Massive Steakhouse Opens in the Northwest’s Largest Hotel

In recent restaurant news, Flatstick Pub is headed to Sacramento, Naked City closes its Greenwood location on Christmas Eve, and Nirmal’s namesake chef moves on. As for the updates below, the new Hyatt Regency downtown has two restaurants under its roof, Migoto Sushi opens in the Central District, and Ada’s Restaurant reopens on Phinney Ridge.

Have intel about a newly opened restaurant, bar, cafe, or other food emporium that’s been overlooked? Tipping is essential: Send Eater the details over the Seattle tipline and we’ll check it out. Meanwhile, check out this other post for more of Seattle’s restaurant openings from earlier in 2018, and this one from summer.

December 19, 2018

PHINNEY RIDGE — Mediterranean-American neighborhood spot Ada’s Restaurant and Bar in Phinney Ridge, which closed temporarily in the spring, has reopened with a new owner in chef Ayhan Barlas. He was most recently executive chef at Daniel’s Broiler in South Lake Union. Barlas is reviving the European-American menu at Ada’s, plus adding a few of his favorite Turkish dishes, like baklava, stuffed eggplant, and kofte with rice pilaf. Status: Certified open. 5910 Phinney Ave. N.

DOWNTOWN — The Northwest’s largest hotel, the Hyatt Regency, is now open downtown, near the convention center. The 1,200-room property has two restaurants under its roof: Andare, a fast-casual Italian restaurant with fresh pasta and pizza, and a massive, 14,000-square-foot Daniel’s Broiler steakhouse. There’s also a 24-hour grab-and-go retail space called the Market, which also has cafe seating. Status: Certified open. 808 Howell St.

CENTRAL DISTRICT — A sushi restaurant called Migoto has opened across the street from Seattle University, replacing the Vietnamese restaurant Lemongrass. Migoto’s owner, Mai Nguyen, spruced up the building’s exterior and added a sushi bar inside. The menu features rolls, sashimi, bento boxes, Japanese rice bowls (don-buri), udon noodle soup, and deep-fried boneless chicken (karaage), plus beer and sake. Nguyen is currently applying for a full liquor license. Status: Certified open. 514 12th Ave.

December 11, 2018

Sharetea/Yelp

FIRST HILL — Taiwan-born bubble tea chain Sharetea has opened a First Hill location. Since its founding in 1992 in Taipei, the company has added more than 450 locations in 18 countries, including a shop in the U District. Ingredients are shipped from Taiwan and result in popular drinks like a coffee milk tea, strawberry ice blended with lychee jelly and ice cream, whole lemon green tea, and a Hawaiian fruit tea. Early Yelp reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Status: Certified open. 530 Broadway.

PIONEER SQUARE — A new restaurant called Pioneer Square D and E (for “drinks and eats”) opened recently in the vacated Radici space. The owners are former Ciudad and Rider general manager Jonathan Fleming and his wife Libby Aker. They’ve hired former Local 360 chef Ben Davison to run the kitchen’s lunch menu of soups and sandwiches, and the dinner menu of sausage, pasta, and roasted chicken. Classic cocktails, beer, and wine make up the drinks menu. There’s also weekend brunch and daily happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. Status: Certified open. 314 Second Ave. S.

WEST SEATTLE — Cupcake specialist Indulge Desserts moved into the former home of Stuffed Cakes in West Seattle. Owner Michele J. Auld is operating a retail space selling her cupcakes and cake pops — with gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free options — and coffee. She also runs her catering operation out of the shop, which involves custom cupcake options for special events. Status: Certified open. 9003 35th SW.

December 6, 2018

Suzi Pratt for Eater

TACOMA — White Center’s popular Beer Star bar has opened its Tacoma location, in the Stadium District. The bar is an all-ages space, complete with a kids’ play area, with room to seat about 100 patrons. Fifty taps pour mostly beer, the kitchen serves a small menu of mostly sandwiches, and food trucks park on-site for additional dining options. Status: Certified open. 4328 Sixth Ave.

