I'm not talking about the "best" restaurants. I'm talking about the inexpensive, not bad, close and convenient places that you find yourself in fairly regularly.
For me, it's " #1 Pho and Thai" which is located in the " Safeway" shopping center in downtown Renton on the S 2nd St side..
It's not great. But it's pretty good, the service is quick, the prices are low.
Sure, if I had more money to spend on dining out I'd find myself at the Red House and the Lakeside Bistro more frequently, but alas, poor pauper that I am, I get to those places less frequently than I'd like.
So where are your " go to" places, close, cheap, convenient, and pretty good?
15 comments:
For me, the penultimate Go-To place is Tony's Teriyaki and Pho. Now, I don't go there as often as I used to when I lived Downtown, but it's still one of my favorites, and a great value for both pho and teriyaki.
Other places include Genki Sushi by the Uwajimaya, which quickly replaced Sushi Land as my frequent sushi place (better taste & price). And you can't beat the convenience of free Jimmy Johns delivery!
My wife likes a particular couple of teriyaki joints, but they all have sort of a sameness to me. Although there is a little Vietnamese place near Sunset & Duvall (name escapes me) that has really good bahn mi (better than Go Deli, I think). The bahn mi aren't on the menu, you have ask for them.
Places I find myself in just about every month or two:
Doofer's - very east Highlands. It's a fat and carb fest, but they have the most extensive bar menu around and all quality.
Dog and Pony tavern. Had the best oyster po'boy, but it has fallen off the menu.
Vince's - Highlands. Once you get past the lame dinner salad, the food is quite good, traditional southern Italian. They even serve the meals with a primi and a secondi. Real "Godfather" vibe to the place, '60s throwback. You would almost expect Sollozzo and McCluskey to get murdered there.
Hong's - great dim sum. Love the chickenfeet.
Yea's Wok - (Newcastle actually), Zagut rated, #2 in King 5's Best of the NW for Chinese. Inexpensive lunches. So good we sent our Chinese pilots in training there.
Torero's - on Rainier (NOT the Highlands, got treated very badly by a waiter there, will never go back). Good sit down Mexican, some real authentic dishes, borrego as good as anyone's, campechana.
Red House - need I say more?
Hey, maybe I should start a food blog?
Hong's- for the dimsum
The teriyaki place at Safeway
Panda Express for a really quick fix.
Genki sushi, La Hacienda for their carne asada
Happy at the Bay teriyaki next to the downtown Safeway (not the horrid one by Staples / Ikea).
Hong's Garden - I don't like Dim Sum, but their lunch plate with fried rice, chow mein, sweet and sour pork and almond chicken (plus the best hot-n-sour soup anywhere) for ~ $7 is fantastic.
Pappa Murphys :)
Dog & Pony a few times a month. So much good beer rotating through there, and two people could split a half order of the nachos and not finish it!
Dino's off exit #7 is a great dive bar. Cheap steak night is Thursday.
Also, I like Casa Durango off Sunset. They have Mexican karaoke on Friday evenings. That is both a good and a bad thing depending on your taste.
Toreros - especially when they're making tortillas!
Jimmy John's is definitely fast and decent.
Five Guys is also a new fave.
For us, it's the Torero's on Benson Hill, without a doubt. Perhaps the friendliest restaurant staff I've ever encountered! They also have decent quality food, great margaritas, and reasonable prices. We find ourselves there once or twice a week.
For Chinese there's the Gourmet Wok in the Highlands tucked in the back corner (behind some pet place) off of Sunset and Duvall. Been there a few times and LOVE IT. Lunches are a bargain, food is clean, portions good. They cooked to order, I told them 'light oil/salt' and they were happy to oblige. Have a nice bar adjoining it. They've been in that location for 20 something years but you can't see them from the street at all.
Just tried Angelo's up in the Highlands and had a basic Italian dish of spaghetti and meatballs and it was pretty decent. Tiny place family ran with friendly server. Our first time there and the owner gave us a free dessert, Wow! Across from H&R Block.
Torero's on Rainier - good service. Decent Mexican though a little too salty in some dishes.
And of all places, Valley Medical Hospital every 2nd Tues of the month they serve Beef Picadillo - a Cuban or Brazilian style plate with rice at dinner time in their cafeteria (you can tell I've spent plenty of time there to know about it) and it's extra YUMMY. They actually should serve this dish more often - why only once a month?. I was so in love with it I looked it up on the Internet and see that many people make various versions of it. Try theirs to get an idea, I don't think you'll be disappointed!
For a decent burrito, Baja Fresh not far from the Hospital and near Ikea too. Try their Ultimo Burrito with chicken or they can do a combo of both beef and chick. They have great pico de gallo and their food is fresh and yum! Just at the border of Renton and Kent;
425) 264-0131
8825 S 180th St
Kent, WA
Many times I've gone to the Chinese Buffets - King or Pan Asian. Both are similar, although Pan Asian is less crowded. The good thing is its inexpensive. On Fathers Day the food was fantastic. Unfortunately, most of the time its usually mediocre.
If you're vegetarian, there's a fantastic Indian Restaurant in the strip mall across from Fred Myers.
For breakfast, there's a diner across from the airfield that's very good (it's next to the health food store). It has an Asian name, and they recently added pho.
I second Casa Durango! Also, there is a great little Mexican place in the strip mall at Park and N 3rd (behind Sartori School). It's cheap, fast and the guys there are great.
A Pizza Mart just opened by the old Value Village. 6.99 walk in special and slices for $1.50. This isn't the best pizza in Renton, but I think it's the best value - great pizza for the price is you are a frequent pizza eater on a budget.
Thought you might be interested to know Armondo’s Cafe Italiano is introducing new lunch and dinner menus on August 6th. The dishes will change seasonally and focus on local ingredients. Guests are encouraged to order family-style and share plates – the true Italian way of eating!
The restaurant will also be offering winemaker’s dinners, chef’s dinners and cooking classes once a month.
There's a great pho shop over by the Wal-Mart, in the parking lot. Not only do they have teriyaki & other Vietnamese fare, but they're open on Sundays too. It's a family run place, pretty cheap. I had a conversation with the daughter, they've been open for 12 years now and apparently the first place south of Seattle that served pho. Definitely worth checking out.
Renton Teriyaki & Pho - Rainier/Grady @ the Wal-Mart shopping center
oh! Pho Saigon in Renton. Great food, reasonable prices and a staff that remembers you with a smile.
Our hidden jem in the highlands is El Taco Maestro and they live up to their name. It's in the Saar's plaza next door to the empty liquor store. Go in on a weekday afternoon and you'll see the place packed with crews of landscapers eating tons of tacos. They've got all the great authentic meats too.plus for the amount of food you get, the quality of food is outstanding and the prices are a steal. Today we got 4 carnitas tacos, 2 chicken tamales, 2 orders of beans and rice...for less than $9! Everything made right there by hand daily. They also have a good truck in Bellevue. Check em out!
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