Spokane Food and Wine Guide: The Gateway to Washington Wine Country
Still on East Coast time and wide awake at 6 a.m. on my first day in Spokane, Washington, I decided to make the most of jet lag and get dressed, pop in my AirPods and walk the two blocks to the riverfront park that locals have raved about. I’ve learned to be skeptical of “riverfront,” which can mean many things, and is often an oversell of a lazy trickle, but not in Spokane. Here, the whitewater roars by, roiling white across slick rocks, and the river is a true force, spanning 80 feet wide at the broadest point.
A few years ago, National Geographic dubbed the surrounding 100-acre park one of the most beautiful urban parks in America—it’s no exaggeration, but it feels downright European thanks to the natural beauty and community engagement. Even this early in the morning, runners, moms with young children, yoga class attendees and bird watchers are already up and enjoying the green space, which is crisscrossed with paved pathways and dotted with native trees, shrubs and wild grasses. Growing up much farther west, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, I spent years turning up my nose at “arid” eastern Washington. Now, I had to laugh at how wrong my own stereotypes were.
Even for locals, the allure of the Pacific Northwest was built on proximity to the coast. Across both Oregon and Washington, three-quarters of the population lives west of the Cascade Mountains, drawn to the temperate rainforests and wetlands rather than the high deserts and plateaus to the east. The hot, dry climate inland is created by the mountain range’s rain shadow, but just beyond it, on the very edge of the state, Spokane has emerged as a hub for milder weather and a strong food and wine scene. Last year, local hospitality group Davenport Hotels launched the inaugural Pacific Northwest Food & Wine Festival and immediately picked up an award. My curiosity was officially piqued.
Located two and a half hours north of Walla Walla, one of the most lauded emerging wine regions in the country, Spokane has grown into a gateway city on a steady upward trajectory.
The remoteness of eastern Washington always loomed large in my mind, but with a population of 230,000 (which jumps to around 800,000 when including the surrounding county), it’s actually the second-largest city in the state. Locals now call the region the “Inland Northwest,” and right around the time Walla Walla’s wine scene exploded during the 2010s, Spokane’s profile began to rise, too.
“Washington as a greater whole and its wine scene is yet to be discovered for so many, and that gives us a great opportunity,” says Peter Urian, associate winemaker at The Walls, a sustainable, minimal-intervention vineyard in Walla Walla that opened its doors in 2014. “Spokane has the people, and a lot of urban wineries who cultivate wine clubs and repeat customers. That gives everyone an entrance into Washington wine, and a lot of times they decide to drive a couple of hours south and hit wine country to visit our estates.”
Though the first vines in Walla Walla were planted way back in the 1860s, it wasn’t until the late 1970s that the first commercial winery, Leonetti Cellar, opened, followed by a handful of others over the next couple of decades. By 2001, when the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance was established, there were close to 50 producers in the region; thanks to unique basalt and cobblestone soils and favorable microclimates and geography, that number almost tripled in the next two decades. There are now over 135 wineries and counting.
Technically, Walla Walla does have an airport, but it’s a very small regional one that only operates flights to and from Seattle. For international visitors or guests who want more flexibility with their flight path, heading into Spokane and spending a few nights in the city before continuing down to rural Walla Walla makes for a stronger—and more convenient—itinerary. The luxury hotel scene in Walla Walla is essentially nonexistent at the moment, so another draw to starting in Spokane is access to a pair of Davenport’s historic hotels in the downtown core.
While there are five properties in the Davenport Collection, two are genuinely noteworthy. The Davenport Hotel is a sprawling grand dame that first opened in 1914 and has been meticulously restored to preserve its 100-year-old heritage. The 284-room hotel’s history includes rumors that the original owner, Louis Davenport, might have invented the crab louie salad, which the hotel proudly serves, and a signature mattress that some guests buy outright after a few nights. Right across the street, sister property The Louie is a smaller option with only 48 keys and upscale finishes, ideal for a luxury traveler. Both stays are less than two blocks from the riverfront park, and within walking distance of a slew of local restaurants and wineries.
Davenport, which created and hosts the new food and wine festival, holds events at the two aforementioned hotels as well as another property, the Davenport Grand; all three now operate as part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection. Gearing up for the festival’s second year, the 2026 lineup is even bigger than the inaugural event, as chef Shota Nakajima (of now-shuttered Seattle restaurants like Adana and Taku) is the headliner. The festival, which will take place from October 9 to 11 this year, spotlights Walla Walla wine and the region’s local produce.
Alicia Armour, a Spokane native who has worked in pastry at Davenport Hotels for the last decade, relishes the chance the festival offers to showcase her hometown’s bounty. “I grew up surrounded by the agriculture of eastern Washington, so cherries, peaches, apples, huckleberries and honey feel incredibly familiar to me,” she tells Observer. “Those same flavors are reflected in many of our local wines, which makes pairing very natural. When both the dessert and the wine are rooted in the same landscape, the pairing feels authentic.”
Aside from the festival weekend, there are plenty of other places visitors can experience pairings of local ingredients and Washington wine. Sorella, an Italian spot in the Kendall Yards district just a short five-minute walk from downtown, carries The Walls chardonnay and grenache blanc, both of which pair beautifully with the signature limone mafalde pasta. Lorèn Social Club, a French-inspired restaurant with a speakeasy feel (thanks to its underground location), offers a predominantly Washington-focused wine list, with many varietals that are a fantastic complement to the Basque clams and standout diver scallops.
For breakfast lovers, House of Brunch offers a hearty, sweet-and-savory menu stocked with dishes like a decadent lobster Benedict or Hong Kong toast stuffed with local blackberry-rhubarb jam, plus plenty of boozy options, including a whole section of by-the-bottle bubbles, with both international and Washington and Oregon options on the list. For more local wine, the tasting room at Barrister Winery offers a look into the Washington wine scene with standout cabernet franc and the Rough Justice blend, a mix of merlot, syrah, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon.
Bistros like Wild Sage and Mizuna prioritize vegetarian and vegan options, drawing on local mushrooms for pasta and making creative use of risotto, potatoes and chickpeas to craft elevated dishes that pair well with Walla Walla wines. Both spots also serve plenty of dishes featuring local beef, pork, chicken and fish, plus local beer and cocktail lists. A quick day trip just outside of Spokane to the Coeur D’Alene Resort, approximately 35 minutes by car, is worth it just to visit The Cedars, a floating steakhouse located directly on the Spokane River, where nearly every entrée comes with Idaho potatoes on the side.
Wine-focused travelers who visit Spokane in October to attend the festival should absolutely extend the trip down into Walla Walla for a night or two. Not only is there a bounty of great wine and no shortage of tasting rooms in a city with over 100 producers, but the small-town feel offers a contrast to Spokane’s more urban atmosphere. “It’s a picturesque town of about 30,000, so relatively small,” Urian says. “We’ve got one main street and a small enough number of restaurants that I can count them on two hands. The magnificent views of the Blue Mountains and the Umatilla National Forest are the best part. It’s a little snapshot of the bounty of eastern Washington—but it will win you over.”
