In winter, it’s typically an expectation to experience a stuffy nose. One easy way to fight the cold season is by eating hot and spicy foods. Luckily there are some wonderful restaurants in the Tri-Cities to warm your spirit while clearing your nose with hot and spicy menu choices.
The Endive Eatery
4001 Kennedy Road #16, West Richland
509.579.5852
As an internationally inspired restaurant, Endive Eatery is here for everyone! Be sure to follow their Instagram to see their menu change with the seasons. Endive Eatery offers soups, salads, pastries, quiches, pasta, and much more. Order a hot drink to accompany your meal with piping hot espresso and tea on the menu to keep extra warm.
The seating at Endive Eatery is very ethereal, with black chairs with chartreuse cushions accented with bronze and gold. The food is always picture-perfect and ready for a photo for your own social media. And the best part of Endive Eatery is they have foods for every dietary need. The foods on the menu include vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options.
Garden Hot Pot
140 Gage Blvd. #204, Richland
509.579.5001
Garden Hot Pot, a family restaurant, features authentic Chinese Sichuan and Shanghai-style dishes. This wonderful husband and wife team shares their heritage with the Tri-Cities community with one tasty meal at a time. Hot pot, also known as steam boat in Chinese, is a method of cooking that includes a simmering pot of soup stock.
With three spicy options at Garden Hot Pot, you can have either spicy, regular, or half-and-half. The dishes come with absolutely delicious sides. Choose from side dishes of thinly sliced meat, lettuce, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, tofu, seafood and more. Some of these are to put in outstanding soup stock, and others are to dip in sauce. Bonus — Garden Hot Pot is a beautiful place with a calm and relaxing environment.
Greek Islands Cuisine
600 Gage Blvd., Richland
509.628.2900
Another family-owned restaurant, Greek Islands Cuisine, is a Greek food fantasy. The Danakas Family has perfected their heritage recipes just for our tastebuds. The mouthwatering menu consists of everything Greek! From baklava to calzone, your belly will be happy once you take that first bite.
The restaurant’s interior is full of life, perfect when you are not feeling well. The great thing about Greek Islands Cuisine is they also offer catering. With so much to offer, they want to help create memorable moments by providing various services, including weddings.
Pho Le
320 N Kellogg Street, Kennewick
509.491.1556
Pho Le is also a family-owned Tri-Cities favorite. This pho restaurant makes everything on its menu from scratch — even the broth! The yummy soups don’t taste oily and feel cleansing going down. With plenty of options, including beef pho, chicken noodle pho, pho Tai, meatball pho, and so much more, Pho Le will definitely aid you in keeping warm and clearing a stuffy head.
The one thing to remember in advance as they only accept cash at Pho Le. All of their soups go for around $15, including tip. It is ultimately worth it because of how large of portions they serve. If you can’t eat it all, you can have delicious leftovers to take home for another chilly day.
With the winter season comes the cold. It’s time to prepare in the Tri-Cities for the season of sickness. These restaurants are only just four of many of the fantastic hot or spicy food places in the area. Give one or more of these excellent restaurants a try — your nose (and stomach) will thank you!
