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Seattle’s New Restaurant Openings

The new restaurant openings you should know about.
Seattle’s New Restaurant Openings image

photo credit: Nate Watters

If you tried to keep track of every new restaurant and bar in Seattle, your head might spin. So just read this list instead. These are the openings that seem like they have the most potential. Although, keep in mind, we make no promises about the places we haven't visited yet. Go forth and be a pioneer—or just keep up with our Hit List to see which new restaurants we checked out and loved.

February 2024

photo credit: Spice Waala

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Spice Waala

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There isn’t much in terms of quick lunch spots in Columbia City, but Spice Waala is here to change that—and better yet, it’s a lunch for under $10. This casual Indian spot that specializes in kathi rolls is strictly a takeout window, but they’re still serving the full gamut of tasty stuff you’d find at their Ballard and Capitol Hill locations, like aloo tikki rolls, papdi chatt, and yes—the soft serve is here too. 

photo credit: Nate Watters

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Maíz Taquería

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Maíz is an excellent Pike Place lunch spot and one of the best Mexican restaurants in the city. Expect the same food at their new Ballard taquería, too. Like chorizo con papas tacos on homemade nixtamal tortillas, fluffy sopes, and tender birria. And you can have all of that without being watched through the window by a line of tourists waiting for a limited-edition Starbucks cup. 

Shikorina Bakeshop & Cafe

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Taking over the former Ben & Esther's space is Shikorina Bakeshop, a cafe and bakery that made its way from a small operation in the Central District to Capitol Hill. Inside this colorful space, you’ll find plenty of seating along with homemade pop-tarts, chocolate chunk cookies, and lots more pastries (think special order cakes made with berbere caramel and Swiss vanilla buttercream).

photo credit: Nate Watters

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Wild Cat

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Musang is currently closed for repairs. But for the time being, their catering space known as Wild Cat (only two doors down from their Beacon Hill location) has opened as a temporary restaurant that serves a similar Filipino menu—think Musang classics like the pot roast-y short rib kare kare, delicata squash-packed ginataang gulay, and crispy fried chicken.

After serving Khmer dishes from the kitchen at Oliver’s Twist, folks from the same team have officially opened Sophon in a larger space just a few blocks away. There are plenty of cocktails here too, plus dishes like kroeung-spiced fried chicken, and chinese eggplant stuffed with soy curls.

photo credit: Golden Roosters

spread of chicken wings, fries, gyoza, burger, and mozzarella sticks

Golden Roosters

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If the 180-inch projector TV, Sounders gear hanging from the ceiling, and basketball court flooring didn't tip you off, Golden Roosters is a sports bar. This Pioneer Square spot serves fried chicken, fries, and more fried stuff. Which, honestly, is not a bad combination when spending a full day watching people efficiently move a ball around.

Bon is a casual Japanese-Korean counter spot inside M2M Mart on Capitol Hill. This means that after you spend 15 minutes enamored by the very impressive instant ramen aisle here, you can head upstairs to sit down with a bowl of jajangmyeon, Korean-style fried chicken, or cheese tonkatsu. 

January 2024

photo credit: Eric Tra

Italian

Phinney Ridge

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Renee Erickson (chef/owner of The Walrus And The Carpenter, Westward, Deep Dive, and more) has opened her 10th restaurant in Seattle. And true to form, this small Italian wine bar in Phinney Ridge serves fresh oysters. You’ll also find snacks like salsa verde-dressed clams, oil-cured anchovies, and beef and pork meatballs in red sauce. Reservations for Lioness are available 30 days in advance and are already pretty limited, so you'll have to act quickly (and strategically) if you’d like to sip Lambrusco at a marble stand-up bar.

We tried Lioness and added it to the Hit List. Read our thoughts here.

photo credit: Sweetgreen

interior of Kirkland Sweetgreen location

Sweetgreen

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This LA-based salad chain has finally made its way to the PNW with a Totem Lake location in Kirkland. You’ll find a long menu of bowls, like broccoli and spinach-filled green goddess salads or wild rice situations with sweet potatoes and more healthy things. Expect a Capitol Hill and an SLU location at some point later this year. 

photo credit: Ginger & Scallion

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Ginger & Scallion

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Ginger & Scallion is a new Ballard spot that has taken over the old Raiz location. Here, they specialize in Hainanese chicken rice prepared three different ways—traditionally poached with tons of fresh herbs, drunken-style served swimming in rice wine, and shredded chicken with curry sauce and fried shallots. They also have a small lineup of appetizers like fried chicken skin chips and cucumber salad. 

This local tofu company has opened a Vietnamese bakery and deli in Rainier Valley. At Sun Ta, there are plenty of soybean-based stuff for sale like crispy fried tofu and fresh soybean pudding, but it's not a vegetarian restaurant. Carnivores can still have proteins like grilled beef and pork meatballs, all packed inside bánh mì, noodle bowls, or rice plates.

