West Seattle, Washington
05 Thursday
Two things happening right now in the West Seattle Junction:
FREE PIZZA: There’s a line outside Pagliacci (4449 California SW) because they’re giving away free slices, chain-wide, until 3 pm, as a reopening celebration. Limit two slices per person. Full details are on the Pagliacci website.
Kitty-corner from there, outside the Senior Center of West Seattle, another reopening celebration:
‘FUN & FESTIVE FRIDAYS’: The Senior Center wants everyone to know it’s open, so today they’re kicking off “Fun & Festive Fridays,” with refreshments & cookies outside until 1 pm, and live music by The Ukes, 2-4 pm. The center’s message: “We’re excited to welcome back the community!”
ADDED: Joining the celebration, Dan Jackson, photographed by Jerry Simmons:
Got a reopening celebration/special/event? Let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(Originally published Sunday, continuing to add updates/changes through Monday)
If the heat – the Sea-Tac gauge has hit triple digits! – has you thinking about getting dinner from/at a restaurant, be aware that some local food/beverage businesses are closing early and/or changing their hours to keep their workers safe. After a tip from Paula (thank you!), we started looking around, and here’s what we’ve found so far:
Bakery Nouveau – closing 1 pm Sunday
Bebop Waffle Shop – (updated) closed Sunday and Monday
Birdhouse – closing at noon Sunday, closed Monday
Bizzarro Italian Café (White Center) – closed until Tuesday
Cactus – closed Monday
Chupacabra – closed Monday
Circa, closed tonight and all day/night Monday
Coastline Burgers – closed Sunday and Monday
Copper Coin – closed Sunday and Monday
Cupcake Royale – closing at 2 pm Monday
Easy Street Café – restaurant closed Monday, record store trying to stay open
Elliott Bay Brewing – closed at 5 pm Monday
Grillbird Teriyaki – open noon-5 Sunday, closed Monday
Gyro Heroes – closed until Tuesday
Highland Park Corner Store – closed Monday
Hotwire Coffee – closing at 1 pm Sunday and Monday
Itto’s Tapas – closed Monday
JaK’s Grill – closed Sunday and Monday
Jet City Beignet (WSB sponsor) – no Sunday popup
Kamei – closed Sunday and Monday
Locol – closed through Monday (per texter)
Lodge Sports Grille – closed Monday
Lula Coffee – closing noon Monday
Luna Park Café – closed Monday
Marination Ma Kai – closed Monday
Mashiko – only offering cold menu items (including sushi) Sunday night and Monday
Mission Cantina (WSB sponsor) – open 10 am-3 pm Sunday, closed Monday
Moonshot Coffee (White Center) – closed 5 pm Monday
Nos Nos Coffee House – closed until Tuesday
Ounces – closed Monday
Pagliacci – closed early Sunday night, closed Monday
Patrick’s Café and Bakery (White Center) – closed Monday
Prost – closed Sunday and Monday
Realfine Coffee – closing at 1 pm Monday
Skylark – open Sunday 3-8 pm but serving cold sandwiches and salads
The Spot – closed early Sunday, will be closed Monday
Supreme – closed Monday
Swinery – closing at 2 pm Sunday
Talarico’s – closed Monday
Than Brothers Pho – closed Monday
West of Chicago Pizza (WSB sponsor) – closed tonight and Sunday
The Westy – closing 4 pm Sunday, closed Monday
Zippy’s Giant Burgers – will be closed Monday
We are checking other places online and by phone as fast as we can and will keep adding – if you know of others with closures/changes because of the heat wave, please let us know via comments, email (westseattleblog@gmail.com), or text (206-293-6302) – thank you!
P.S. We’re adding known A/C-equipped restaurants/bars to our master cool-off list – see it here – suggestions for those are welcome too!