GEORGETOWN — Bop Box is serving Korean-flavored grain bowls in Georgetown, with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. The owners make their own marinades, pickles, and kimchi, with some seasonal rotation. Each bowl comes with either white or black rice, proteins like tofu steaks, short ribs, or salmon, and plenty of toppings, including egg, kale, mushrooms, and daikon. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, and initial Yelp reviews rave about the food, space, and service. Status: Certified open. 5633 Airport Way S.

KENT — Dick’s Drive-In opens December 12 in Kent’s Midway Shopping Center, a location chosen after fans voted for the 64-year-old chain to place a restaurant in South King County. The new Dick’s will serve the classic, straightforward menu of burgers, fries, and shakes that have kept fans hooked for decades. The expansion follows the rough plan set by Jim Spady, president of Dick’s, who said in an interview four years ago that the next restaurant could land on the Eastside or South Seattle-ish within five years. Status: Opening soon. 24130 Pacific Hwy S.

November 20, 2018

Corte Fino/Yelp

CAPITOL HILL — The former home of Bagel Deli and Olive Tree, on Capitol Hill’s 15th Ave., now houses a new restaurant called Bites of Bangkok. Capitol Hill residents Jansri Parichat and Pranesh Sharma, the former bar manager at Jai Thai, serves Thai snacks like crab fried rice and veggie spring rolls, curries, and entrees like swimming rama and pad prik, along with cocktails. The couple is also holding open mic nights and other performances. Status: Certified open. 340 15th Ave E.

BELLEVUE — Taiwan-born fruit tea chain Mr. Wish has arrived in Bellevue. The walk-up counter slings the eponymous specialty, a drink made with brewed tea and fruit puree, plus toppings like chopped fruit, jellies, and chia seeds. The franchise also serves milk tea, babo (a fizzy soda alternative), smoothies, and “macchiato” — here, the signature fruit tea topped with a froth of “cheese milk.” The new location is running buy one, get one free specials from November 21 through November 25. Status: Certified open. 14509 NE 20th St.

SOUTH SEATTLE — A hard-to-find Mexican restaurant called Corte Fino may have some of the best horchata in town — along with fantastic halal food. Tacos, enchiladas, housemade chorizo, and queso fundido are among the standouts from first-time restaurant owners Martin Perez, Zahra Sheikh, Mohamud Sheikh, and Abdurahman Noor. The restaurant is already building a following, with diners making the journey from Lynnwood and Sammamish. It’s a bit hard to find the entry, though — it’s on the south side of the building and isn’t visible from the street. Status: Certified open. 6721 Martin Luther King Jr Way S.

November 19, 2018

Twilight 7/Yelp

CAPITOL HILL — When tech worker Andre Sayre bought North Capitol Hill’s respected cocktail den, Sun Liquor Lounge, he changed the name to Sol Liquor, but he hasn’t changed much else — fans of the sought-after eggnog from the bar’s former owner, Sun Liquor Distillery, will even still be able to drink it here on Christmas Day. Status: Certified open. 607 Summit Ave. E.

BELLEVUE — Late-night Chinese food and karaoke spot Twilight 7 has gotten a bit of a revamp: It’s now called Twilight 7 Asian Dining and Karaoke Lounge. The karaoke rooms are well-appointed and seat between seven and 15 participants, who can choose from more than 10,000 songs in several languages. The menu, meanwhile, includes the likes of beef dry pot, shredded pork with garlic sauce, and “special Asian drinks,” according to the website. Status: Certified open. 2217 140th Ave. NE.

HILLMAN CITY — The Central District’s divey burger-and-beer bars Neighbor Lady and Twilight Exit have a new sibling in the south end called Twilight Rainier. It takes over the former home of Union Bar and retains Union’s monthly drag queen bingo. Owner Stephan Mollmann plans to add more whiskey soon, a carry-over from his other bars, which have large selections of bourbon and rye. Status: Certified open. 5609 Rainier Ave. S.

