This week, Rachel's Ginger Beer brings spicy-sweet soda and Dole whip to a new location across the street from the Amazon Spheres, Ballard gets a PCC with a restaurant, and three restaurants bid farewell. You'll find all the latest food happenings below, plus details about events this weekend like Seattle Pizza Week 2019 and Original Music Inspired by Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. For more ideas, check out our ultimate guide to where to eat out for (or order food from) Thanksgiving, our list of Seattle food and drink specials to try in November, and our full food and drink calendar.

OPENINGS
Castilla Restaurant and Tapas Bar
Bellevue Square shoppers can now stop to nosh on Spanish tapas: This new restaurant opened inside the Eastside mall on December 1 and serves "traditional and modern Spanish cuisine with Northwest inspiration" such as paella, bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches), flatbreads, jamon iberico, pinchos, and bacon-wrapped dates.
Bellevue

Georgetown Brewing
The immensely popular Georgetown Brewing, known for brews like Bodhizafa and Manny's Pale Ale, has finally added a taproom to its production facility, so craft beer fans can swig fresh pints from the microbrewery right on the premises. The space is 1,600 square feet and boasts outdoor seating and 24 taps (including fan favorites and rare experimental beers).
Georgetown

Johnny Mo's Pizzeria
New York-style pizza faces off against Chicago deep dish at this pizzeria, which carries both regional varieties and opened in early November in Eastlake, in a location that once housed the original Red Robin. Co-owners John Genna and Moritz Loew (a.k.a. "Johnny" and "Mo") are former Microsoft employees and learned the pizza trade at the award-winning Goodfellas Pizzeria in Staten Island. They're also currently participating in The Stranger's Seattle Pizza Week, so if you stop by before Saturday, November 16, you can grab their Pizza a la Vodka slice for just $2.
Eastlake

PCC
Ballard now has its very own PCC, with the community-owned natural food market's first-ever fast-casual restaurant housed inside. According to a press release, the 24,000-square-foot store, which opened on Wednesday, November 13, is inspired by "the neighborhood's nautical roots" and features a rooftop deck, a sea life mural, and a "larger-than-life" octopus fishing lure installation, while the restaurant serves locally sourced seafood dishes like creamy bacon clam chowder and Northwest seafood cioppino.
Ballard

Rachel's Ginger Beer
Seattle's spicy-sweet soda shop Rachel's Ginger Beer has opened a new location on Lenora and 7th Avenue near the Amazon Spheres. The outpost retains a similar ethos to the chain's other locations and will feature Ma'ono like the U Village and Capitol Hill stores, but adds new boozy options, like a fizzy Cosmopolitan. And yes—they have Dole whip and soft serve.
South Lake Union

Vera's Pizza and Bar
Ballard's homey, old-school breakfast and lunch diner Vera's, which closed abruptly in December 2019 and soft-opened again as a 21+ late-night joint serving up pizza by the slice in September, celebrated its official grand reopening this week from November 12-14. The spot makes pizza with cold-fermented dough and offbeat topping options like "bacon cheeseburger" and "loaded potato."
Ballard

CLOSURES
Lucky Santo
It's been a tough few weeks for diners with food allergies: not long after the recent closure of Capitol Hill's gluten-free bakery Niche, the Ballard restaurant Lucky Santo, which opened at the beginning of this year and specializes in food free of gluten, dairy, grains, legumes, refined sugar, soy, and canola oil, will shut its doors on December 1. Owner and executive chef Nikki DeGidio chalks up the closure primarily to the lack of business volume at the location.
Ballard

May Restaurant
This ornate, peaked-roof Thai restaurant on 45th in Wallingford has closed and will be replaced by another Thai restaurant (under different ownership) by the name of Sisi Kay Thai. Founder May Chaleoy left several years after opening the restaurant to start the excellent May Kitchen & Bar on Vashon, so if you miss the pad thai prepared for you by a server tableside and wrapped in banana leaves, it's just a ferry ride away.
Wallingford

Pie
Though it's peak pie season, this Fremont pie bakery is closing up shop after nine years—co-owner Jess Whitsitt is working on a degree in marriage and family therapy in grad school and is moving on from the restaurant business. She also told Eater Seattle she'd be willing to sell her business (including recipes, food truck, brand, and equipment) to the right person.
Fremont

OTHER FOOD NEWS
Anheuser-Busch will take over Redhook Brewery
The corporate-beer behemoth Anheuser-Busch InBev, which took over Seattle's famed Elysian Brewing four years ago, is now poised to take over Redhook Brewery as well as in a similar deal for over $300 million, which will be finalized next year. The deal also includes Portland-based Widmer Brothers Brewery and Hawaii-based Kona Brewing.

