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Visiting Walla Walla, Washington for the first time and not sure where to start? This two-night Walla Walla Itinerary is the perfect introduction for food and wine lovers to this charming small town in Eastern Washington wine country.
If you’re a food and wine lover, Walla Walla should definitely be on your must-visit list! Consistently voted as one of the nation’s top wine regions, Walla Walla boasts over 120 wineries to choose from on your visit to this budding destination. Walla Walla is also host to numerous fantastic restaurants that will satisfy all of your foodie desires. We had some pretty incredible meals here!
On our introductory visit to Walla Walla, we wanted to experience as much of the local food and wine as we could. While there are plenty of other things to do in Walla Walla besides eat and drink, this two-night Walla Walla itinerary solely focuses on experiencing the best of the food and wine scene.
I can’t wait for repeat visits to this lovely town to explore more of what it has to offer!
Getting to Walla Walla
Walla Walla is located in Southeastern Washington, near the Washington/Oregon border. Getting to Walla Walla will generally involve a bit of driving, unless you fly into Seattle and take one of the daily flights from there to the tiny Walla Walla airport. But hey, road trips are fun right?
Pair a visit to Walla Walla with a trip to one of the many other Pacific Northwest major cities. I recommend starting off in Seattle, Boise, or Portland for a few days before heading over to Walla Walla. There is much to explore in each destination!
Drive to Walla Walla
- Drive from Seattle: Approximately 4 Hours 15 Mins
- Drive from Boise: Approximately 4 Hours 15 Mins
- Drive from Bend: Approximately 4 Hours 45 Mins
- Drive from Portland: Approximately 4 Hours
Fly to Walla Walla
Walla Walla Regional Airport offers daily flights to/from Seattle via Alaska Airlines. However, depending on the season, there may only be one or two flights a day. Because Walla Walla has such a small airport, you’ll have to fly to Seattle first to make any connecting flights.
Flight time from Seattle to Walla Walla is approximately one hour and you can check out the current flight schedules here.
There are a few rental car agencies in the area, such as Budget and Enterprise, but you’ll probably have more options available to you if you were to fly into Seattle and take the drive out.
Where to Stay in Walla Walla
Courtyard by Marriott
On our visit to Walla Walla, we stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott, which was conveniently located near the Downtown area – about a 10-minute walk from all the restaurants and Downtown wineries.
We chose the Marriott since we had some Bonvoy points stored up to use, but there are plenty of other great places to stay in the area as well! (Book your Marriott stay at Booking.com or Hotels.com)
Other Hotel/B&B Accommodations
Here are some other accommodation choices I would definitely consider on my next visit:
- The Finch: A trendy, modern hotel in Downtown within walking distance to everything
- The Barn B&B: A luxury barn B&B located outside of Downtown
- Marcus Whitman Hotel: A classic hotel right in the heart of Downtown
- Eritage Resort: A luxury resort set amongst vineyards and a small private lake
Day 1: Explore Downtown
The first day of this Walla Walla Itinerary is all about exploring the quaint Downtown area, experiencing wine tasting rooms and some seriously delicious food!
Day 1 Summary
- Stop 1: Lunch at AK’s Mercado
- Stop 2: Wine Tasting at Moonbase
- Stop 3: Wine tasting at Heritage Wine Bar (L’Ecole)
- Stop 4: Spirits Tasting at 2nd Street Distilling
- Stop 5: Dinner at Hattaway’s on Alder
- Check into your hotel (if you are staying Downtown, you can fit this in between any of the above activities as everything is within a 10-minute walking distance)
Lunch at AK’s Mercado
21 E Main St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://www.andraeskitchen.com/
Roll into Walla Walla and make your first stop AK’s Mercado for some delicious tacos for lunch! These are some of the best tacos we’ve had to date in the U.S.A., with many of their tacos combining a unique twist of BBQ meats and traditional Mexican.
Our favorites were the Smoked Brisket, lined with melty mozzarella cheese and topped with pickled onions, and the short rib. Our only regret was we didn’t get to visit a second time during our trip!
Andrae’s Kitchen used to be located in a local gas station but has since found a permanent spot right in Downtown Walla Walla on Main Street, making it extra convenient for visitors!
Wine Tasting at Moonbase
7 N 2nd Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://moonbase.wine/
After you’ve had your fill of tacos for lunch, get ready for some Walla Walla wine! Next up on the itinerary is wine tasting at Moonbase Cellars in Downtown Walla Walla. There are so many tasting rooms located in the Downtown area, you could spend days just hopping from place to place.
I chose Moonbase for our first winery stop because of the great reviews and their cool space theme. It was a great pick! If you happen to taste when the owner Drew is in, be sure to pick his brain on the local Walla Walla AVA and the wine making process in general. He has a wealth of knowledge and we learned a lot!
Our favorite wines were the Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon and the LGM (Little Green Men – read the story on the name here or ask when you taste) which is a G.S.M. blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.
