These restaurants are crowd-pleasers without being bank busters

You're hanging with a crowd and somebody says, "Time to eat!" Where do you go? Well, that depends on who you're with and what you're in the mood for. Need some ideas? I've got a few — though I'd love to hear yours. Share them in the comments area below.

Crawfish King

725 S. Lane St., Seattle (206-623-3622 or www.seattlecrawfishking.com).

Hours: 2:30-10 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, noon-10 p.m. Saturdays Sundays.

Oil-spill news has Louisiana- seafood lovers in tears, but where better to hunker down with your pals and hope for the best? Crawfish may be king of the South, but there are plenty of other treats to be had from the North (king crab), East (Maine lobster) and West (Dungeness) at this casual howz'-bayou hangout in the Chinatown International District. Say "Bring it on!" and you'll soon be up to your elbows in shellfish carnage, knocking back bottled Buds, filling up on "Bourbon Street Platters" starring fried catfish or Southern-fried chicken and partying hearty over boudin balls and jambalaya.

Joey Restaurants

Bellevue: 118-800 Bellevue Way N.E., 425-637-1177; Tukwila: 758 Southcenter Mall, 206-835-6397; Seattle: 901 Fairview Ave. N., 206-749-5639 (www.joeyrestaurants.com).

Hours: Bellevue and Seattle 11-2 a.m. daily (full menu till 1:30 a.m.) and 11-1 a.m. at Southcenter.

Hey, fellas! Say hello to Joey, a boisterous bastion of cocktail culture out of Canada that got its local start on South Lake Union and now extends to Bellevue and Southcenter where a visit buys equal parts chickaliciousness (cami-clad employees) and deliciousness (the wide-ranging menu). Take a global spin with signatures like ahi tuna tacos and Panang prawn curry, or feast on comfort-food fancies like lobster grilled-cheese and a molten lava chocolate souffle — eye-candy for the ladies in your party.

Maddox Grill & Bar

18411 Highway 99, Lynnwood (425-778-2223 or www.maddoxgrill.com).

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays.

In Lynnwood? At a loss for a good old-fashioned meal, a place to hoist a brew with the crew or a weekend brunch spot to fete the grads and the grands? The Maddox family welcomes you and yours to their spacious roadhouse where portions are generous, prices modest and service genuine. Longtime fans of their (now defunct) Richmond Beach grill insist on house specialties like "The Bread Bowl" combo (clam chowder in sourdough plus salad). Others (count me in) swear by the beer-battered halibut and chips and light and lively gumbo. Grab a two-fisted sandwich (pulled pork, prime rib) or live large with a Gorgonzola-accented beef filet.

Shultzy's Sausage

4114 University Way N.E., Seattle (206-548-9461 or www.shultzys.com).

Hours: 9-2 a.m. Mondays-Fridays, 11-2 a.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-midnight Sundays.

Don Schulze's wurst-house has come a long way from the days when Shultzy himself manned the grill at a U District hole-in-the-wall. These days you might find him glad-handing in far larger digs as his grillmen shout "45 minutes!" and servers tender the sorry news about the wait for a long lineup of sausages, burgers, cheesesteaks and more. Pipe down and drink! — in the bar, out on the rear patio or hunkered down in the dual dining room at this bustling sports bar — where the tubes (electronic and meat-stuffed) provide distraction of the first order and the gang can hang and drink beer like a German. Ante up $2 extra for sweet-potato fries to go with your heart-attack-on-a-plate and don't miss the heat-packing chili.

Tutta Bella

Neapolitan Pizzeria

Columbia City: 4918 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle (reopens 5 p.m. Monday after remodel), 206-721-3501; Wallingford: 4411 Stone Way N., Seattle 206-633-3800; Westlake: 2200 Westlake Ave., Suite 112, 206-624-4422; Issaquah: 715 NW Gilman Blvd., 425-391-6838 (www.tuttabellapizza.com).

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays.

Here the Neapolitan ideal marries with Northwest know-how defined by a thin, soft-centered pizza with carefully sourced toppings available at three Seattle locations and in Issaquah. Notable for friendly faces, warmly designed spaces and an affordable wine list, Tutta Bella gladly drops its no- reservation policy for parties of eight or more Sundays through Thursdays. Share salads culled from the Italian canon as a complement to judiciously arrayed pizzas (figs in season? order up!). Save room for dolci and digestivi.

Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com