This week brings burgers from Portland-based Little Big Burger, a new fast-casual Vietnamese spot in South Lake Union, and Renee Erickson's latest offering, a classic French cafe called Bistro Shirlee. You'll find all that, plus events for your weekend (like Sin Reglas and Brunch with Musang) below. For more ideas, try our list of food and drink specials to try in April and our full food and drink calendar.
OPENINGS
Aloha Cup Bap
This poke joint, which flies ahi tuna, salmon, and tako (octopus) in from Honolulu daily, will have the grand opening of its second location in Capitol Hill on April 27. Regular-sized poke bowls will be "buy one, get one 50% off" all day.
Capitol Hill
Bistro Shirlee
After acquiring several restaurants from Josh Henderson, including Saint Helens, Westward, and Great State Burger, Renee Erickson and business partner Jeremy Price have now reopened Saint Helens as Bistro Shirlee, named in tribute to Erickson's mother. Bistro Shirlee is now open for brunch and dinner and has "a renewed focus on French bistro and wine bar fare," which was the original intention for Saint Helens. Diners can expect classics like steak au poivre, roast chicken, tartare, frites, charcuterie, and duck confit, in addition to new additions like Bateau's dry-aged, grass-fed beef burger and fish and chips.
Laurelhurst
Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop
MĂ©tier, the upscale bicycle shop and training center on Capitol Hill, is now home to a new location of the local sustainable sandwich and salad chain Homegrown, which has replaced its cafe. Beer from MĂ©tier Brewing Company, the shop's Woodinville brewery, is also available.
Capitol Hill
Little Big Burger
The Portland-based fast-casual burger joint Little Big Burger, which serves burgers, truffle fries, root beer floats, sodas, and beer, soft-opened its Capitol Hill location over the weekend and celebrated its grand opening on Wednesday by giving away free burgers all day. The chain opened its first Washington location in Wallingford last October and will open a location in Green Lake next.
Capitol Hill
McMenamins Elks Temple
After over a decade of renovations, the Northwest chain McMenamins has opened its long-awaited location in Tacoma inside the historic Elks Lodge building, which was previously vacant for over 20 years. The space includes a hotel and music venue, as well as a brewery tasting room and bottle shop, Doc's Bar (a bar with pinball, shuffleboard, and pool), Spanish Bar (a cafe with Spanish-inspired cocktails and tapas), the Old Hangout (a tropical-themed bar with a fire pit and waterfall, tropical drinks, and snacks like wings and pineapple sambal burgers), and the Vault (a secret speakeasy hidden somewhere in the building).
Tacoma
Sizzle & Crunch
This fast-casual Vietnamese eatery serving banh mi, rice bowls, and salad bowls with customizable proteins and toppings has opened a location in South Lake Union. In addition to the existing menu, the outpost has added a few new items like a corn dish, vermicelli bowls, and pork cracklings.
South Lake Union
Spice Waala
The Indian street food vendor Spice Waala, which regularly appears at the Fremont and South Lake Union farmers markets and is known for their kathi rolls stuffed with fillings like chicken tikka and paneer masala, will soft-open their brick-and-mortar restaurant in the former space of Kanak Cuisine of India on Friday and Saturday this weekend.
Capitol Hill
CLOSURES
Roy Street Coffee & Tea
As we reported in February, this experimental indie coffee house owned by Starbucks (also known as a "stealth Starbucks") is closing after 10 years of business. This Sunday, April 28, will be the final day they're open.
OTHER FOOD NEWS
HaiDiLao coming to Bellevue
The wildly popular hot pot chain HaiDiLao is planning to open a location inside Bellevue Pacific Center. In addition to its Sichuan-style hot pots, the chain is known for its outstanding customer service and free entertainment, including "noodle dancers" (who perform a stunning dance as they stretch dough into 10-foot-long ribbon-like swathes and must undergo four to six months of training), as well as a waiting area with free manicures, hand massages, board games, and unlimited snacks. (Unfortunately, manicures are not offered at the chain's U.S. locations.) The chain is also opening a location in Pacific Place sometime this fall. The two locations will be the chain's first U.S. locations outside of California.
