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’Tis the season for two eternally bustling Christmas pop-up bars to return to Belltown, blending kitsch and craft in delightful fashion. From November 25 through December 25 (aka Christmas Day), international pop-up sensation Miracle will once again take over classic cocktail bar Rob Roy as Miracle on 2nd. And from November 25 through December 24 (Christmas Eve, if you will), sibling Navy Strength will host Miracle’s tropical spinoff, Sippin’ Santa, which has popped up at another Rob Roy sibling, Vinnie’s, in the past. Navy Strength has an option for large groups to make reservations if you need a place for an entertaining holiday party.
The decor is at least half the draw; the bars get a full makeover, stringing Christmas lights, hanging stockings with care, and generally decking the halls so hard even a Who would blush. The brand serves seasonally themed drinks with silly names like the Regifter, a refreshing mix of rhum agricole, caramelized pineapple-garam masala syrup, cherry liqueur, and lemon, in absurd vessels such as a mer-Santa mug — also available for sale, naturally. But the drinks are genuinely well-made and the ambiance is joyful, so it’s hard to feel grinchy about it all.
Starbucks Workers United on Strike Today
In their largest work stoppage yet, workers at over 100 unionized Starbucks stores are striking today in an attempt to force the coffee behemoth to bargain in good faith and staff union shops properly, according to an Instagram post. The map for the nationwide strike, called the Red Cup Rebellion, includes Seattle locations in the University District (4147 University Way NE), First Hill (425 Pike St.), and Capitol Hill (101 Broadway E), as well as cafes in Bellingham, Everett, and Tumwater. The union is asking customers not to shop at Starbucks today, and to sign the #NoContractNoCoffee pledge to put pressure on the company to negotiate a contract.
A Fabulous Sandwich Food Truck Will Settle in Green Lake
Layers Sandwich Co., one of Seattle’s most sensational sandwich purveyors, has signed a lease for a restaurant space in Green Lake and hopes to open by spring or summer 2023. Ashley and Avery Hardin, the husband and wife team who launched Layers in 2019, say on Instagram that they’ll continue operating their food truck through May of next year, but plan to sell the truck as they transition to a permanent home in the plaza across from the wading pool at Green Lake Park’s northern tip, next to Zeeks Pizza and Ben & Jerry’s on East Green Lake Drive N.
No Coffee-and-Cocktails Expansion to Capitol Hill After All
Justin Krebs, owner of Sound and Fog, West Seattle’s essential coffee shop that also deals in excellent wine, told CHS Blog in March that he had signed a lease to open a location focusing on coffee and cocktails at 800 E Denny Way on Capitol Hill. Unfortunately, Sound and Fog shared yesterday that a nonprofit whose values didn’t align with cocktail service has purchased the apartment building, and the two organizations “terminated the lease agreement in the most amenable way.” On the plus side, Sound and Fog says it will be adding more indoor seating and an evening menu of wine and small bites to its West Seattle cafe — still no WiFi, though.
