SEAGuide
Seattle’s New Restaurant Openings
photo credit: Suzi Pratt
If you tried to keep track of every new restaurant and bar in Seattle, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the openings that seem like they have the most potential. Although, keep in mind, we make no promises about the places we haven't visited yet. Go forth and be a pioneer—or just keep up with our Hit List to see which new restaurants we checked out and loved.
May 2024
Ramie is a Vietnamese restaurant and bar from the same folks behind Ba Sa on Bainbridge Island. There looks to be lots of dark wood and forest green paint in the dining room, and on the menu you can expect dishes like bánh tiêu with honey butter, coriander oil-drizzled canh khoai mỡ, and gỏi cá with garlic chips and kumquat nuoc cham.
In case you didn't have time to pack a full picnic spread, The Kite Cafe is now at Golden Gardens taking over the old Miri's space. Everything at this deli counter is named after a Seattle neighborhood or landmark. There's “The Shilshole” turkey sandwich, “The Montlake” chopped salad, and quinoa bowls with nods to the islands Bainbridge and Whidbey. Plus, they are selling Seattle Pops and charcuterie boxes to take to the beach.
Complete with a life-sized bull on the roof and plenty of taxidermy inside the dining room, Jack’s BBQ has opened another location in Redmond. They’ve got all the usual suspects like pulled pork sandwiches, brisket plates, and mustardy potato salad. There’s also a weekend brunch that involves smoky meat-filled breakfast tacos.
photo credit: Sam Lien
Although we have gladly followed Good Shape’s mobile pizza operation around town like a fanatic fan, there’s no need to anymore. They’ve taken over the kitchen at Jupiter Bar in Belltown, and are serving great pies everyday from 4pm-2am.
photo credit: Justin Oba/Black Circle Consulting
Cheese Room
The same folks behind Meet Korean BBQ have ventured beyond tabletop grilled meats. Cheese Room is their new Italian restaurant on Capitol Hill that, as the name suggests, involves a whole bunch of dairy. In addition to build-your-own cheese plates, there are dishes like a housemade ricotta and fontina grilled cheese, veal ragu with five year-aged gouda, and basque cheesecake.
If you’ve spent any time on Vashon, you may already be acquainted with the giant cinnamon rolls from Snapdragon Bakery & Cafe. Now there’s a West Seattle outpost of Snapdragon that’s turned from a pop-up into a permanent location. Here you can get their galettes, samosas, and more—just without a ferry trip.
Soccer fans, rejoice—The Atlantic Crossing has reopened in Green Lake after moving from Roosevelt. You can catch a Premier League match on one of their many TVs with a pint, while snacking on Dungeness crab cakes or gravy-topped poutine. Plus, they do a daily late-night happy hour from 10pm-11:30 pm that involves mozzarella sticks.
While the name of this Capitol Hill restaurant and bar has us raising our eyebrows a bit, the place looks more focused on cocktails and small plates than beheading. Expect dishes like beef tartare, mushroom filet with faro rice porridge, and miso caramel topped french toast in the space formerly occupied by Witness.
Surprise: a raw bar and seafood restaurant has opened at Pike Place. Double surprise: it’s another Tom Douglas venture. This spot replacing Etta’s Big Mountain BBQ has dishes like a $95 seafood tower, manila clam toast, and a very thick grass fed cheeseburger—because what's a TD place without one?
The well-known local Malaysian restaurant now has another location in Belltown. Its most recent Capitol Hill 2.0 version isn’t as good as the first incarnation on the Hill, which was once one of the highest-rated spots on our site. But here's to hoping their foray into another neighborhood is an improvement.
This longstanding pizza and pasta joint in West Seattle has moved from Alki to The Junction. And while their location has changed, you’ll still find the same thick-crust pizzas loaded with toppings, cheesy pasta, and giant family-style bowls of Greek salad to pass around.
This fancy Italian restaurant in Pioneer Square is yet another recent addition to the Seattle pizza scene. It features a fully stocked bar, white marble tables, and birdcage chandeliers along with a menu that includes classic margherita pies and ones with breaded veal "crusts" (known to the rest of the world as veal parmigiana).