Sazon Kitchen opening in Ballard in May
The team behind the pop-up Sazon Tacos will open a brick-and-mortar location called Sazon Kitchen for breakfast and brunch on Saturday, May 10. The restaurant will feature Baja-style Mexican-Mediterranean cuisine such as chilaquiles and grain casseroles, plus Macrina Bakery pastries and Caffe Vita coffee.
Homer named best new restaurant by GQ
Logan Cox's buzzy Beacon Hill restaurant Homerâwhich features a Mediterranean- and Middle Eastern-inspired wood-fired menu, with grilled vegetables, proteins, and pitas, as well as a walk-up window with seasonal soft serve flavorsâwas named one of GQ's Best New Restaurants in America of 2019. According to writer Brett Martin, "Lots of places have hardworking wood ovens these days, but I never saw one perform such impressive clown-car duty as Homer's...Even as, year after year, Seattle seems to slide further into moneyed tech-industry domination, it also seems to produce a steady flow of excellent neighborhood restaurants. Homer is one that makes you wish its neighborhood were yours."
EVENTS
FRIDAY, APRIL 26
Peche 'n Brett Release Party with Logsdon
Be among the first to try Peche 'n Brett, a sour Belgian Saison beer, plus other beers from Washougal, Washington-based brewery Logsdon Farmhouse Ale on tap.
FRIDAYâSATURDAY
JustFoodForDogs Grand Opening
Celebrate the opening of the South Lake Union location of home-cooked dog food company JustFoodForDogs all weekend long with freebies and giveaways, "yappy hour" snacks, and pet portraits from pet photographer Doghouse Portraits.
SATURDAY, APRIL 27
Independent Bookstore Day at Book Larder
For Independent Bookstore Day, local food writers like Aran Goyoaga of Small Plates and Sweet Treats, Hsiao-Ching Chou of Chinese Soul Food, and Becky Selengut of How to Taste, Good Fish, and Shroom will visit the Book Larder to sign copies, with demonstrations throughout the day.
Lucky Envelope's Anniversary Party!
The "culturally inspired" brewery Lucky Envelope will celebrate their fourth anniversary with special beer releases, including a new anniversary hazy IPA christened "Never Say Die" (so named because the number four is unlucky in Chinese culture due to its resemblance to the word "death"), lucky red envelopes stuffed with surprises, and taiyaki from the BeanFish food truck.
Snohomish on the Rocks
Try spirited sips (including bourbon, gin, whiskey, vodka, liqueurs, and more) from over 30 Pacific Northwest distilleries, savor fare from local food trucks, take in live music, and browse goods from local market vendors.
SUNDAY, APRIL 28
10th Annual Top Pot Doughnut Dash!
Run or walk a 5K along Green Lake, then replenish your body with fresh doughnuts from Top Pot.
addo Themed Brunch (April): Game of Thrones
If you're in a Game of Thrones state of mind this month, you might as well extend your fandom into your most important meal of the day. At this brunch series, you'll taste foods you would find in the different kingdoms of the fantasy series.
Brunch with Musang: Springtime Feast!
Melissa Miranda is a name you should know: She tirelessly runs the excellent Northwest-influenced Filipino pop-up Musang, a tribute to the food of her childhood. And now that sheâs successfully raised the money, her brick-and-mortar restaurant will be opening on Beacon Hill. Youâll have to wait until fall to eat there, but in the meantime, you can get a taste at this springtime feast at Bar del Corso, where sheâll focus on seasonal flavors and ingredients alongside special cocktails and DJ tunes.
Comadre PanaderĂa
Scarf delicious pan dulce treats like conchas and puerquitos from Mariela Camacho's Mexican bakery pop-up, with coffee from Dorothea Coffee.
