Broadway’s Charlie’s To Close; Bottleneck Lounge Owners Bring Two Doors Down to Madison Valley

CAPITOL HILL—It's the end of an era. Capitol Hill's 39-year-old Charlie's Bar and Grill will bid farewell to Broadway on Pride Weekend at the end of this month. The closure comes five years after Charlie's owner Ken Bauer and his wife Christine attempted to sell the bar and grill in 2010. Per Capitol Hill Seattle: "Bauer and business partner Charles Quinn opened Charlie's in 1976 and survived through the changes on Broadway mostly by not changing. Open 9 AM to 2 AM every day, Charlie's still featured cheap steak nights and "cozy booths" even as Broadway sprouted six-story developments, craft cocktail bars, and a light rail station."

It's unclear yet whether the restaurant will shutter Saturday, June 27, or Sunday, June 28, but Charlie's has posted a statement inviting fans to come in and say goodbye that weekend.

MADISON VALLEY—Head east and some brighter news: the Bottleneck Lounge's Erin Nestor and Rebecca Denk are indeed bringing a burger spot two businesses down from Bottleneck and calling it, aptly, Two Doors Down. Capitol Hill Seattle reports: "Nestor learned from the Bottleneck Lounge that when her regulars start having families, they don't come in as often, so she's striving to make the new place family-friendly. There will be a kids menu, with staples such as mac and cheese or other non-burger items. And she wants there to be kid-friendly drinks that are a bit healthier, since many parents want that for their children."

Expect simple burgers with no-hormone, no-antibiotic beef at the new eatery as well as vegetarian and gluten-free options, 20 taps, TVs, and more when Two Doors Down hits 2332 E. Madison sometime this summer.