We recently checked out Bar Sosta. Read our first thoughts here.
photo credit: Social Fabric Café and Market
Social Fabric Café and Market
The folks from Tutta Bella have opened a coffee shop and market at the bottom of a South Lake Union high-rise. Besides sandwiches, focaccia pizza, and coffee, they also have Nutty Squirrel gelato and brioche donuts from local pop-up Sonrisa Donuts.
Seasmith is a plant-filled coffee shop above the Capitol Hill Light Rail station. They’re currently open 7am-2pm, but will eventually transition to being an all-day cafe with lunch, wine, and a few dinner options. Here's hoping they have strong Wifi for WFH people who may want to camp out.
April 2024
Fans of this Seabrook Mexican restaurant will no longer need to travel to the coast. But they will have to brave the parking situation on Capitol Hill in order to try the restaurant’s tamarind-habanero prawns and Salvadorian enchiladas.
We love Rachel’s for their huge breakfast burritos that weigh in at one pound each. Now, there’s a second location in Lake City where you can expect the same kale, carnitas, and Mama Lil’s peppers-stuffed tortillas, alongside chili crisp-topped bagels.
Since 2022, El Taco Loco has been serving Mexican dishes out of a food truck in front of Ballard Liquor Store. Now, the operation has moved inside the shop with a full kitchen and small seating area where you can snack on al pastor tacos, wet burritos stuffed with carne asada, and enchiladas de mole.
photo credit: Brooke Fitts
This takeout and delivery-only kitchen has provided Seattle with Argentinian empanadas for years. Now they have a bright counter location in Ballard with plenty of seating and a case full of empanadas that includes ones stuffed with chorizo and mozzarella or spinach and bechamel.
We tried Maria Luisa and added it to the Hit List. Read our thoughts here.
This restaurant in Belltown has a long menu of Southeast Asian dishes with a few twists, including chips and lychee salsa, au-gratin crab legs drizzled with a pineapple sauce, and ginger truffle fries. The space with a full bar and two levels of seating also features a giant caraboo statue (a nod to the name).
Din Tai Fung at Lincoln Center in Bellevue has relocated to a new space in the mall that’s twice as big and extravagant. The dining room is decorated with chandeliers, fancy wallpaper, and tree installations, while the menu still has the restaurant’s hits like garlicky green beans and xiao long bao.
photo credit: Aimee Rizzo
A Neopolitan-style pizzeria has taken over the former El Borracho space in Ballard, supplementing pies with dishes like trofie in pork ragu and eggplant parmigiana sandwiches.
We recently checked out Strega Pizzeria. Read our first thoughts here.
Georgetown’s got a new breakfast cafe in a historic green building on Carleton Avenue formerly occupied by Deep Sea Sugar & Salt. The shop and pantry does a bunch of stuff with halo-shaped carbs like BLTs on a rosemary sea salt bagel and sesame ones with extra-caramelized onion shmears.
This Magnolia brewery has added a new (and much bigger) taproom in Fremont with an outdoor patio out back. Here, you can drink pints of saisons and belgian stouts while Midnite Ramen and Ooshiba Yakitori & Sushi provide the food.
One of our all-time favorite ramen food carts has opened a kitchen inside Figurehead Brewing’s new Fremont location for takeout and brewery customers dining in. Menu options include their rich pork-fat flecked shoyu and snacks like takoyaki, but now you don’t have to wait outside in the rain for it anymore. They even parked the old cart inside the brewery for decoration.
An Italian restaurant in Fremont has opened from the folks behind Vendemmia and Autumn. Like the group's numerous other seafood and pasta heavy places, you can expect to find plenty of crudo, tartare, and agnolotti.
photo credit: M Cozy Fusion Cafe
The counter-service Vietnamese brunch cafe near University Village serves dishes like fried chicken and pandan waffles, Thai tea french toast, and bánh mì chảo. It's from the owners of Coffeeholic and its colorful ube lattes, so look for caffeinated drinks like tiramisu egg coffee and ube matcha, too.
We recently checked out M Cozy Fusion Cafe. Read our first thoughts here.