Wine Tasting at L’Ecole Heritage Wine Bar
6 W Rose St Ste 103, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://www.lecole.com/visit-us/
After Moonbase, head over to the next block to the classy L’Ecole Heritage Wine Bar, located in the Marcus Whitman Hotel building. I wanted to try L’Ecole wines on our visit to Walla Walla, and this Downtown Walla Walla location made it that much easier!
The wine bar is super chic and you can choose to take your flight(s) to a table for a self-guided experience or your server can guide you through the tasting process if you prefer.
We opted for both the Vin Blanc Wine Flight and the Estate Red Flight (got to try them all right?) and I had some favorites from each! I enjoyed the Semillon and Rose from the white flight the most, and the Syrah from the reds. I think this spot would also be great for a date night or pre-dinner drinks.
Spirits Tasting at 2nd Street Distilling
12 N 2nd Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://2ndstreetdistillingco.com/
If you’re up for it, change pace to spirits and check out 2nd Street Distilling, which happens to be right across the street from Moonbase (Downtown is such an easy place to get around on foot!).
For a mere $5.00, you get a guided tasting through a select choice of liqueurs, gins, vodkas, and whiskeys. Our favorite was the Pepper & Garlic vodka which is the perfect vodka for making Bloody Marys! We bought a bottle of that and some Real Dill Bloody Mary mix to take home with us.
I suggest putting this stop last on the boozy part of your itinerary for the day so that it doesn’t blow your palate for wine tasting. Case in point, the garlic flavor from the the Pepper & Garlic Vodka will linger on your tongue until dinner! We made the mistake of going here in between Moonbase and L’Ecole and it definitely did a number on our taste buds.
If you’re not up for spirits, you can also choose from one of the many other Downtown Tasting rooms in the area (like Kontos Cellars – which is on my wish list).
Dinner at Hattaway’s on Alder
125 W Alder St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://www.hattawaysonalder.com/
Reserve a table for dinner on your first night in Walla Walla at Hattaway’s on Alder, which has an inventive menu with hints of Southern charm.
I recommend starting your meal off with their Pimento Cheese Crostini appetizer and the Grilled Octopus, which were two of our favorite dishes.
Also not to be missed is their Duck Fat Corncake, which was my favorite thing we ordered. If moist corn cake, tangy lemon curd, and hot honey sound like a winning combination, this dessert will blow you away!
Day 2: A Day of Wine & Beer
Day 2 of this Walla Walla Itinerary focuses on exploring a couple of wineries outside of the Downtown area, as well as the local beer scene. Of course you can expect to experience some incredible food as well!
Be sure to make reservations at your wineries of choice to guarantee a seated tasting (some wineries are only open for walk-ins on specific days or book up in advance).
Day 2 Summary
- Stop 1: Pastries at Colville Street Patisserie for Breakfast
- Stop 2: 11:00 a.m. – Wine Tasting at Caprio Cellars
- Stop 3: 12:30 p.m. – Wine Tasting at Grosgrain Vineyards
- Stop 4: Lunch at TMACs
- Stop 5: Brewery Hopping: Burwood Brewing
- Stop 6: Brewery Hopping: Quirk Brewing
- Stop 7: Dinner at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen
Breakfast at Colville Street Patisserie
40 S Colville St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://www.colvillestreetpatisserie.com/
Because I always recommend kicking off a day of wine tasting with sustenance, be sure to stop by Colville Street Patisserie and get yourself some baked goods. Whether you like things savory or sweet, there will be options for both. We had the herbed goat cheese croissant and the vanilla strawberry Danish. Both were delicious!
Important Note: Don’t go overboard on the pastries here as the first wine tasting stop on this itinerary will have some small bites to pair with your wine. You do not want to be too full to pass these up!
Wine Tasting at Caprio Cellars
1603 Whiteley Rd, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://www.capriocellars.com/
Start your wine tasting off for the day at Caprio Cellars – one of my favorite wine tasting experiences I’ve had in a long time! I recommend making your tasting reservation at 11:00 a.m., which is the first available of the day.
Tasting at Caprio is 100% complimentary, as are the small bites that are served to pair with the wine. A free experience is pretty much unheard of these days (especially at this caliber), but you can pay them the ultimate compliment by purchasing the wines you enjoyed in return.
Caprio Food Pairing
The small bites for the wine pairing at Caprio were all fantastic (as were all of the wines), and were some of the best bites of food we had in all of Walla Walla! The pairing menu changes seasonally, but here’s what we got to enjoy on our visit:
- Spiced Red Potato Salad (with Greek yogurt, English peas, red grape and micro celery) paired with their 2021 Estate Rosé (100% Cab Franc)
- Poached Prawn Nicoise (with country olives, roasted tomatoes, sauce gribiche, and garden thyme) paired with their 2021 White Blend (72% Sauv Blanc & 28% Semillon)
- Beet Agrodolce (with smoked pork belly, local cherries, caramelized fennel, and golden raisins) paired with their 2021 Red Label Cabernet Sauvignon (78% Cab Sauv, 18% Merlot, 4% Cab Franc)
Caprio Cellars also has a resident winery pup named Roscoe, who happily walks up to greet all guests as they arrive and spends time in between wandering from table to table spreading happiness.