November 15, 2018

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CAPITOL HILL — A sushi and hand roll counter called By Tae has opened in the Chophouse Row building where Petite Galette used to be. Chef Sun Hong, who gained attention as opening chef for Matt Dillon’s Bar Ferdinand, sells his Japanese hand rolls — rice and tuna or other sushi ingredients wrapped in a thin sheet of nori in an ice cream cone shape — for diners to eat at one of the small counter’s stools or to take out, and even has some grab-and-go lunch boxes. Hong’s menu changes seasonally, with about four rolls available at any one time, and there’s sake to be had as well. Status: Certified open. 1424 11th Avenue.

UNIVERSITY DISTRICT — New Korean restaurant the Block serves specialties like rice bowls, spicy rice cakes (ddukkbokki), and shaved ice (patbingsoo) in a food court-style venue. The reviews are pretty mixed so far, with one Yelper calling the restaurant his favorite in the neighborhood, while others complain about the pricing compared to the portions. The environment, with black lights, ever-present music, and late-night hours, seems to be targeting the college crowd. Status: Certified open. 4209 University Way NE.

CAPITOL HILL — A new tea shop on Capitol Hill specializes in the Taiwanese phenomenon of cheese tea, or zhī shì chá. Vince and Kathy Shi’s Atulea — originally planned as Absolute Tea — serves tea topped with a lightly salted foam of cream cheese, milk, and whipped cream. Other menu items include milk tea, matcha tea with additions like turmeric and oat milk, and coffee. Status: Certified open. 1715 12th Ave. Suite 100.

November 8, 2018

Courtesy of The Hart and the Hunter

DOWNTOWN — The revered LA Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold raved about the biscuits at the Hart and the Hunter, which has completed its Los Angeles-to-Seattle expansion as the resident restaurant of the Palihotel. The whole menu leans decidedly Southern, but there’s a local name in Anchorhead Coffee running the espresso bar, which also has a sidewalk window. The new hotel, near Pike Place Market, is the group’s first outside of California. The “deluxe” rooms have views of the market and the waterfront, with the Great Wheel front-and-center. Status: Certified open. 107 Pine St.

MERCER ISLAND — New breakfast and pastry spot Convivial Cafe makes artistic fare like a local duck egg baked in a hash brown nest. Local ingredients show up in other menu items, too, including the pies (available whole or by the slice), and the apple tarts. The main focus is on baked goods, with a huge selection of cookies, cakes, bars, croissants, and other sweet treats, all made here. There’s also espresso from Elm Coffee Roasters. Status: Certified open. 3020 78th Avenue SE.

BELLEVUE — Eastside shopping center and mixed-use development Lake Hills Village is also a hub of Asian gems, including additional locations of Little Ting’s Dumplings, the no-frills Chinese restaurant in North Seattle with an ardent following, and Hardwok Cafe, a popular Taiwanese restaurant in the Chinatown-International District. The newest addition is Meet Fresh, a chain that specializes in Asian desserts and bubble tea. Status: Certified open. 15552 Lake Hills Blvd Ste F5.

November 2, 2018

Lowrider [Facebook]

QUEEN ANNE — Coltiva Pizza is open in the relatively new Cora Queen Anne apartment building in Lower Queen Anne. It sports indoor and outdoor seating and serves eight types of pizzas, salads, wine, and cocktails. Some ingredients — like the beef and tomatoes — come from Oregon farms, while the hard cheeses are imported from Sardinia. The owner also owns a farm in Oregon that supplies some of the products. Status: Certified open. 350 1st Ave. W.