One of our favorite restaurants for seafood in Fremont now has a second location in Kirkland. For those with a hankering to eat jerk-marinated grouper among exposed wood beams and an open kitchen, Eastside options just got a whole lot better.
This Beacon Hill coffee shop now has a Columbia City cafe conveniently located across the street from the Light Rail station. Commuters can grab a pork sausage breakfast sandwich and a brown sugar iced latte inside the mural-covered space before hopping on the train.
If you've ever dreamed about what a phở taco might taste like, you’re in luck. Lotus On The Beach is billed as an “Asian fusion” restaurant on Alki where you can have that dish, plus garlic butter wings as you sip Earl Grey cocktails.
There’s a new place for Korean fried chicken in the International District. Ummadak is a tiny counter restaurant that serves skewers and buckets of crunchy chicken dressed in sauces like sweet chili or honey garlic butter.
photo credit: Aimee Rizzo
A well-known Cantonese and dim sum restaurant from Vancouver has set up shop in Bellevue, joining the Seattle area’s ever-growing dim sum scene. The daytime menu includes over 95 items like chicken feet, har gow, and parcels of sticky rice. At dinner time, look for larger entrees like their roasted squab. There are reportedly long waits for walk-ins and reservations at the moment, but a live seafood tank inside the fancy space should keep you entertained.
We tried Sun Sui Wah and added it to the Hit List. Read our thoughts here.
photo credit: Nate Watters
At this small Ballard bottle shop and wine bar, you can sit down with a glass of frappato and order from a menu of small snacks like radishes with whipped truffle butter and tinned fish rillette. They also offer wine and cheese club memberships that use the space for monthly meetings.
We recently checked out Halfseas Wine & Bottle Shop. Read our first thoughts here.
The classic punk rock music venue is back a year after closing due to Seattle-style development reasons. The divey bar that’s hosted bands like The Disorderlies and Ol’ Doris has taken over the old Cafe Racer space. And shows are scheduled to start ASAP.
Fans of Doce’s raised brioche donuts in Fremont can now seek them out at the bakery’s second location in South Lake Union. There you’ll find dozens of flavors like tres leches, guava con queso, and tiramisu.
This Madison Valley spot is the second location for Hanuman Thai Cafe, following one in Kirkland. The renovated cottage-turned-restaurant has a few corner booths and nooks where diners can share Thai classics like tom kha and kha soi, along with a sunny courtyard that looks ideal for drinking Thai iced tea.
This self-pour pub chain in Bellevue allows you to help yourself to pints of lagers and stouts with just the swipe of a card. They’ve got long wood tables, outdoor seating, and almost as many TVs as taps. If all that beer makes you hungry, the menu has dishes like chili cheese fries, buffalo wings, and BBQ chicken pizza.
Watch out Dave’s, there’s a new Nashville hot chicken spot in town. This nationwide chain has opened its first Seattle location in Sodo where you can order wings, chicken and waffles, and giant crispy chicken sandwiches with spice levels up to “Angry Hot.”
March 2024
photo credit: Chona Kasinger
After tumultuous ownership changes and an abrupt closure over the past year, Honeyhole is back. The folks behind bars like Rumba and Inside Passage have taken over this sandwich shop that has been a Capitol Hill staple for more than 25 years. The Pike Street location remains the same, and the menu has some of the old classics like the pesto and turkey Waverider. There are still plenty of vegan and vegetarian options as well.
We recently checked out Honeyhole. Read our first thoughts here.
This Hawaiian counter spot has opened a space Downtown. As the name suggests, they specialize in musubi—classic versions with spam and egg, plus a few shrimp and eel based versions. If you need a bit more than just a handheld snack, the shop also serves poke, donburi bowls, and canned cocktails.
We recently checked out Musubi Kai. Read our first thoughts here.
With a recent Totem Lake outpost and now a South Lake Union debut, this LA-based salad chain is steadily growing its presence in the Seattle area. At the new SLU space, you can expect kale caesars, roasted chicken-topped warm grain bowls, and Macrina Bakery rosemary focaccia. Next stop is a location on Capitol Hill.
