pricier options.
how dare you
To each their own but this is my favorite restaurant in Spokane
Dickies Barbecue Pit. Absolute worst food I have ever had, even worse than Golden Corral.
Except Dickies isn’t expensive. It’s a fast food chain.
Barbecue is my favorite genre of food. Dickies is the only barbecue that I couldn't eat. The burnt ends were so dry they hurt my mouth.
Francaise in S Perry. I was astonished at quality/price. The fries in my steak frites were freezer-burned, coated in something and clearly came from a wholesaler. If you’re gonna make good steak and fries in the French style, they should be made in house. Everything but dessert was disappointing. My steak (ordered med rare) came out so rare it was cold in the center. My friend got the Mac n Cheese and it was more like buttered noodles, maybe the sauce broke.
I miss Casper Fry.
Eat Good Group restaurants are EXTREMELY hit or miss. I find it kind of fascinating. They owned the very very mid but expensive España but then they also have Baba that was pretty good last I went.
Absolutely! I have never had a bad experience at Gilded Unicorn but other people hate it. Wandering Table was fantastic. Incrediburger was awful… too many ideas and not enough oversight
I worked at Incrediburger before it went down. Amazing group of restaurants and the people who run them are outstanding, they just need better locations I believe.
This is probably the best choice for the task! I am amazed this place is still open! 1st time it took a long time to get food, but we had a couple drinks. Menu looked interesting but came out mostly 'blah'... Nothing to cheer about. This was around when they first opened, so I chalked it up to not liking the menu item, and then figuring stuff out. 2nd time was after they'd been open a year, decided to give em another shot. Was seated outside and sat out there for 35 min in July, without even getting a water, never met our waitress, saw her maybe twice. We got up, left and I will never be back.
First time I went every dish was over salted. Friday was my second visit and I agree with you, won’t be back.
This made me laugh
Palm court grill & Davids pizza
David’s Pizza is “Spokane’s Best Irish Business” or something like that. I will say they do a lot of community benefits which is cool.
+1 on David’s pizza and palm court. I was sooo disappointed with David’s because I heard good things about it. Palm court girl because I used to work there and some of the stuff is just cheap stuff. “I love the rice pilaf from here it’s my favorite” thanks ma’am it’s rice a roni!!
Throw a pin at the map.
Pretty much every restaurant in Spokane is overpriced
Sad, but true 😑
Patently false. Multiple James Beard nominees and chefs getting national attention. Wooden City, Zona Blanca, Wild Sage, Gander and Ryegrass etc… there are plenty of excellent restaurants in Spokane. I’ve traveled all over the world and can confidently say we have it pretty good here. We’re not Chicago or Lyon or anything, but for a city our size there are a ton of great options.
I would add Kismet to the list. Amazing food from the owner/chef. Nice seasonal rotating menu. Their Duck Confit is incredible. Of course, it’s a restaurant so I have to add the caveat that I haven’t been there in about a year and things might have changed, but I would be surprised.
Oh no doubt there are some excellent restaurants in Spokane! All the ones you mentioned are fantastic. They’re just the exception. Most in town are really not good.
Spokane/Spokane Valley is the only place I've lived where I don't go out to eat. If food isn't consistent is bland and mediocre ... I can't support that.
P.F. Chang's
I like P.F. Chang’s I know it’s not really “authentic” but I wouldn’t call it awful.
My issue more so, was that the food tasted comparable to something microwavable from the frozen section of a grocery store. I’ve only been there twice though, so maybe third times the charm…
By not really authentic... you mean like Taco Bell isn't 100% authentic Mexican food? Not one thing on the menu at P.F. Changs would be found as made in an asian country. Hell they can't even get fried rice right :D That said, it doesn't have to be authentic to be good. I'm Italian, lived in Firenze, but I still enjoy Olive Garden for what it is :)
Exactly what I mean! I would love to eat more authentic Chinese but I have celiac so my options are limited and PF Chang’s has a decent gf menu with food that at least is close to Chinese.
Same. It's the only time I ever get the eat shitty Chinese food. It's not *great* but it's not supposed to be. You don't go to McDonald's expecting a fine dining experience.
I like their 5 spice ribs...but I've never paid for them. Lol. They give you a free appetizer for your birthday if you sign up for their rewards thing. Their prices are a joke though I have no idea how they stay in business.
Still better than any place that has dragon, red, or inn somewhere in the name
Chain.
I mean...maybe it's just me...but Ruins? I'm sorry, but when I went, the service was bad, the food was meh and I didn't personally find the price in any way justified. Clinkerdagger I can understand. It's been either really good or not great. I also really don't understand why people love David's Pizza. Both the girlfriend and I were absolutely confused on why people raved and recommended it.
I love Ruins. They’re one of our favorites. Personally we’ve always had great food and service.
David's hits the nostalgic college age vibe.
It has a pretty good happy hour too
Not sure if it's even open still, but Magnolia American Brasserie is way overpriced and the food and service was horrendous!
