• ARAGONA • downtown: From acclaimed chef Jason Stratton (Spinasse, Artusi), it’s an extremely hotly anticipated restaurant focusing on the foods of Spain, with the acclaimed David Nelson (Tavern Law, Spur, Il Bistro) in charge of the bar. Aragona is kitty-corner from the Seattle Art Museum, in the neato space where Thoa’s used to be. (96 Union St, 682-3590, aragonaseattle.com, $$–$$$)
• ALTSTADT BIERHALLE & BRATHAUS • Pioneer Square: Brendan McGill, chef/owner of the well-liked Hitchcock on Bainbridge Island (and winner of Food & Wine‘s “People’s Best New Chef”) runs this great-looking old-school beer hall—big long tables, exposed brick walls, house-made bratwurst and pretzels, house-fermented sauerkraut, and big ol’ steins of beer. “Altstadt” means “old town” in German, as befits its Pioneer Square location. (209 First Ave S, 602-6442, altstadtseattle.com, $$)
• HUARACHITOS • Rainier Valley: This family-owned Mexican place is especially beloved for its namesake huaraches—corn cake “sandals” smeared with beans and topped with cheese, meat, and veggies. The original Huarachitos on MLK closed due to a fire in June 2011; a homemade pink sign on site said, heartbreakingly, “Sorry there was a fire. We love you. We hope you understand. —Jose and Ana.” The second incarnation is at the Othello light rail station, with Mexico City native/Cordon Bleu–educated chef Jose Luis Pantiga-Flores once again in the kitchen, and Ana ready to welcome you. (4219 S Othello St, 568-3019, huarachitos.com, $$)
• BODRUM BISTRO • Wallingford: It’s a Turkish restaurant from the chef/owner of the much-loved Cafe Paloma in Pioneer Square, Sedat Uysal. It’s where the (also much-loved) Golden Olive used to be. (1712 N 45th St, no phone, $$)
• RESTAURANT ROUX • Fremont: Restaurant Roux is the sit-down place from Where Ya at Matt‘s Matthew Lewis, named after the combination of hot butter and flour that starts out lots of recipes in his native New Orleans. At Roux, which is where the Buckaroo Tavern used to be, you can expect the same food that made Matt’s truck famous—from jambalaya and gumbo to beignets and pecan pie—plus some fancier French Creole–inspired stuff. Chef Mikey Robertshaw came from Local 360, where his work got good reviews until he was reportedly fired for being too loud in the open kitchen. Lewis indicated he’d look into sound-dampening, but also seems philosophical about chefs being shouty. (4201 Fremont Ave N, 547-5420, restaurantroux.com, $$)
• LOULAY • downtown: Thierry Rautureau, aka the Chef in the Hat, formerly of Rover’s and still of Luc, runs this 4,000-square-foot French restaurant where Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler used to be. “There is something to be said about the beautiful thing about (having) a small tiny restaurant, it’s great that you can do everything yourself, blabbity blah blah,” he told the Seattle Times, “but believe me, that gets old.” The Seattle Times further calls Loulay “a casually elegant oasis” with “classy but whimsical touches.” (600 Union St, 402-4588, thechefinthehat.com/loulay, $$–$$$)
• LOTUS THAI • Central District: Lotus is next to Catfish Corner. The inside is all tangerine-colored, a nice trip to somewhere less dark and cold. (2724 E Cherry St, 323-9445, $)
• BYEN BAKERI • Lower Queen Anne: This pretty bakery makes Scandinavian treats like boller, and it all sounds really good. The name means, prosaically, “Town Bakery.” (15 Nickerson St, Suite D, 218-1000, byenbakeri.com, $)
• THE HOLLYWOOD TAVERN • Woodinville: Joshua Henderson of Skillet/Westward renown renovated this roadside tavern near all the Woodinville wineries. He promises “wine country farm cuisine together with whiskey and cheeseburgers, roasted meats, fresh pastas, and, most importantly, house-made soft serve ice cream,” all made with fresh, local ingredients. The chef is Angie Roberts, most recently executive chef at the flashy, pricey, but less-than-totally-great BOKA. (14508 Woodinville Redmond Rd NE, Woodinville, 425-610-7730, thehollywoodtavern.com, $$)
