4. Green Leaf. Make sure you show up hungry to this tiny International District joint, where you can taste authentic, low-cost Vietnamese at its best. $; 481 Eighth Ave. S.; 206/340-1388.
5. Oddfellows Cafe (pictured). If there’s a single restaurant that epitomizes Seattle’s food-and-drink scene, this is it. In a giant, high-ceilinged room, you’ll see morning meetings over cups of bottomless (good) coffee and sizzling baked eggs, tattooed freelancers tapping away at their laptops during lunch, and a lineup of creative cocktails and locally sourced dishes for dinner. $$; 1525 10th Ave.
6. Espresso Vivace. Think of Seattle as a body, and coffee as its blood. Espresso Vivace, which opened in 1988, embodies the city’s longtime devotion to perfecting how to roast a bean. Multiple locations.
7. Staple & Fancy Mercantile. At Ethan Stowell’s latest restaurant in Ballard, you can order the Northwest-inspired Italian food off a straightforward à la carte “staples” menu, but the adventurous go for the prix fixe “fancy” menu, which means the kitchen creates a family-style supper at its whim. If you’re torn, regard the note at the bottom of the fancy menu: We would also like to inform you that you really should do this. $$$$; 4739 Ballard Ave. N.W.