Neko Cat Cafe Pounces on a Summer Opening on Capitol Hill

In December, Eater broke the news that Neko Cat Cafe had all-but-locked-up a space on Capitol Hill. Now comes word the venture is eyeing an opening this summer at 519 E. Pine St. It will mark the completion of a journey that owner Caitlin Unsell first announced back in December 2015.

What to expect of Neko? Unsell will serve local beer, wine, Champagne, and espresso, along with Japanese-inspired bites. As with other cat cafes, visitors will be able to spend time in the cat lounge with what Unsell anticipates will be 8 to 10 adoptable cats from a local shelter. Guests who don’t want to interact directly will also be able to sit in the main cafe space, where they can watch the cats from behind a glass wall.

And if you’ve always dreamed of working in a cat cafe, now’s your chance: Unsell is hiring “baristas, bartenders and cat-room bouncers.”

While you anxiously await Seattle’s next cat cafe, there’s always Seattle Meowtropolitan, which opened in Wallingford in December 2015. And the former Kitty Harbor shelter in West Seattle was recently acquired by Emerald City Pet Rescue, which added a small cafe component.