This week, chef Mutsuko Soma of Kamonegi opens her exciting new sake bar Hannyatou, Sunset Hill gets a new cocktail bar, and Nosh will bring proper British fish and chips to Bainbridge Island with a new restaurant. Read on for more of the latest in Seattle food news. For more ideas, try our Cinco de Mayo calendar, our list of seven dining deals to try in Seattle this spring, and our full food and drink calendar.
OPENINGS
Baker’s
Bartender Brian Claudio Smith’s new cocktail and natural wine bar opened across the street from Ristorante Picolinos in Sunset Hill on April 29. Seattle chef Matt Janke of Matt’s in the Market and Lecosho is behind the food menu, which features charcuterie, tartines (including variations with smoked trout and roasted baby beets with goat cheese), salads, oysters, and more. Drinks include cocktails, natural wine, and local beer.
Ballard
Hannyatou
Acclaimed chef Mutsuko Soma of the Japanese restaurant Kamonegi in Fremont, who was a 2019 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Northwest and was named one of Food and Wine‘s best new chefs for 2019, will open her new sake bar Hannyatou on May 7. The new bar, which is located next to Kamonegi, has a back patio, a retail area with sake available for purchase, sake flights, and a small food menu with fermented items like miso, tsukemono pickles, and koji made onsite in a shed in the back. (Soma has been sharing snaps teasing unusual miso variations like cereal miso made from Cheerios and jalapeño cheddar cheese bagel miso on her Instagram.)
Fremont
Proper Fish
The team behind the now-defunct food truck Nosh, known for its excellent British-style fish and chips (which come wrapped in newspaper for maximum authenticity and were once declared the best in the city by the Seattle Times), will open a brick-and-mortar restaurant called Proper Fish on Bainbridge Island on May 7, across the street from Hitchcock. The new restaurant will retain the truck’s original fish and chip recipe, as well as other British fare and English cask ales from Machine House Brewery.
Bainbridge Island
RE-OPENINGS
Elysian Brewing
Elysian Brewing has remodeled its Capitol Hill location, which is the biggest brewery in the state based on production numbers and which has been closed since December for renovations, and will officially reopen on Monday, May 6. The new digs include vintage bar lights from Poland, salvaged-wood booths, and repurposed wood from the original brewery doors framing the bathroom, plus new equipment on display for smaller-batch brewing and an upgraded food menu with dishes like manila clams with citra hop broth and wild boar bratwurst with beer mustard.
Capitol Hill
FareStart
According to a press release, the nonprofit organization FareStart, which empowers disadvantaged and homeless people by training them for work in the restaurant industry, has reopened its restaurant, which temporarily closed for the month of April for renovations. (The restaurant’s events were temporarily relocated to its sibling restaurant Maslow’s for the time being.) In addition to an updated interior with new paint, carpet, furniture, fixtures, lighting, and a mural from local artists Dozfy and Kate Riengold, the restaurant features new additions to its menu, including a Seattle dog and braised pork sandwich with jerk spices. Beer, wine, and cocktails are also now available during lunch service. Upcoming guests for FareStart’s Guest Chef Night series include Adam Stevenson of Cedarbrook Lodge, Shota Nakajima of Adana, and Zoi Antonitsas of Little Fish.
South Lake Union
CLOSURES
Cupcake Royale
Seattle’s oldest cupcakery has closed its Queen Anne location (its first closure in over 15 years of business), citing proximity to the store’s larger locations in Ballard and downtown as a factor in the decision. The chain’s other five locations will remain open.
Queen Anne
Naked City Brewery
Following the closure of its Greenwood brewery and taphouse during Christmas last year, Naked City Brewery announced on Facebook that they have closed their only remaining location on Camano Island due to “circumstances beyond [their] control.”