Locust Cider adding new locations
The local company Locust Cider continues to expand at a rapid clip: shortly after opening a new location in Post Alley, the business will add locations in Redmond and First Hill next year. Locations are also opening in Spokane and Vancouver, WA by the end of the year.

Meadery opening in Sodo
A new meadery called Mr. B's Mead will host its grand opening in Sodo next weekend, from November 22-23. The establishment makes unfiltered, small-batch honey wine with local honey, fruit, and spices and no sulfites, in fanciful flavors like "The Ginger Beast," "Lady Lavender," and "Bean Berry Delight," in addition to ginger beer with local honey, organic ginger, organic lemon, and organic lime. At the grand opening, mead will be served in samples, flights, bottle pours, draft pours, bottles, and growler fills.

Petite Soif prepares to open in Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill will soon be home to a new natural wine bar and bottle shop: Petite Soif, a spinoff from the owners of the very cute cafe/wine shop Vif in Fremont, looks to be in the final stages of preparation for opening and could open as soon as next week.

Eden Hill Provisions opens for lunch
According to a press release, chef Maximillian Petty's recently opened Eden Hill Provisions (an offshoot of his inventive fine-dining destination Eden Hill) in Queen Anne will open for lunch hours beginning on Monday, November 18. Guests can look forward to new dishes like barbecue celery root burgers with gouda, curried pear and parsnip soup, and beer-battered halibut, as well as some of the restaurant's bestsellers, like the "Big Max" dry-aged chuck beef cheeseburger and kettle corn brussels sprouts.

New location of How to Cook a Wolf coming to Madison Park
Chef and restaurateur Ethan Stowell is opening a new location of his Queen Anne-based Italian restaurant How to Cook a Wolf (named in tribute to a book of the same name by the brilliant food writer M.F.K. Fisher) in the former space of Bing's in Madison Park, tentatively scheduled for mid-2020. Earlier this year, he also opened an outpost called Wolf inspired by the Queen Anne spot in New York.

EVENTS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15
Bhuna PDX Collaboration Dinner
Chef Zarah Duncanson of the London Plane and chef Deepak Kaul of the Portland-based Indian restaurant Bhuna will collaborate on a multi-course dinner exploring "the soulful cuisine of the Indian state of Kashmir."

Burrata Cheese Making Class
Learn how to make your very own luxuriously creamy, oozy burrata cheese while sipping wine.

Chefs Without Borders 3.0
Not even Donald Trump’s vague threats of war with Iran can ruin the third annual Chefs Without Borders dinner. Back in August, chefs in Tehran prepared Pacific Northwest meals using recipes by Seattle’s own chef Dezi Bonow of the Carlile Room. Now Bonow will make dishes from Iran. Working from recipes translated from Farsi expressly for this dinner, Bonow will cook up a saffron-scented banquet of kebabs wrapped in eggplant and salmon along with other Iranian delicacies. The theme of this year’s dinner is "peace," and it’s not just a platitude. It is only possible to enjoy all of these barberry, cardamom, cumin, and rosewater-filled dishes because the US and Iran are not currently trying to destroy each other. Let’s hope it lasts. DAVID LEWIS

Lokokitchen Fundraiser Benefiting World Central Kitchen
Raise money for World Central Kitchen, who provide nourishment to those affected by natural and man-made disasters, and enjoy pies made by Lauren Ko of Lokokitchen, who has earned scores of followers on Instagram for her mind-bending geometric pastry creations (accompanied by punny captions). There will also be Molly Moon's ice cream, beverages from Gruet, and raffles.

Washington Distillers Festival
Fight the November chill by sipping samples of local handcrafted spirits from regional distillers. Plus, bid in a silent auction to win distillery tours, special tastings, and limited-edition bottles.

NOVEMBER 15-16
Seattle Pizza Week 2019
If you were a fan of The Stranger’s Burger Week this past summer, we’ve got another exclusively crafted (and priced) food to deliver to your mouth: $2 pizza slices! During our inaugural Pizza Week, 11 restaurants are participating (Andare Kitchen & Bar, the Ballroom, Belltown Pizza, Humble Pie, Johnny Mo's Pizzeria, Little Maria's Pizza, Nine Pies Pizzeria, Ozzie's, South Town Pie, Southside Pizza & Gelato, and Watershed Pub & Kitchen), with three vegetarian offerings amid the meaty meats, and even one that’s gluten-free. Check out the Pizza Week calendar for details on who’s serving what for this one-week-only event. LEILANI POLK

NOVEMBER 15-17
Cheers to 3 Years! (With Free Nachos & Crackle the Camel)
For their three-year celebration, West Seattle-based Ounces Taproom is going all out with an anniversary hazy IPA from Urban Family Brewing Company, free birthday cake and Nacho Mama's molten-cheese-covered nachos, plenty of prize giveaways, and even an appearance from a real, live camel named Crackle.

