Ledgestone Hotel – YakimaFor guests staying at Ledgestone Suites Hotel Yakima, there are plenty of choices for both quick meals and nights worth planning around. We’ve narrowed the options to 10 local restaurants that give visitors a good cross-section of what Yakima has to offer.
1. Crafted
Best for: Foodies, date nights and a memorable dinner
If you have one evening set aside for a special meal in Yakima, Crafted deserves serious consideration. Chef Dan Koommoo and his wife Mollie opened the downtown restaurant in 2017 with a commitment to working closely with farmers and foragers throughout the Pacific Northwest.
That relationship with local agriculture isn’t simply part of the restaurant’s marketing. It determines what’s on the plate. Crafted’s menu changes constantly based on what’s available, with much of its seasonal food sourced from within roughly 100 miles of the restaurant.
The result is a dining experience that’s difficult to summarize with a list of signature dishes. You might encounter something completely different from a guest who ate here several weeks earlier.
Dishes are designed with sharing in mind, making this a particularly good choice for adventurous diners who would rather try several things than order the usual appetizer-and-entrée combination.
Reservations are highly recommended.
Address: 22 N 1st St, Yakima, WA 98901
Phone: (509) 426-2220
Website: craftedyakima.com
2. Cowiche Canyon Kitchen & Icehouse Bar
Best for: First-time visitors and polished American food
Cowiche Canyon Kitchen is one of the easiest Yakima restaurants to recommend to a group because its menu covers plenty of territory without feeling generic.
The downtown restaurant describes itself as a polished American tavern, serving scratch-made interpretations of familiar dishes while drawing heavily on ingredients grown and raised in the Yakima Valley.
You might find steaks, seafood, substantial salads, bowls and sandwiches alongside starters designed for sharing. The restaurant also makes its breads and pastries from scratch.
The atmosphere lands somewhere between neighborhood restaurant and upscale tavern, so it works just as well for lunch as it does for a date night or business dinner.
If your group can’t agree on a cuisine but everyone wants somewhere distinctly local, Cowiche Canyon is a strong choice.
Address: 202 E Yakima Ave, Yakima, WA 98901
Phone: (509) 457-2007
Website: cowichecanyon.com
3. Los Hernández Tamales
Best for: A true Yakima food experience
Some restaurants are worth visiting because they’re excellent. Los Hernández has the added distinction of telling you something about the place you’re visiting.
The family business is famous for its handmade tamales and received one of America’s most prestigious culinary honors when the James Beard Foundation recognized Los Hernández with an America’s Classics Award in 2018.
Traditional tamales are available throughout the year, but the restaurant is particularly famous for its seasonal asparagus and pepper jack tamales.
That combination makes considerably more sense once you understand Yakima Valley agriculture. Washington is an important asparagus-growing state, and the seasonal tamale turns one of the valley’s crops into something completely unexpected.
This isn’t a formal dining experience. Come for something casual, locally rooted and difficult to duplicate anywhere else.
Website: loshernandeztamales.com
4. WaterFire Restaurant & Bar
Best for: Northwest flavors, steak, seafood and celebrations
WaterFire takes a broader Pacific Northwest approach, drawing inspiration from the region’s farms and waterways while incorporating flavors from across the Pacific Rim.
That gives the menu considerable range. Steak and seafood share space with dishes influenced by Asian flavors, seasonal produce and a full cocktail program.
The restaurant feels polished enough for an anniversary or celebratory dinner without becoming excessively formal. It’s also useful for groups where one person wants steak, another wants seafood and someone else would rather order something lighter.
Weekend brunch adds another reason to keep WaterFire on your list if you’re staying in Yakima for several days.
Address: 4000 Creekside Loop, Yakima, WA 98908
Phone: (509) 853-1057
Website: waterfirerestaurant.com
5. E.Z Tiger
Best for: Asian flavors and sharing with friends
E.Z Tiger brings something completely different to downtown Yakima.
The kitchen takes inspiration from Asian cuisines, building a menu around noodles, dumplings, dim sum-style dishes and other plates meant to be passed around the table. Pair that with a creative cocktail program and an energetic dining room, and you have a restaurant that feels noticeably different from Yakima’s steakhouses and American grills.
This is a good place to bring a few friends and order collaboratively rather than approaching dinner as a collection of individual entrées.
E.Z Tiger is also a useful choice when you’ve spent several days traveling and want a break from burgers, steaks and traditional American food.
Address: 222 E Chestnut Ave, Yakima, WA 98901
Phone: (509) 571-1977
6. Provisions Restaurant & Market
Best for: Seasonal food and discovering Yakima Valley producers
Provisions combines a restaurant with a small market, and both sides of the business emphasize connections to the surrounding community.
The dinner menu changes with the seasons and incorporates locally available ingredients into contemporary American cooking. Expect a mixture of shareable starters, vegetables, meats and other dishes rather than a rigid menu that stays unchanged throughout the year.
The adjacent market makes Provisions especially interesting for travelers. Shelves feature products from Yakima Valley and Washington producers, including local wineries, breweries, cider makers, farms and specialty food companies.
