Restaurants in Redmond

The tables at Shilla Restaurant can get really hot, at least as hot enough to sear a slice of meat. Each tabletop grill allows diners to become the masters of their fate, flipping over slices of bulgogi beef, calamari, pork belly at their own discretion. The chefs do quite a bit of work, as well, rolling more than 30 varietals of maki and cooking up an expansive menu of Korean cuisine. After they assemble bowls of bibimbap and sautéed spicy kimchee, waiters take out dishes to salivating guests seated in a in a sleek, monochromatic dining room. Beneath geometric paper lamps, these guests can counteract bites of spicy Korean entrees with sips of house sake and wipes from their furrowed brows.

Loving Hut’s name suits its peaceful mission: to create healthy dishes that benefit the body and show respect for the environment. Using vegan ingredients such as soy-based proteins and fresh vegetables, the chefs at each location create a unique menu of gourmet cuisine that serves as an accessible introduction to a plant-based diet; several of the restaurant's offerings can be made gluten-free as well. Vegan sandwiches and Asian-influenced noodle dishes and appetizers are paired with drinks such as smoothies and teas, each of them more refreshing than getting sprayed in the face with a seltzer bottle.

The inside of ViaVita Café & Wine Bar traces the timeline of a single day. Floor-to-ceiling windows cast morning light onto a display case of pastries and cheeses—an addendum to the counter that bears morning coffee orders. Nearby, granite-topped tables sit far enough apart to suggest an open, Parisian patio, but close enough together to support a cross-stream of chatter over lunchtime sandwiches. The day ends on the other side of a semicircular wine bar. There, walls wearing distressed paint encapsulate a rustic alcove, where hanging plants and Greco-Roman-style pottery evoke the dining room of a hillside villa.

The decor and seasonal menu at ViaVita Café & Wine Bar champion a European-flavored escape, where diners can stop at any time for a meal, a snack, or a glass of wine. From the crepes and omelets of brunch—served with duck-fat potatoes and chocolate-orange butter—to afternoon paninis and dinners of pan-seared Alaskan salmon, meals realized by imaginative chefs spark and fuel long conversations. Imported and domestic beers, as well as wines from small vineyards on multiple continents, complement the diverse bouquet of flavors and pair especially well with cheese and charcuterie boards. During special events, guitar music acts as a soothing soundtrack for bites, and sommelier seminars instruct patrons on how to age libations without sending them to PG-13 movies alone.

For 30 years, Sarducci’s sandwich artisans have constructed towering hot and cold subs by layering slices of cheese and veggies atop meats such as roast beef and chicken breast. In the morning, customers can crawl out of bed and crawl partially into subs filled with ham, Canadian bacon, and scrambled eggs. Afternoons usher in hot Italian subs as well as specialty pizzas and hearty calzones.

Crepan Crepe World plates up paper-thin samples of France—crepes can be rolled around sweet or savory fillings ranging from mozzarella and spinach to strawberries and Nutella crowned with whipped cream.