Culinary Collusion Guest Chef Dinner at RN74
Chef Shawn Applin of RN74 will join forces with chef Matt Fortner of Matt's in the Market to prepare a five-course menu "inspired by their roots and French technique" with optional wine pairings.  All profits will be donated to Northwest Harvest.
Dogs of Peddler Party
Let your doggo roam free in an off-leash area while you sip some beer and hang out with other pups from Pasado's Safe Haven. Mud Bay and Tail Wag Treats will be onsite with treats.
The Great Machine House Bake Off
Can't get enough Great British Bake-Off? At Machine House's "mildly competitive" monthly potluck, watch contestants vie to turn out the best cakes, pies, breads, and loaves, judged by votes from other participants and patrons (one drink buys you one voting token). Competitors can win bonus points for including Machine House brews in their bakes, and the baker with the most tokens at the end of the six months will be crowned the victor and win a $100 gift card, trophy, and custom bake-off champion apron.
Greek Easter Celebration
Go Greek with Omega Ouzeri's feast, which includes tzatziki, fava, spring dakos (a bread salad), kritharaki (orzo) with nettle-herb pesto, lamb shoulder, and tsoureki bread pudding. For kids who don't want lamb, chicken skewers with fries and tzatziki are available.
Loxsmith Bagel Bar Mitzvah
The popular 48-hour-fermented, lye-boiled bagel pop-up returns, this time with an all-new menu.
Mobile Food Rodeo Festival
Thirty Seattle food trucks will cozy up curbside in Fremont for your noshing pleasure at this 10th annual roundup.
Oysters & Rosé
Gulp briny oysters shucked by the Seattle Fish Guys alongside cold pink wine on the Waters Winery SoDo outdoor deck.
Sin Reglas: Seattle
âSin reglasâ means without rules, and this new pop-up dinner series from chef Kevin Bui, who cut his teeth apprenticing at the French Laundry, aims to part ways with culinary convention. To that end, he and his team, pastry chef Erica Abe and sommelier Erica Catubig, will draw from disparate elements to create everything from multicourse tasting menus, to movie viewings with food, to tiki nights. The theme for their inaugural dinner is Seattle, and theyâll impart morsels of the cityâs history through food, with dishes like the Bee Hive (fermented honey with bee pollen and buttermilk), the Pinales Branch (chicken liver mousse and Douglas fir), and Flavors of Orange (prawn and escabeche complemented by citrus flavors).
MONDAY, APRIL 29
Author Talk: Bar Chef by Christiaan Röllich
Famed Los Angeles bartender Christiaan Röllich, who uses the sensibilities of a chef to craft his inventive, seasonally inspired cocktails, will demonstrate a recipe from his new book Bar Chef, answer questions, and sign copies.
Cloudburst Brewing Dinner
Cloudburst Brewingâs owner and head brewer Steve Luke used to work as the experimental brewer at Elysian, and that innovative streak animates his work at Cloudburst, where the ever-changing roster of brews reflects a dual love of hops and pop culture (current beers include the Bob Ross tribute Happy Little Clouds and the Fleetwood Macâreferencing Tell Me Lies). At this event, theyâll join forces with Ballardâs wood-fired pizzeria Delancey for a cozy spring dinner with garlic knots and homemade mustard, green garlic and nettle soup, wood-oven porchetta with asparagus, and spring salad with beer vinaigrette, paired with some of Cloudburstâs most recent releases.
Rum The Jewels
Enjoy an evening of rum-based cocktails inspired by the hip-hop duo Run the Jewels, with names like the "Killer Mai-ke Tai."
APRIL 27-28
Optimism Brewery Tour & Tasting
Learn about the operations and history behind Optimism Brewing Co. with a tour of their full brewery and cellar facilities, plus their "beer lab" and "sensory evaluation chamber." When you're done, experience the results for yourself with a complimentary flight of beer.
