Northwest Food Traveler 2026
Jul 2, 2026, 11:32 AM
Northwest Travel Life
Originally published on Northwest Travel & Life.
DINING GLOBALLY AT LOCAL TABLES
Fortunately, when people migrate, they bring their food traditions with them. And for the culinarily curious among us, that’s a godsend. Foods from diverse culinary traditions simply add flavor and color to our communities—and our palates. Traditions like banchan from Korea, pintxos from the Basque region of Spain, churrascaria from Brazil, kamayan from the Philippines and omakase from Japan have long ago migrated with chefs and home cooks to the U.S. Even pizza, now a staple in many American diets, crossed the Atlantic from Italy.
Is American food a melting pot or rather an encyclopedia of individual ethnic cuisines—or perhaps both? Enter fusion dining, where Korean bulgogi and kimchee are sandwiched inside a corn tortilla or Thai curry tops a pizza. American chefs, like Roy Yamaguchi (a James Beard award winner and the brainchild behind Woven in Tacoma, Washington), have championed modern fusion in their restaurants, giving adventuresome diners something new and creative to chew on.
When we travel abroad, we are undoubtedly faced with unfamiliar food choices on menus. We can embrace the new or stick with the well known (if possible). Or we might discover striking similarities with the food back home. One of our writers from the Northwest traveled to Slovenia and, while there are no distinctly Slovenian restaurants in the Northwest for comparison, he found that the ingredients and culinary creativity were remarkably similar to home.
You don’t have to travel abroad to experience global foods. Just follow your nose in your own community to discover international restaurants that are peppered across the Northwest, sometimes in a concentration that marks the community as an international food hot spot.
A chef who hailed from Vietnam, Xinh Dwelley, became well-known and well-loved in the tideland communities of Washington’s Puget Sound region. She earned a stellar reputation among shellfish aficionados for her recipes that let the main ingredients shine. Sadly, Xinh passed away in 2023, but she left a lasting legacy in her recipes.
Read about our Slovenian culinary traveler, about the international food communities in the Northwest, about Chef Xinh Dwelley’s legacy and more in this edition of Food Traveler
The Northwest is a culinary wonderland, and the best way to experience the diversity of the region’s food and beverage scene is by grazing and sipping at a festival. Fortunately, food and beverage fests abound throughout the year, and here is a list of our top picks. There might be one near you.
Gastronomic Cousins Oregon and Slovenia (Who Knew?)
Slovenia surprised me not because it felt foreign, but because it felt like home. Truffle hunts, oyster beds, olive orchards and Michelin-starred restaurants devoted to the land. A small European country and Oregon’s wine country speak the same delicious language.
Meet the World’s Largest Burrowing Clam
Virtually anyone who grew up around the intertidal areas of Puget Sound is familiar with the geoduck (pronounced “gooey-duck”). But ask someone from Midwest if they know what a geoduck is and you’ll likely get a blank stare in return. I saw the geoduck in fish markets all my life, but I had never tackled one in the kitchen. Until I met Xinh Dwelley, that is.
Throughout the Northwest, you don’t need a passport to take an international culinary journey (unless traveling between Canada and the U.S., of course). Many communities have become concentrated hubs of international foods from mom-and-pop eateries to fine dining establishments. Here are a few of our favorites that are sure to excite your taste buds and maybe broaden your culinary horizons.
The Flavors of Okanogan Country
With scenic drives, year-round outdoor action and quaint small towns with a Western flair, North-Central Washington’s Okanogan Country is full of discoveries for the curious traveler. And while you’re traveling, you have to eat, right? Luckily, Okanagan Country offers everything from home-spun cafes, fine dining, brewers of great coffee and beer, farm stands, farmers markets and more to satisfy your road-trip cravings.
