The 7 Most Anticipated Restaurants in Seattle, Fall 2017

The Seattle restaurant scene shows no signs of slowing as fall approaches, so it’s important to keep track of the major upcoming openings. Here now, in roughly chronological order of the most recent projected opening date, is Eater’s guide to the most anticipated restaurants scheduled to hit Seattle in fall 2017.

Sugar Factory

Location: 11111 NE 8th St. Suite #120, Bellevue
Key Players: Charissa Davidovici, Max Santiago
Projected Opening: September 6
The Situation: This absurd chain is a favorite with celebrities like Drake, Pitbull, and the Kardashians — will Washington’s first outpost attract any big names? Somehow it’s hard to imagine Bill Gates here. Aside from the potential celeb-sightings, a big draw at owner Charissa Davidovici’s whopping 15,000-square-foot retail/restaurant/chocolate lounge combo will be doughnuts from pastry chef Max Santiago, who developed a cult following for his own outrageous creations at Miami’s Salty Donut. The rest of the food menu is full of gut-blasters like “monster burgers,” red velvet pancakes, and fried mac and cheese pops, while desserts range from the company’s famous couture pops to “insane milkshakes” finished with pretzels, M&Ms, and cheeseburger sliders.
Update: Pop superstar Mariah Carey will unveil Sugar Factory Bellevue on September 6 at 8 p.m., simultaneously previewing Mariah Carey’s Christmas Factory, a branded retail and candy line with custom Mariah Carey cookies, snow globes, and more.
Status: Certified open.

Sugar Factory/FB

Westman’s Bagels and Coffee

Location: 1509 E Madison St., Capitol Hill
Key Players: Monica Dimas and Molly Westman
Projected Opening: Late September
The Situation: In Seattle’s coolest walk-up window — once home to Little Uncle and most recently Manu’s Bodegita — Monica Dimas and Macrina baker Molly Westman will make New York-style bagels in classic flavors like pumpernickel and everything. They should be the perfect vehicle for cream cheese and PNW lox, complemented by Caffe Vita espresso. Dimas has already mastered the fine art of the walk-up window with Tortas Condesa as well as compartmentalized projects like Sunset Fried Chicken Sandwiches (inside Rachel’s Ginger Beer on Capitol Hill) and Neon Taco (inside Nacho Borracho); now, hopefully she can finally introduce this city to bagels worthy of the name.
Bonus: Dimas is also opening Neon Taco number two, an actual restaurant called Lil’ Neon Taco, at 1011 Boren on First Hill this fall.
Status: Certified open.

Eater NY

Supreme

Location: 4521 California Ave SW, West Seattle
Key Players: Mark Fuller
Projected Opening: First half of October
The Situation: A 21-and-over hangout akin to his Chinese-American homage, New Luck Toy, Mark Fuller’s Supreme will sling New York-style pizza by the slice or whole pie, whose mostly classic toppings like pepperoni and peppers will be offset by nontraditional options like taco meat with nacho cheese or spaghetti noodles with meatballs. A small game room and TVs encourage vegging out over a drink; beer, cider, wine, cocktails, and cold brew coffee will flow from the taps alongside slushy cocktails. The pizza Fuller’s excited about right now is the “Reaper”: spicy coppa, tomato sauce, ricotta, and Carolina reaper-fried garlic dry shake.
Bonus: As a stark contrast to his meaty ventures, Fuller is also part of the team opening a vegetarian burger joint, ‘Table, at 588 Bell Street in Denny Regrade in September.
Status: Certified open.

Courtesy of Mark Fuller

Queer/Bar

Location: 1518 11th Ave., Capitol Hill
Key Players: Joey Burgess
Projected Opening: Early October
The Situation: To keep Capitol Hill queer, Joey Burgess’ Queer/Bar plans to foster an inclusive space for the LGBTQIA community with a team that reflects the diversity of the city, including nightlife and entertainment manager Robbie Turner, a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race season eight. In addition to a packed slate of events like bingo, art performances, and town hall forums, the bar’s vegetarian- and vegan-centric menu of Mediterranean influences will showcase guest chefs who take turns adding personal touches. Mac Jarvis, who was opening chef at Capitol Hill’s Corvus and Co. before decamping for a sous chef role at Momofuku’s Las Vegas outpost, will return to Seattle for opening week to lead off the series.
Status: Certified open.

Courtesy of Queer/Bar

Pho Bac Súp Shop

Location: 1240 S Jackson St., International District
Key Players: Yenvy, Quynh, and Khoa Pham
Projected Opening: Early October
The Situation: The Pham family, which started the pho craze in Seattle, is still sold on soup: Súp Shop, in the parking lot of their original Pho Bac, is a passion project headed by three siblings of the younger generation. They intend it to be a community gathering space and creative hub for Little Saigon. To that end, a full bar and cheap beer will wash down affordable Vietnamese eats like baby clams in tamarind sauce, fish sauce wings, and beef short-rib pho, while Vietnamese music videos play around the clock.
Bonus: If all goes well, Suzi An, former creative director of Salare and Junebaby, will also open natural wine shop Vita Uva in part of the restaurant space; if not, she’ll at least collaborate with the Súp Shop team on their wine selection.
Status: Certified open.

Pho Bac Sup Shop/Official

Kamonegi

Location: 1054 N 39th St., Fremont
Key Players: Soma Mutsuko
Projected Opening: October
The Situation: The city wept when chef Mutsuko took her soba-making skills and left Miyabe 45th, but the tears were of joy once the new mother announced that her own restaurant (named after her pop-up series, Kamonegi, or a “harmonious culinary pairing of duck and leek”) would take over Art of the Table’s former home. In addition to heavenly buckwheat soba, successfully crowdfunded Kamonegi will showcase udon noodles and seasonal tempura in a setting evocative of a Japanese neighborhood restaurant, with accents like locally made shoji screens.
Status: Certified open.

Kamonegi/Official

Black and Tan Hall

Location: 5608 Rainier Avenue S, Hillman City
Key Players: Ben Hunter, Rodney Herold, Tarik Abdullah
Projected Opening: Fall
The Situation: Long-delayed but hopefully ready to rock the diverse neighborhood soon, Black and Tan Hall is a modern take on the concept of racially-inclusive Black and Tan clubs that united communities throughout America’s racist history. The business model is cooperative and the venue provides a combination of elements like music venue, workshop space, and restaurant. A GoFundMe campaign is ongoing, as is a call for investors. Chef Abdullah, who made a name for himself largely through pop-ups like his Morningstar Café, will serve food from morning to night, including late-night happy hour items like sweet potato waffle fries with smoked aioli, black-eyed pea hummus, and lamb sliders with olive tapenade, feta, tomatoes, and date molasses.

Black and Tan Hall/GoFundMe