• LIAM’S • University Village: Kurt Beecher Dammeier (of Beecher’s Cheese fame, as well as Bennett’s and Maximus Minimus) runs this restaurant “where sophisticated food is served up in a comfortable, contemporary space” in the marvel of contemporary capitalism that is University Village. Liam’s is named for one of Dammeier’s sons. (University Village, Store 161, 527-6089, liamsbistro.com, $$–$$$)
• SHAWN O’DONNELL’S • Pioneer Square: A favorite in Everett for years, O’Donnell’s Seattle location is at the base of the Smith Tower, ready to fulfill your every Irish pub/American grill expectation (Shawn Jr. is the one you’ll see there). (508 Second Ave, 602-6380, shawnodonnells.com, $$)
• STOUP BREWING • Ballard: “Stoup” is old-timey English for a beverage container. Stoup Brewing is a friends-and-family-run craft brewery in Ballard. Stop by their neat-looking tasting room and try out their beers. (1108 NW 52nd St, 457-5524, stoupbrewing.com, $)
• JUICEBOX • Capitol Hill: Juicebox was a stand at the Broadway farmers market and a pop-up at La Bête before reaching fruition/vegetation as an all-organic cafe and juice bar near Northwest Film Forum. The owners were formerly cooks at Staple & Fancy and La Bête; in addition to their fresh juices, they make seasonal salads, pickles, soups, yogurt, and more. Lest it all seem too good for you, there’s fermented grape juice (aka wine), too. (1517 12th Ave, 607-7866, juiceboxseattle.com, $)
• KAISHO • Bellevue: Where Boom Noodle in Bellevue Square used to be (and brought to you by the Boom Noodle/Blue C Sushi people), it’s “a modern, high-end interpretation of an izakaya.” (504 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, no phone at press time, $$–$$$)
• ADA’S TECHNICAL BOOKS • Capitol Hill: Paul Constant reports that this beautiful, smart, science-obsessed bookshop—where Horizon Books used to be on Capitol Hill’s 15th Avenue—sells technical electronic manuals, computer guides, kids’ books, science fiction, biographies of scientists, cookbooks, games, and more. And the cafe makes everything-like delicious pistachio granola, cinnamon rolls,
macaroni and cheese, and curried lentils-in-house, from local ingredients whenever possible. One glass-topped cafe table is filled with 774 tiny compasses. (425 15th Ave E, 322-1058, seattletechnicalbooks.com, $)
• UNION BAR • Hillman City: Hillman City is south of Columbia City. There you will find Union Bar; its logo is two
strong-looking hands clasped arm-wrestling-style, and its motto is “Where labor rests.” They’ve got pub grub, eight beers on tap, sports
on TV, movie nights, trivia nights, occasional live music, karaoke, and board and card games, plus happy hour, to help you with your resting. Goldy reports
that it’s a “no-gimmicks, reasonably priced, comfortable neighborhood bar.” (5609 Rainier Ave S, 258-4377, facebook.com/unionbarhillmancity, $)
• PARFAIT ORGANIC ARTISAN ICE CREAM • Ballard: Parfait makes its ice cream in small batches from scratch (unlike some local
ice-creameries with the initials MM), using all-organic everything (milk, eggs, produce from local farms), and then dispenses it from a
truck and, now, a shop in Ballard (and both are really cute). (2034 NW 56th St, 941-4679, parfait-icecream.com, $)
• ASCONA CHOCOLAT SUISSE • Madison Valley: Hans Rechsteiner—the former owner of Arosa, the beloved Liege waffle cafe—runs this
Madison Valley chocolate shop, importing beautiful Läderach chocolates from Switzerland. He says they’re the best, and one would
probably be wise to take his word for it.