GEORGETOWN — Farmers market and pop-up favorite Lowrider Baking Company found a permanent home to sell its cookies — with flavors like birthday cake and salted toffee pecan — in the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall. Owner Emily Allport has decorated the trailer in various dachshund ephemera, an homage to her dogs and a reference to the company’s name. The space is small, which has Allport thinking about expansion plans already. Status: Certified open. 5805 Airport Way S.

FREMONT — Midwestern natives missing home might find comfort in Petoskey’s, a new bar in Fremont featuring Minnesota-style pizza (typically thin, square, extra cheesy), beer, cocktails, hot wings, tater tots with tartar sauce, bouja stew, curly fries, Wisconsin cheese curds with tomato jalapeno jam, mac and cheese, and a Jucy Lucy burger. The owners of next door’s Pomerol and the defunct China Pie, which used to serve pizza and dumplings in this space, run Petoskey’s, serving a weekday happy hour and promising to televise Midwest sports teams. Status: Certified open. 125 N 36th St.

October 29, 2018

El Camión

CENTRAL DISTRICT — Newcomer Soulful Dishes looks promising, according to early Yelp reviews, which say “the flavors are tremendous,” and “this place is a gem.” Favorite dishes so far are the fried chicken sandwich and the burger and fries. The restaurant also has a veggie burger, fried catfish, and a handful of other sandwich options. Status: Certified open. 1800 E Yesler Way.

BALLARD — One of Seattle’s longest-running breweries, Hale’s Ales, has installed popular taco-maker El Camión in its kitchen. Just before the holidays last year, the brewery posted a sign on its door announcing it was closing temporarily, to reopen in the new year as a taproom only. When it did reopen, its food menu served only five items. Now, El Camión — which has multiple food trucks and a restaurant near Ballard High School — has upped Hale’s food game, slinging specialties like posole, tamales, shrimp ceviche, fish tacos, and chilaquiles. Status: Certified open. 4301 Leary Way NW.

CENTRAL DISTRICT — Cheese Platters and More is open at Union and 27th streets. The restaurant claims to source ingredients locally for menu items like a curry chicken salad, turkey pesto sandwich, lemongrass tofu skewers, and a variety of cheese platters. There’s also a butcher shop component, with custom cuts of Pacific Northwest meats. Status: Certified open. 2717 E Union St.

October 25, 2018

Cinnaholic

CAPITOL HILL — Vegan cinnamon roll chain Cinnaholic debuts tomorrow, October 26, next to Capitol Cider on E Pike St. Founders Shannon and Florian Radke successfully pitched ABC’s Shark Tank in 2014; the company website now lists 24 current or upcoming U.S. locations. Each cinnamon roll includes customizable toppings — like fruit and candy — and frostings, with flavors like caramel, chai, hazelnut, lemon, and cream cheese. The bakery will sell rolls for $1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on opening day. Status: Opening soon. 816 E Pike St.

DENNY TRIANGLE — Across the street from still-swamped Shake Shack, Swan Healthy Gourmet sells bubble tea, shave ice topped with fruit and nuts, and smoothies from a husband-and-wife team. So far Yelp reviews have been vastly mixed, with a few five-star reviews loving the experience and fluffy shave ice but a couple one-star rants slamming the wait time and watery flavors. Perhaps the owners are still settling in. Status: Certified open. 2100 9th Ave.

SOUTH LAKE UNION — Redmond-born Stone Korean has opened a new location, near Lake Union Park, after four years of searching for a Seattle expansion. The Eastside restaurant has a strong following, so this looks like a promising addition to the SLU scene. The menu is fairly traditional, with Korean classics like spicy beef brisket soup, bibimbap, soft tofu soup, and fried chicken wings. Status: Certified open. 900 Dexter Ave. N.

October 24, 2018

I5 Pho/Facebook

WHITE CENTER — New watering hole Can Bar’s name refers not just to the style of beer it serves (canned) but also to a navigation aid, a can buoy. Continuing the nautical theme, the bar itself is constructed of parts salvaged from a 28-foot wooden boat. Beyond the cans, the menu features cocktails and a low-key selection of food that ranges from salads to sandwiches and burgers to chicken wings. Status: Certified open. 9427 17th Ave. SW.

