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Hungry for news? Welcome to our Friday Feed, where we run through all the local food and restaurant news this week—and maybe help you figure out where to eat this weekend.
Pizza Makes the World Go ‘Round
It’s been a busy month in the crust mines here in Seattle, particularly on Phinney Ridge, where minichain Stevie’s Famous will open its third location (Beacon Hill, Burien). Besides the big slices and creamy burrata on the signature Normie 2.0, it makes a platonic ideal of a Caesar salad and dreamy housemade pistachio ice cream. The plan is to have the former Zeek’s space near the zoo open by next summer, reports The Seattle Times.
Fellow Phinneyian (is that a thing?) Ben’s Bread runs a Wednesday night “Pizza Friends” pop-up that got a shoutout in a different Seattle Times article, this one about the neighborhood being the best eating street in the city. Um, guys, I told you once, I told you twice!
This week, we also learned more about Roma Roma, a pizza al taglio restaurant in the former Rachel’s Ginger Beer space on Capitol Hill, which is hoping to open by January. Unlike Central District Roman-style pizza spot Sacro Bosco, Roma Roma plans to actually sell the pizza by the weight, as they do in Rome. The counter-service spot comes from once-and-again Seattle chef Forrest Brunton, his wife Renee, and his brother Colin, and the menu will include flavors like heirloom pumpkin and carnitas nacho.
Changing Hands
It’s closing, it’s not, it’s missing a sign, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the Virginia Inn. After the 122-year-old Pike Place Market restaurant seemed doomed due to lease issues, a quartet of employees stepped in to buy it and will keep the place running in much the same spirit as before.
Many blocks further north on First Avenue, Bake Shop (home of fabulous cakes) owner Krista Nelson announced she will be stepping away from the business as of this week, saying, “I just haven’t been able to find the balance between motherhood and business ownership as some people can.” No word on the new ownership yet.
Not That Kind of Fire
Last week, we ran a story that noted Seattle’s Thai food was “on fire.” But this is not at all what we meant: Early last Sunday morning, a fire damaged one of the city’s best Thai restaurants, Bangrak Market. Though the restaurant managed to quickly reopen within a few days, the blaze was determined to be arson, and the owners are hoping to find any info about the incident.
Skillet Is Fried
The pioneering street food trailer that evolved into a minichain announced that it has closed two of its three stand-alone locations, with the third to close in a month. The Capitol Hill and Post Alley locations closed Wednesday, with the Regrade to follow on December 12. Only its two SeaTac Airport locations and the one inside the Seattle Center Armory will remain. The farewell post puts the reality of Seattle’s industry in concise words: “We have been unable to survive the balance of what we can charge for a meal with the increasing costs of what it takes to produce a meal.”
Friday Nights, No Lights
Come late December, a Seattle classic will say goodbye: The Shanty Tavern, on Lake City Way, posted that they will be closing up for good on December 19, 2025. One of the last of Seattle’s roadhouses, it opened in 1932, has been in its current location since 1948, and has been run by John Spaccarotelli since 1961. Though only open once a week for Friday night shows, the nonagenarian says it’s still too much for him and he plans to retire. “Although the Shanty is my sweetheart, she does require a lot of time and attention.”
Not Another Adiós?
Just weeks after nearby Oh Sun Banchan shuttered, Peruvian restaurant Señor Carbon announced that it will close at the end of November. “This is not a goodbye, but simply ‘Hasta luego’ until we meet again,” the restaurant writes, sounding hopeful that it will show up elsewhere soon.
Oh, BTW, here’s what you missed last time.
