The Best Restaurants in Kirkland, by the Record
The best restaurants in Kirkland, by the professional record: AAA, Eater, and Seattle Met have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Cafe Juanita comes out on top.
Kathakali and Rimini Restaurant hold the next two places. Seattle Met shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with AAA next.
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Rank 2. Kathakali
Indian
- Seattle Met Seattle’s Best Lunch Spots
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific · Ajay Panicker
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Rank 3. Rimini Restaurant
Italian
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Rank 4. El Encanto
Mexican
The patio hangs so close to Lake Washington you could lose a chip in it. El Encanto is an upscale Mexican restaurant where the room is very white, the crowd is very photogenic, and the chef quietly runs circles around the decor. The chile en nogada, made daily with help from his mom, is the kind of detail that earns its reputation. The cocktail list takes the tequila selection seriously, which helps when the selfie-to-taco ratio tips the wrong way.
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