I’ve been on the hunt for the best restaurants on Bainbridge Island since one of my favorite food trucks in Seattle decided to open a permanent location on the island. Over the past decade, a ton of buzzy restaurants have been opening up on this island only a 35-minute ferry ride from Seattle.
Its proximity to Seattle makes Bainbridge Island an easy day trip or excursion for dinner. If you want to expand your palate beyond what’s in the city, make the trip to try one of these best restaurants on Bainbridge Island.
Best Restaurants on Bainbridge Island
These Bainbridge Island restaurants make this one of my favorite islands near Seattle!
Bruciato
website | directions | best for: pizza
Y’all know as an ex-east coaster, I’ve been on the endless hunt for the best pizza in Seattle. Well, if Bruciato was in Seattle proper, it’d definitely be on my list because it made it on my list of restaurants worth the drive from Seattle.
Chef Brendan McGill makes extraordinary Neapolitan-style pizza cooked in a very hot wood-burning oven. The result is dough with the most perfect chew and a few blisters and char to add extra flavor. I’m an extreme purist when it comes to pizza and judge every spot by how well they can execute the classic Margherita, since there’s no hiding behind toppings. McGill’s pizza passes the test. Plus they have meatballs that bring this Italian eatery over the top.
If you can only go to one of the best restaurants on Bainbridge Island, make sure this one is it.
Hitchcock Restaurant Group
website | directions | best for: sandwiches
Seattlelites might recognize the name Hitchock Deli because there used to be a location in Georgetown. Brendan McGill closed that offshoot, but is still kickin’ with the original Bainbridge Island location.
Yup, you read the name right. The McGill behind Bruciato is also the one behind the Hitchcock brand. Across the street from Bruciato he has two attached restaurants. The first is Hitchcock Deli, his coffee and fast-casual concept.
I didn’t get a chance to go to Hitchcock before it rebranded to a more casual space during the pandemic, but the deli and burgers are phenomenal. The pastrami sandwich is one of the best I’ve had and the burger would rival some of the best burgers in Seattle.
As you can see, Alaska-born McGill has a mini empire in Bainbridge Island making some amazing restaurants worth the drive from Seattle. His wife Heidi’s family homesteaded on the island since the 1890s. They decided to continue the legacy by creating a food empire steeped in local resources. As a result, McGill was nominated for a James Beard award in 2014. So you can see, this chef knows his stuff!
Proper Fish
website | directions | best for: fish and chips
Proper Fish used to be one of the best cheap eats in Seattle. It started as Nosh food truck serving the biggest $10 fish and chips you ever did see at area farmers markets. British born co-owner Harvey Wolff makes some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had: Alaskan line-caught cod from the Bering Sea, fried with a local beer batter, and served on a newspaper with house-made tartar sauce and a side of minty mushy peas.
The permanent location on Bainbridge Island is still serving hefty portions of this dish, as well as other seafood classics like lobster roll. While the prices are higher, the quality is still top notch. So if you’re craving some low-brow British comfort food, make the trek to this Bainbridge Island restaurant.
Ba Sa Restaurant
website | directions | best for: Vietnamese
Ba Sa is a modern Vietnamese restaurant that uses local ingredients to turn out some really interesting dishes, like fried chicken bao buns and chili prawns with a cult following. But one of the best things about this Bainbridge Island restaurant is the story behind it.
Siblings Trinh and Thai Nguyen opened the restaurant in honor of their parents, who arrived in Seattle in 1998 after living and cooking in refugee camps in Vietnam. Thai was actually born in one of those refugee camps.
When the family made it to the US, they continued their love of cooking. Trinh grew up cooking with her family and Thai helping out in the restaurants. Ba Sa is named after a type of catfish that was their favorite meal made by their mother growing up. They honor her with a recreation of her specialty dish on the restaurant’s menu.
Mora Iced Creamery
website | directions | best for: you guessed it, ice cream
I’m always on the hunt for the best desserts in Seattle and the best ice cream in Seattle, so when I travel it’s no different. Moras is tucked down a side street off the main drag of downtown Bainbridge Island. I discovered it one day while making the rounds and was impressed with the creamy, almost gelato-like consistency of their ice cream.
Mora Iced Creamery was open in 2006 by Ana Orselli and Jerry Perez. They make ice cream like their great grandmother, in small batches using fresh milk, eggs, and cane sugar. In fact, they have over 70 flavors now, including interesting combos like banana split or cheesecake with gooey brownies.
They got so many requests to ship their ice cream that they’ve since franchised and expanded to have multiple locations around the US. But they’re still operating out of their original location on Bainbridge Island, which is the perfect stop for a sweet after your self-guided food tour of the island.
Other Restaurants on Bainbridge Island
Here are ones that I’ve either tried and thought were solid or still need to visit next time I’m on the island.
- Via Rosa 11 – I came here for pizza once and thought the dough was a bit too mealy, but really liked the pepperoni on it so will have to give it another try.
- Blackbird Bakery – This place is recommended by everyone. I haven’t had anything that wow’ed me, but you can’t really go wrong with baked goods.
- Pegasus Coffee – Solid coffee. Instagrammable brick building covered in ivy.
- Jake’s Pickup – This place was closed when I last tried to go, but I heard they make dope sandwiches out of a Chevron.
- Pleasant Beach Donuts – I haven’t tried this spot yet, but I heard they make good doughnuts. They also have a popup in Seattle’s Sandpoint neighborhood.
Map of Bainbridge Island Restaurants
Here’s my map of things to do on Bainbridge Island, which includes restaurants. Hopefully this gives you a sense of where the restaurants are in comparison to other activities to do between eats.