This week, a new doughnut shop with pineapple fritters and churro doughnuts from the co-founder of Top Pot Doughnuts lands on Capitol Hill. Plus, Seattle food truck favorite Off the Rez will unveil its new brick-and-mortar cafe with the grand opening of the Burke Museum this weekend, Oma Bap brings fast-casual Korean bowls to Capitol Hill, and Rupee debuts its menu of Sri Lankan bar food in Ballard. Read on for that and more essential food news, like the exciting return of beloved institution Phnom Penh Noodle House, below. For more ideas, check out our list of places to eat and drink pumpkin in Seattle, our list of food and drink specials to try in October, and our full food and drink calendar.

OPENINGS
H Mart
Today, the popular Korean grocery chain, which added a location of its high-end District H concept in South Lake Union last month, opened its highly anticipated (and huge!) downtown location, selling produce, meat, seafood, booze, and prepared grab-and-go food. An H Mart location is also expected to open inside Capitol Hill Station in 2020.
Downtown

Half and Half Doughnut Co.
Michael Klebeck, who's known for creating the Top Pot Doughnuts brand with his brother Mark, opened a new shop called Half-and-Half Doughnut Co. in the former home of Sun Liquor Distillery (which Klebeck also owned) on Thursday, October 10. The retro, 1950s-inspired spot serves doughnuts in flavors like pineapple fritter, s'mores, churro, and bananas foster and joins a slew of other nearby doughnut options on the Hill, like Mighty-O, General Porpoise, and Cupcake Royale's Rodeo Donuts.
Capitol Hill

Karaage Setsuna
The perpetually packed Japanese-Hawaiian spot Karaage Setsuna in Belltown has re-opened in a nearby larger location with expanded seating for fans of its crispy fried chicken, loco moco, butter-soy sauce fries, and other comforting favorites.
Belltown

Molly's Bottle Shop
Natural wine is on the rise (see Jordan Michelman's piece about the pop-up Juice Club for more on that) and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon: A new natural wine bottle shop called Molly's Bottle Shop, helmed by Molly Ringe (who works as a wine buyer at the recently opened cocktail bar Baker's next door) is now open in Sunset Hill.
Sunset Hill

Off the Rez Cafe
Veteran Seattle food truck Off the Rez, which specializes in Native-inspired dishes, will open a brick-and-mortar cafe inside the new Burke Museum this Saturday, October 12, the same day as the museum's grand opening. According to Seattle Met, co-owner Mark McConnell believes it to be the first native-owned brick-and-mortar restaurant in Seattle. Guests can look forward to the truck's classic menu items like fry bread and "Indian tacos," plus coffee, breakfast, and dishes influenced by "indigenous and precolonial food." For its grand opening from Saturday, October 12 until Monday, October 14, the spot will be open from 10 am to 5 pm; after that, it'll switch to 8 am-6 pm on weekdays and 10 am-5 pm on weekends.
University District

Oma Bap
Hugo House, Capitol Hill's hub for writing classes, readings, and other literary happenings, has a new dining option: Oma Bap, a contemporary fast-casual Korean restaurant with another location in the Central District. They soft-opened their second location inside the building's restaurant suite on Monday, October 7. The eatery offers customizable bibimbap-style bowls, with a base of rice, noodles, or salad and options for vegetables, protein, and toppings.
Capitol Hill

Rupee
This Sri Lankan bar from Manolin veterans Joe Sundberg, Rachel Johnson, and Patrick Thalasinos opened this week. Inspired by Johnson's travels through Sri Lanka and India through her 20s, the menu focuses on small plates such as mutton rolls, kohlrabi salad, naan, and pork curry ribs, along with drinks like the mezcal-based "Crazy Jumper" with tamarind-date chutney and a "Curry Leaf Gimlet" with ghee-washed gin.
Ballard

Whole Foods
According to a press release, the organic-focused supermarket behemoth opened a West Seattle location on Wednesday, October 9, complete with a fresh produce department, full-service butcher department, seafood, specialty foods, in-house bakery, prepared foods section, a coffee, tea, and juice bar, beauty and body care, and a large selection of beer, wine, and spirits.
West Seattle

CLOSURES
Addo 206
Farewell, Addo 206, we hardly knew ye. This spinoff of chef Eric Rivera's experimental "culinary incubator" and pop-up Addo serving Puerto Rican food inside Batch 206 Distillery (which previously housed Oaky's Tex Mex and Windy City Pie before that) closed after only a few months on Saturday, October 6. Rivera told Seattle Met that the closure happened sooner than expected due to the rapid growth of the rest of his business: "All the other things we do have blown up and we are expanding those experiences with new staff and new touches to the space, so that’s pretty rad!" He also shared that he was searching for a space in Capitol Hill. The void in the Batch 206 space will apparently be filled by a cantina of sorts, with more details to come.
Interbay

Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant
This beloved family-run destination for dim sum and Cantonese food closed on Saturday, October 5, after over 28 years of business. In a Facebook post, the owners said they were attempting to find a new space and asked fans to follow them for updates on a new location. The building will be demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development.
Rainier Beach

OTHER FOOD NEWS
Phnom Penh Noodle House re-opening
And now for some good news: Phnom Penh Noodle House, the legendary Cambodian restaurant that closed its doors last spring after 30 years in the International District when owner Dawn Ung's son suffered a traumatic brain injury, hopes to re-open a new location on Jackson Street in January. The three sisters who took over the institution in 2013 have started an IndieGogo campaign to raise funds for the reopening and have reached $6,915 of their $30,000 goal so far.

Dragon-themed pub set to replace Junkichi on Capitol Hill
Makoto Kimoto, the owner of Suika and Tamari Bar, will open a new izakaya called Rondo in the former space of the recently closed Junkichi on Capitol Hill by the end of the year. The spot, which takes inspiration from the Japanese tale of the fisherman Urashima Tarō who travels to an underwater Dragon Palace, will be a "50-seat lunch and early-dinner spot serving up noodle dishes, teishoku, donburi, and a bunch of drinking snacks." To drink, there will be sparkling sake, chūhai, Asahi beer, and drinks made with a Suntory Whisky Toki Highball machine.

Ballard restaurants affected by fire
After a three-alarm fire swept the heart of Ballard earlier this week, local businesses, including Puerto Rican restaurant La Isla and Vietnamese restaurant Pho Big Bowl along with Supercuts, Kitchen N Things, and Octo Designs & Jewelers, were severely damaged. La Isla has set up a business relief fund on GoFundMe to help with the costs of repairs.

New owner at Pomerol
Preeti Agarwal, an Indian chef who runs the pop-up Meesha, took over the French restaurant Pomerol in Fremont in June, according to a press release. Agarwal has retooled the menu to add some Indian-inspired touches, such as pakoras with chat masala and cilantro crema. She'll also now host Meesha events at the restaurant, including a Diwali supper on November 15.

Sustainable sushi coming to U Village
According to a press release, Portland-based Bamboo Sushi, the "world’s first certified sustainable sushi restaurant," will open its seventh location in University Village on October 30, its first in Seattle. The 4,700-square-foot outpost will feature indoor seating with a sushi bar and a takeout window.

El Gaucho opening new location in Pike Place
Longtime swanky steakhouse chain El Gaucho will open a new location in the Union Stables building, just a stone's throw from Pike Place, in summer 2020. The opening will coincide with the closure of the Belltown location, located just above the movie theater Big Picture—employees will migrate to the new 10,000-square-foot space.

EVENTS
FRIDAY, OCT. 11
Teahouse Beer Day
Be the first to try brews from Lucky Envelope infused with tea from Seattle-based MarketSpice, resulting in flavors like Earl Grey Sour, Chai Cream Stout, and Tropical Rooibos Hazy IPA.

OCT 11, 13
5th Annual Freshies To Your Face
The Hop and the Hound's annual "Freshies To Your Face" promises to deliver fresh, hoppy goodness right into your visage, with 10 of the season's best brews on tap. Food trucks Macho Burger and the Cheese Pit will also be onsite.

OCT. 11-12
Anderson School's 4th Birthday Party!
McMenamins Anderson School will celebrate its fourth birthday (and the 88th birthday of its Bothell property) with a Discovery Hunt, special releases of their Class of 2019 bottles, and live music from Tom Petty cover band Petty Differences (Fri), the Brothers Reed (Sat), and Buzz Brump (Sat). If you've got a McMenamins passport (aka a region-wide rewards card), bring it along for a special stamp. If not, you can always start one there.

OCT. 11-13
Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival
Port Angeles's nationally recognized crab extravaganza, whose claim to fame is apparently having been featured in a question on Jeopardy!, offers copious crustaceans, as well as a chowder cook-off, a "grab-a-crab" derby, local beer and wine, craft vendors, live music, art, chances to learn about Native American heritage in the Pacific Northwest, and more.

Leavenworth Oktoberfest
Since Leavenworth is Washington's Bavarian-style village all year round, we believe them when they say that their Oktoberfest celebration is "the next best thing to Munich." Kicking off with an opening ceremony complete with a keg tapping and an oompah-style marching band dressed in dirndls and lederhosen leading a procession, the festival promises German-style fare like bratwurst and coleslaw, family activities, and enough beer to keep your stein full at all times.

