Grub: A Great Lunch Spot

There’s a sunny feel to Sharon Woo Fillingim’s new Queen Anne eatery, Grub, in the former Ototo Sushi space on Queen Anne Hill. Perfect for drop-in lunches and dinner with the kids, it’s friendly and inviting, much like Le Rêve (the bakery Fillingim helped open a couple of years ago). At Grub, everyone sits on modern chartreuse chairs and, during the day, light pours in from the wall-to-wall windows. I like the place best at lunchtime, when I stop in for the ingenious soup of the day—an outstanding cod chowder one day, a lush roasted cauliflower version another ($3.95 for a cup; $5.95 for a bowl with bread from Grand Central Bakery)—and the Fishwich ($11), perfectly fried cod with house-made tartar sauce, lettuce and tomatoes on a soft brioche bun.

At night, I’ll return for the farro salad ($8), a creamy, crunchy, chewy mingling of avocado, toasted hazelnuts and the toothsome grain tarted up with grapefruit sections. But it’s hard to resist the peppery hamburger ($12) on a buttered and toasted brioche bun with grilled red onions, tomatoes, crisp iceberg lettuce and chipotle mayo. There are missteps: The BLAT (the A is for avocado hummus; $8.75) was a bummer one day: From the overly toasted bread to the anemic application of avocado, the usually indulgent sandwich tasted, well, healthy. And the lunchtime omelet—filled with roasted tomatoes, garlic, pesto, artichokes and spinach—was a little dry, too. But these are small complaints. Grub is welcoming, easy on the wallet and has charm to spare.

Brunch Sat.–Sun., lunch Tue.–Fri., dinner Tue.–Sat. Queen Anne, 7 Boston St.; 206.216.3628; letsgogrub.com $ Get directions