At a time when malls are shutting down so often that “spooky abandoned mall photo” is the most basic urban explorer merit badge, the food court at Crossroads in Bellevue is thriving.
Part of its success has to do with the fact that the collection of international flags above the big “Public Market” sign are not just for show. The Crossroads food court really does represent people and food from all over the world. There is Island Grill for Hawaiian barbecue, Bulgogi Korean BBQ, Oh! India Eat Street (with vegetarian menu items), Torero’s Taqueria, and more than a dozen others. Like Northgate mall’s food court, they have a Piroshky Piroshky, but unlike Northgate, there’s also a Starbucks.
With a whole world of cuisines to choose from, the greatest use of the food-court medium I have seen is Blazing Bowl, a Laotian hot pot restaurant.