404055 Tue May 22 12:13:14 -0700 2007 14 4 Pacific Northwest 0 2592371 Are there any good places to eat on Mercer Island? Also, any good grocery stores? Tue May 22 12:13:14 -0700 2007 84310 clearskies0810 1 2592732 I've been working on the island for six months now, and I am still asking the same question. My current answer is "not really", but I haven't exhausted all avenues. Here is what i've found at least acceptable: -Little Tokyo Teriyaki on SE 78th is probably the best of the few 'yaki joints, with various combos, yakisoba, gyoza, etc. The other place on SE 27th, Gourmet Teriyaki, is pretty poor. -Next door to Lil' Tokyo is Alpenland Deli, which does a brisk lunch business and sells german and swiss products. I've had their sausage, roll and kraut combo, which was pretty tasty (esp. the kraut which is cooked with bacon), but a poor value at $10, which is a common theme on the island. -Pan Proem Thai, further south on 78th, I've had twice and it was well-made and fresh, while offering a very conservative and short menu of standards. I've had the phad thai, with perfectly textured noodles, and this spicy eggplant dish which is one of those permanent "specials" listed on the board, a la other thai restaurants. I got both at 4 stars and was surprised that no punches were pulled. Thai on Mercer, which has a whole mess of credentials in its window, has an embarassingly bastardized menu including black bean sauce, peanut sauce and even caesar salad. I walked out when I saw it. -I Love Pho is a whitewashed Viet place which purges/waters its fish sauce for the xenophobe palate, and charges you nearly $10 at lunch for the privilege. It makes a pretty fat BBQ pork skewer, I must admit. Its pho is passable, but why bother when 12th and Jack is 10 minutes away? -The Roanoke bar serves a palatable lunch, but nothing worth making a trip for. I look back over my words and find them harsh, but a worker's lunch must be dependable and represent value. It is hard to believe that with the concentration of wealth on the island there isn't better food, but it appears so. Tue May 22 13:31:33 -0700 2007 2592371 19098 equinoise 2 2592893 I completely agree...when I was working on Mercer Island there was NOTHING. Here in Seattle I'm used to $5 pho...$10 always seemed a little ridiculous to me. Since I stopped working there almost a year ago several new places have popped up, but I think they are all chains (although I do dig Noah's Bagels...yum!). Oh yes...I'm talking about the area surrounding the Island Crest Way exit. I'm sure there are other places to get food on MI, but I never had time to try to find them. Tue May 22 14:03:40 -0700 2007 2592732 75732 mariannas 2 2593200 No longer true. Did the OP say they were looking specifically for lunch? Bennett's is a recent addition to the island. I think I first dined there last fall, so it's not brand new. Not sure their schedule, but they are open for dinner. The food is pretty good generally, and down right delicious compared to what's available on the rest of the island. It's in the new building across the street from I Love Pho. Roberto's is next to I Love Pho and serves marginal pizza and pretty good salads. Thai on Mercer is the next shopping center over and serves consistently respectable Thai. Also, if you're up for a bit of a trek, the new Mexican place on the south end of the island isn't bad. Grocery stores, they are all chains. QFC is probably the most respectable (north and south end) of the bunch. Tue May 22 15:33:45 -0700 2007 2592732 23199 ethereal 3 2593227 Thanks for all the recs so far! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night, any help would be appreciated =) I'm living on MI for the summer and don't want to have to hop on I-90 east or west just to eat. Oh yeah - any happy hour recs would be appreciated too! Tue May 22 15:45:08 -0700 2007 2593200 84310 clearskies0810 3 2660006 I second Thai on Mercer. They make a great "Thai caesar" salad dressing. When I left the Island my folks still lived there and I would have them send me bottles in care packages. It's been years since I lived there but back in the day happy hour was good at the bar above Tru Value on the north end. Don't remember the name of it but it is literally above the hardware store. Down-to-earth place, good for a pitcher of beer and a game of pool. Used to do standard grocery shopping at the QFC on the south end out of convenience but look for good deals on fish at the Albertsons on the north end. Thu Jun 14 10:59:33 -0700 2007 2593200 102650 creativeusername 4 4235745 Really? I think Thai on Mercer is middling at best, and I'm not one to hate any local business owner. I've tried a couple of things and none have had the fresh bright taste that I like to see in Thai food, it's all been mediocre. Take the time to go a few blocks down to Pan Proem (down by the Rite Aid) Wed Dec 10 10:21:01 -0800 2008 2660006 66211 GreenYoshi 1 2593279 There used to be a nice, little family run Japanese place called Haruko (i think, or maybe Hanako). They were going to move a couple years ago, and I haven't been since. Anyone know if they're still good or even if they reopened on the island? Tue May 22 16:04:34 -0700 2007 2592371 66211 GreenYoshi 2 2593367 There's a new Japanese place on the south end, but I haven't been and don't recall the name. Tue May 22 16:38:55 -0700 2007 2593279 23199 ethereal 3 2597109 The new Japanese place next to the southend QFC is called Yuzen. Went there for the first time yesterday and thought it was good. Definitely beats fighting traffic to get to Seattle, when you need a quick Sushi fix. Bennett's is pretty good too, as someone else mentioned. They are open for dinner everyday and brunch on weekends. There is takeout from their deli for lunch on weekdays. Wed May 23 19:28:48 -0700 2007 2593367 21145 3little bears 2 2661650 Is that the Japenese place on 78th by the Rite Aid? I used to work next door and as far as I know they are still open. They always seemed to be doing a hoping business when I saw them open. Thu Jun 14 17:37:32 -0700 2007 2593279 75732 mariannas 1 2661773 The Roanoke Inn has a pretty good breakfast, surpisingly. I second that Harukos used to be very good. I haven't been since they left the old Winchell's donut location. I am a fan of the pretzel rolls at Alpenland at lunchtime. They are only served on Thursdays. The salads and sandwiches are decent. Thu Jun 14 18:19:27 -0700 2007 2592371 16602 lisaf 1 2666084 We enjoy a slice of hot pizza for lunch at Tony Maroni's. Not so easy to find; easy to like. Nothing fancy, just a good generous slice o' pizza. The sandwich and soup special is usually very good at The Roanoak Inn, N.Mercer Way. Count me among those who like Thai on Mercer. I've known the proprietor, Eddie, since before he even opened his restaurant at it's previous location.. He tried his menu out on us, then used our comments to refine his menu. His squid filet with peanut sauce is my favorite entree. All three grocery stores on the island are good, but for different things. We shop all 3, and buy from whichever one has the better price. Produce at either of the QFC's is always fresher looking, but generally higher in price than Albertson's. But I never met a grocery store I didn't like. Food shopping for me is all about finding the right ingredient at the right price at the right moment. Sat Jun 16 09:39:54 -0700 2007 2592371 105694 fastfred 1 4234574 Here's a list of most of the places to eat in Mercer Island; please add/delete and comment: Albertsons Food & Pharmacy 2755 77th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 206-232-0244 Alpenland Delicatessen 2707 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-4780 Baskin-Robbins 2900 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 236-2781 Bennett's Pure Food Bistro 7650 SE 27th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-2759 http://www.bennettsbistro.com/ 4:00pm-9:30pm Caffe Italia 2448 76th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-9009 Cellar46 7650 SE 27th Street, Suite 120, Mercer Island, WA 98040 206-407-3016 http://cellar46.com/ 4:00pm-10:00pm (Happy Hour 4:00-6:00pm) Coffees A La Cart 8309 SE 57th St , Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-2692 Emerald City Smoothie 7803 SE 27th St., Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 275-0222 www.emeraldcitysmoothie.com 7:00am-7:00pm Gourmet Delight 7671 SE 27TH St, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2804 (206) 232-0580 Han's Garden Chinese Restaurant 3020 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-7889 11:00am-9:30pm Haruko's Japanese Restaurant 2440 76TH Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2731 (206) 236-1557 5:30pm-8:30pm i Love Pho 7621 SE 27th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 275-4300 Islander, The 7440 SE 27th St Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-6676 www.theislanderseattle.com 11:00am-11:00pm Johansons Fine Meats & Smokehouse 3024 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA, 98040 (206) 230-0776 Little Tokyo Teriyaki 2717 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2816 (206) 230-4120 Maggie Moos Ice Treatery 7808 SE 28th st suite 126, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-0974 Market House Deli (Closed) 7525 SE 24th St Ste 100, Mercer Island, WA, 98040 206-232-9810 McDonald's 2807 78th St. SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2818 (206) 232-9175 6:00am-10:00pm (Drivethru to 11:00pm) Noah's Bagels 7808 SE 28th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-8539 www.noahs.com 6:00am-5:00pm Pon Proem Thai Restaurant 3039 78TH Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2822 (206) 236-8424 5:00pm-9:00pm Qdoba Mexican Grill 7650 SE 27th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 230-0072 Quality Food Centers Inc-Mercer Island #839 7823 SE 28th, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 230-0745 Roberto's Pizza 7619 SE 27TH St, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2804 (206) 232-7383 11:00am-9:00pm Roanoke Inn 1825 72nd Ave. SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-0800 www.roanokeinn.com/ 11:00am-11:30pm Seven Star Chinese Restaurant 2885 78th Avenue SE Suite 101, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2849 206-230-8665 11:00am-9:30pm Shanghai Palace 2885 78th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 230-8665 Starbucks Coffee (in QFC North) 7814 SE 28th St , Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 230-8322 Starbucks Coffee-Mercer Island Drive Thru 7620 SE 27th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 275-3115 Starbucks Mercer Island III 7695 Southeast 27th Street Mercer Island, Washington 98040 US (206) 230-8847 Steves Eatery 7814 SE 28th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 206-232-2320 Subway 7679 SE 27th St., Mercer Island WA 98040-2804 (206) 236-2734 Thai Kitchen 7811 SE 27th St., Mercer Island, WA 98040-2961 (206) 232-2570 Thai On Mercer 7691 SE 27th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2804 (206) 236-9990 DISCONNECTED Tony Maroni's 7636 SE 27TH St, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2805 (206) 232-6400 Tully's Coffee 7900 SE 28TH St Ste 400, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2970 (206) 233-2070 6:00am-9:00pm Wan Lung Restaurant 3020 78TH Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040-2823 (206) 232-7889 SOUTH END BUSINESS CENTER El Sombrero Mexican 8451 Se 68th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 275-4900 11:00-9:00pm Georgio's Subs 8415 SE 68th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 275-3720 QFC Quality Food Centers Inc-South Mercer Island #806 8421 SE 68th St, Mercer Island, WA, 98040 206-232-0102 Sahara Pizza 8425 SE 68th St, Mercer Island, WA (206) 232-9800 Starbucks Coffee (in QFC South) 8421 SE 68th St, Mercer Island, WA, 98040 206-232-0102 Starbucks Coffee-South Mercer Island 8415 SE 68th St #100, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 275-1097 Toshi's Teriyaki 8425 SE 68th St, Mercer Island, WA 98040 (206) 232-0233 Yuzen Japanese Restaurant 8451 SE 68th St Ste 104, Mercer Island, WA (206) 275-3310 www.yuzenrestaurant.com Tue Dec 09 22:23:52 -0800 2008 2592371 247209 RegionalGuy 1 4267967 I’ve had lunch at The Islander several times and it’s always been good. Not cheap, but very good food & service. Mon Dec 22 21:40:53 -0800 2008 2592371 17292 Mark Nobe