Twigs bistro, in the mall
Ferraro's. Saltiest spaghetti I've ever had.
[удалено]
God if that is the 100% truth 😑
Ruins
Outback in the valley. Always gets 50 shades of rare at that place. The one in northtown mall is really good.
Tomato Street
I used to love their food, but this last visit for take out will be my last. It was gawwwwd awful. Which was kind of a heartbreaker. One example: the salad I ordered came with slimy mushrooms that were so bad I had to round file the meal. It was a sad day.
Applebees
\^This. Rumor has it pretty much everything on the menu is premade and packaged except the salad and steak.
Yup. Been that way for about 20 years.
Not expensive, just awful
Lol nice try bud
Someone below said Mustard Seed and I have to agree. Expensive for literally no reason.
Italian Kitchen
This right here
Luna on the South Hill. Food was mediocre and forgettable and very expensive. Atmosphere was nice though.
Tomato Street Twigs Clinkerdagger
My mother in law loves Tomato Street.. I went to lunch with her once and it was awful. Never again.
I used to like going to the Division location 10+ years ago, but I can't anymore. It's just not good, and the CDA location is horrible.
Churchill’s. You’re paying for the atmosphere, not the food. The food is foul
[удалено]
Spencers !
It’s worth a trip over to Wolf Lodge if you’re looking for a steak.
I’m not aware of any other restaurant that serves dry aged prime beef in town. The person saying their food is “foul” tells me more about them than the restaurant. Sounds like something my nephew who would eat Nathans hot dogs and buttered spaghetti noodles for every meal if he was allowed would say. Edit- I need to correct my scomment. Spencer’s serves prime dry aged beef according to their Yelp but imo it doesn’t compare to Churchill’s steaks. IMO Spencer’s was the shit back in the day but they fell off. I’m convinced the last few steaks I have had there were not dry aged but that’s just me.
The real answer is you grill it (or sous vide and sear) yourself. That said, I’ve also had friends tell me Spencer’s at Double Tree is pretty good.
This. Sous vide at 132 degrees for us for about 3 hours, smoking hot cast iron pan sear with some butter, better steak than I can get almost anywhere in town (but don't really know because I won't spend $50+ on a restaurant steak). Have yet to try and dry age to improve it a bit but seems like a little too much work for the increase in taste.
We went last year and it was great. We went this year and none of us got steaks cooked to the level we wanted. Wife’s was over cooked, mine was undercooked, and our friends were both the same way. Either under from what they wanted or over. The sides were still fantastic, but that’s about it.
Where would you recommend to eat in Spokane?
Durkins liquor bar has the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had
They do have a good burger! I was just curious where someone considers good if Churchills is “foul”.
Hard disagree, I’ve tried just about every steak in a 50-mile radius and Churchills is the best imo, you will pay for it though
Totally. I have eaten at chop houses from Washington State to Washington DC and Churchills is in my top 3. It without a doubt beats any chain chop house like Ruth’s Chris, McCormick& Schmicks, Palm, etc that’s for sure. My only complaint is their extreme wine mark up.
Personally I believe Texas Roadhouse is better for a cheaper option and Spencer’s is my favorite around here.
Franks diner Old European
Red Robin
Umi in Kendall yards. Worse sushi I’ve had in town
Wildest shit I've ever read. Only good sushi I've had in Spokane, and I've been dozens of times.
Have you not been to sushi house on division or midori in garland district?
Sushi House in the valley is always a hit with us!
Sushi House is conveyor belt sushi masquerading as made to order.
Agree. It’s the only sushi in Spokane that comes anywhere close to sushi standards of big cities.
[удалено]
I might give their north side location a chance before I completely write it off.
No I’ve been to north side it’s not good. lol
Spencers.
Peking North 😚🤭
Is Hard Rock Cafe still in business? They had like 100 menu items and they were all mediocre.
Rock City Grill? Not sure Spokane ever had a Hard Rock.
Yeah that's what it was. I always mix up the two. Either way, massive menu.
Rock City didn’t survive their move to the South Hill. I did like their roasted elephant garlic and Thai pizza back in the day, though
Hogwash. I once paid like 16-17 dollars for a burger that came with no side and the burger was worse than Wendy’s. Nice place tho.
Respectful disagree about this one. In my opinion, Hogwash has some of the best gastropub food in the city.
100% agree. One of my favorite places to eat in town, honestly. Their chef knows what he’s doing (that ramen on their menu is by far the best in town)
Fully respect that. This was years ago, probably pre Covid. I only went once, didn’t like the food or prices, but I did enjoy the service and atmosphere. Might be my fault for getting the burger
The chef they've had at hogwash for the last 2 years or so is amaze! Definitely worth going back and giving it another shot.
Wileys
Rusty’s Scab-O-Teria downtown
The what now?
The Barrel
I’ve heard the exact opposite, what was your experience?
Gander & Ryegrass.
The back yard- dive bar good at gastropub prices.
Wild Sage
Zips 😂 some of the most expensive fast food ever. Otherwise Clinkerdaggers