Capitol Hill’s Chavez Sets Sights on Downtown Expansion

Downtown will soon have two new restaurant expansions in Chavez, which serves northern Mexican cuisine on Capitol Hill, and Bellevue Italian restaurant Mercato Stellina. The two will open next door to each other on Western Avenue next month, and both promise interactive experiences. An exact opening date is still to-be-determined.

The restaurants will be spin-offs of their originals, with similar decor and menus, along with some new offerings and open kitchens. Mercato Stellina (2001 Western Ave, Suite 110) will add from-scratch pastas to its menu of pizzas. It’s building out a window into the kitchen to allow diners and passersby the opportunity to view the pasta-making process.

Mercato Stellina will also add a retail component, though that’s planned for a later date, after the restaurant opens. The shop will sell the kitchen’s dried pasta, plus olive oil, wine, and more. It sounds like a potentially convenient replacement to Il Corvo Pasta Studio, the shuttered retail sibling to Mike Easton’s famed Il Corvo restaurant in Pioneer Square.

Chavez’s new restaurant (2001 Western Ave, Suite 105) will focus heavily on a selection of mezcals and tequilas, served at a large bar that will be the centerpiece of the restaurant. It, too, will have an open kitchen to allow diners to watch the cooks at work.