A Wine Novice’s Weekend Guide to the Walla Walla Valley

I have a big confession. Although I’ve been writing about Seattle restaurants for a couple decades now, I know embarrassingly little about wine. I write a monthly column about cocktails, so you’d think wine would be an adjacent character in the same pantheon, but my attention tends to veer first toward Seattle’s elite bartending culture — as well as all the unique booze being produced in our city. Wine? Delicious, I’d love some, but don’t ask me for any tasting notes. Who am I, Dr. Frasier Crane?

So, although I was born and raised in Seattle, it took me a whole minute (er, lifetime) to get out to Walla Walla and explore Washington state’s wine country — among the best in the nation and a true rival of Napa Valley’s. My ignorance about wine is 100% what kept me away. I thought I’d be in over my head with all the wine scholars! We all saw Sideways.

Well, after a whirlwind long weekend, I’m thrilled to report that you don’t need a degree in viticulture (or even an interest in wine, honestly) to have an unforgettable vacation in the Walla Walla Valley. Packed with fantastic restaurants, patisseries, coffee shops, antique malls, theaters, loads of history, and even a few crunchy old dive bars, the Double W never made me feel out of place for a second. I honestly started planning my next trip as soon as I got back to Seattle.

Here’s how to have a great time in the Walla Walla Valley, whether you know your grenache from your gewurztraminer — or even if you don’t drink at all.

Getting there

It’s a 4.75-hour drive from Seattle to Walla Walla, which is the way most folks do it, with the option to go over the Cascades at either Snoqualmie or Stevens Pass. It’s also possible to drive across via White Pass, on the south side of Mount Rainier, but it takes a little longer. If any of the mountain passes are closed due to winter weather, one could hypothetically build in a delicious stopover in Portland, then follow the Columbia River east from there to Walla Walla. They’re all scenic and spectacular routes.

Alaska Airlines flies twice a day to Walla Walla Regional Airport (ALW) from Sea-Tac in about 70 minutes, usually for under $200 round-trip, depending on advance notice. A Flixbus also runs between downtown Seattle and Pasco, where passengers can connect to Walla Walla either via the Amtrak Thruway bus or the Grape Line Shuttle. (The layover in Pasco is about two hours.)

A brief history of Walla Walla

One of the first areas between the Rockies and the Cascades to be permanently settled by white colonists, the city of Walla Walla is also one of the oldest cities in Washington State. The Canadian North West Company built Nez Perce Fort in the area in 1818, establishing contact with the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes, and the British Hudson’s Bay Company renamed it Fort Walla Walla in 1821. In 1856, the United States Army began building forts there, the city and county were founded, and the military forced the native tribes out. Thousands of settlers soon flocked to the area for farming and mining opportunities.

Although the fertile farmland of the Walla Walla Valley has never been a secret to its settlers, it was Italian settlers from Calabria and Lonate Pozzolo who started planting grapes in the 1880s, and commercial wineries and tasting rooms followed — predecessors to the acclaimed wine industry found there today. It would still take about 90 years for these wineries to be marketed as tourist destinations — the first being Leonetti Cellar, which produced its first wines in 1978. Italian emigrants were also the source of the Walla Walla sweet onion, later to become Washington’s state vegetable.

Until Seattle surpassed it during the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1880s, Walla Walla was the largest city in Washington Territory, and it was developed to be a future American metropolis, with grand theaters and hotels. Unlike Seattle, Walla Walla also didn’t suffer a massive citywide fire or lose dozens of its antique buildings to earthquake damage, so it still has a lot of cool Victorian architecture for a midsized Washington city.

Day 1

6 p.m.: Dinner at Passatempo Taverna
215 W. Main Street, Walla Walla

It’s probably a scientific impossibility to visit Walla Walla as a food-and-wine tourist and not have a meal at Passatempo. In the beloved former Pastime Cafe space on Main Street, Passatempo’s retro neon sign — styled from the remnants of the old diner’s 1927 sign — is like a fishing lure for hungry tourists. Walla Walla-born chef Sam Shelton brings her chops from Michelin spots in San Francisco and France, keeping things a little more casual and cozy on her rustic Italian menu. Passatempo’s main event is classic handmade pasta, although the glorious Snake River Farm pork chop and Double D Ranch tomahawk rib-eye are just as dazzling. There’s a great selection of cocktails, and owner Mike Martin also owns the Walls Winery, so his bold, sometimes experimental wines are repping strong in the beverage program, too. Don’t skip ’em.