That means you can have dinner and then browse for something local to take home or enjoy back at your hotel.
Address: 2710 Terrace Heights Dr, Yakima, WA 98901
Phone: (509) 452-8100
Website: provisionsyakima.com
7. Yakima Steak Company
Best for: Steaks and a classic night out
Washington wine country and a good steak are natural companions, and Yakima Steak Company provides a straightforward place to put the two together.
The locally owned downtown steakhouse combines a rustic atmosphere with the kind of menu you’d expect when beef is the main event. It’s a particularly good fit for travelers who have spent the afternoon visiting Yakima Valley wineries and want to finish the day with a substantial dinner.
The restaurant also works well for business dinners and celebrations, especially when you’re looking for something more traditional than the constantly changing menu at a restaurant like Crafted.
Wine and whiskey drinkers should find plenty to explore alongside dinner.
Address: 221 W Yakima Ave, Yakima, WA 98902
Phone: (509) 571-1472
Website: yakimasteakco.com
8. Second Street Grill
Best for: A casual downtown meal
Not every dinner while traveling needs to be an event.
Second Street Grill is a dependable downtown option when you want a relaxed atmosphere, drinks and enough variety to satisfy a group. The restaurant serves American favorites with some Asian influences, giving the menu more personality than a standard neighborhood bar and grill.
Burgers, sandwiches, salads and larger plates make it particularly useful for families and groups with different appetites.
There’s also a lively bar atmosphere and televisions, so this is the kind of place that works well when you want dinner while catching a game or meeting friends rather than settling in for a formal evening.
Address: 28 N 2nd St, Yakima, WA 98901
Phone: (509) 469-1486
Website: secondstreetgrill.com
9. Zullee Mediterranean Grill
Best for: Mediterranean food and a lighter casual meal
Zullee offers a welcome change of pace when you want something quick and flavorful without defaulting to another burger.
The restaurant began in Yakima in 2011 under its earlier Kabob House identity and later became Zullee Mediterranean Grill. Its menu draws from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions, with gyros, kabobs, shawarma, salads, hummus and customizable bowls among the options.
It’s particularly useful at lunchtime or on a night when you want a more casual meal. The ability to build bowls and combine proteins, vegetables, sauces and sides also makes it easier to accommodate different dietary preferences.
Address: 2706 W Nob Hill Blvd, Suite 103, Yakima, WA 98902
Phone: (509) 469-0504
Website: zullee.com
10. Essencia Artisan Bakery
Best for: Pastries, coffee and a light breakfast
Dinner gets most of the attention in restaurant guides, but a good bakery can be just as useful when you’re traveling.
Downtown’s Essencia Artisan Bakery is known for European-style pastries, artisan breads, chocolates and coffee. Croissants and scones are among the items that have built the bakery a loyal local following, while soups and sandwiches can turn a pastry stop into a casual lunch.
This isn’t the place for a large sit-down breakfast. Seating is limited, and the experience is centered more on the bakery counter.
That’s part of its appeal. Stop in for coffee and a pastry before starting your day, or pick up bread and something sweet to take with you.
Address: 4 N 3rd St, Yakima, WA 98901
Phone: (509) 575-5570
What Should You Eat While Visiting Yakima?
If you only have a couple of meals in town, think about what makes Yakima different rather than simply choosing the restaurant with the longest menu.
- For a special dinner: Crafted
- For a first visit to Yakima: Cowiche Canyon Kitchen
- For a uniquely local experience: Los Hernández Tamales
- For steak and seafood: WaterFire
- For Asian-inspired food: E.Z Tiger
- For seasonal Northwest cooking: Provisions
- For a steakhouse: Yakima Steak Company
- For something casual downtown: Second Street Grill
- For Mediterranean: Zullee
- For pastries and coffee: Essencia Artisan Bakery
Yakima’s Food Scene Starts with the Valley Around It
The most interesting thing about eating in Yakima isn’t any single restaurant. It’s the agricultural region surrounding the city.
The Yakima Valley produces wine grapes, apples, cherries, hops, asparagus and many other crops. Local chefs have unusually direct access to that agricultural community, and the better restaurants take advantage of it.
That’s why a food-focused visit doesn’t have to end at the restaurant table. A day might include a morning bakery stop, lunch in downtown Yakima, an afternoon visiting wineries or breweries and dinner built around ingredients grown elsewhere in the valley.
Make Dining Part of Your Yakima Stay
Guests staying at Ledgestone Suites Hotel Yakima have another option when they don’t feel like eating every meal in a restaurant. The hotel’s suites include kitchens, making it practical to bring back takeout, save leftovers or prepare something simple during a longer stay.
But don’t spend the whole trip eating in your room.
Yakima’s restaurants provide another way to experience the valley. Try a James Beard-recognized tamale, see what local farmers inspired at Crafted, explore Washington wines alongside dinner or simply grab a pastry from a downtown bakery before heading out for the day.
In a city surrounded by some of Washington’s most productive farmland, eating locally is one of the easiest ways to get to know the destination.