This article appears in print in the April 2018 issue. Click here to subscribe.

You may have noticed that mall dining isn’t what it used to be. At many malls, it’s gotten really, really good (here’s looking at you, Southcenter and University Village). Kemper Freeman’s expanded Bellevue Collection has been chasing that trend with spots like The Lakehouse and Taylor Shellfish. With the addition of Lincoln South Food Hall—open since December (Bellevue, 500 Bellevue Way, Suite 250)—the food scene there has gotten even better. 

The joint venture between Eastside residents Paul and Elaina Herber and business partner Jeffrey Frederick (who has a long list of Las Vegas restaurant and hotel openings under his belt) is an open kitchen concept with six different individualized food stalls that feels pure Seattle. Frederick says the themes—ramen, burgers, poke, pastries, pizza and tacos—were carefully chosen, representative of the way we eat right now. Dishes may not be authentic (Frederick says they were going for creative more than traditional), but the whole idea works. 

Perhaps the food hall’s most pleasant surprise is Dote Coffee Bar, the charming café from coffee industry veteran Sarah Doud and chocolatier Ewald Notter. These two have created a coffee shop unlike all the others, with an emphasis on decadent espresso drinks made with Notter’s rich house-made ganaches. 

Go hungry, but bring a bag—takeout is encouraged here, and you’ll be tempted to bring home a week’s worth of meals.

Right: One of Dote Coffee Bar’s decadent drinks: A Brownie Affogato with vanilla bean ice cream, pecan brownie crumbles and espresso