NOVEMBER 15-21
Miyagi Gourmet Fair
Capitol Hill's bustling izakaya Suika has teamed up with Miyagi, a Japanese prefecture north of Tokyo on the east coast of Honshu Island, to come up with a special lineup of food featuring ingredients from the region and a curated selection of sake. 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16
32nd Annual Winter Beer Taste: Stranger Beers
At this 32nd annual event, taste beers from a ton of local microbreweries—with snacks included in the ticket price, too—at the Phinney Neighborhood Association.

Artisan Donuts with 9th and Hennepin
Justin Newstrum of the Tom-Waits-inspired farmers market fixture 9th and Hennepin, which fries up seasonally inspired doughnuts to order, will lead this class on how to make raised doughnuts and fritters at home and fill and glaze them with tasty fruits and flavors. Each will be paired with a small-batch whiskey.

Flannel Formal - Two Beers Twelfth Anniversary Party in Plaid!
Bust out your most festive party tartans for this lumberjack-esque fete, complete with axe-throwing with PNW AXE Throwing Company, live music by Norman Baker, and prom photos.

Original Music Inspired by Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Chef and food writer Samin Nosrat's runaway hit cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, which distills the elements of good cooking into four simple principles and spawned a Netflix series of the same name, will provide fodder for art and music from a lineup of local artists from the Bushwick Book Club.

Sourdough Bread for Beginners
Learn how to craft your own crusty, rustic loaves at home, and leave with a starter, proofing basket, and ready-to-bake dough.

Tacoma Distillery Festival
Sample spirits from over 20 Northwest distilleries in the form of cocktails and neat sips at this inaugural festival.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Broken Bar Day - Holiday Edition!
Sometimes Theo Chocolate bars get smashed to smithereens, but you can pick up the pieces at this event, where shattered shards will be on sale for $10 a pound. The first 10 people in line will also receive two free bars of Theo's newest flavor. 

Bug-Eating Adventures with The Bug Chef
Atlas Obscura will host a decidedly entomological dinner at beloved dive Darrell's Tavern, where local "insect evangelist" David George Gordon (who is also known as the "Bug Chef" and authored The Eat-A-Bug Cookbook) will prepare a feast using insects such as seasoned mealworms, dried ants, and skewered locusts. Belly up to the bar for some insect-based cocktails before witnessing a cooking demonstration from Gordon (and volunteers from the audience), and snack on slices of insect-topped pizza.

Fish & Ash: Korea
For a Friendsgiving that's a little different than your usual turkey dinner, chef Ash Stock will join forces with Annie Park (marketing manager of the Sea Creatures restaurant group) for a special pop-up that will explore the "live-fire cooking traditions of Korea," using the Whale Wins' wood-fired oven and outdoor grills. Expect peanut anju (drinking food), grilled gochujang marinated octopus with scallion salad, pork belly bo ssam, house-made kimchi, soju cocktails, and more.

TavolĂ ta Friendsgiving Feast
Rally your crew and stuff yourself with dishes like confit turkey arancini, burrata with cranberry and blood orange, and baked cheesy ziti with taleggio at this Italian-inflected, family-style feast.

Lokokitchen Fundraiser Benefiting Amara
This fundraiser for foster care organization Amara promises a plethora of pies from Lauren Ko of Lokokitchen, who has earned scores of followers on Instagram for her mind-bending geometric pastry creations (accompanied by punny captions), plus ice cream from Molly Moon's, beverages from Precept Wines, and raffles.

The Shambles Presents: Dinner with Holy Mountain & Hama Hama
Chef Sara Harvey of the celebrated Hama Hama Oysters and chef Seamus Platt of the Maple Leaf bar and butcher the Shambles will join forces for the "ultimate surf and turf collaboration," featuring Hama Hama oysters and mussels, Bar R Wagyu beef, and Pachamama Farms pork. As if that's not enough, culty brewery Holy Mountain will round out the meal with beer pairings.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Author Talk: Lavash by Kate Leahy and Ara Zada
Cookbook author Kate Leahy and chef Ara Zada will stop by Book Larder to discuss their new book Lavash, which celebrates the titular soft flatbread in all of its versatility as well as other Armenian cuisine.

Feuerzangenbowle!
Experience the fiery theatrics of a feuerzangenbowle—a traditional German drink in which a rum-soaked sugar cone is set aflame and drips into Glühwein (mulled red wine).

Joy of Cooking: John Becker and Megan Scott In Conversation with Marcie Sillman
The classic cooking tome Joy of Cooking has been in print since 1931 for good reason. Now, author Irma Rombauer's great-grandson John Becker and his wife Megan Scott have updated it with new international, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free recipes, make-ahead suggestions, and other tips, plus additions like instructions for curing bacon and fermenting vegetables. Becker and Scott will join KUOW Arts and Culture reporter Marcie Sillman to discuss the new version.