2019 Spokane Guild Awards

Every year we are surprised by how many incredible restaurants we have in our region, and selecting annual honorees gets harder every time! This year the top contenders were separated by just a few points, and we look forward to seeing what happens with this list in 2020.

The restaurants below were awarded top honors due to their consistent excellence in service, innovative preparation, and ingredients, and dynamic flavors on a consistent basis from anonymous, secret evaluations performed by our team of Tastemakers using a 40 point rubric. We encourage you to try these restaurants out for yourself and tell them that we sent you!

The Spokane Guild's mission is to connect our local community through supporting and celebrating the culinary arts. Collaboratively, our Tastemakers have thousands of local followers and are active influencers in our local community events, and we spend tens of thousands of dollars annually to support local businesses in the Inland Northwest. Through those experiences, we share our favorites with you so that you can

This year's honorees will be celebrated at our annual industry party, this year hosted by Lucky You Lounge on Sunday, March 15th from 5-8pm. These tickets do sell out, so you'll want to grab yours quickly. Congratulations!

2019 Spokane Guild Award Recipients

Presented by Kelly Bass of Country Financial

Guild Awards Washington

Fine Dining - Park Lodge

Upscale Casual - Wild Sage

Casual - RÜT Bar and Kitchen

Fast-Casual - Choo Choo Tortas

Bar Program - Durkins

Bakery - The Grain Shed

Coffee - Roast House Coffee

Food Truck - Skewers New Restaurant - Upscale - Gander and Ryegrass

New Restaurant - Casual - TT’s Old Iron Brewery

Spokane Legend - Mizuna

Guild Awards Idaho

Fine Dining - Fleur de Sel

Upscale Casual - Vine and Olive

Casual - Midtown Bluebird

Fast-Casual - Fisherman’s Market

Bar Program - Oval Office

Bakery - Pastry and More

Coffee - Evans Brothers

Food Truck - Young Shin’s Korean New Restaurant - Crown and Thistle

Coeur d’Alene Legend - Tony’s on the Lake

Individual Awards

Best Chef - Philip Stanton - Park Lodge

Rising Star Chef - Austin Conklin - Inland Pacific Kitchen

Best Bartender - Cody Winfrey - Luna

Best FOH Manager - Ashley Stewart - Park Lodge

Best Restauranteur - Tony Brown - Ruins, Eyvind and Hunt

Best Food Writer - Chey Scott - The Inlander

Category Awards - Top 20

Global Cuisine - I Love Tofu

Best BBQ - TT’s Old Iron Brewery

Breakfast - Italia Trattoria

Burger - Hogwash Whiskey Den Hotel Dining - Beverly’s

Brunch - Davenport Hotel

Ice Cream - The Scoop

Winery - Winescape

Distillery - Warrior Liquor

Brewery - Hidden Mother Brewing

Cidery - Liberty Ciderworks

Sandwiches - Smacky’s on Broadway

Southern Food - Chkn N’ Mo

Steak - Hay J’s Bistro

Wine Bar - Wanderlust Delicato

Sushi - Toro Sushi

Tacos - Cochinito

Takeout - High Tide Lobster Bar

Vegan Dining - RÜT Bar and Kitchen

Specialty Dining - Wiley’s Bistro

Accessibility Awards

Presented by Connor Williamson

Foodable Spokane

Fine Dining - Fleur de Sel Fleur de Sel is my choice for “most accessible fine dining restaurant”. The restaurant itself is open enough to maneuver in a wheelchair without having people rearrange tables for you. It’s easy to get through the door - which is definitely not always the case, living in Spokane. But just as important, and perhaps even more so, the people are wonderful and willing to help in any way to make sure you’re comfortable. Feeling welcome at a restaurant (or any establishment, for that matter), and not being made to feel as if your unusual situation is an imposition is definitely a huge part of what I look for, and is something Fleur de Sel does very well.

Casual - 1898 Public House

1898 is my clear cut winner for “most accessible casual restaurant”. It’s literally the most accessible restaurant I’ve visited. With so much open space to work with, the spacing of their tables is ideal for someone in a wheelchair. They could choose to have a bunch more tables to increase their turnover and make more money, but instead they leave it comfortable for everyone to get around, including me. Their handicap parking is right up front like most places, but it’s even nicer than that for someone in a chair - the loading zone for wheelchairs is directly next to the foot of the access ramp. This is not always the case. Some establishments put their ramps far out of the way, making you go on a journey to find them. Some places even require you to go through a back entrance, making you feel like a second class citizen, so this is a wonderful welcome when you arrive. At the top of the ramp, they’ve installed an automatic door opener for even easier access. It’s a wonderful place all around - I really don’t think I’d change a thing to make it better.