Wine Tasting at Grosgrain Vineyards
2158 Half Acre Ln, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://grosgrainvineyards.com/
Next up on the itinerary is Grosgrain Vineyards, just a short drive away from Caprio. We visited on a weekday (reservations required) so it was nice and quiet!
We got to sit out on the back patio enjoying the fresh air and countryside views. Our wine server was one of the owners so we got to hear a little bit of history about how Grosgrain got started in the Walla Walla area.
Grosgrain (pronounced grow-grain) was on my list for a couple of reasons: 1) They had a Petillant Naturel on their tasting menu (aka “Pet Nat”), which is sparkling wine made from a natural process of bottling during initial fermentation and allowing the sugars to provide the bubbles once inside the bottle. 2) They came highly recommended by other reviewers and blogs. 3) They have a great outdoor space for sipping!
Lunch at TMACS
80 N Colville St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://tmacsww.com/
After a morning of wine tasting, it’s time for a late lunch. TMACS in Downtown Walla Walla is a delicious choice to fill up on hearty foods!
You will love sinking your teeth into their wagyu beef cheeseburger with smoked provolone, cremini mushrooms and some of the tastiest bacon I’ve ever had!
A great second choice would be their seared ahi BLTA. This sandwich packs a punch of flavor, and again with that bacon – it’s so crispy and delicious!
Brewery Hopping: Burwood
1120 E St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://www.burwoodbrewing.com/
Because life is all about balance, I recommend spending the rest of the afternoon sipping on beer flights and checking out the local brewery scene. If beer isn’t your thing, of course continue on with the wine!
We visited two breweries out in the Airport District, one of them being Burwood Brewing. They have a great outdoor space for hanging out and also have food trucks that come in on occasion.
Our favorite beers from Burwood ended up being the Hop Locker IPA and The Fang IPA, but I always recommend getting a flight to try out a bunch of different beers.
Brewery Hopping: Quirk
425 B St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
http://www.quirkbrewing.com/
Just a few blocks away from Burwood is Quirk Brewing, which makes it an easy next stop on the itinerary. Quirk actually ended up being our favorite of the two breweries in the area! They have a chill, laid back space, great music playing, and a taco truck onsite.
Quirk also has a little bit more of an eclectic beer menu compared to Burwood, and we were happy to try some really good sours on tap when we visited.
Dinner at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen
330 W Main St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
https://www.saffronmediterraneankitchen.com/
Dinner tonight is at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen, which is a Walla Walla restaurant that is not to be missed! Our meal at Saffron was one of our most memorable meals of the year we visited (and maybe in our top meals of all time!).
Be sure to make a reservation by calling the restaurant ahead of time to ensure you snag a seat, no matter the day of the week.
Though the menu changes seasonally, here are the items that we ate (and I can recommend every single one of them):
- Waiting for My Thai: A “Thai style” Mai Tai with a play on words referencing the Thai food cart next door
- Kebbeh Nayyeh: An adventurous dish of lamb and beef tartare made with cracked wheat, roasted pepper, red bell pepper, Walla Walla sweet onion, fresh herbs, nigella seeds, chili oil & house-made pita. This was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten!
- Falafel & Tzatziki: Crispy falafel bites served with the best tzatziki sauce I’ve ever had
- Porchetta: Roasted Blue Valley Meats pork belly, cannellini beans, marinated mushrooms, Italian parsley, Walla Walla sweet onion, lemon & Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- Saffron Mafaldine: Mafaldine pasta with cured tuna, summer squash, roasted heirloom fennel seed, chili flake, ricotta salata & bottarga
- Basque Cheesecake for dessert
Day 3: Breakfast & Bon Voyage!
On your last morning in Walla Walla, take a stroll through Downtown and grab a hearty breakfast from Walla Walla Bread Co.
If you have some time to spare, you might want to consider adding in one last winery visit to your itinerary! We ran out of time as we were on a schedule to get to our next destination, but I would suggest Rotie Cellars, which is on my winery wish list!
Breakfast at Walla Walla Bread Co.
201 E Main St, Walla Walla, WA 99362
http://www.w2breadco.com/
Walla Walla Bread Co. has so many pastry and bread goodies to choose from. It’s a great stop for breakfast or even brunch/lunch! I had my eye on the Red Velvet Croissant, and that’s exactly what I got. It was a bit indulgent (and very sweet) but it sure was pretty!
I highly recommend also getting the Bagel & Lox, which was my main brunch item for the morning. It was packed with smoked salmon, herbs, fresh tomatoes, onions, and capers and filled me up for our road trip ahead.
Explore Downtown Walla Walla
Before you head out of town, I recommend taking a stroll in Downtown Walla Walla to work off the calories from the Walla Walla Bread Co. pastries! There are plenty of shops to peruse or you can pop into one of the tasting rooms for a last-minute wine taste.
I hope you’ve found this Walla Walla Itinerary helpful to plan your own visit to this amazing little town and wine region!
Where to Next?
Heading to another Pacific Northwest Destination? Be sure to check out these posts:
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