(2914 E Madison St, Suite 103, 329-0153, $)
• CANTINA DE SAN PATRICIO • Pike Place Market: The name pays tribute to the Saint Patrick’s Battalion, made up of Irishmen and
other European immigrants to the United States who defected and fought on the side of the Mexican army in the Mexican-American War of
1846-1848. The Cantina is where Post used to be (in Post Alley), the ownership is Irish (of the Kells family), and the drinks include lots of tequila-based
cocktails, an “Irish martini”—Jameson, Grand Marnier, and lime—and other stuff from all over the place (the menu is on-the-pricey-side
Mexican). (1914 Post Alley, 443-2150, cantinadesanpatricio.com, $$-$$$)
• FREMONT 1AM • Fremont: As the name implies, this Vietnamese spot serves food late for people in the neighborhood yelling “WHOOOOO!” It’s where Pete’s Fremont Fire Pit used to be. (501 N 36th St, no phone, $$)
• KIGO KITCHEN • South Lake Union: This fast-casual chain-to-be, making “fresh, fast, and wokked-to-order rice and noodle bowls” with house-made sauces for less than $10 each, was started by a couple local guys as a Dartmouth
business school project. (210 Westlake Ave, 805-8845, kigokitchen.com, $)
• TAP STATION • West Seattle: From Kyle Duce, owner of Locöl Barley & Vine next door, Tap Station has both wine and beer on tap, but
besides tastes, it’s to-go only. (7900 35th Ave SW, 420-3724, facebook.com/tapstation, $)
• BLEND URBAN JUICERY • Ballard: Juice! (5443 Ballard Ave NW, 917-434-5906, blendurbanjuicery.com, $)
• DULCES • Capitol Hill: After starting as a West Seattle cafe and bakery, then a time in Madrona (making way
for Pritty Boys pizza), then a stint downtown in the former location of Typhoon! on Western, owners Carlos Kainz and Julie Guerrero have found Dulces a home on Capitol Hill at 19th and Madison. The rather pricey Latin/Mediterranean menu remains much the same. (1818 E Madison St, 557-7627, dulcesbistroandwine.com, $$$)
• BALLARD BRIDGE CAFE • Ballard: Where the burger place called the Counter used to be (if that even rings any
bells), the Ballard Bridge Cafe makes “breakfast in Ballard.” (4609 14th Ave NW, 258-3262, ballardbridgecafe.com, $)
• REDLINE WS • West Seattle/White Center: Promising to provide West Seattle “the best in sports,” Redline WS has “a welcoming
mix of custom booths, creative lighting, and a large, hearty, wrap-around bar.” The menu includes the categories Slider Insanity, Wings
Unleashed, and Pizza Mania. (3478 SW Avalon Way, 258-4605, redlinews.com, $$)
ADDED ON TO: ADD-A-BALL • Fremont: This awesome arcade-with-beer is now even awesomer with the addition of a new game room called Point Break. • SHANIK • South Lake Union: Shanik Market has to-go items, chai, Vij’s brand frozen curries, and more. For those who love Shanik’s
Indian food, but can’t afford to eat there often, this is great—everything’s less than $10. (Also: Shanik is now taking reservations, for those who can
afford it and hate to wait.) • OCTO SUSHI • Capitol Hill: The sleek new Happy Neko Bar—”neko” means cat—is in the front (where
Crave used to be), while Octo still extends into the larger room in back. • FAR 4 • downtown: The gift shop/gallery/jewelry
store now has a champagne lounge, as clearly every gift shop/gallery/jewelry store should. • GROG • Ballard: This
“sailor-inspired cocktail bar” is an annex of Ballard Annex Oyster House.
NEW LOCATIONS OF EXISTING PLACES: BAUHAUS • Ballard: The Capitol Hill classic, reincarnated in Ballard (and soon to also open in the Capitol Club space). • EUREKA! • University Village: An exclamatory California-based upscale burger chain. • FATBURGER • Alki: In a Slog poll, 39.36 percent of respondents were excited about Fatburger, 45.53 percent were not at all so, and 45.53 had more nuanced, complex feelings, so there’s that. • CAFE YUMM! • downtown: An Oregon-based, vegetarian-friendly, fast-casual chain; people are reportedly obsessed with their hummus-esque, trademarked Yumm! Sauce (their exclamation point). •
JOEY Kitchen • University Village: The “premium casual dining” Canadian chain closed on Lake Union, opened here. • MOLLY MOON’S • University Village: More Molly Moon’s. • PAM’S LUNCH KITCHEN • Eastlake: Lunchy stuff from the Caribbean favorite on the Ave. • PHO CYCLO • South Lake Union/Lower Queen Anne: The fifth location of the pho favorite, with delivery to SLU. • WORLD OF BEER • Capitol Hill: Per its name, this slick Florida-based chain has approximately a billion beers on tap and even more in bottles. 