ISSAQUAH — Local seafood chain Ivar’s is adding its 22nd restaurant in the region but its first in Issaquah Thursday, October 25. This location will skew fast-casual, with room for 83 diners inside and 16 at a sidewalk patio. Like the company’s other restaurants, this one will serve fish and chips, salmon chowder, salmon BLT, and fish tacos. Status: Certified open. 6150 E Sammamish Pkwy SE.

PIONEER SQUARE — One of Tacoma’s top pho shops, I5 Pho, went the opposite direction of many local restaurants these days, migrating north to open a Pioneer Square location this fall. Owned by three brothers, the restaurant’s best dishes include the traditional beef pho, a banh mi dip with a side of pho broth, and caramelized fish sauce chicken wings. There’s a dine-in option, as well as online ordering for take-out. Status: Certified open. 213 1st Ave. S.

October 9, 2018

AT&T/Official photo

PIONEER SQUARE — Former Jarrbar manager Jesse Spring and chef Keaton Cooper will open Bad Bishop in the former home of Easy Joe’s sports bar. Keaton’s menu will involve a from-scratch corn dog, tuna melt, and a burger with Stopsky’s pickles and Kewpie mayo. Spring plans cocktails like a vodka martini with pipparas pepper brine and a garnish of a pepper wrapped in chorizo. The pair have rehabbed the space, exposing the original brick and adding a floral wallpaper. The opening is planned for October 17. Status: Opening soon. 704 First Ave.

CAPITOL HILL — AT&T opened a first-of-its-kind “concept store” called The Lounge by AT&T that’s “part retail store, part coffeehouse, and part hangout space.” There’s a coffee shop inside called Ada’s Discovery Café, run by Danielle and David Hulton, who own Ada’s Technical Books on Capitol Hill. The concept store is outfitted with futuristic elements like coffee-brewing robots, a digital ordering system, and a space for various events like eSports competitions and coffee seminars. Status: Certified open. 800 E. Thomas St.

CAPITOL HILL — A taco stand called Carmelo’s replaces a teriyaki restaurant inside the Hillcrest Market. Early Yelp reviewers are raving about the spot, which has a small seating area and a walk-up window. Owner Carmelo Gaspar makes tortillas from scratch, and tacos include al pastor, asado, and veggie options. Status: Certified open. 110 Summit Ave. E.

September 24, 2018

Queen Anne Coffee Co./Facebook

CAPITOL HILL — Ikina Sushi has carved out some unused space in Capitol Lounge for a new walk-up window, Iki Tea, serving bubble tea, or boba tea. Flavors of the sweet milk teas and smoothies range from avocado to taro to coconut and jasmine. Status: Certified open. 916 E Pike St.

QUEEN ANNE — Queen Anne Coffee Co. has taken over the former home of Cuban coffee specialist El Diablo Coffee, which moved next door after its landlord abruptly terminated its relationship. Queen Anne Coffee Co. owner Brianne Ryan, who wants it known that her shop is proudly gay-owned, updated the space with modern decor and brought in beans from Lighthouse Coffee Roasters, in Fremont. The food menu is brief but serious, as Ryan is baking pastries on-site, offering sour cream coffee cake and cinnamon rolls alongside sandwiches like a sausage, egg, and cheese on a challah-pretzel roll. Status: Certified open. 1811 Queen Anne Ave. N.

MUKILTEO — In a craftsman house with a small front porch and a water view, Sage and Cinder owner Cynthia Hesslewood is betting on high-minded, seasonal vegan fare like wild mushroom carpaccio, baked pears stuffed with cashew blue cheese, and a tartare of tofu, beet, and avocado. The restaurant also offers weekend brunch and original cocktails. Status: Certified open. 613 5th St, Mukilteo.