Restaurants in Covington

With an extensive menu of island-inspired eats, the eatery blissfully deserts feasters on an island of inspired cuisine. Start with an order of Spam musubi and enjoy the canned delicacy swaddled in a nori wrap with egg and rice ($4.95) or go for an order of Shanghai-style lumpia, a Pac Island family recipe of pork, shrimp, and vegetables in an eggroll-esque package ($5.50). Dinner at the eatery offers an abundant bounty of nourishment, with everything from noodles, rice, and burgers to their 13 barbecue combination platters. The loli chicken and Kalua pork, whose delectable pairing of barbecue chicken and slow-smoked pulled pork sautéed with cabbage ($10.49) was crowned best entree in the 2007 Taste of Tacoma festival, while the teriyaki-marinated kalbi short ribs ($10.95) was top entree in 2006. Most platters are served with two scoops of rice and either macaroni salad or island slaw. Salute sweet teeth with a tropical-fruit smoothie ($4.50), slice of pineapple upside-down cake ($3.75), or slice of molten-chocolate "luv-a-lava" cake ($5.95).

The Burien eatery boasts a menu of Old World authentic Italian fare inspired by the chef-owner’s southern Italian upbringing. Start with an order of the crispy carciofi fritti ($7), and dunk the deep-fried artichoke hearts into a flavor-filled bath of spicy aioli, or opt for the fresh pepata di vongole ($12), steamed intra-shell clams in a white-wine broth. Italian film buffs will analyze the dramatic depth of the eatery’s entree selections, noting the complementary selection of palate-pleasing pastas and protein-packed piatti alongside wood-fired pizzas and insalata. Split a Primo pizza ($16.50) with a co-diner, and savor the prosciutto and green-olive-enhanced flavor of the disc-shaped dinner, or hoard an order of the agnello al terrone ($21), a tender rosemary-seasoned lamb chop, for the post-modern prometheus you keep in the basement next to the unused flower pots.

Shoot yourself in the mouth with the deliciously straight-arrow flavors of Archery Bistro's seasonal menu. Current starters of lamb lollipops (meatballs with mint syrup, $8) and locally harvested mussels and clams à la normande (prepared in apple brandy with fennel and garlic butter, $7) will keep hyperactive taste buds focused as you look over spring/summer entrees such as the grilled Angus flat-iron steak with truffle fries and demi glaze ($15). The wine list at Archery Bistro varies with the menus, but diners can choose from more than 15 wines for under $9 by the glass. Feel free to ask your server for their expert advice on the finest entree/vino pairings or just to help extricate your hoof from the bear trap on the floor that—like the canoe suspended from the ceiling and the archery bows lining the walls for convenient dinner swashbuckling—adds to the bistro's rustic ambience.

At Frankie's Pizza, Italian–style gourmet pies begin with house-made dough prepared daily, topped with fresh cheese and a colorful array of veggies and meats. Cooks sprinkle on cilantro and pile on unique ingredients including pepperoncini and mild italian link sausage, accented with sauces in flavors such as zesty pesto ranch. Frankie's Pizza caters to patrons' individual dietary needs with gluten-free crusts, and provides optional sunbeams for customers who photosynthesize.

Not much has changed since Lovie Yancey opened the first Fatburger in 1952. Since then, the chain has expanded, but the food has stayed the same: 100% USDA lean beef burgers grilled to order and hand-scooped ice-cream shakes. Each restaurant stays true to Yancey's vision, even down to retro-influenced digs with jukeboxes blasting old school favorites designed to make listeners flash enthusiastic thumbs-up signs. Inside the kitchen, cooks stack burgers from 2.5-ounce burgers to 24-ounce triple burgers on toasted regular or gluten-free buns as fresh onions crisp inside fryers filled with cholesterol-free oil. Diners can also enjoy Fatburger’s signature chili made with a secret blend of herbs and spices or milkshakes topped with dollops of whipped cream that resemble fluffy, white clouds shaped like marshmallows.

Padded black booths surround grills beneath gleaming hoods, which reflect the glow of sunset-orange walls as they sweep away rising warm air and spice-steeped aromas. On Palace Korean Bar & Grill's tabletop skillets, chefs sizzle pearlescent curlicues of kimchi and cuts of seafood as well as bulgogi, spicy slices of brisket also known as Korean barbecue. During the all-you-can-eat special, silverware jangles endlessly like a knight looking for his car keys as diners tuck into bottomless helpings of marinated beef short ribs, tender marble brisket, spicy pork belly, and jumbo shrimp.