New western WA fine dining restaurant wants you to feel like you’ve ‘truly arrived’
Jun 10, 2026, 5:34 PM | Updated: 5:35 pm
A waiter serves food in a restaurant. (Image courtesy of The Associated Press)
(Image courtesy of The Associated Press)
A new fine dining restaurant on Whidbey Island is fully embracing its island roots.
Michelin-starred chef Johnny Spero opened Passage on June 5 at the Inn at Langley, The Puget Sound Business Journal reported.
The restaurant, described as “a place for guests, travelers, and islanders alike,” encourages patrons to be fully present, savoring each course and the moment around it.
“Named for the waters that shape this island and the journeys that shape us, Passage is a restaurant built on the idea that the most generous offering is the feeling of having truly arrived,” the Inn at Langley stated on its website. “Perched above the Saratoga Passage on Whidbey Island, within the Inn at Langley, Passage is an invitation to be fully present: on this island, in this season, at this table, in this moment.”
Passage touts a multi-course tasting menu at dinner, with à la carte beverage offerings and curated pairings.
Spero’s fine dining journey, from D.C. to Whidbey Island
Executive Chef Spero is no stranger to high-level kitchens, having worked in some of the most formative culinary programs in the country, according to the Inn at Langley. He worked under James Beard Award-winning chef Johnny Monis before joining José Andrés’ Minibar in D.C., where he earned Eater’s “Chef of the Year.”
In 2018, Spero opened seafood-forward restaurant Reverie in Washington, D.C., and earned a Michelin star in 2022. Spero was forced to close Reverie only three months after earning the star due to a fire, but reopened the restaurant 18 months later, according to Eater. Spero ultimately decided to close the restaurant for good in October 2025.
“We are choosing where the story ends,” Spero said in a statement in July 2025. “This was never meant to last forever, but it was meant to mean something, and it did.”
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A new chapter on Whidbey Island
Now, Spero is writing the next chapter on Whidbey Island.
“At Passage, Spero brings that same depth of craft to the Pacific Northwest: working in close relationship with the farmers, fishers, and foragers of this region, and informed by a curiosity that has never stopped traveling,” the Inn at Langley stated. “The cooking is marked by reverence, restraint, and nuanced simplicity.”
The tasting menu is available Thursday to Sunday at 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. However, Passage is already booked through the summer, with the next available reservation in September, according to The Puget Sound Business Journal. The restaurant holds a portion of its tables for Inn at Langley guests.
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