8:37 PM: The west lot at Salty’s on Alki (1936 Harbor SW; WSB sponsor) was transformed into a temporary food-truck corral this afternoon for a reality show. As previewed here last night, Seattle favorite Where Ya At Matt went up against Los Angeles-based Billionaire Burger Boyz, who were on camera when we stopped by;
The crew told us this is for a new show currently titled “Burger Brawl,” and it’ll be part of Discovery Plus. Signage attributed the production to Lander Entertainment, LLC. The winner was whoever sold the most – haven’t heard yet how that shook out.
According to Laurel at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), these two trucks will be there for a rematch tomorrow, noon-7 pm.
ADDED EARLY FRIDAY: Just got word from Ounces that the show is going somewhere else (not in WS) today instead. (Though we should note that Ounces spotlights many of the area’s best food trucks regularly anyway – see their calendar here.)
Two food notes:
PEEL & PRESS: Proprietor Dan Austin says his Morgan Junction restaurant has just reopened for indoor dining:
Well, it has been a challenging 15 months. We have stayed carryout only to give West Seattle an option for all of those who wanted to avoid the crowds. Because of all of your support, we were able to survive this pandemic and take our time in reopening the dining room. We have been 100% vaccinated for a while now and are ready to see your faces (still masked for a few more days) again!
Starting Wednesday and going until the Governor announces the full reopening, we will be offering limited table seating. We will not have a ton of capacity but we need to get the staff back in the swing of plating food and serving tables. We ask that you pack your grace and understanding for the next week or two (not just here but at all restaurants) as we get our in=person and soon, full-capacity muscle memory established again. We are so excited to welcome you back!
Peel & Press is at 6503 California SW; hours are 4-9 pm this week, then after that, expanding to 4-10 pm Sundays-Thursdays and 4- 11 pm Fridays-Saturdays.
FOOD-TRUCK FIGHT: We’re told the well-known Seattle truck Where Ya At Matt will be in the Salty’s on Alki (1936 Harbor SW; WSB sponsor) vicinity 3-6:30 pm tomorrow (Thursday, June 24) “for a food truck competition” along with touring Los Angeles-based truck Billionaire Burger Boyz. WYAM says other details are under wraps “but it’s going to be a lot of fun, and would love to see Seattle come represent!”
ADDED THURSDAY: The food-truck fight continues Friday, and it’s for reality TV, we’re told in this note from Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW) proprietor Laurel Trujillo:
there is a food truck battle reality show shooting in West Seattle at Ounces tomorrow Friday, 6/25 from 12-7pm. We will be open at 12 pm as will the food trucks (they will be selling food, we will be serving drinks like normal). Cameras will be rolling!
Basically the premise of the show is that local truck Where Ya At Matt? will be battling against a burger truck from LA. Whoever sells more food wins! So we’d love to invite the West Seattle community out to buy grub, drink beer and support Where Ya At Matt? so they can win!
(WSB photo)
Two people from Snohomish County who “love to cook” have just opened Thai Togo, offering takeout and delivery from one of West Seattle’s bustling commissary kitchens, in The Triangle. They go by the nicknames Tata and Link, and they describe their short menu as “comfort food.” While you may zero in on the Pad Thai as your style of Thai comfort food, they’re also cooking up Khao Soi, a Northern Thai noodle dish, plus wraps and fish cakes. This is their first restaurant venture, but they’ve both worked in the industry for years. “Time to do something for ourselves, before we’re too old,” explains Tata. So why West Seattle? “It’s a nice community,” Link offers. Their hours/days may change when they see what the market wants, but for now, it’s Wednesdays-Sundays, 4 pm-9 pm, You can order online for takeout via their website, or order for delivery via Door Dash or GrubHub.
Five months after we broke the news that permit filings showed Ezell’s Famous Chicken planned to take over the AT&T space in Morgan Junction, that store has closed for a northward move. Driving through Morgan Junction this evening, we spotted “This location permanently closed” notices on the doors at 4205 SW Morgan, across the parking lot from West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor). The notice says the AT&T store is expected to reopen in Jefferson Square around August 1st. As for Ezell’s, the regional fried-chicken chain has yet to formally announce the West Seattle plan, but the construction permit – which, like other documents in the file, names Ezell’s as the new tenant – was granted four weeks ago.