9 p.m.: Karaoke party at Ming Court and a nightcap at the Green Lantern Tavern
1533 and 1606 E. Isaacs Avenue, Walla Walla

Not ready for bed yet? Thursdays through Sundays, the party’s still cookin’ until 2 a.m. at Ming Court, just up the road from Passatempo. This old-school Chinese American bar has the neon purple karaoke lounge of your workday fantasies, replete with a rowdy crowd, and a friendly staff. Across the street, the pubby Green Lantern Tavern welcomes guests with ’50s knotty pine paneling and a nice big fireplace. It’s where locals go for domestic beers and fruity cocktails, fish tacos, wood-fired pizza, and a really great patio.

Day 2

10 a.m., Coffee and a pastry at Colville Street Patisserie
40 S. Colville Street, Walla Walla

Don’t be fooled by the queue outside — the line moves fast, and it’s totally worth it. A glance at this small bakery’s exquisite array of pastries is basically like perusing the display case at Cartier, with flawless apricot macarons, berry-heavy almond praline cream puffs, and octagonal dark chocolate banana cakes with caramel glaze, all shining up at you. The sheer number of different treats represented here is staggering — at one per breakfast, it’d take you months to check off every pastry on the list. CSP’s canelé is hailed far and wide, while the extra buttery laminated kouign amann is so perfect, it deserves international awards.

2 p.m.: The Walls Winery tasting room for light lunch (and wine)
1015 W. Pine Street, Walla Walla

Hiding in a residential neighborhood, the local tasting room for the Walls Winery offers pours of their traditional and eclectic vintages, alongside an expansive outdoor space that gives the place a laid-back Mediterranean feel. Although the Walls’ vineyard is out in Milton-Freewater’s Rocks District, one of the valley’s most celebrated AVAs, the juice is transported here to be processed on site, and sharp-eyed visitors might get a peek at the works just off the patio. The food menu offers tapas-like plates and oven-fired sourdough pizza, while wine tastings are available in various sizes and permutations. The Walls is known for its innovation and variety, so curious minds should try the sustainable pášx̣a (“sunflower” in Sahaptin) line or their tempranillo made from a juicy mix of local fruit, bottled as Wonderful Nightmare.

6:30 p.m.: Destination dinner at Abeja Winery
2014 Mill Creek Road, Walla Walla

In 2022, Erin and Mike Easton sold their multi-award-winning West Seattle restaurant Il Nido, and moved out to the country, settling in her hometown just north of Walla Walla. (Longtime Seattleites might also remember Easton as the impresario behind Il Corvo, his spectacular, now-closed lunch counter in Pioneer Square.) Mike is now executive chef at the Kitchen at Abeja, and if he weren’t reason enough to visit this dreamy winery (he is), the serene storybook surroundings would be. It is just so profoundly beautiful here. With a list of easy-drinking wines and hyper-seasonal dishes, Abeja pulls out all the stops for the luxe dining and tasting experiences, and guests who feel like splurging can stay at the plush inn, comprising five outbuildings (including a former carriage house). Three-time James Beard-recognized Easton is a thrilling addition to the already-gorgeous program. Diners will almost certainly need a reservation, but trust, this one is worth planning for.

9 p.m. Pints and possible live music at Walla Walla Beer Parlor
14 W. Main Street, Walla Walla, WA

Open since late 2023, the Beer Parlor has ramped up quick and is already a downtown Walla Walla fave with the Whitman College crowd. Equal parts bottle shop, beer bar, and music venue, this chill exposed-brick space on Walla Walla’s Main Street is conveniently walkable to and from most of the downtown hotels and B&Bs. Although the focus is indie beers, folks will also find a good selection of Washington wines and ciders here, and probably a dog or two as well. The only food available at the Beer Parlor used to be popcorn, but — breaking news! Abeja’s chef Mike Easton is now making Detroit pies for the bar, a recipe he piloted at Bacetto’s Detroit Style pizzeria in nearby Waitsburg until it closed in October. They’re sold by the slice on Sundays only.

Day 3

10 a.m. Breakfast or brunch at the Marc
6 W. Rose Street, Walla Walla, WA 99362

Nicknamed “The Grand Dame of the Palouse” upon its 1928 opening, the stately Marcus Whitman Hotel is the tallest building in Walla Walla by a lot and can’t be missed in the downtown skyline. Nor should it, especially fresh off its fastidious 2024 architectural overhaul. Inside the hotel’s restaurant, they’re serving zero-kilometer farm-to-table fare made from inland ingredients, like hazelnut custard French toast or a vineyard breakfast sandwich (eggs, Beecher’s cheddar, bacon, and heirloom tomatoes on challah). On the way out, exit through the lobby and take a moment to absorb all the hotel’s restored Italian Renaissance details: the textiles, the carved beams, the lamps. It’s like a Venetian palace.