Camano Island
Oaky’s Tex Mex
This Tex-Mex spot specializing in smoked meats from the owners of Wood Shop BBQ will vacate its space inside Batch 206 Distillery (formerly home to Windy City Pie, which opened its new location in Phinney at the end of March) on May 18. After the first week of June, a new project from chef Eric Rivera called Addo: 206 will take over the space. The new spot will showcase Rivera’s signature Puerto Rican cuisine, as well as other favorites from his Addo pop-ups, such as the “Richard’s Burger” (an upscale take on the classic Dick’s burger) and an Impossible Burger. Oaky’s Tex-Mex will live on as a mobile enterprise, with a possible brick-and-mortar location in the works further down the road.
Interbay
Sansei
This Asian-inspired restaurant, the first mainland outpost from Hawaiian chef and restaurateur D.K. Kodoma (who owns five restaurants in Hawaii), has been reported closed by users on Yelp, Google, and Facebook. Details about the closure are unknown. A new location of the popular soup-dumpling emporium Dough Zone is planned to open in the space, possibly by this summer.
Downtown
OTHER FOOD NEWS
Vif opening a wine bar in Beacon Hill
The owners of Vif, the beloved cafe-coffee shop-natural wine bar in Fremont, plan to open a wine bar and shop called Petite Soif in Beacon Hill, featuring small plates and wine by the glass or bottle. The opening is currently slated for around September.
Zig Zag Cafe owner plans to open French cocktail bar
Erik Hakkinen, famed bartender at the iconic Pike Place Market cocktail bar Zig Zag Cafe, will open a French cocktail bar called Roquette in Belltown, sometime this summer. The bar will be inspired by Hakkinen’s time living in France during his 20s, with drinks focused on French spirits.
Lowrider Baking announces grand opening in Central District
The cookie shop Lowrider Baking Company, which recently announced that it would be moving out of its commissary kitchen and opening a brick-and-mortar shop in the Central District, has announced on Instagram that the grand opening of its new location is now set for Saturday, May 11. The business’s trailer shop in Georgetown will remain open.
EVENTS
MAY 3-5
5 Year Anniversary!
The pint-sized, family-owned microbrewery Lantern Brewing will celebrate a half-decade of business with a curated lineup of brews each evening.
SATURDAY, MAY 4
Author’s Dinner Ft. Sapana Chandra’s “Plant Power Bowls”
Sapana Chandra, the wellness coach behind the Instagram account and blog Real + Vibrant and the author of Plant Power Bowls, will join Della Terra chef and owner Cody Castiglia and his team for a dinner comprised of vegan recipes from her book with locally sourced beverage pairings.
May the Fourth Be With You – Can and T-Shirt Release Party
Reuben’s will pay tribute to the George Lucas franchise with a “deliciously crushable, juicy” hazy IPA made with Comet, Galaxy & Mosaic hops. Guests are encouraged to attend clad in Star Wars attire.
One Year Anniversary Celebration
The low-alcohol beer establishment Seattle-Lite Brewing Company will toast to their first year of business with a party.
Seattle Bacon and Beer Classic
At this festival, munch on unlimited salty, crunchy pork from more than 30 local chefs and sip crisp brews and ciders from more than 100 regional breweries. Plus, participate in a blind beer taste test, a bacon-eating contest, and activities like giant Jenga.
SUNDAY, MAY 5
Frelard Tamales + Populuxe Brewing: Cinco de Mayo
Tuck into some tamales from Frelard Tamales and wash them down with beer from Populuxe Brewing, including a special Mexican lager brewed especially for the occasion, while Mariachi Fiesta Mexicana provides the soundtrack. Kids and adults can take a whack at some piñatas that will release showers of Mexican candies.
Lady Grey + Black Magic Sweets Pop-Up
Scoop up cake, macarons, pie pops, and other confections from baking pop-ups Lady Grey and Magic Black Sweets.
Musang and Pinoy Heritage SF Present: KAMAYAN!
Dig in with your hands for a special kamayan (a family-style Filipino feast without utensils, served atop banana leaves) with chef Melissa Miranda of Musang and her friends from the San Francisco-based Filipino food project Pinoy Heritage.
TUESDAY, MAY 7
Author Talk: Steak and Cake by Elizabeth Karmel
Revel in slabs of juicy red meat and decadent cakes alike with Southern pitmaster-slash-baker Elizabeth Karmel, whose new book Steak and Cake shares recipes for both.
