Joe Y.

BEST Casino Snoqualmie Casino

Close to Seattle but not too close, great views, ok food, unique construction, lots of covered parking and enough games to entertain pretty much anyone.

BEST Indie Theater Big Picture

BEST Museum Pacific Science Center

BEST Theater Venue Big Picture

Comfy seats, quality AV, good food, good drinks, billiards room and very reasonable prices. Way, way better value for money and, in my experience, way better service also than the GC place that's also in Redmond town center.

BEST Winery Vin du Lac

Great wine, great surrounding, very friendly and knowledgeable staff, generouse with tasters, down to earth approach to appreciating wine (absolutely no snootiness you sometimes encounter at wineries) and great wine (ok, again).

BEST Body Shop Exotic Motors Auto Rebuild Inc

BEST Car Stereo Systems Unlimited

BEST Car Wash Brown Bear Car Wash

BEST Dealerships Acura of Bellevue

BEST Detailing Bradley's

BEST Repair Strictly BMW Independent Service

Upfront and honest about work, price and timing. Both quality and customer service are better than the BMW dealer I got my M3 from.

BEST Tire Shop Costco Tire Centers

BEST Barber Crossroads Barber

Clean, bright, airy place. Friendly staff. Owner is also the lead barber. Does a great job every time, no fuss. Staff are happy to chat with you or let you be. Reasonable prices. Again, most important thing is my haircut is done right consistently and promptly.

BEST Day Spa Spa at Willows Lodge

BEST Massage Mulan Foot Spa

Simple setup but provides great foot massage that also comes with the short version of back and shoulders treatment. Full body is great with the long strokes and pressure points. Not as fancy as other places I've been (e.g. sheets are thin flannels, not luxurious fleece-like) but the workmanship is great. Cost is also quite a bit lower than most others.

BEST Barbecue Kau Kau Barbeque

BEST Breakfast Country Cafe

Great food, friendly staff, great service and reasonable pricing. Nothing fancy about the joint but that gives it a nice homely feel. We drive from Redmond to have breakfast there on Sat or Sun a least once a month.

BEST Burger XXX Rootbeer

BEST Burrito Casa D's Taqueria

BEST Crepes Euro Lounge Cafe'

BEST Greasy Spoon Ezell's Famous Chicken

Definitely good fried chicken and I do prefer them over KFC original. Do note that it's take out only at the Woodinville location (don't know about Seattle). Definitely a must try for any fried chicken fan.

BEST Healthy Lunch Juice It

BEST Hot Dog Dante's Inferno Dogs

BEST Pizza Palomino

BEST Sandwich Shop Froots

BEST Teriyaki Bento Box

BEST Men's Clothing Banana Republic

BEST Asian Fusion Wild Ginger

BEST Brunch Brown Bag Cafe

BEST Chinese Mike's Noodle House

Classic hole-in-the-wall gem. Great tasting authentic chinese noodles and congee. Stuff you won't find in a "localized" chinese restaurant. These ladies know what they're doing and the crowds that you will see everyday during lunch are not just lemmings. The food is good.

BEST Fine Dining Tosoni's Restaurant

Ok, not truly fine dining but it is really good. They serve a mix of euro-fusion with french, italian and american styles. Have been here many times and have never had a bad meal. Chef is also a very friendly guy, often chatting with patrons with a glass of wine in hand. If the small menu has nothing that strikes your fancy, don't hesitate to make a special request. We've had amazing surprises with those.

BEST Indian Kanishka of Redmond

BEST Italian Sages

Great authentic Italian food with minimal to no localization for American styles/palates. Well done.

BEST Japanese I Love Sushi

The sushi bar on NE 8th is good but if you want a nice sit-down meal, head over to their branch on Lake Bellevue. Always great service, very fresh sashimi and great grilled items (cod is goooood) also.

BEST Mediterranean Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant

BEST Mexican La Carta de Oaxaca

BEST New American The Stone House Redmond

BEST New Restaurant Lot No.3

BEST Outdoor Dining The Loft

BEST Seafood The Oyster Bar

Really easy to miss if you weren't looking for it but boy it's worth it. Fresh seafood cooked to perfection - one of the few places that does not overcook fish. Oyster samplers are great though hard to pick which ones to sample. :) Try to get there early - not a lot of parking spaces available plus some tables have better views than others.

BEST Steakhouse John Howie Steak

BEST Sushi Nara Japanese Restaurant

BEST Tapas Ocho

BEST Thai Iyara Thai Cuisine

Very authentic, not overly sweet like most localized Thai food.

