Nine Restaurant Closures, 20 Openings, and More Food News

Hungry for news? Welcome to our Friday Feed, where we run through all the local food and restaurant news this month—and maybe help you figure out where to eat this weekend.

Remembering George Hancock

When Rooftop Brewing taps its kegs of Jolly Roger tonight, many will raise their glasses on a somber note: The co-founder of Maritime Pacific Brewing Company and originator of the famous Christmas ale in 1992, George Hancock, passed away this week at the age of 75. Hancock founded the pioneering microbrewery with his wife, Jane, in 1990, while the two lived on a Shilshole sailboat not far from their Ballard brewery. It was only the state’s 13th licensed brewery and paved the way for hundreds to come. “I wanted to make beers I wanted to drink, I didn’t care about anyone else,” he once explained. In 2025, the Hancocks retired, leaving the brand and its Ballard facilities in the hands of Rooftop Brewing.

The Groups Are Regrouping

When one concept doesn’t work, try, try again. That’s the theory seemingly driving local groups as they puzzle out how to stay afloat in this tough era for restaurants. In December, Musang chef Melissa Miranda will transform the casual Kilig into former popup burger spot Musangtino’s. Thankfully, a few faves like the bulalo soup and sinigang wings will stick around.

Just up the street, the Pham sisters closed Seattle Met’s 2023 restaurant of the year, The Boat, and are planning a new concept for that space. Similarly, the signature dish will remain available—now next door at the Phở Bắc Sup Shop.

Across town, Heavy Restaurant Group changed up its Stone Way location of Purple into a quartet of concepts united as Nolu Hall. Mallard Smash Burgers, Corners Tavern Style Pizza, Parcel Grain Bowls, and Bad Mouse Wine Bar are all open now in the new space.

Get Outta Town

Meanwhile, another set of prominent local restaurateurs seems to feel the solution to their problems is to expand beyond the city limits. Per Puget Sound Business Journal, Brian Clevenger of General Harvest has signed on to open locations of Eldr and G.H. Pasta & Pizza in Suncadia early next year.

By the summer, Renee Erickson’s Sea Creatures hopes to open its first location outside Seattle, though it’s not going quite so far east. No word on details yet, but the concept will take a 6000-square-foot space in the Eight. It’s a building with a familiar face: Sea Creatures’ Ballard neighbor, Sabine, is in the same building.

Going further east? Walla Walla’s Bionic Wines has brought in chef Matthew Lightner, who made big waves at Ōkta in Oregon’s Willamette Valley before closing suddenly, for “The Bionic Lunch.” The $150 per person long, French-style communal lunches feature PNW-inspired dishes like Mangalitsa pork dumplings with root vegetable blanquette, each built for a specific bottle from Bionic Wines.

Wild, Wild West Seattle

Lots of movement going on just over the bridge in West Seattle: Local ramen chain Kizuki and brunch group Portage Bay Cafe both closed their neighborhood locations in October, as did Seaside Grill and stalwart sushi spot Mashiko—though that was in preparation for its move to White Center. West Seattle pizza parlor Pegasus Pizza & Pasta will also open in White Center, but that one is an expansion, not a move. Also expanding the list of expansions are the new location of Anchorhead Coffee Co. and a second location of Curry’s Culture, the Indian restaurant that opened near the Columbia City light rail station in May and quickly earned a diehard following. Joining Anchorhead on its block this month are outlets of Dave’s Hot Chicken and Gong Cha.

Creative Debuts

• We noted in our 2025 Best New Restaurants article that opening a restaurant inside another business is one way to keep costs down, and that continues to be a popular method, with Pizza Rasoi now serving Indian-style pizza inside Capitol Hill’s Outer Planet Brewing.
• Another rethinking led to Sugar Mountain (Beecher’s, Butcher’s Table) opening Yukon, a quick-serve steakhouse in Redmond. Basically, it’s all the fancy meat (American Wagyu from Sugar Mountain’s own brands), but none of the frills—like chairs. Depending on how you look at it, it’s either like a party where you mingle at standing tables, or it’s Dick’s, but the deluxe is a tri-tip with piquillo pepper sauce, and the fries are potato chunks fried in beef tallow.
• Seward Park’s Umami Kushi is bringing another piece of Japan to Seattle with its new OkazuVend concept in Madrona. Taking inspiration from Japanese convenience stores, the grab-and-go set up sells the signature pan, housemade drinks, and potato chips (with a plan for sandos to come) inside the Madrona Laundromat.