OCT. 11-NOV. 2
Nightmare on Wall Street
Continuing a spooky-season tradition started last year, Belltown’s award-winning tiki bar Navy Strength will temporarily transform into a “fully immersive haunting experience,” with libations inspired by horror films like Friday the 13th, The Babadook, Midsommar, The Ring, Pet Sematary, and more. They’ll switch out their usual kitschy drinkware for vessels like pumpkins and Jason Voorhees–masked tiki mugs, and employ ingredients like “candy corn orgeat.” Frightening horror-film soundtracks will contribute to the spine-chilling milieu.

OCT. 11-29
Li'l Woody's Fast Food Month
For the month of October, local burger joint Li'l Woody's is cleverly recreating fast food favorites for its weekly specials. This week, it's the Jack in the Box-inspired Sourdough Woody (October 8-14), with garlic mayo, sliced tomatoes, Hill's bacon, Swiss cheese, grass-fed beef, and ketchup on sourdough. (Curly fries are also available for the full experience.) The McDonald's dupe Li'l Big Mac (October 15-21) comes after that, followed by the Taco Bell tribute Li'l Crunch Wrap (October 22-29).

SATURDAY, OCT. 12
Depressed Cake Shop
In 2013, United Kingdom–based creative director and PR specialist Emma Thomas dreamed up a bake sale to promote mental-health awareness and raise money for local mental-health charities. The concept was simple: The cakes sold were a gloomy gray, but they contained a cheerful pop of color within to symbolize hope in the face of depression. It caught on, and cities everywhere, from Glasgow to Houston to Kuala Lumpur, began organizing their own versions. As they do each October, NAMI Seattle will host the Seattle fundraiser at Optimism Brewing, with somber-looking confections contributed by Le Fournil, Fran’s Chocolates, Top Pot Doughnuts, Chocolati, Borracchini’s, and others.

Seattle Fresh Hop Beer Festival 2019
The Stranger’s Lester Black has written that during hops harvest season, which runs mid-August to late September, Seattle is “the world’s greatest place to drink hoppy beer.” That’s because Seattle’s proximity to Yakima Valley, which supplies 75 percent of our nation’s hop crop, means our region has an unparalleled selection of fresh hop beers (beers made with hops that have been picked no more than 24 hours before brewing). This tasting event exclusively dedicated to fresh hop offerings from more than 20 different local breweries—including Fremont (which produces more fresh hop beer than any brewery in the nation), Hellbent, Pfriem, Jellyfish, Fort George, and more—is a great chance to try as many as you can during their all-too-fleeting season.

SOUR FEST | 2019
Sample a selection of nearly 20 pucker-inducing brews, from "fruited lambics to barrel-aged goses."

SUNDAY, OCT. 13
Good Day Donut Pop-Up!
Following the West Seattle Oktoberfest 5k run/walk, refuel with some beer from Ounces and donuts from White Center's Good Day Donuts and take in the early morning Seahawks game.

Matty Matheson
The jovial, tattooed, foul-mouthed Canadian chef and self-proclaimed “Flavour Lord” Matty Matheson has earned legions of fans for his boisterous persona and his Viceland shows Dead Set on Life and It’s Suppertime. (If you’re a devotee of Bon Appetit’s YouTube channel, you may have caught the recent video of him going “noodling” for catfish in an Oklahoma river with Brad Leone of It’s Alive, with hilarious results.) In 2018, he released a New York Times best-selling cookbook, Matty Matheson: A Cookbook, interspersing recipes for gumbo and pigtail tacos with a memoir of his life. Experience his larger-than-life presence at Washington Hall, where he’ll appear for an evening of “stand-up comedy/speaking/storytelling/slideshow.”

Rachel Yang Presents: Revel's Pickles and Fermentation Class and Dinner
James Beard-nominated chef Rachel Yang will impact her secrets to tangy, crunchy kimchi, pickles, and other ferments.

Sourdough Bread for Beginners
Learn the age-old craft of sourdough baking as you enjoy a breakfast of homemade sourdough with homemade jam, and go home with a new starter, proofing basket, and dough.

Sweet Tooth Pop-Up
Sate your bottomless need for sweets at this South Lake Union pop-up, which will provide a selection of confections, including cookies, ice cream, macarons, doughnuts, pastries, and other sucrose-laden treats, from a range of artisan vendors.

TUESDAY, OCT. 13
Author Talk: Sourdough on the Rise by Cynthia Lair
Does fall fill your head with visions of being the kind of person who bakes your own rustic sourdough loaves? Local author and Bastyr University's Department of Nutrition & Exercise Science faculty member Cynthia Lair will sign copies of her new book Sourdough on the Rise and school you in how to make your own starter, so you can make your dream a reality.

Tamales + Tres Leches
Close out Latinx Heritage Month with this event with appearances from Tres Lecheria/Cubes Baking Co. owner Kevin Moulder and Jess the Dessert Geek, and nibble on Tres Lecheria tres leches cake and mini tamales from Frelard Tamales.