If you’ve been to Alki in recent weeks, you’ve probably noticed the remodeling at 2532 Alki SW, which has had multiple incarnations (including a bike shop and a PPE seller) since longtime tenant Coastal Surf Boutique moved out. The space is opening Sunday (June 20th) as Natalie’s on Alki, an expansion of Natalie’s Sugar Cane and Desserts in Tukwila. Same menu, the Natalie’s team tells us (see it here) – sugar-cane-juice beverages, milk tea, smoothies, desserts, and Vietnamese street food. Hours will start at 10 am to 10 pm, seven days a week.
Some neighborhoods are getting city permits to close sections of business-district streets for summertime “café streets.” Not the West Seattle Junction, though. Not for lack of trying, says Lora Radford, executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association (who provided the photo above of a north Seattle street as inspiration). The idea has come up in discussions here on WSB and elsewhere, and WSJA was looking to close a small section of SW Alaska – the half-block east of California, to the service alley. Radford says, “The closure request was June 15 – October 15 with the plan to activate the space with picnic tables and umbrellas for outdoor seating. The SDOT planners and permit review team took a long and thoughtful approach to the plan, with the Junction fully appreciative of their ability to think outside of the box. In the end though, the impact across multiple departments was too disruptive.” A major obstacle in this case was Metro; the city told WSJA that among other things, “Closing this stretch would result in significant service delays and degrade reliability” – that half-block stretch of Alaska is used by routes that total 373 weekday trips. The decision only affects the proposal to actually close that part of SW Alaska; curbside/sidewalk extensions of food/beverage establishments elsewhere in The Junction will continue, and WSJA says a few more Junction establishments are considering those.
Four notes from West Seattle Junction food/beverage establishments:
MA’ONO: Thanks to Eric for the tip. Ma’ono in West Seattle is temporarily closed, reopening June 23rd.
CUPCAKE ROYALE: The Junction shop is closed for renovations, reopening Thursday.
AZUMA SUSHI: Reminder that – as reported here – they’re taking a break, reopening Monday, June 21st.
LADY JAYE: This Tuesday (June 15th), 4-8 pm, Lady Jaye (4523 California SW) plans a Pre-Father’s Day Wagyu Meat Market, including both Wagyu cuts for you to take home and cook and Wagyu cheeseburgers they’re grilling up for takeout. More info in our calendar listing.
Got a biznote – especially as the June 30th reopening date approaches? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Azuma Sushi in The Junction wants you to know it has a temporary closure coming up:
We will be closed for a week to allow our staff to spend time with their families during school graduations, starting Sunday, June 13th and going through Sunday, June 20th. We will reopen again for lunch on Monday, June 21st.
Until then, Azuma (4533 California SW) is open regular hours today and tomorrow – still takeout only.
Tomorrow, MOD Pizza is planning a brief giveaway to celebrate a milestone. The Seattle-founded chain now has 500 locations (two of which are in West Seattle – at The Whittaker, 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW, and Westwood Village, 2600 SW Barton). So for 500 seconds at 5 pm Tuesday – that’s 8 1/3 minutes – the first 50 people in line at each location chain-wide will each get “a redeemable coupon for one free MOD-size pizza or MOD-size salad in-store only between 5/18-5/20/21.”
While in The Junction this morning to cover the vaccination pop-up, we saw this in the window at Be’s Restaurant (4509 California SW):
As the note on the right says, they’re overhauling the menu as well as the space at this Junction fixture. But there’s more to the sign on the left – not only is The Alley open in the space behind Be’s, it’s also hosting live music again. We’ve received an announcement from Jeff Ferguson on behalf of the Triangular Jazztet:
Live music returns to the Junction this Sunday at The Alley, where barmaster Cory is sure to delight and surprise with his custom designed cocktails (or just an old fashioned Old Fashioned). There will be two shows at 8 and 9 pm with no cover. Seating is limited and masks required while moving about the premises.
Meantime, we’ll be checking with the ownership about the timeline for reopening Be’s.
