Ben Paris

"Ben Paris may arguably have the most local draw of any hotel restaurant/bar in Seattle, and accordingly, they’ll have a wide range of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day options. Here’s the whole rundown: It will be open on Christmas Eve from 4 to 8:30 p.m., offering the full menu or a $75 surf and turf prix fixe featuring an 8 oz. New York strip with grilled broccolini, roasted fingerling potatoes, red wine demi-glace, grilled shrimp over chili oil-spiked polenta, a house salad to start, and carrot cake for dessert. Then it will be open for breakfast on Christmas Day starting at 9 a.m., with a $29 steak and eggs special that gets you a 7 oz. Hanger steak, Yukon gold potatoes, demi-glace, and two eggs. Once dinner rolls around, you can again choose between the surf and turf prix fixe or order from the regular menu until 8:30 p.m. Make your reservation here." - Mark DeJoy, Eater Staff

"When about seven out of every ten Seattleites are transplants, it’s no surprise that few of them seem to know the history behind Ben Paris. Fun fact: It’s the fancier resurrection of Ben Paris Cigars, Lunch & Cards, which once inhabited the very same space between 1914 and 1950 — and got reanimated when the Eitel Building was overhauled into the State Hotel in 2019. With its splashy muraled dining room, beautiful Ben Paris does modern takes on comfort food classics, like lamb tagliatelle and buttermilk fried chicken, but these folks really cut loose on the desserts. The lemon mousse sounds innocuous, but don’t believe it — it’s a gorgeous constructivist food sculpture that was born to be Instagrammed. The smooth ball of light lemony crème is encased in poppyseed-flecked white chocolate, then accented with citrus suprèmes, grapefruit gelée, edible flower petals, and finally a shard of sesame brittle is stabbed into the top. All the desserts at Ben Paris are unexpectedly breathtaking in this way — like the towering and multilaminous carrot cake that’s dotted with pastel mini-macarons — and helpfully, everything tastes just as great if you don’t know the cool story behind it. But now that you know, you should go." - Meg van Huygen, Dylan Joffe, Harry Cheadle

"Ben Paris offers a stylish and airy space with a notable happy hour. The Gin Griffey Juniper, a Spanish-style gin and tonic, is a standout drink." - Mark DeJoy

"When: Monday through Friday, 4-5pm The Deal: Inquire when you get there This all-day restaurant on the ground floor of The State hotel serves such great food that you’d want to eat here even if you weren’t reluctantly sharing a deluxe queen room with your parents upstairs. Stop by the big marble bar for a cocktail and a plate of truffle fries." - aimee rizzo

"The State Hotel’s Ben Paris will keep its door open for takeout, adding a new family-style menu, in addition to its regular one." - Gabe Guarente