Two Casual Wild Ginger Spin-Offs Now Open

Downtown mainstay Wild Ginger, lauded for its inventive interpretations of Asian dishes and its lengthy wine list, has spun off two new fast-casual locations called Wild Ginger Kitchen. Both are modeled after the restaurant's walk-up window at the Triple Door, originally called Tiffin but rebranded to match the Wild Ginger Kitchen name.

The first new Wild Ginger Kitchen launched at Swedish Hospital's First Hill campus earlier this month, while the second opened at Whole Foods' new 365 store in Bellevue on October 19. Both locations are fast-casual concepts, but they're formatted a little differently.

At Swedish, there are grab-and-go individual portions of some of the restaurant's most popular dishes, which are designed to be reheated. At 365, there are both hot meals and grab-and-go choices. Menu options include a dan dan noodle salad with chicken, onions, cucumber, garlic, ginger, sesame seed dressing; vegan curries; Sri Lankan pork; and an Indonesian-style beef brisket curry. Both locations also offer cold-pressed juices with various fruits and vegetables. Most meals run less than $10.

The Bellevue location is hosting a grand opening celebration tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a Lion Dance at 12:15 p.m., interactive cooking demonstrations, and food samples.

Apparently, other expansions of this fast-casual brand are on the way, with Wild Ginger Kitchens slated for Whole Foods in Redmond and in Westlake. Both should open this fall. Meanwhile, Puget Sound Business Journal reports that the Wild Ginger restaurant in Bellevue is relocating from the Bravern building to the Lincoln Center expansion at 500 Bellevue Way NE. The move should be complete in February.

10200 NE 4th St, Bellevue, (206)467-7136, website. Open every day 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

747 Broadway, Seattle, (206) 624-1437, website. Open every day 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.