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The owners of Belltown’s vital breakfast spot Bang Bang Cafe added a full-service restaurant near the Othello light rail station called Bang Bang Kitchen earlier this month. It’s an evolution of the Belltown spot, which serves mostly breakfast burritos, sandwiches, and bagels and is counter-service only. The new sit-down restaurant has a bar and a more wide-reaching menu, bringing even more New Mexico-inspired dishes to the masses.
Albuquerque natives Miki and Yuki Sodos, who also own Capitol Hill’s Cafe Pettirosso promise “an unpretentious, approachable menu serving up New Mexican favorites and Northwest interpretations.” That means dishes like New Mexico Frito pie, vegan pozole rojo, a hatch chile burger, enchiladas, fried ice cream, and flan.
The sisters fly fresh hatch chiles in from New Mexico regularly, giving them an edge over most other kitchens, which use the inferior canned versions of the state’s famously flavorful pepper. Diners can choose between green chile, which uses early harvested peppers that bring a sweet and smoky element, or red, with fully-ripened peppers that skew more earthy and bitter in flavor. Asking for “Xmas” brings a smothering of both red and green sauces.
Like their other restaurants, the Sodos sisters have added plenty of vegan and vegetarian options to the Bang Bang Kitchen menu. There’s also a bar, with mezcal and tequila cocktails, a seasonal sangria, tequila and mezcal flights, and a few non-alcoholic drink options. A daily happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. brings discounts on select cocktails and plates like chicken wings, Frito pie, and chips and dip.
Bang Bang Kitchen sports bright colors and a 1970s vibe in the Station at Othello Park apartment building, at 4219 South Othello St. There are also televisions for watching sports.