Our favorite Burien pizza spot and one of the best new restaurants of 2023 is bringing its delicious New York-style pies to Seattle proper. Stevie’s Famous’ second location is a small counter operation inside the Clock Out Lounge on Beacon Hill—you can pop in for live music or a Buffy The Vampire Slayer trivia night while eating hot honey-drizzled slices with coppa and burrata. 

We tried Stevie's Famous and added it to the Hit List. Read our thoughts here.

photo credit: The Kitchen

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The Kitchen

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At this 10-seat private dining spot in Green Lake, you can experience a different kind of food prepared by a different chef every night. This doesn’t mean that every day someone quits—it just means that you can choose whether to eat Vietnamese food on a Tuesday or Jamaican food on a Friday. Seating only happens twice a night, and you’ll need to use their booking site to snag a reservation and put down a deposit.

The team from Fob Poke Bar has a new venture that still involves lots of raw fish. Fob Sushi Bar is a weekday counter spot in Belltown that features a self-serve buffet of sushi and sashimi sold by the pound, like sliced bluefin tuna or chili crisp salmon nigiri.

photo credit: Daniel Thomas

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The folks from Evoke Espresso have brought another attractive space to South Lake Union, but this time it’s a restaurant and bar that serves fancy American food like balsamic-glazed brussels sprouts and braised beef with roasted potatoes. This self-proclaimed “sexiest restaurant in Seattle” has cocktails with cheeky drink names too, like the “Forbidden Fruit” with tequila and apple liquor, or an espresso martini called “Less Bitter Than Your Ex.” 

We recently checked out House Of Eve. Read our first thoughts here.

When Lao restaurant Viengthong closed its doors after 30 years in Mt. Baker, everyone panicked. Now, Magnolia Pho has taken over. While the space hasn’t changed too much, Magnolia has a huge menu of Vietnamese dishes like woven vermicelli bowls, butter garlic chicken wings, and over 20 different kinds of phở and noodle soups.

December 2023

photo credit: Old Salt Fish & Bagels

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Old Salt Fish & Bagels

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This bagel spot operating inside Manolin just opened a second location in Ballard. They’ll still have bagels at the original Fremont space, but the new shop (next to sister spot Rupee Bar) is ready for you to pick up poppy seed bagels and smoked fish, too—only you won't have to wade through the crowd outside of Sea Wolf.  

The Garrison has opened in Ballard in an attempt to cure that classic midweek urge to snack on caviar and sip Champagne. This spot is an oyster bar from the Le Coin team, and you can expect dishes like seared albacore tuna, roasted carrots with fried caper dressing, and smoked salmon toast topped with soft scrambled eggs. 

photo credit: Messina

Pizza topped with crispy pepperoni on a candlelit table.

Messina Modern Italian Kitchen

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Taking over the old Racha Thai space in Queen Anne is Messina. This Italian pizza and pasta restaurant is complete with TVs, pizza-themed neon signs, a full bar, and even a flight of five different kinds of pasta including spicy vodka and carbonara. Being just a short walk from Climate Pledge, we’ll see if this place becomes a pre-game or pre-concert destination.

Kub Kao Kub Kam Thai Eatery And Bar

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Kub Kao Kub Kam is a colorful spot in Phinney Ridge complete with a full bar and plenty of seating—and they’re open seven days a week. They serve tons of classic Thai dishes like tom yum soup, crying tiger beef, and rama noodles.

If you’ve been on Capitol Hill recently and wondered why there’s a line of people along 12th and Pike, it’s because Dave’s Hot Chicken opened its first Washington location in the old Little Big Burger space. This LA-based chain serves Nashville-style chicken ranging from no spice to reaper-level heat in the form of chunky tenders and sliders smothered in “Dave's sauce.” Also, they're open until 11pm on the weekends.

We recently checked out Dave's Hot Chicken. Read our first thoughts here.

Paper Fan Cocktail Bar

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Paper Fan is a speakeasy located in Biang Biang Noodle’s upstairs loft. The dimly lit space engulfed in red velvet curtains has a four-seat bar, a few small tables, and tea-based cocktails—think matcha paired with yuzu and gin, or a drink with hōjicha and rye whiskey.

Dagu is a noodle soup franchise from Shanghai that now has a location in the International District. Here, you can order pots of rice noodle soups filled with vegetables like cabbage, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and meats like thinly sliced pork or chicken spare ribs. Plus, they’re open for both lunch and dinner.

photo credit: Mt. Joy

a spicy fried chicken sandwich

Mt. Joy

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Capitol Hill has yet another fried chicken sandwich place. Mt. Joy is a food truck-turned-counter that has a simple menu of chicken sandwiches (as well as a portobello mushroom option), tenders, fries, and milkshakes.

A vintage ski lodge-themed diner has opened in White Center from the same team behind Lost Lake Cafe. This spot is open from 7am to 10pm every day, and serves their whole menu all day long, which means that a benedict at 9pm and a 10-ounce ribeye for breakfast are both possible. 

Banh Mi Xo is a small West Seattle counter spot that serves Vietnamese sandwiches and bún bowls stuffed with ham, grilled pork, and tofu. Plus, they have drinks like soursop smoothies and thai iced tea. 

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Our running list of Black-owned spots in Seattle.

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