SEAGuide
Seattle's Most Exciting Fall Restaurant Openings
Get ready for the second location of a brunch staple, a pancit counter from the Musang folks, and a permanent Wallingford space for a former pop-up dinner series.
When something is labeled as “new and exciting,” there’s always a chance that it can be a letdown. Remember when Seattle was promised a new and exciting tourist attraction and then a selfie museum came to town? So when we say that we’re excited about these upcoming fall openings, we mean it. Our list of the most promising spots includes a pancit counter from the team behind one of the city’s best restaurants, a bakery born from a smokehouse, and an Italian wine bar brought to us by an oyster empire. All you have to do is alert the group chat and tell them you heard it here first, and check our guide to restaurant openings for the latest updates.
THE SPOTS
Opening: October
Kilig is a new International District spot from the folks behind Musang that will specialize in just two Filipino dishes—pancit and bulalo. While grabbing a reservation at Musang is a full-time job, this spot will be ideal for those who want a quicker, casual meal. In Tagalog, “kilig” is a word for feeling giddy or having butterflies in your stomach, and that's exactly how we feel about this opening.
photo credit: Little Jaye
Little Jaye
Opening: October
One of the greatest BBQ spots in town we love for its smoked burger and homemade bologna sandwich is now whipping up pastries. Lady Jaye has been hosting a Sunday bakery pop-up at their West Seattle location for a while now, but a separate storefront in South Park (known as Little Jaye) is almost here. You’ll be able to get your hands on potato chip-studded Rice Crispies treats, whipped cream-stuffed shokupan donuts, and more sweets six days a week.
Opening: November
Just the mention of Canlis makes us sit up a little bit straighter, say “amuse bouche” in a fancy accent, and ponder the difference between a salad fork and a dinner fork. So when a former executive sous chef starts their own thing, there will be hype. Atoma used to be this person’s pop-up dinner series, and now it’ll be a permanent restaurant in Wallingford that will serve an upscale American menu at the former Tilth space. The first round of reservations opens up on October 20th, so good luck.
Opening: Fall
We are inclined to get jittery about anything that Renee Erickson does. (You know, the owner of Walrus And The Carpenter, Bateau, Barnacle, Willmott’s Ghost, Deep Dive, General Porpoise, Westward, Boat Bar, and The Whale Wins.) Lioness is her newest upcoming spot. Located in Phinney Ridge across from Ben’s Bread, it will be a small wine bar and casual Italian spot with salumi, cheeses, and we’ll make a well-informed assumption that oysters will likely be involved too.
photo credit: Nate Watters
Mainstay Provisions
Opening: Fall
This Phinney Ridge market that doubles as an all-day cafe is opening its second location in South Lake Union. That means that there will now be two places where we can pick up their monstrous sausage breakfast sandwich and an iced cereal milk latte. Count us in.
Opening: Fall
This coffee shop and community space was unfortunately forced out of its original Shoreline location. But now, Black Coffee Northwest is coming to the Central District on the corner of 23rd and Jackson. Ironically, the space used to be a Starbucks, but we’ll take their drinks (made with Boon Boona beans) over a pumpkin-spiced Frappuccino any day.
Opening: October
Sure, another General Harvest restaurant is not necessarily a groundbreaking addition to the Seattle food scene—we already have Raccolto, Vendemmia, Autumn, Haymaker, and G.H. Pasta Co. But an influx of carbs and guanciale is bound to get our hearts racing regardless. Since January, G.H. Pizza & Pasta has taken over Haymaker East as a pop-up series, and now, they’re getting a permanent space in West Seattle where you can dive into a bowl of rigatoni carbonara or a pizza—like aglio e olio pies topped with garlic confit, or white-sauced ones with salmon and asparagus.