After 42 years in business, Julia’s abruptly closed at the end of 2023. But the brunch spot is back in the same Wallingford space under new ownership. The menu looks to be keeping its previous brunch selections intact with plenty of gluten-free options, while adding new Mexican dishes to the mix like chilaquiles and loaded burritos.
photo credit: Nate Watters
After hosting a pop-up in the Nordic Museum, this operation that makes Chinese and German-influenced snacks and drinks opened a cafe in Ballard. Inside the sunlight-filled space, you'll find cardamom rose cookies, apricot and jujube-topped skyr, and seaweed lattes with soy sauce caramel.
We recently checked out Cardoon. Read our first thoughts here.
photo credit: Kayla Sager-Riley
Mama Chavez’s Tamales & More
At this Mexican food walk-up window in Belltown, you’ll find tacos, tamales (with lard-free options), burritos, and more. Specials include tacos for $1.50 all day on Tuesdays in keeping with the alliterative celebration.
The popular Ballard fried chicken specialist has opened a second casual-counter restaurant in Pioneer Square. That should be convenient for Mariners fans who want to snack on fried drumsticks and tenders before a game at T-Mobile Park.
photo credit: Bad Chancla
Bad Chancla is a takeout counter and bodega-style sandwich shop open on Captiol Hill. Look for Latin American dishes like ropa vieja bowls and a “Riki Tiki” sandwich with picadillo beef, plus freshly pressed juices for lunch and dinner.
We recently checked out Bad Chancla. Read our first thoughts here.
February 2024
There isn’t much in terms of quick lunch spots in Columbia City, but Spice Waala is here to change that—and better yet, it’s a lunch for under $10. This casual Indian spot that specializes in kathi rolls is strictly a takeout window, but they’re still serving the full gamut of tasty stuff you’d find at their Ballard and Capitol Hill locations, like aloo tikki rolls, papdi chatt, and yes—the soft serve is here too.
photo credit: Gabe Guarente
Little Donkey is a sit down Mexican restaurant and bar in West Seattle that has taken over the original Spiro’s Pizza and Pasta location. Inside the revamped space, you can expect menu items like tinga tacos, pozole, and chile relleno stuffed with spinach and mushrooms.
We recently checked out Little Donkey Mexican Kitchen. Read our first thoughts here.
photo credit: Kayla Sager-Riley
Maíz is an excellent Pike Place lunch spot and one of the best Mexican restaurants in the city. Expect the same food at their new Ballard taquería, too, like chorizo con papas tacos on homemade nixtamal tortillas, fluffy sopes, and tender birria. You can have all of that without being watched through the window by a line of tourists waiting for a limited-edition Starbucks cup.
We tried Maíz Taquería and added it to the Hit List. Read our thoughts here.
Taking over the former Ben & Esther's location is Shikorina Bakeshop, a cafe and bakery that made its way from a small operation in the Central District to Capitol Hill. Inside this colorful space, you’ll find plenty of seating along with homemade pop-tarts, chocolate chunk cookies, and lots more pastries (think special order cakes made with berbere caramel and Swiss vanilla buttercream).
Musang is currently closed for repairs. But for the time being, their catering space known as Wild Cat (only two doors down from their Beacon Hill location) has opened as a temporary restaurant that serves a similar Filipino menu. You can find Musang classics like the pot roast-y short rib kare kare, delicata squash-packed ginataang gulay, and crispy fried chicken.
After serving Khmer dishes from the kitchen at Oliver’s Twist, folks from the same team have officially opened Sophon in a larger space just a few blocks away. There are plenty of cocktails here too, plus dishes like kroeung-spiced fried chicken, and chinese eggplant stuffed with soy curls.
We recently checked out Sophon. Read our first thoughts here.
If the 180-inch projector TV, Sounders gear hanging from the ceiling, and basketball court flooring didn't tip you off, Golden Roosters is a sports bar. This Pioneer Square spot serves fried chicken, fries, and more fried stuff. Which, honestly, is not a bad combination when spending a full day watching people efficiently move a ball around.
Bon is a casual Japanese-Korean counter spot inside M2M Mart on Capitol Hill. This means that after you spend 15 minutes enamored by the very impressive instant ramen aisle, you can head upstairs to sit down with a bowl of jajangmyeon, Korean-style fried chicken, or cheese tonkatsu.
