Greenwood American Bistro, Lioness, Nutty Squirrel, and Culina take top honors at Bite of PhinneyWood event

Chef Grant Rico and his stellar staff accepting the Best Overall Bite award from the Bite Committee

The 4th annual Bite of PhinneyWood took place in spectacular fashion this past weekend, with 18 local restaurants and cafes dazzling over 700 people with their best bites. At a time when similar events are simply collections of food trucks, the Bite of PhinneyWood stands out as one of Seattle’s last “true” tasting events. All attendees receive a special dish of food from every participating restaurant with their entry ticket – no need to purchase extra items or pick and choose between several entrée-size options.  

Since its inception in 2022, the Bite of PhinneyWood has been a resounding success, drawing sold-out crowds in each of the first three years. This year’s event helped raise over $47,000 to benefit the PNA’s community services and programs, including the Hot Meal Program, Greenwood Senior Center, and the PNA Tool Library.  

For those who missed it, here were the winners of the “Best Bite” awards. If you don’t see your name here, please know that literally every participant received a TON of votes for your bite, and the difference between each category was amazingly small.  

• Best Sweet Bite – Nutty Squirrel Gelato 
  • 2nd place – Ray’s Rice & Noodle Bar, 3rd Place – Cocoa Legato 
• Best Savory Bite – Culina @ Phinney Station
  • 2nd place – Valhalla, 3rd place – BoBu 
• Best Veggie Bite – Lioness 
  • 2nd place – Gorgeous George’s, 3rd place – Autumn 
• Best Bite Overall – The Greenwood American Bistro’s Sugar Kelp Pita with Carrot Schmoo! 

A huge congratulations to our 4 main winners, and really to all the restaurants for coming out to create a wonderful community event! It is not easy to re-create amazing food offsite, and every last participant did on incredible job to bring a compelling and well-loved bite for attendees. Many thanks as well to our event sponsors: Smith Brother’s Farms, Lucky Envelope Brewing, and KPFG. Want to be notified when 2026 Bite tickets go on sale so you don’t miss out? Enter your email here.