12 Restaurants in Winthrop WA Worth a Visit

plate of street tacos from a restaurant in Winthrop WA

I’ve been low-key keeping a list of restaurants in Winthrop, WA that I want to revisit when I’m back for my annual cross-country skiing trip. I realized one year that the list had grown, so I thought I’d share my favorites for the next time you’re in the area.

If you aren’t familiar with Winthrop, it’s an area about 4.5 hours northeast of Seattle. It’s a popular destination for hiking North Cascades National Park and an even more popular spot for cross-country skiing come winter thanks to the fact it’s the largest groomed trail system in the US.

All of this is to say that if you haven’t been to Winthrop and the surrounding Methow Valley yet, you will be in the future. When that happens, you’ll be happy to have this list of the best Winthrop, WA restaurants.

Best Restaurants in Winthrop, WA

Winthrop, WA is in the Methow Valley, an area in Okanagan County made up of small towns. The name “methow” was coined by the Methow Native Americans and means “sunflower seeds”, according to Wikipedia.

Winthrop is the biggest town in the Methow Valley, but you’ll also notice signs for the towns of Twisp and Mazama. Since there are only about 5,000 permanent residents in the whole valley, this list features the best restaurants from all of these towns. All of them are within about 15 minutes of Winthrop, so they’re quite easy to drive between for a self-guided food tour!

Save this to Pinterest for later, as I’ll add more Winthrop restaurants as I discover them!

historic building in downtown Winthrop WA

Linwood

website | 108 Glover St N (Twisp) | cuisine: southeast Asian | best for: pork belly curry

Linwood is a Thai-leaning southeast Asian restaurant in downtown Twisp. This area 15-minutes south of Winthrop is the defacto foodie destination in the Methow Valley because it has a lot of great restaurants right along Glover Street.

Linwood is my favorite restaurant in Winthrop, WA. It’s a small restaurant with a seriously strong plant propagation decor situation happening. You’ll only notice it when picking up your order, as Linwood is takeout only.

The menu is super focused, with typically less than 8-10 items to choose from. It rotates, but one of the staples you must get is the pork belly jungle curry. It’s in a curry sauce served with aromatics and rice unlike any other pork belly I’ve ever had. I like how it’s more the consistency of shredded brisket vs. the typical thick-slab bacon. This helps it melt in your mouth and really question why all pork belly isn’t served like this.

Linwood would rival some of the best Thai restaurants in Seattle, so if you can only it up one Winthrop restaurant make sure this one is it.

Lonchera Yucatan

website | 11 Twisp Airport Rd (Twisp) | cuisine: Mexican | best for: tacos

I love finding the best street tacos in Seattle, so when I read there’s a taco truck in Twisp I had to check it out.

The must-get here is the taco al pastor. It’s juicy and has a really pronounced pineapple taste, but not overwhelmingly so.

plate of tacos from one of the best restaurants in Winthrop, WA

Meza

website | 231 Riverside Ave (Winthrop) | cuisine: Mediterranean | best for: tapas-style small plates

Meza is one of the newer Winthrop restaurants. It’s unlike other restaurants I’ve been to in that it takes reservations and feels a touch fancy, but you get in line and order at the bar before taking your seat. The menu is written on the chalkboard and focuses on Mediterranean small plates like falafel, hummus, and the like.

The prices are steep compared to other spots in Winthrop, so I recommend skipping the mezze bowl that’s filled with greens and get the protein and veggie plates. If it’s available, the meatballs and cauliflower are a must get.

Glover Street Market

website | 124 Glover St N (Twisp) | cuisine: Pacific Northwest | best for: healthy bowls

I wish this spot would move to King county so I can add them to my list of healthy restaurants in Seattle. It’s a natural grocery store that has a counter serving up a focused menu of healthy-leaning dishes.

For breakfast you’ll find things like smoothies and breakfast sandwiches. Then, come lunch you’ll find different grain and noodle bowls with a lot of options for vegetarians and vegans.

inside Glover Street Market, one of the best Winthrop, WA restaurants

I really enjoyed their curry bowl and miso soup. The miso soup was particularly interesting because it’s made with their homemade bone broth. It made a much richer, almost sour broth that I wasn’t digging upon first taste. But when I kept going back for it, I realized my initial impression was because it didn’t fit with my mental model of miso soup. Instead, they elevated it.

person holding spoonful of soup from a restaurant in Winthrop, WA

Another cool secret about this spot is there’s a wine bar downstairs. It has vessels lining the wall to try olive oil and vinegar, plus walls of wine bottles and a table in the middle for hosting intimate wine tastings.

