Duke’s Chowder House Plans Upscale Bellevue Expansion

Duke’s Chowder House will mark a sort of homecoming when its new Bellevue restaurant opens this spring.

Owner Duke Moscrip is from Bellevue and has had two restaurants in the area: There was a Duke’s across from Bellevue Square from the late ‘70s to the early ‘90s, and then a restaurant on Lake Bellevue from 1991 to 2001. Moscrip says he’s long eyed the shiny Bellevue Collection development, with its high-end stores and numerous restaurants, including ever-popular Din Tai Fung.

The forthcoming Duke’s Chowder House is one of 12 restaurants planned for an expansion of the development; other known tenants right now include new locations for Henry’s Tavern, Fogo de Chão, and Japonessa. For Moscrip, the Eastside outpost will mark his seventh in operation currently. The opening is targeted for late May, though that’s contingent on construction and permitting.

Courtesy of Duke’s Chowder House

Moscrip says his new restaurant will mark another step in the evolution of his brand. “It will have a high-end lodge look, like Filson meets Ralph Lauren,” he says. There’s going to be a definitive fishing theme, and a combination of “raw and finished” elements like exposed timbers and leather seating. The large restaurant will cover 6,200 square feet with room for 210 guests.

But expect the same menu you’d find at the Duke’s locations in West Seattle, Green Lake, South Lake Union, Kent, Southcenter, and Tacoma: halibut quesadillas, Dungeness crab cakes, an array of chowders (all of which are gluten-free), fish and chips, fish tacos, other fish-centric mains, and grass-fed burgers for good measure.

Moscrip prides himself on his commitment to sustainability, sourcing fish and shellfish from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska, and often personally casting a reel with the fishers to see the product from ocean to dinner plate.

Stay tuned for an opening date as spring approaches.