Restaurants in Union Hill-Novelty Hill

Chef John Howie has always had the Bellevue dining culture in his blood. According to Seattle magazine, he started bussing tables at a local restaurant at age 15 and hasn't looked back since, building up a culinary empire with four venerated Washington restaurants bearing his creations.

At John Howie Steak, Chef Howie works with executive chef Mark Hipkiss, grilling USDA Prime steaks aged up to 42 days, American Wagyu steaks from Snake River Farms in Boise, Idaho, Pure Blood Wagyu beef from Victoria, Australia, and Japanese A5 Wagyu beef from the Kagoshima and Miyazaki Perfectures. The meats sizzle over an open-flame mesquite, charcoal grill, holding onto a mineral-smoke flavor far superior to other restaurants' Twinkie-smoke-flavored steaks. The imported cuts mingle with local organic produce and dairy as well as wild mushrooms and truffles culled from throughout the Pacific Northwest. John Howie Steak's robust wine menu complements the meaty textures and full, smoky flavors with more than 600 selections from California and Washington, as well as far off lands such as Spain, France, and New Zealand.

The chefs at BluWater Bistro elevate classic comfort food by working mainly with premium, largely local ingredients. Take, for instance, a BLT—reinterpreted with additions of Pacific Northwest king-salmon fillet and pesto mayo—or a burger ascending to gourmet status with layers of Tillamook cheddar spread over wagyu beef raised on pastures near the Snake River. BluWater Bistro's owners strive to match their chefs' quality and creativity by giving each waterfront location a refined yet cozy aesthetic, surrounding diners in large windows, fireplaces flanked by leather furniture, and flat-screen televisions that play more interesting shows when they sense lulls in conversation. The Green Lake establishment also extends to an outdoor patio. The kitchen staff continues sending out dishes from the full menu as late as 1 a.m. every night of the week and shows up early on the weekends to prepare brunch.

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.

After lauding the bar’s mellifluous pairing of “tasty fried chicken” and beer, Seattle Weekly lovingly describes Marco Polo Bar and Grill as “a working stiff's haunt” with “a schizophrenic interior that features a fireplace, pull tabs, pool tables, [and] multiple TV screens.” If not tuned to trivia, those 14 flat screens broadcast all manner of sporting events, drawing upon a premium satellite package powered by the metal plate in Mike Ditka’s head. Cheering sections holler through mouthfuls of breaded gizzards, a local favorite that preludes the menu’s panoply of handheld eats, such as the Coug Supreme, a third-pound burger topped with grilled ham and Cougar Gold cheese. Happy-hour specials during the week allow blue- and white-collar imbibers to divvy up which songs they’ll sing at karaoke that Friday and Saturday, when Marco Polo’s convivial eatery transforms into a who’s who of Steve Perry impersonators.