Earls Kitchen + Bar in Downtown Bellevue.
The Canadian-born kitchen-and-bar has held its Lincoln Square corner since 2009 — a fireplace room, weekend brunch, an 80-seat events room, and a menu that keeps the peace at any table.
Earls is the room in Lincoln Square that never asks you to commit — a big, warm kitchen-and-bar at street level on Bellevue Way, with a fireplace dining room, a long bar, a wine cellar, and a menu that ranges from Cajun chicken to Korean ribs to Tuscan salmon without stopping. It is where a table of six with three different appetites lands, where the shopping day ends, and where the pre-movie crowd eats before walking up to the cinema.
DBN had the rumor in October 2008 and the confirmation two days later; the doors opened October 27, 2009, one of the first sit-down restaurants in the tower, and we covered the happy hour that followed in 2010 and the weekend brunch that arrived in 2013. Seventeen years on, the corner has changed around it — STK on one side, Water Grill on the other — and Earls is still the room the Collection points to for a group that has not decided.
It is a chain and it cooks like a good one: consistent, generous, and quick. For the more single-minded rooms nearby see our guide to the best restaurants in downtown Bellevue.
What to Order at Earls Kitchen + Bar
A modern American menu that borrows from everywhere; these five are the plates the room is known for.
Cajun Blackened Chicken
Confit-garlic butter, warm potato salad, and bacon — the plate that has anchored the Earls menu longer than the Bellevue room has existed.
Sticky Korean Ribs
Gochujang glaze, crispy onions, and chilies. The shareable that shows up on every table on a Friday night.
Truffle Fries
Peppercorn melange, white-truffle aioli, and Parmesan — the happy hour order that turns into dinner.
Tuscan Seared Salmon
Gnocchetti, corn, oven-dried tomatoes, and cream — the entree that makes the case for Earls as a real dinner, not just a bar.
Nashville Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Hot fried chicken thigh, lemon slaw, brioche. Lunch, brunch, or the game — it works for all three.
Earls Kitchen + Bar Through the Years on DBN
DBN has reported on downtown Bellevue since 2005. This is Earls Kitchen + Bar’s story as we covered it, as it happened.
Earls Confirmed at Lincoln Square
Two days after the rumor, DBN confirmed the Canadian chain was taking a Bellevue Way space in Lincoln Square.
Earls Bellevue Now Open at Lincoln Square — A Peek Inside
The doors opened October 27, 2009 with a fireplace dining area and a wine cellar — one of the first sit-down rooms in the tower.
Earls Restaurant Bellevue Adds Happy Hour
The happy hour that has run, in one form or another, ever since.
Earls Bellevue Adds Weekend Brunch
Weekend brunch joined the schedule, and the room became a seven-day fixture on the corner.
Browse all Earls Kitchen + Bar coverage in the DBN archive.
Getting There & When to Go
Lincoln Square North is the easiest dinner in downtown to reach by car, sky bridge, or train.
Getting There & Parking
- Drive: Lincoln Square North garage under the restaurant. Weekdays, get your ticket validated at the restaurant for 3 hours free; evenings and weekends no validation is needed. Bellevue Square’s free garages connect by sky bridge.
- Light rail: 2 Line to Bellevue Downtown Station, then a roughly 12-minute walk west along NE 6th or NE 8th to Bellevue Way — see our light rail guide
- On foot: The entrance faces Bellevue Way at street level between Water Grill and the STK corner. From Bellevue Square, cross the sky bridge and come down, or cross at NE 8th.
Best Times to Go
Weekend brunch is the wait; weekday lunch is the calm version. Happy hour at the bar is the local move and the cheapest way in. Friday and Saturday dinners run a wait without a reservation, and Snowflake Lane evenings the whole block is a scrum — book, or come early.
Make It a Night
You are on the busiest corner of the Collection: pair dinner with a movie or a lane at Lincoln Square in the same building, Snowflake Lane in the holidays, right outside on Bellevue Way, or the best happy hours downtown if you are building a crawl.
Good to Know
As of August 2026: lunch and dinner daily, weekend brunch, and a happy hour. Reservations through the official page; a dedicated private events room seats up to 80 with no room fee, booked through the events form. Restaurant Week participant most seasons.
Earls Kitchen + Bar FAQ
Does Earls Bellevue take reservations?
Yes. Book a Table on the official Bellevue page, which the Bellevue Collection lists as OpenTable, or walk in. As of August 2026 the restaurant has a dedicated private events room with an 80-guest capacity and no room fee, booked through the events request form.
Where do you park for Earls at Lincoln Square?
The Lincoln Square North garage under the restaurant. On weekdays parking is free for 3 hours with validation from the restaurant; in the evenings and on weekends no validation is needed. Bellevue Square’s free garages are a sky bridge away.
What should you order at Earls?
The Cajun Blackened Chicken is the long-running signature and the Sticky Korean Ribs the table favorite. Start with truffle fries, try the Tuscan seared salmon for a proper dinner, and the Nashville chicken sandwich for lunch or brunch.
Does Earls Bellevue serve brunch?
Yes, on weekends, and it has since 2013. As of August 2026 the Bellevue room serves lunch and dinner daily plus weekend brunch, with a happy hour; check the official page for the current windows.
Where is Earls in Bellevue?
On the ground floor of Lincoln Square North at 700 Bellevue Way NE, Unit 130, across from Bellevue Square, next to Water Grill and a few doors from Din Tai Fung. It opened October 27, 2009 and was one of the first sit-down restaurants in the Lincoln Square tower.