Best Restaurants In Tri-Cities: Richland, Kennewick & Pasco
If you’ve just moved into the Richland area or if you are visiting the Tri-Cities and wondering where the best places to eat are, see this list of the top restaurants in Richland. The restaurants listed below include the slightly more upscale type to affordable favorites with the locals.
Richland is just one of the three cities that make up the Tricities. Located in Eastern Washington, the Tri-Cities is surrounded by agriculture and many of the restaurants here offer farm to table menus.
Eastern Washington is also the state’s wine region and there are many wineries surrounding the Tri-Cities. This means you can enjoy a glass from a local vineyard with your meal.
Best Places To Eat In Tri-Cities
Best Restaurants In Richland
Lulu’s Craft Bar & Kitchen
Lulu’s Craft Bar & Kitchen is a family owned and operated restaurant that takes pride in their farm to table approach. Most of the produce is sourced locally and they prepare all of their meals daily from scratch.
This restaurant is the go to for locals when they want an upscale dining experience. Lulu’s is also a great place to take visiting family and friends because of the restaurants nice location on the waterfront.
Their menu consists of burgers, steaks, seafood, sandwiches and salad. They are most famous however for their Pig Candy which is basically spicy candied bacon. It certainly lives up to its great reputation so be sure to order a serve as your starter.
As for drinks, they offer 12 beers on tap, an assortment of local wines, and signature barrel-aged martinis. Lulu’s prime location with one of the best patio views in the whole of the Tri-Cities coupled with good food puts this restaurant at the top of the list!
3 Eyed Fish Kitchen & Wine Bar
Sitting beside Lulu’s is the 3 Eyed Fish Kitchen + Bar, another upscale restaurant on the Columbia River. They offer a somewhat limited menu that is a little on the pricey end however the quality and taste more than makes up for it.
On the menu expect salad and burgers, spinach and artichoke dip, a charcuterie board, asiago crusted chicken breast, tortellini in alfredo, and fish and chips. Of course there is a large selection of local wines, spirits, cocktails, and beer.
Budd’s Broiler By Anthony’s
Budd’s Broiler is a steakhouse specializing in premium Northwest beef with the addition of Anthony’s seafood on the menu. In fact, Anthony’s Seafood is located just next door and both restaurants sit on the banks of the Columbia River.
The restaurant’s interior is dark and moody with a great ambience and there are water views from most tables.
So what’s on the menu? You can choose from top sirloin, filet mignon, dry-aged New York strip and porterhouse steak. In addition there are a number of seafood entrees including scampi prawns, swordfish steak, Pacific ahi steak, Columbia River King salmon steak, and Alaskan King crab legs.
Yes, this place is a little on the expensive side but they do have a happy hour dinner menu that is well priced.
Family Garden
Family Garden is a favorite with the locals and a once a week dinner deal for many of the residents that live nearby.
This restaurant is a cut above what you might normally be used to when it comes Chinese restaurants. For starters, their food is always fresh. In fact, if you were to stop by for lunch you would probably see the owners at a table chopping fresh chives or cracking chestnuts open. None of the meals ever seem to be greasy and meat dishes are not just fatty pieces.
Besides just being really good Chinese food, the meal portions are huge and you could easily share with someone else. On top of that, prices are very affordable! Lunch time meals are usually under $10 and dinner is only a few extra dollars.
Family Garden specialize in Szechuan style Chinese food but surprisingly they make really good sushi too. This place is great for a casual low-key lunch or dinner.
Bob’s Burgers & Brew
Bob’s Burgers & Brew is a gourmet burger chain restaurant in Washington state. Obviously they specialize in gourmet burgers and you will find options like the blue cheese burger, the jalapeno burger, Hawaiian ham & pineapple, along with chicken burger items like chipotle chicken bacon, and Teriyaki chicken on the menu to name a few. Watch out, the burgers are big!
Beside burgers, they also make wraps and salads and are also open for breakfast offering eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy, omlettes, waffles, and the other usual breakfast suspects.
Spudnuts
Spudnuts is the oldest coffee shop in Richland but what they are most popular for is their doughnuts! While I wouldn’t say they are world famous as they claim to be on their website, they are certainly famous in the Tri-Cities. We regularly ride our bicycles over to pick up a fresh one to have with our coffees at home in the mornings.
So what is a spudnut? Isn’t it the same as a regular doughnut? Well it is, except that the dough is made from potato flour instead of wheat which apparently tastes better. Judging by how fast they run out of doughnuts on a daily basis, many locals would agree with that statement. But you can be the judge.
Best Restaurants In Kennewick
The Crazy Crab Place
The Crazy Crab Place offers a unique seafood experience with a Mexican flare. This restaurant in Kennewick boils fresh seafood in a unique Cajun seasoning blend that will knock your socks off! The secret ingredient has Tri-Cities folks hooked.
The highlight at this eatery is the seafood feast which can be ordered for one, two, or four people, and includes a mix of snow crab, Dungeness crab, shrimp, mussels, clams, and more. All orders are served on paper-covered tables and customers can chow down while wearing bibs so as not to make a mess of themselves.
Some of the other dishes available include cajun catfish, crab cakes, coconut shrimp, oysters, lobster ravioli, and more.
Twigs
Twigs is a restaurant located at the Columbia River Mall in Kennewick. This restaurant offers modern cuisine like pan-seared Alaskan salmon over cilantro citrus rice with roasted red pepper corn relish. Also good here is the blue crab mac n cheese, and lemon caper halibut.
They’ve also got a great hand-held menu including dishes like mahi mahi tacos, bulgogi steak tacos, blackened shrimp tacos, and kalua pork.
Be sure to leave room for dessert! The favorite dessert item here with locals is the Dunken Donuts, fried donut holes covered in powdered sugar and served with apple pucker caramel, Irish Cream chocolate, and Amaretto crème anglaise. FYI, this place has a great cocktail menu!
Proof Gastropub
If you’re craving a good burger, Proof Gastropub is the place to go! This pub offers a variety of gourmet style burgers using quality ingredients. You’ve got choices that include the Wake Up Burger, an angus-ribeye blend patty with honey-cured smoked bacon, sunny-side up egg, guacamole and charred jalapeno aioli, and the Blueprint Burger which involves an angus-ribeye blend patty with Danish blue cheese, crispy maple-glazed pork belly and black garlic aioli.
They’ve also got a killer mac n cheese made with chicken breast, honey-cured bacon, fontina cheese sauce and parmesan, plus some awesome pork belly tacos.
Stick + Stone Wood Fired Pizza
The Tri-Cities is lacking in the good pizza restaurants department so Stick + Stone Wood Fired Pizza has managed to fill in the gap. This restaurant in Kennewick is a great place to eat if you’re in the mood for some artisanal pizza.
Let’s cover the crust here. For starters, the pizza crust at this pizza establishment is a thin crust, however it is not crispy. They pizzas here are also all twelve inch only.
Now that we have covered that, let’s go over the specialty options. They’ve got options that include buffalo chicken (with jalapenos and goat cheese), the pig (peperoni and spicy fennel sausage), chicken alfredo, and the vodka (with pancetta and fresh mozzarella). If you’re in the mood for trying something a little more unique, order the Pho Shizzle, a pizza with garlic confit chicken, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, cilantro, basil, and a swirl of sriracha and hoison sauce.
More Articles On Tri-Cities