Sophon Appears to Be Shuttered

The critically acclaimed but troubled restaurant’s business license was revoked and its Instagram has disappeared.

Almost exactly a year ago, the Phinney Ridge restaurant and bar Sophon was hosting a James Beard Foundation event showcasing Khmer cuisine and culture. Since its opening in 2024, Sophon had become one of Seattle’s most celebrated restaurants and a demonstration of what Cambodian food and drink could be.  In a complete turnaround, Sophon appears…

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Nobody Is Safe From the Rumba

Sacha Maxim Brings Latin Sounds Home With Disco Mundo

This story originally appeared in The Stranger’s 2026 Queer Issue. It’s easy to glamorize the life of a record store owner. Just look at High Fidelity (both the original and the remake). Shooting the shit all day with your similarly music-obsessed friends while you mercilessly judge the tastes of customers—what more could you ask for?…

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Stranger Suggests: Your Agenda This Week, June 15–21

Lesbian Ensemble Comedy, An Ode to Seattle’s First Openly Gay Disco, and Naked People on Bikes

MONDAY 6/15 Disappearance at the Rocky Mountain Leatherdyke Snowpicnic (THEATER) I’ve been saying it for years: Pride month needs more ski slope murder mysteries. Thankfully, the good people at the Annex Theatre have listened. Writer Monty Rozema and director Adrian Prendergast have teamed up for the perfect lesbian whodunnit in Disappearance at the Rocky Mountain Leatherdyke…

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Denny Blaine Park Trial, Part II

Beachgoers and City argue park shutdown would be unnecessary and harmful

The Denny Blaine Park trial wrapped Thursday after parkgoers testified about the nude beach’s importance to Seattle’s queer community. The parties currently await a verdict from King County Superior Court Judge Samuel Chung. After lawyers for the park’s neighbors presented their evidence, the City of Seattle and the parkers group Friends of Denny Blaine (FDB)…

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Bring Back Analog Sex

This story originally appeared in The Stranger’s 2026 Queer Issue. Illustrations by Lisa Czech We hate our phones. We hate your phone. We want all phones, along with the internet, to be destroyed in some illegal, fiery fashion. We’re losing the ability to talk to one another, and it’s hurting our love lives. Phones and…

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EverOut x The Stranger <3 West Seattle & White Center Kicks Off June 20!

EverOut x The Stranger  West Seattle & White Center is a week-long celebration of the businesses that define your neighborhood, and make it special. We’re shining our love light on West Seattle and White Center, inviting locals, and the rest of Seattle, to show their love, too! With special deals from neighborhood businesses, you can spend the…

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The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Seattle This Weekend: June 12–14, 2026

Indigenous People Festival, MAUM Market, and More Cheap & Easy Events Under $20

Ready for your weekend download? We’re suggesting you spend this sunny Seattle weekend at events from the Indigenous People Festival to the Georgetown Carnival and from the MAUM Market to Hot Rat Summer Pioneer Square. Check out our top picks of the week and our World Cup guide for more ideas. FRIDAY LIVE MUSIC Bus…

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Kinsey Lee Doesn’t Make Hot Tracks, She Makes Cold Cuts

Take a Bite of Her Debut Solo Album

“I’ve been collaborating since I was 19—now I’m 35,” Kinsey Lee tells me over the phone, with birds chirping in the distance. “I didn’t really understand where my collaborators started, and I ended.” She’s on a road trip, driving between Missoula and Bozeman for a family gathering, and pulled over at a quaint fishing spot…

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Slog AM: Wilson Closes Streets near Aurora Avenue, Eastern Washington Will Burn, Pokémon Go Data Used for Military Drones

Ballard Warehouse Fire: A three-alarm fire at the Consolidated Supply Co. warehouse in Ballard sent black plumes of smoke into the air Thursday evening. Over 100 firefighters responded to the blaze. The fire collapsed the roof and blew out the windows before firefighters got it under control around 8 p.m. The cause is still unknown. …

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Life Ain’t a Game of Frogger

Hey biker guys, Go fuck yourselves. For almost a year, pedestrians have been hugging the fence while walking through the park between Expedia and the piers, even though there are so many signs reminding you that it’s a shared path. Today, June 4, the pedestrian side finally opened. And you still fuckin drove through all…

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