Capitol Hill Restaurants

Monsoon is actually a family-run Vietnamese restaurant, but they're known for a great dim sum brunch on Saturdays and Sundays (the menu includes an incredible Bloody Mary with pho broth). It's also the one Seattle dim sum spot on our list that wins points for decór—there's a bar with cool, sculptural wooden lanterns and a sunny rooftop patio in the summer. The dim sum menu is short and sweet, with steamed shrimp dumplings, lotus leaf sticky rice, and barbecue pork buns, plus a sampling of Vietnamese and Western brunch dishes, like drunken chicken with rice and a fried egg, steak and eggs with banana ketchup, and congee with roasted shitake mushrooms and a poached egg.

Chef/owner Eric Johnson spent a decade-plus working in Paris, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, time that is reflected in the Vietnamese menu at Stateside, which takes cues from French and Chinese cuisine. The vibe here is great, too. The interior is a mix of clean wood and marble, with fun palm frond wallpaper and retro overhead lights. Make a reservation in advance to avoid a long wait. Grab a drink after dinner at next-door Foreign National.

Altura's Italian-focused, rotating, multi-course tasting menu best suits a special-occasion dinner. The open kitchen atmosphere makes it more of an experience, as do the pairings: You can opt for a traditional wine combination or a more modern matching, which also includes cocktails and beers.

Ernest Loves Agnes is the perfect combination of an old-school, white-tablecloth Italian restaurant and the cozy neighborhood standby you can always count on. The seasonal, locally-sourced menu is very traditional, with old-school classics like grilled octopus, meatballs, charcuterie, and homemade pizza (funghi, speck, three meat) and pasta (bucatini with marinara, pappardelle bolognese, ricotta agnolotti). The ambience is casual, with light wooden chairs, old-school floral china, and the kind of bar that's easy to sidle up to after work. For those wondering about the name—it's in honor of the romance between Ernest Hemingway and Agnes von Kurowsky, the nurse who inspired the female heroine in Farewell to Arms.

Tallulah's bills itself as a neighborhood café, and with a long, cozy bar and ample patio space that always seem to be buzzing with energy (probably in part because it's outfitted with cozy wool blankets for cold days), the place definitely fulfills that expectation. The vibe is sort of Scandinavian meets vintage, with clean, mid-century furniture juxtaposed against design prints and patinaed brass chandeliers, plus a quirky painting of a cat welcoming you at the entry. The menu is short but sweet, with a selection of small plates like halloumi with local melon, or beet salad and a straightforward roster of locally-inspired mains like a grilled albacore tuna bowl and Samish Bay King salmon; locals recommend getting at least one plate of the hanger steak frites, which are almost always a source of order envy. (P.S. They do excellent weekend brunch and weekday happy hour.)

While there’s certainly no shortage of great seafood joints in Seattle, Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bars is our pick for pre-dinner appetizers (their selection of oysters is one of the city’s largest). The fifth-generation family fishing business has expanded to include three oyster bars in Seattle, all of which uphold the family commitment to sustainable fish farming and sourcing locally grown produce. The Shuckers Dozen, a composition of various oysters, is a good entry point. The Capitol Hill location is the first of three (they're now in Pioneer Square and Queen Anne as well).

We like this cozy spot for a laid-back brunch (no waiter service) or an easy dinner. It's hard to order wrong here, and we've never been disappointed by classics like homemade biscuits and eggs, Nicoise salads, and spiced caramel bread pudding. Note: Arrive early on weekend mornings, as they don't take reservations.