Best Restaurants in Green Lake

What to expect

Restaurants in Green Lake skew toward casual lunch and breakfast spots, with many clustered along East Green Lake Drive and the surrounding blocks. You'll find mid-range pricing typical of Seattle's residential neighborhoods—expect $12–18 entrees at most casual spots—and settings that range from counter service to small dining rooms. Many places here serve the neighborhood's regular crowd rather than destination diners, so you're more likely to encounter neighborhood regulars than tourists.

Pro tips

• →Parking fills up quickly on weekends when the lake draws crowds, so arrive before 11:30 AM for breakfast or brunch spots, or plan to use street parking on the residential blocks east of the lake rather than the lot near the Green Lake Community Center.
• →Many Green Lake restaurants close by 8 or 9 PM on weeknights—this is primarily a daytime neighborhood dining scene, so plan dinner earlier than you might in Fremont or Wallingford if you want full menus and full service.
• →The neighborhood's east side (near the 72nd Ave E corridor) has denser restaurant options than the quieter west side, so focus your search there unless you're specifically exploring the smaller, more residential western blocks.