Historic main street district · Old Bellevue
Old Bellevue
Bellevue's original town center along Main Street, now a walkable district of boutiques, wine bars, and restaurants at downtown's south edge.
Old Bellevue, centered on Main Street, is the original town center of the city and where Bellevue's origin story lives. In the first half of the 20th century Main Street was the retail heart of Bellevue, surrounded by strawberry fields, orchards, and vegetable farms, before the modern downtown skyline rose just to the north. The area traces back to the 1860s, when Seattle baker William Meydenbauer crossed Lake Washington and claimed land at what is now Meydenbauer Bay.
Today the district retains historic charm with tree-lined streets and a walkable, low-rise scale that contrasts with the towers of the adjacent downtown core. Some buildings preserve the original character of the early business district; the Bellevue Barber Shop has operated on Main Street since 1947 in a building dating to 1923.
Old Bellevue is now a curated collection of locally owned boutiques, artisan shops, specialty retailers, restaurants, and wine bars, and is served by its own merchants association. It connects southward toward the redeveloped Meydenbauer Bay waterfront, making it a pedestrian-friendly counterpoint to the high-rise downtown.
Inside Old Bellevue
See all →520 Bar & Grill
Old Bellevue
A neighborhood New American bar and grill on Old Bellevue's Main Street known for brunch, comfort fare and a lively bar.
- Cuisine
- New American / bar fare
- Neighborhood
- Old Bellevue (Main St)
- Known for
- Brunch, happy hour
Araya's Place
Old Bellevue
Family-owned vegan Thai restaurant on Main Street, billed as the Pacific Northwest's first all-vegetarian Thai kitchen.
- Cuisine
- Vegan Thai
- Neighborhood
- Old Bellevue (Main St)
- Established
- 1987
Belle Pastry
Old Bellevue
Old Bellevue French bakery founded by pastry chef Jean-Claude Ferre, serving croissants, quiches, and chocolate confections.
- Cuisine
- French bakery / cafe
- Price
- $$
- Founded
- 2003
Bis on Main
Old Bellevue
Chef Bobby Moore's long-running fine-dining bistro on Old Bellevue's Main Street, a perennial Wine Spectator Award winner.
- Cuisine
- Pacific Northwest / American
- Neighborhood
- Old Bellevue (Main St)
- Chef/Owner
- Bobby Moore
Cantinetta
Old Bellevue
Tuscan-inspired Italian restaurant on Old Bellevue's Main Street with house-made pasta and seasonal ingredients.
- Cuisine
- Italian / Tuscan
- Price
- $$$
- Location
- Old Bellevue / Main St
Carmine's
Old Bellevue
Intimate Old Bellevue trattoria serving hand-made pasta and Tuscan-style Italian cuisine in a family-run dining room.
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Price
- $$$
- Neighborhood
- Old Bellevue
Eastside Heritage Center
Old Bellevue
Nonprofit preserving Eastside history, with 30,000+ artifacts, formed from two earlier historical societies in 2001.
- Type
- Local history nonprofit
- Formed
- 2001 (merger of two societies)
- Predecessors
- Bellevue Historical Society (1986), Marymoor Museum (1965)
Frederick W. Winters House
Old Bellevue
Bellevue's only building on the National Register of Historic Places, a 1929 Spanish Eclectic mansion.
- Type
- Historic house museum
- Built
- 1929
- Style
- Spanish Eclectic