Another long-closed fish-and-chips restaurant has reopened. After a reader tip (thank you!), we just went over to confirm that West Seattle Fish House (9005 35th SW) is open again. They told us they will be open their “old hours” – 11 am to 8 pm – for a few days, then plan to adjust, but haven’t settled on those new hours yet (we’ll update when we get word). Also of note, a new phone number you can use to call in advance, 206-582-2140.
Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, which has become a day to celebrate Mexican culture in the U.S. For many, that includes dining and/or drinking at Mexican restaurants/bars. One in West Seattle, Mission Cantina in The Admiral District (2325 California SW; WSB sponsor) has a special plan for the day. Co-proprietor Tina Padilla tells WSB, “We are bringing back our annual pig roast this year at Mission Cantina. We’re opening early and expanding our outdoor seating to make dining-in responsible and safe, and the pig roast carnitas can be taken to-go as well.” Mission will be open 2-9 pm on Cinco de Mayo, featuring the pig roast, street corn, and special cocktails. If you want to call ahead for takeout, 206-937-6220.
Three biznotes today:
ALAIR SUBSCRIPTION BOXES: Subscription boxes are not just for food! Alair Gift Shop proprietor Shandon Graybeal sends word that “we are launching subscription boxes – this is a project that’s been two years in the making to get the boxes right, figure out how to keep it organized and personalized, and have it make sense with shipping and all the other costs. I’m so proud with the end result, even if it took way longer than we expected. There’s 3 different themes as of today, but I’m sure we’ll add more as we learn. And people can choose monthly or quarterly to receive with an easy cancellation whenever they are ready. We wanted to get them out in time for Mother’s Day, and I think they make the perfect gift (of course I do). There’s also a one-time option – no need to sign up for anything long term.” You can check out the options online here.
YOUNG’S RESTAURANT: Good news for fans of the longtime South Delridge restaurant (9413 16th SW) – Janice Young sent word that they’re now open for dine-in and take-out. Hours are 8 am-3 pm Tuesdays through Sundays, closed on Mondays. Here’s the menu.
KICKDOWN CAFE: Proprietor Naomi Rivera says her café inside Nepenthe (9447 35th SW) has an event coming up next week:
The Kickdown is just a small café inside Nepenthe. We serve beverages and light eats at no cost. We gladly take donations. Back by popular demand — Pancake 420! Since we can’t sit in a circle and puff, let’s eat circles and stuff. The Kickdown will be open April 20, 11-5, to help you celebrate the holiday. We will be kicking down tasty cakes. If you have food restrictions message us ahead of time and maybe we can do something for you. Our usual snacks will be available as well. WE WANT TO FEED YOU AND YOUR MUNCHIES. We have outdoor seating. No cost to participate.
Got a biznote? Email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
A week and a half ago, we reported the answer to the question many had been asking for months – would Sunfish Seafood reopen? The answer was “yes, within a few weeks,” and today the fish-and-chips-and-more restaurant has kept its promise. After a tip from commenter Zoey, we went to Alki to verify. Sunfish is indeed open, and its hours are Wednesdays-Sundays, 11 am-8 pm, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
So many have asked – via email, text, even in the WSB Community Forums – and now we have an answer: Yes, Sunfish Seafood – the fish-and-chips-and-more restaurant at 2800 Alki SW – WILL reopen. While Sunfish fans are used to its annual vacation closure, for example, this shutdown has been longer, so many were worried. In a brief conversation today, the restaurant’s owner, Michael Vassiliou, told us that while it’s been a tough year, keeping track of all the changing business requirements (among other things), he does hope to reopen Sunfish within a few weeks.
That short video is from the West Seattle High School students who organized the second annual Dine-Out Day for this Wednesday (March 31st). These four Admiral/Alki establishments are donating part of their proceeds to the WSHS student government that day:
Ampersand Café (2536 Alki SW)
Circa (2605 California SW)
Mission Cantina (2325 California SW)
Matchbox Food Hall (delivery only)
Be sure to mention you’re ordering in support of WSHS Dine-Out Day.
