If you have been planning a trip to Seattle, there is no better time to go than this month. Seattle is home to some incredible restaurants, and there is no better way to try them than through Restaurant Week.

Food cities all over the nation have their own Restaurant Weeks, a time where hundreds of restaurants participate to serve multi-course meals for a fixed special price throughout the promotional event’s run time.

Maybe it’s because they have the word “eat” right in its name, or maybe Seattleites simply just love food that much, but Seattle actually has two separate periods for this beloved epicurean event. October and April are the months for Seattle restaurants to serve up three-course meals for $30, and some restaurants to even serve a two-course lunch for $15. Seattle Restaurant Week will run from Oct. 18-22 and Oct. 25-29. The 10-day promotion runs Sunday through Thursday only, excluding Friday, Saturday and Sunday brunch.

Typically, most restaurants will have entrees that cost $20 – $40, but with Restaurant Week, diners can get an appetizer, entrée and dessert for $30. Lunches at these restaurants can easily cost $30 or more for two courses, but during this special time, it will only be $15. Restaurant Week is the perfect opportunity to dine at world-class restaurants for half the price or less.

There is some strategy that goes along with navigating the 150 plus restaurants. Some restaurants will choose to make dishes specific for Restaurant Week, but I tend to stay away from those. Those dishes are usually lower quality products, and there is no point in trying out a restaurant you have been dying to try if they do not have dishes that reflect their regular menu. Other restaurants such as tapas or small-plate restaurants are meant to be eaten in that format. They would not do well or be an accurate experience of that restaurant if they are coerced into following a strict three-course style.

I do have some top choices for restaurants worth a visit for this round of Restaurant Week:

No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to Pike Place Market, and while you are there, go to Café Champagne. Café Champagne is a longstanding cozy French restaurant in the heart of Seattle. It has perfectly-executed, classic and soulful French dishes cooked by Iron Chef competitor Daisley Gordon.

Monsoon Bellevue and Monsoon Seattle are also worth a stop. Chefs Sophie and Eric Banh are arguably the best chefs in Seattle when it comes to Vietnamese food. Monsoon is much more than your average pho joint (although some amazing pho can be enjoyed at Monsoon’s sister restaurant, Ba Bar). It is a melting pot of the Banh’s Vietnamese upbringing, classical European technique and its highlighting of bountiful ingredients indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. Monsoon has a diverse menu, and when savored through Restaurant Week, can be a great group dinner of dishes served family-style.

Tom Douglas’ beloved pizza province in his restaurant empire is a winner for Restaurant Week. Serious Pie at any of their locations allows you to pick any starter, any pizza and any dessert for $30. That system allows eaters to get the full and honest Serious Pie experience. Serious Pie has been featured multiple times on various food television shows for its amazing brick-oven-style pizza. It’s the perfect place to go with a large group and eat family-style as each of you orders your own starters, pizza and desserts.

It is also imperative to make reservations whenever possible because the availability of seats disperses quickly. Most restaurants will use the premier restaurant reservation system known as Opentable. Opentable allows for fast and easy online reservations and for personal accounts to be made to track your reservations of all the restaurants you have dined at. An Opentable account allows people to receive dining points when they have checked into the restaurant they just reserved. These dining points can be traded in at certain quantities for gift cards to be used at restaurants. Each time a restaurant confirms you have checked in, you will receive 100 points, but some select restaurants at specific reservation times will award a diner 1,000 points. Creating an Opentable account is completely free and will only benefit you as a diner. Why not make an account and start accumulating points through eating out for Restaurant Week?

Seattle is one of my favorite cities and worth a weekend trip just for the food. I highly encourage everyone to take a visit at the end of October and splurge on Restaurant Week. You can even enter to win $50 gift cards to any Restaurant Week restaurant. Happy eating everyone!

For More Information:

Seattle Restaurant Week Site: http://srw.seattletimes.com/#/ or just google Seattle Restaurant Week.

For any questions or to receive a copy of my top 20 picks for restaurant week, email me at [email protected].