THE MOST ANTICIPATED RESTAURANTS IN SEATTLE FOR FALL 2024
Every new restaurant is a longshot bet on a dream. Chefs and bakers don’t get into their lines of work because they aspire to wealth; they want to feed people, to provide a space for guests to congregate and celebrate, to build a patch of something real and durable in a world that sometimes feels made of sand. A lot of restaurants fail, for all sorts of reasons, and it takes an incredible amount of optimism to say to yourself, That won’t happen to me and hang up the GRAND OPENING banner.
This year has already been a pretty solid year for restaurant openings in Seattle, and the slate for rest of 2024 is proof that there’s no shortage of dreamers in this town. A few of the places on the below list of anticipated restaurants are expansions of well-established businesses, but plenty are from first-time owners trying to build something (one set of owners is even planning a new restaurant group before the opening of their first place). And in two cases, the owners have walked away from the restaurant business and are coming back for more. It’s hard to escape a dream.
Here are our most anticipated restaurant openings in the Seattle area for the rest of 2024. Note that opening dates are often subject to change:
ShoMon Kappo Sushi
Where: 2301 Fifth Avenue in Belltown
Who: The owners of Shiro’s Sushi and executive chef Masaki Nishioka
When: September 6
Shiro’s Sushi is one of Seattle’s most famous sushi spots — even though namesake founder Shiro Kashiba isn’t part of the business anymore — so naturally the owners’ new project, a $185 kappo set menu spot in Belltown, is making waves. Especially since they recruited some hotshot chefs with experience at Michelin-starred restaurants in Japan. Get your chopsticks (and wallets) ready.
Bonito Cafe y Mercadito
Where: 1351 Olive Way on Capitol Hill
Who: Owners Daniel and Ismael Calderon
When: September 14
We put this Capitol Hill coffee shop and gathering space on our anticipated spring restaurants list and we’re still anticipating it! Expect a light-filled, high-ceilinged cafe that hosts a ton of events and welcomes Latinx and LBGTQ people (and everyone else). On the menu: pan dulce from Selva Central Goods, ready-to-eat items from the plant-based Rojo’s Mexican Food, and beans from Fulcrum. We’re most excited about a novel-for-Seattle drink that combines espresso and Mexican Coke.
Amin
Where: 2336 Cherry Street in the Central District
Who: Owner Tarik Abdullah
When: September
Maybe you know Tarik Abdullah from his work with Feed the People, a community kitchen that has been providing food to those in need and training to young people for years. Maybe you’ve eaten at his Cooka T’s Kitchen vegan concession stand at Lumen Field. If you don’t you’ll know him soon for Amin, a walk-up window that will serve flatbreads and small plates that draw on the rich melange of cultures Abdullah grew up among in South Seattle. There is going to be a $10 menu just for Garfield and Nova students, and all the meat and poultry will be halal.
Salmonberry Goods
Where: 6405 32nd Avenue Northwest in Sunset Hill
Who: Owners David Rothstein and Alex Johnstone
When: September or early October
Self-described “produce heads” Rothstein and Johnstone are taking over their beloved childhood neighborhood grocery store and turning it into a hub for local and sustainably farmed fruits and vegetables. They’ll be selling their own baked goods — beloved on the farmers market circuit — plus fermented ice cream plus kombucha plus a lot of other stuff. They even have subscription boxes. Check out what they’re doing.
Marjorie
Where: The Midtown Square development at 23rd Avenue and Union Street in the Central District
Who: Owner Donna Moodie
When: Mid to late September
Donna Moodie nearly moved on from her celebrated restaurant Marjorie after it closed last year. Moodie has a lot of other things going on in her life — a longtime community advocate, she’s now the chief impact officer at the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle — and appeared to be ready to turn the page. Then, in an interview with the Seattle Times, she announced that her planned Boujie Bar project in Midtown Square was actually going to be the third incarnation of Marjorie. (The first incarnation was in Belltown before it moved to Capitol Hill.) We don’t have a ton of details, but there will be about 40 seats, the chef will be Aislinn McManigal-Quintana, and we imagine that there’ll be a globe-trotting menu and one of the friendliest dining rooms in Seattle — this is Marjorie, after all.
The Greenwood American Bistro
Where: 8501 Greenwood Avenue in Greenwood
Who: Owners Grant Rico and Orel Anbar
When: Late October
Rico and Anbar met at culinary school 11 years ago, and now they’re starting their own company, the Model Restaurant Group. The first in what they hope is going to be a series of restaurants is a relatively big swing — a 150-seat bistro serving lunch and dinner six days a week, plus breakfast on the weekends. You should care about this because Rico has worked at some pretty significant restaurants around the U.S., and most recently he was the executive chef for the Hitchcock Restaurant Group. The Greenwood isn’t aiming for the fine dining experience (or prices) of Hitchcock’s Seabird, but it’s definitely going to have some intriguing twists; Rico is especially excited about the bread service, which will feature sugar kelp pita baked in a pizza oven and served with roasted carrot puree.
Hey Bagel
Where: University Village
Who: Owner Andrew Rubinstein
When: Late November
So in case you missed it last year, Rubinstein, who founded and put his name on Rubinstein Bagels, walked away from that business and sold his stake in it to his partners at Ethan Stowell Restaurants. Rubinstein Bagels is now a bona fide chain and Rubinstein the human is back with a new, extra buzzy project called Hey Bagel. Roving bagel critic Sean Keeley called Rubinstein’s new bagels, which are blistery and crackle with flavor, “the best bagel in the Seattle area and it’s not even close.” Expect lines when this shop opens.
Wayland Mill
Where: 3800 Latona Avenue in Wallingford
Who: Owner Yasuaki Saito
When: TBD
Saito, who owns acclaimed bakery Saint Bread and killer pizzerias Post Alley and Tivoli, is adding another restaurant to a pretty nice little portfolio. Wayland Mill will be a Burke-Gilman Trail–adjacent bistro-style place, open all day and serving “Americana food applied with Japanese ingredients and Japanese sensibilities,” Saito told Seattle Met. At this point, you should trust what Saito and his team are doing.
La Mar Bellevue
Where: 117 106th Avenue Northeast in downtown Bellevue
Who: Executive chef Kaoru Chang
When: TBD
A high-end restaurant with square footage to spare opening in Bellevue is not necessarily news. But we’re intrigued by La Mar, which has no opening date but last month tapped Kaoru Chang, a hotshot chef with a lot of experience as Nobu, to lead the kitchen. La Mar is a high-end Peruvian chain with U.S. locations in San Francisco and Miami; judging by those menus, La Mar Bellevue will have a heavy focus on seafood (ceviche, anyone?), plus some empanadas and vegetarian options.
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