New openings and returns
The angry beaver
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Rejoice! The long-suffering Greenwood Hockey Bar, which survived an NHL lockout and explosion in 2016 and was forced to close in January due to burst and frozen pipes, reopened its doors last Saturday.
Greenwood
Hummingbird Sushi
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This chic new sushi restaurant from Chef Ji Hun Hong recently opened in Queen Anne and offers a modern seven- or 10-course omakase menu (by reservation only), as well as a take-out omakase box and menu items like A5 Wagyu ribeye and Hokkaido scallops.
Queen Anne
Rising Sun Products
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Another triumphant return from a beloved neighborhood store: Popular Ravenna grocery stand Rising Sun Produce, which was forced to close in February due to a fire, reopened Thursday. It currently sells mostly local products, but will add dairy, wine and other groceries next week.
Ravenna
Tacos La Cuadra
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This is the stuff dreams are made of: This new taco truck is popping up at night in the parking lot of O’Reilly Auto Parts in Greenwood and is already generating a lot of buzz for its al pastor, which is grilled the traditional way on a vertical skewer (hard to find in the Seattle area, though I’ve heard good things about Taqueria Sanchez in Renton). There’s also a fresh salsa bar and you can have cheese melted right onto your taco on the grill, so I suggest planning a trip ASAP. Be prepared for a line.
Greenwood
Tilda’s Lounge
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The Ballard gem Situ Tacos
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has officially opened its glitzy secret bar Tilda’s Lounge, named after owner Lupe Flores’ eccentric great-aunt Matilda, a chain-smoking musician who decorated her house in faux gold and taught Lupe to gamble. Expect slushies, margaritas, seasonal cocktails and plenty of Mexican beer.
Ballard
FUTURE OPENINGS
Kayaking
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This broth-free ramen chain will soon take the space vacated by Korean fast-casual restaurant Oma Bap
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in the Hugo House
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on Capitol Hill.
Capitol
CLOSURES
The College Inn Pub
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Owners Jen Gonyer and Al Donohue announced this week that this longtime University District institution and student gathering place will close its doors on June 15, 2025, unless purchased by a buyer.
University district
Trophy cupcakes
The outlook for Seattle’s cupcake scene is pretty bleak. Following the recent news that Cupcake Royale plans to close all of its cafes, its main competitor Trophy Cupcakes announced on Instagram this week that it will be closing all of its locations except for its flagship store in University Village.
Various locations
OTHER FOOD NEWS
Moto now delivers
Psst: It’s now a lot easier to get your hands on Moto’s coveted Detroit-style pizza. The iconic company launched delivery for all of its locations on its website this week.
POP-UPS AND EVENTS
Remember
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Social Media Star and New York Times– Bestselling cookbook author John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen, who worked as a middle school math and science teacher for over a decade before becoming a cooking content writer, showcases a variety of versatile dishes suitable for all cooking levels in his new book Preppy Kitchen Super Easy. The cookbook includes easy-to-make comfort foods like breakfast burritos, overnight “ice cream” oatmeal, brown butter garlic mashed potatoes, mango, radish and shrimp ceviche, and chocolate chip pecan bars. Take the chance to meet him at this book signing and have him sign and personalize your copy.
Book Larder, 6-7pm
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Vampires, be warned: This three-day festival goes all out with food, music, arts and crafts to celebrate the legendary “stinking rose,” also known as garlic. Enjoy deliciously spicy specialties like garlic pizza, smoked garlic heads, garlic ice cream, garlic ice cream, and garlic Cajun seafood stew. Just be sure to bring peppermints. (Tip: Watch the quirky 1980 documentary Garlic is as good as ten mothers to learn about the rich culture of garlic before you leave.)
Southwest Washington Fair, Chehalis, 11 a.m.
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Time flies—it’s already been a year since award-winning Stoup Brewing opened its bustling location in the former Optimism Brewing space on Capitol Hill. They’ll be toasting this milestone with a pop-up noodle/bar, live music, and plenty of special drink offerings.
Stoup Brewing, 12pm-8pm
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Tapping into the nostalgia of childhood birthdays, Rachel Yang and Gabby Park’s Paper Cake Shop bakery in Wallingford debuted their line of ice cream cakes this summer, featuring irresistible flavors like Thai tea, yuzu, and kinako Heath Bar. To celebrate back-to-school season, they’re hosting a moody social gathering alongside Saint Bread ice cream pop-up Monday Sundae, serving vegan and gluten-free sundaes of white peach and plum sorbet with tapioca pearl topping, and pop-up and catering company Yoka Tea, offering longanisa kimbap and matcha drinks like lychee matcha mojitos and black sesame matcha clouds. In case you need an extra incentive to join in, Paper Cake’s ice cream cake flavor of the weekend will include ube and pandan ice cream with espresso mousse and Oreo crunch, which sounds delicious, and they’ll also be bringing back their dreamy Neapolitan ice cream cake.
Paper Cake Shop, 2pm-5pm
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It’s a well-known fact among Seattleites that Ballard is densely populated with excellent breweries. This festival showcases the neighborhood’s many beer and cider producers with plenty of ice cold pints, live music from the bands Leo Leo and The Pazific, and unlimited snacks from local food vendors Ethan Stowell Restaurants, Mainstay Provisions, Tom Douglas & Co., The Pantry, Rough & Tumble, Veraci Pizza, Ray’s Boathouse, Community Loaves, Firefly Kitchens, Soups On Seattle, and PCC Ballard. All proceeds benefit the Ballard Food Bank.
Ballard Food Bank, 5-8 p.m.
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I’m simply enchanted by Italian and Italian-American baked goods like tiramisu, rainbow cookies, and cannoli, so I’m especially excited about the release of two-time James Beard nominee Renato Poliafito’s new cookbook. Dolci! American baking with an Italian accentwhich is full of sweet and savory recipes like Aperol Spritz cake, butter cookies, cacio e pepe arancini, sourdough focaccia, and more. (Renato owns the cozy Brooklyn bakery and cafe Ciao, Gloria and is the co-author of four other cookbooks.) Meet him for a conversation, Q&A, and book signing at Book Larder.
Book Larder, 6:30 p.m.–8 p.m.
SPECIAL
Aroom Coffee
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Starting Saturday, this Vietnamese-inspired cafe in Fremont will be serving bánh mì with marinated grilled pork, pickled radishes, pickled carrots, and a house special sauce. Available from 9 a.m. until supplies sell out. I highly recommend you grab a Nutty Cloud (iced coffee with peanut butter) while you’re there.
Fremont
Little Jaye
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Mrs Jaye
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The cafe and bakery this week introduced new savory Shokupan buns in three variations: cheeseburger, tomato feta, and ham and cheese. All three sound like the perfect snack on a drizzly day.
South Park
Milk drunk
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The popular chicken dish is now available in soft serve variants with seasonal flavors of fig leaf, coconut and vegan black plum and ginger.
Beacon Hill