Beacon Hill eatery among NY Times’ 50 best US restaurants of 2024

SEATTLE, Wash. — A Seattle restaurant just made The New York Times’ Top 50 best places to dine in the U.S. for 2024.

familyfriend in Beacon Hill has been drawing customers and long wait lines ever since it opened last December.

The New York Times review of the Guam-and-Pacific Islands-themed restaurant was spearheaded by its signature dish: A smashed double-cheese burger piled with Kewpie mayo, chopped pickles and onion.

“It’s never a bad idea to start with a killer burger. And familyfriend’s version is already getting national renown,” Brian Gallagher wrote in the blurb dedicated to familyfriend for The New York Times. “This Seattle newcomer describes itself as a ‘vibe dispensary on Beacon Hill,’ but lucky for the neighborhood, it doesn’t stop at burgers and vibes.”

Seafood, soups, tacos, batchoy, rice bowls, truffle fries and homemade Guam-inspired banana bread served with Latiya custard and chocolate from the Philippines are other dishes served at familyfriend. Nothing on the menu is more than $20.

A wide assortment of Pacific Island-inspired cocktails is also available at familyfriend.

Owned and operated by Elmer Dulla, he revealed to The Seattle Times earlier this year that he used his life savings to open familyfriend because he had trouble finding restaurants in the Seattle area that served red rice and other comfort food of his homeland.

Once starting in a cramped room with a 30-inch griddle, an electric fryer, a standard oven, and barely enough hot water to last the whole day, familyfriend has now been drawing lines that stretch multiple blocks with wait times that last up to 2.5 hours for months.

And all of its success is coming despite the restaurant existing with no website, no online menu, and a puttering Instagram account.

“We’ve only been open three months and we’re one of the busiest restaurants in Seattle without even trying,” Dulla told Seattle Eater in March.

Dulla previously held the role of director of operations for Eduardo Jordan and his restaurant, JuneBaby, before leaving in 2019.

familyfriend is located at 3315 Beacon Avenue and is open from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.

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