BEST Vietnamese Pho Bac

Classic dive, great vietnamese beef noodles. One of the best broth in the area.

BEST Bike Shop Mr. Crampys

BEST Gym 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport

BEST Sporting Goods REI

BEST Favorite Local Charity Seattle Humane Society

These guys just do the good work instead of spending a lot of time talking about doing work. Caring for strays is a tough job especially when you're highly dependent on donations. Thank you for proving there is still some humanity in humans.

BEST Matchmaker Events And Adventures

BEST Beer Selection Tap House Grill

Great local and international beer selection, great food.

BEST Bowling Lucky Strike Lanes

BEST Brewpub Redhook Ale Brewery

Although it's a large company, it is a surprisingly fun and relaxing place to visit, have a few beers, some snacks (or a meal) and just chat with the staff. Great to bring visitors too for the always fun $1 tour.

BEST Happy Hour Pearl Bar & Dining

BEST Irish Pub JJ Mahoney's

BEST Movie Theater Lincoln Square Cinemas

BEST Neighborhood Bar Tap House

BEST Pool Hall The Parlor Billiards & Spirits

Great place to hang out with your date or with a group of friends/colleagues. Open area is big enough to be comfortable even during very busy periods. Private rooms are great for events. Best of all, the food and drinks are actually very good so you don't have to go somewhere else for dinner before coming here.

BEST Trendy Bar Munchbar

BEST Wine Bar Purple Café and Wine Bar

BEST Local Personality on Twitter @LilyJang

BEST Local Podcast The Stranger

BEST Neighborhood Blog The redmond neighborhood blog

BEST Local Radio Personality Kent & Alan

Fun, entertaining guys that don't over do things. Always good listening to them.

BEST Local TV Personality Kaci Aitchison

BEST Pro Athlete Ichiro Suzuki

Absolutely one of the best athletes of our time. Consistent performer, no crybaby prima donna nonsense. It's unfortunate that he's not given due recognition just because he's Japanese. Don't worry Ichiro, not all Americans are that narrow.

BEST Dog Park Marymoor Park

Absolutely wonderful place for dogs and their people. All kinds of terrain, vegetation even water for every dog to have a blast running, sniffing, splashing and just being.

BEST Pet Supplies Eastside Dog

BEST Ugliest Dog Spike

BEST Bookstore Elliott Bay Book Company

This is a Seattle landmark. Just an incredible place to get lost in for hours and not even notice the time having gone by. Incredible collection of books, great environment and store layout, just have to visit to appreciate.

BEST Furniture Kasala Furniture

BEST Home and Garden Molbak's

BEST Housewares Crate and Barrel

BEST Shopping Center Bellevue Square

Pretty much everything you need within easy reach. Sure, prices will be higher than the outlets but unless you're going to buy a lot of stuff, the savings won't justify the distance, time and crowds. Also, there's always stuff happening in or around the mall especially during holiday season.

BEST Bakery George's Bakery & Deli

BEST Beer Store Pike Street Beer & Wine

BEST Cheese Shop The Cheesemonger's Shop

Great selection, friendly staff and decent prices. A must visit if you're in the area and love cheese.

BEST Chocolate The Chocolate Box

BEST Coffee Shop Kitanda Brazillian Espresso & Bakery

Reeeeaally good Brasillian mocha - a mix of great espresso with sweetened condensed milk and steamed milk. Yummmm. The cheese buns and other savoury pastries are very good too.

BEST Cupcakes Verite Coffee and Cupcake Royale

BEST Desserts Regent Bakery & Cafe

Nobody expects to find great pastries and cakes here but there you go. Definitely worth stopping by especially if you're tired of the same tasting/looking grocery store birthday cakes.

BEST Donuts Krispy Kreme

BEST Gourmet Grocery Uwajimaya

BEST Wine Shop Seattle Wine Company

Great selection, very friendly and knowledgeable staff that actually love wine and try before they sell, very reasonable prices. Hands down one of the best wine shops in Western WA.

BEST Biggest Public Eyesore Tent Cities

BEST Green Building Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife

Very befitting considering the dept it houses.

BEST Local Event Taste Washington

Absolutely the best place to sample some amazing simple or gourmet food and of course, the best wines.

BEST Pick-up Place Starbucks Coffee

BEST Place to People Watch Green Lake Park

BEST Place to Work Google

BEST Man of the Year Bill Gates

Forget Microsoft. Bill's philantropic efforts todate already puts so many to shame and he's not even near done. No other wealthy individual has returned so much of what he made back to society, worldwide and asked for nothing in return.

BEST Story of the Year Boeing 787

BEST Woman of the Year Lily Jang