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The Faerie Queene, a hidden gem with an emphasis on “hidden,” abdicated its throne at the end of January. Pittsburgh Lunch and Superette, a cafe and corner store from the same owner, Una Kim, has replaced it at 90 Yesler Way, above Kraken Congee.
The first part of the name is a historical reference to a soup kitchen called Pittsburgh Lunch, housed in The Pioneer Building around the corner in the 1960s. That space later became Brasserie Pittsbourg, which helped kickstart a French fine-dining renaissance in Seattle. Now, with so many new restaurants, a waterfront development, and the viaduct being built, Kim told Eater she feels “like the neighborhood is being reborn again, like during the 1960s right before Yesler and Maynard rebuilt the city.”
And so is Kim’s business being reborn to move away from Faerie Queene’s seafood restaurant niche and toward a more accessible space involving both dine-in and retail options. “It’s rough out there,” she said. “You have to roll with the punches, let go of ego. It’s part of the future of restaurants, I think, to make things interesting, to incorporate technology, delivery, retail, art, and more.”
With a menu featuring updated takes on classic soups, salads, and sandwiches, Kim wants to cater to everyone, particularly the lunch crowd, the weekday breakfast crowd, the grab-and-go crowd headed for the nearby ferries. She also wants to offer the neighborhood better access to fresh produce, quality pantry staples, and essential household items, hence the “Superette” portion of the name.
Along with manager and co-chef Anita Chhun, who runs the Kirirom Cambodian pop-up series, Kim said she’s “stepping it up with production in general,” making more things from scratch than ever before, including roasting her own turkey breast and roast beef. “I want to be the neighborhood cafe and go-to place for essentials,” she said. “I want to be a standing fixture.”
Through Friday, February 10, the new business is offering a free coffee for breakfast or a free soup for lunch if you mention a Facebook post about its grand opening. For a minimum of two guests at $40 each, you can also purchase tickets to a five-course Valentine’s Day dinner featuring Kim’s “famous Pacific Northwest Cioppino” or, separately, walk in the night of February 14 for a smaller menu designed for singles.
Look for an update to this story when Pittsburgh Lunch shares its full food menus.
90 Yesler Way, (206) 816-0522, Facebook. Open for breakfast Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., lunch 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and happy hour and an evening menu 4 to 8 p.m. Open for brunch Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