4 p.m.: Lunch at Tacos la Monarca
901 W. Rose Street, Walla Walla, various other locations

Walla Wallans know that when you see this bright orange taco truck (there are actually three) around town, you pull over. A longtime fixture of WW, Tacos la Monarca has been serving up Michoacán-style tacos, burritos, and tortas since 2000, with owner Efrain Reyes taking over the business from his parents in 2012. A grad of Walla Walla Community College’s culinary arts program, Reyes keeps his sources local, and his taco options cover the basics like carnitas, al pastor, and camarones; though he also includes some creative choices like the Hawaiian taco, with carne asada, ham, beans, bell peppers, pineapple, and mozzarella. Accoutrements like cactus salad, tamarind salsa, huauzontle, and prickly pear help keep things interesting. Keep an eye out for specials, e.g., mole rojo con conejo (braised rabbit in red mole sauce) or pozole de mariscos, starring baby octopus, shrimp, hominy, guajillo chile broth, and habanero salsa.

Tacos la Monarca

6. p.m.: A glass of red at Dossier Wine Collective Tasting Room
8 W. Main Street, Walla Walla

With a streamlined design and a quaffable cab sauv, Dossier Wine Collective’s tasting room is a luxurious little stop in the buzziest part of downtown Walla Walla. Part-owned by former Seahawk Sidney Rice, Dossier is influencing the next wave of winemaking in the Valley with its modern, sultry wines, and its bottles have been racking up points since the winery opened in 2022. With local wine celeb and master of wine Billo Naravane (Rasa Vineyards) on staff, it’s also one of few wineries in the area — to say nothing of the whole industry — with both a POC owner and winemaker. If guests like what they taste, Dossier’s got another location in Woodinville.

9 p.m.: Gigantic burgers at the divey Border Tavern
604 W. Elm Street, Walla Walla

With an accommodating staff and a chatty crowd of regulars, the Border Tavern is a casual respite from downtown Walla Walla’s more, ahem, moneyed establishments. The old Coca-Cola pole sign in the parking lot still says “Rochester Tavern,” but no matter what you call it, this dive bar’s burgers are just as monstrous. The petite bar menu offers two options — patrons can choose from the double hamburger or the double cheeseburger, no singles, and both are under 10 bucks. Wings and gizzards are solid choices, too. There are no frills to be found behind the bar either; it’s bottles and cans only. In an era where dive bars are commonly misappropriated for street cred reasons, the Border Tavern proves that there’s nothing like the real thing.

On your way out of Walla Walla

Frog Hollow Farms
147 Frog Hollow Road, Walla Walla, WA

If you don’t bring fruit home, did you even visit Eastern Washington? About 15 minutes southwest of downtown Walla Walla, the picturesque, extra-’grammable Frog Hollow Farms has a farm shop with heirloom produce, seeds for your garden, and jars of artisan honey, labneh, and other handmade edible lovelies. Visitors are welcome to roam around the sunflower rows and the string bean tunnels too, in case they didn’t get enough selfies in town. If it’s not too cold out, you might even get to meet the goats.

Grosgrain Vineyards
2158 Half Acre Lane, Walla Walla

Overlooking its vineyards in the Southside winery district, Grosgrain Vineyards’ tasting room is an unmissable pit stop on the western track toward home. Pronounced with a silent “s,” the name refers to the layout of the vines: Grosgrain ribbon has little raised stripes on it, evoking a vineyard map. The focus here is on crisp white, rosé, and sparkling wines, made with organic farming practices, all subtle and delicious. Taste aside, the meticulous interior design of the tasting room is worth the stop by itself, with a brilliantly curated midcentury bar, a big white stone hearth, tall windows, and sweeping views of the grapes and the Blue Mountains beyond them. Take a sparkling herbaceous lemberger (also known as blaufrankisch) home with you, to accompany a lamb and/or mushroom dinner — it’s a bottle of Walla Walla Valley sunlight to warm you up on a rainy Seattle night.

If you’re flying home

Devium Wine
1460 F. Street, Walla Walla

Perhaps something of a dark horse in Walla Walla, Devium’s tasting room is in the little impulse-item village that surrounds the airport, just in case travelers didn’t get enough souvenir bottles to take home. One of the great upcoming talents in the Washington State wine world, owner Keith Johnson is passionate about low-intervention winemaking, using foot-crushed grapes, native yeast, minimal SO2, neutral barrels, and no filtering. The result is a line of natural, minimalist wines that are both balanced and a little bit wild — like the velveteen French Creek Vineyard bottle, a moody blend of mourvedre, syrah, and grenache. ake your pick — bottles range from $28 to $75. Visits are by appointment only.