Three Fingered Jack’s Saloon

website | 176 Riverside Ave (Winthrop) | cuisine: American | best for: breakfast

It took me a while to try Three Fingered Jack’s because it looks like a dive bar. But I heard they had a good breakfast, so one time I gave it a try.

Wow was I missed out. The chicken fried steak is out of this world good. With intensely-flavored sausage gravy and the option to add on their fluffy biscuit. This will now be one of the best restaurants in Winthrop I make sure to visit every time I’m in the area.

chicken fried steak from a place to eat in Winthrop WA

The Little Dipper Café & Bakery

website | 94 Bridge St (Winthrop) | cuisine: baked goods | best for: quiche and breakfast sandwiches

This newer bakery took over the beloved Kind Grinds space on the road toward Mazama. It’s tiny with only a counter to stand and eat at, but it’s the perfect spot for grab-and-go breakfast among this list of restaurants in Winthrop, WA. What’s available rotates, but keep an eye out for the hash brown quiche and cinnamon apple crumble muffin. Both are a great way to start your day!

Oliver’s Artisan Kitchen

website | 94 Bridge St (Winthrop) | cuisine: French | best for: crepes

This cute shabby chic French bakery and cafe is next door to The Little Dipper. I’m surprised that it doesn’t have the best Yelp reviews, but my guess is it’s because the prices are higher for Winthrop and the service a bit slow. But coming from Seattle I think the prices for their delicious crepes are more palatable. They also make a mean quiche that has a custardy egg filling and flaky crust.

Rocking Horse Bakery

website | 265 Riverside Ave (Winthrop) | cuisine: baked goods | best for: sour cream coffee cake

This is a super popular bakery at the start of downtown Winthrop. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dessert items here, but I’d say their baked goods are where it’s at.

While I’ve had some baked goods I thought were just ok, their sour cream coffee cake blows my mind. It doesn’t taste like any coffee cake I’ve had because it’s so much moister and, well, not as coffee-y. Definitely get this bad boy if it’s in the case.

person holding sour cream coffee cake with raspberry filling from one of the best restaurants in Winthrop, WA

Old Schoolhouse Brewery

website | 155 Riverside Ave (Winthrop) | cuisine: American | best for: sandwiches

No trip to Winthrop would be complete without a visit to Old Schoolhouse Brewery. It’s inside a historic building and features excellent beers worth a taster flight. They also feature sandwiches that are much more flavorful than you can usually expect from places serving pub grub. The menu changes regularly, but every burger or sandwich I’ve gotten here has been good! I’m also obsessed with their big fluffy soft pretzels. I ordered 4 of them during my last visit!

Pro tip: Their sister brewery, Mazama Public House, is another great spot to try their beers.

Cinnamon Twisp Bakery

website | 116 Glover St N (Twisp) | cuisine: bakery | best for: baked goods

This little bakery is probably the best in the Methow Valley. It has a hearty menu of breakfast items, sandwiches, and baked goods. While I’ve never had their savory food, I love their cinnamon twisp. It’s like a braided cinnamon roll sans the icing.

Mazama Store

website | 50 Lost River Rd (Mazama) | cuisine: bakery | best for: coffee

The Mazama Store is a fancier convenience store in the desolate town of Mazama north of Winthrop. This is one of the last places to stop for food before you hit up North Cascades National Park, so it’s the perfect spot to grab some breakfast, sandwiches, sweets, and provisions to go.

My favorite is their sausage breakfast sandwich. It comes on a chewy bagel and has oozy American cheese.

Blue Star Coffee Roasters

website | 1240 East Methow Valley Hwy (Twisp) | cuisine: coffee | best for: coffee

I’m always on the hunt for the best coffee roasters in Seattle, so when I heard Twisp had its own coffee roaster, I had to check it out. They serve excellent beans to take home and cups in both their cafe and many of the surrounding restaurants. Since they focus on wholesale mostly, you can luckily find bags at cafes and grocery stores around Seattle.