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When one door closes on a patty-filled destination, another opens. Two Doors Down — Madison Valley’s popular, five-year-old restaurant with one of the best burgers in the city — has been working hard on a new Pioneer Square location since last month. That’s when the retro family-friendly joint Meg’s Hamburgers shuttered, leaving Two Doors Down with an opportunity at expanding into a new neighborhood, and courting new fans. “The audience is a little different, but we look forward to that,” says co-owner Erin Nestor, who runs both the original Two Doors Down and older sibling Bottleneck Lounge with her wife, Rebecca Denk. She and Denk hope to open the new place in time for the Mariners’ season opener (March 26), when the T-Mobile Park crowds will start swarming.
Nestor says construction is progressing well on the new place, especially since Meg’s already had a lot of the infrastructure they needed. It’s an older building, with lots of exposed brick, and a roomier kitchen area to sling more patties. Nestor and Denk will bring in many elements of the other Two Doors Down, including the distinctive white subway tile at the back of the bar. The menu will be the same, which means diners can expect burgers loaded with toppings, such as green chile cream cheese, house-made pickles, hop-garlic mayo, and fried avocado (along with veggie options that include both Impossible and Beyond Meat burgers). There will also be 20 rotating beers and cider on tap, which should satisfy the thirst of the gameday masses.
But in addition to the sports ball fans, Nestor also notes that the Pioneer Square area has a thriving arts scene, which she and Denk hope to tap into. The restaurant is located in the same building that used to house the Linda Farris Gallery, a fixture for the local arts community, run by the late namesake owner and advocate. To honor that history, Nestor says she and Denk are open to participating in local arts walks and other events, slinging burgers to fuel any gallery crawls.