Two upcoming events at Lady Jaye in The Junction:
On Sunday (March 21st), we will be giving away 100 German “Street-Style” Bratwursts to the first 100 people that come by starting at 11 am. It will basically be a Bratwurst in a split-top bun with mustard and curry ketchup. We’ve also been having a pop-up every Sunday with Sweet Nothings and More (an amazing pastry company) and they will be giving away 100 free chocolate chip and sea salt cookies to the first 100 people too! Bratwursts and Cookies!!!
Then on Tuesday (March 23rd) we will be having our quarterly “Night Market.” It will be a walk-through market with about 14 different stations that people can check out. We are bringing in A5 Wagyu beef and are building an outdoor grill on our patio to serve wagyu cheeseburgers! We will have cool things at the market such as:
Mini bottles of high end whiskey, A5 Wagyu beef, local Pacific Rogue American wagyu beef, repurposed vintage houseware and jewelry items from ReVvealed: Vintage glassware candles, vintage magnets, vintage bookmarks and vintage repurposed jewelry
It will be a fun night out. We start at 4 pm and end at 8 pm!
Lady Jaye is at 4523 California SW.
Got an upcoming event/change/addition at your business? westseattleblog@gmail.com is where to send the info – thanks!
Happy 32nd anniversary to Luna Park Café! Tomorrow’s the big day, and to celebrate, the café will be offering Birthday Cake Shakes for $4. In his message about the milestone, proprietor John Bennett also sent us a photo from the past:
He explains, “This is a picture of it before we got started in September 1988. Was Pat and Ron’s Tavern.” Read more history on the café website (and note that this was NOT the site of the amusement park with the same name – that was on the water at Duwamish Head).
The photo is from Gretchen, co-proprietor of Admiral District restaurant Circa. She emailed us today to say, “Got to work today and someone had painted our 3 huge recycle, compost & garbage bins in their bright, fresh, original colors. They’d been tagged with graffiti many times and looked terrible. No idea who did this, if it was the city or an amazing Good Samaritan??? Did it happen anywhere else?” Since Seattle Public Utilities crews do indeed do some painting over graffiti vandalism, we asked SPU spokesperson Sabrina Register if that includes solid-waste containers. She replied, “Our contractors will paint out graffiti or replace the dumpster entirely. They do this on a rotating basis throughout the City.” (Contractors = Waste Management and Recology.)
(WSB photo from 12/11/20 truck visit to The Junction)
The Dick’s Drive-Ins food truck returns to West Seattle tomorrow afternoon/evening for its first appearance in The Admiral District. It’s being hosted at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), whose co-proprietor Alex tells WSB that the pub and two neighbors are partnering to offer seating and fries (the truck only sells burgers and shakes): “People can buy burgers and eat and drink and sit in Arthur’s, Mission Cantina, and Admiral Pub. Mission and Arthur’s will be serving fries in case people want fries with their Dick’s Burgers.” (They’re at 2325 and 2311 California, respectively.) The truck is scheduled to be there 4 pm-7 pm Tuesday.
Two more dine-out fundraisers for local schools, including late word of one happening now:
GENESEE HILL PTA @ CHIPOTLE: Just got word of this – the Genesee Hill Elementary PTA is fundraising with a dine-out event at Chipotle in The Junction (4730 California SW) tonight until 8 pm. If you go, show this flyer (on your phone), which also has a code to use if you order in advance online for pickup.
ALKI ELEMENTARY PTA @ MISSION: This one’s happening Sunday (February 28th) at Mission Cantina (2325 California SW) in Admiral:
We are thrilled to announce that Mission Cantina will generously donate 20% of all sales that the restaurant makes to Alki Elementary PTA on Sunday, February 28th, for their full hours of 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. This includes all food, alcohol, and gift cards!
To order regular menu items please call Mission directly at 206-937-8220 on February 28th. Please note, we are encouraging families to work with the restaurant directly rather than use 3rd party apps such as Grubhub and Ubereats to help the staff get more of the funds from tips and orders.
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