More Openings

• Losing Independent Pizzeria was soul-crushing, but the news of what’s next for the Madison Park space was a light in a dark time for restaurants. Anu Apte (of Rob Roy and the recently closed Navy Strength, among others) will take over the space—and pizza recipes—for the forthcoming Little Gem.
• In Madison Valley, Café du Sol has opened with matcha, Vietnamese coffee, sandwiches, and more.
• Further up Madison, the space between Chop Suey and the Madison Pub is on its way to becoming Virtue Coffee and Cocktails, which actually specifically specializes in coffee cocktails. Like, it’s a bar dedicated to the art of the espresso martini.
• Chubby Group has taken over the enormous former Din Tai Fung space on the second floor of Bellevue’s Lincoln Square North, with plans to install its all-you-can-eat Japanese hot pot and BBQ concept Wagyu House.
• It’s a theme, apparently, because multi-state all-you-can-eat chain Mikaya Wagyu Shabu House has opened in the U-District, too.
• The katsu-masters behind Kobuta and Ookami announced a third location is coming to Mountlake Terrace.
• Brady Williams, of Tomo, has partnered with the 5th Avenue Theater to offer a trio of food and drink options. Currently open inside the theater are Pearl Konbini and Pearl+, the latter of which is open only to Seattle Theatre Group club members. Next year, a private bar Pearl Under 5th will open.
• Next summer, Bellevue’s Cantina Monarca will open a 10,000-square-foot restaurant (for reference, that’s HUGE) in Vulcan’s Lake Union Piers development.
• The team that just spruced up and re-opened the Historic Triangle Pub appears to have taken over the old Peso’s space in Lower Queen Anne, with a sign up for The Mercer.

Assorted Other News

• Kent’s Sushi Kaunta hinted at a move in a recent Instagram post, and sure enough, it looks like the one-man sushi operation is on its way north to Renton, near Newcastle.
• The folks behind Spice Waala announced their new delivery service, Yaku, last week. The collaboration with Rachel’s Bagels & Burritos, Lil Woody’s and others operates only in Ballard—for now.
• At Seacrest Park, Marination Ma Kai announced a partnership with Duwamish Tribal Services to create what they’re calling (for now) the Duwamish Waterfront Education Center. More details soon, but it will continue the paddleboard and kayak rental operation, while adding educational and community programming.
• In Greenwood, Venezuelan restaurant (and plantain powerhouse) Waca Maya announced that it will be closing temporarily in advance of a move, though the new location is not yet announced.

Closures

It’s the worst part of the year, as restaurants that are already struggling aim to close before the doldrums of January. This month’s list of closed or closing restaurants includes some heartbreakers.

• Mi La Cay: After 23 years and two locations, the family-owned Chinese Vietnamese noodle shop closed its doors to allow the sibling owners to retire.
• Onmi: Barely a year and a half after opening, the North Seattle Korean BBQ spot closed abruptly, citing “internal business disputes” and “unresolved concerns involving our family’s finances.”
• Kedai Makan: The Malaysian restaurant announced it will shutter the Capitol Hill location on November 15, though it will look for a new opportunity. The Belltown location remains open.

  

• Little Beast: Seattle Met’s 2025 restaurant of the year is suffering the same fate as its 2023 one, above—but there’s no new restaurant concept coming to the Ballard British pub we liked so much. Little Beast will serve meals through the end of the year, then return to owner Kevin Smith’s original concept for the space, housing the butcher box concept, hosting classes, and the occasional special-occasion dinner.
• Revel: Relay Restaurant Group announced that its Fremont restaurant Revel will close on December 20. A year after its 2010 opening, New York Times critic Frank Bruni called the Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi restaurant “A sleeker, sexier and slightly less accomplished Momofuku Ssam Bar,” and it skyrocketed to fame. We’d argue you could cut the “slightly less” now, but the rest remains true.
• Otter Bar and Burger: The Eastlake bar announced that it won’t be extending its lease and thus will close in December.
• Homegrown: Already mostly faded-out, the local sandwich chain has closed its final area two locations.

Oh, BTW, here’s what you missed last time.