A Bowling and Bocce Bistro Business Is Blowing Into Bellevue

This week is apparently the week when all the chains announce their moves into the Seattle area. First Voodoo Doughnut announced that it would be bringing its extravagant concoctions to Capitol Hill. Then Jollibee confirmed it would be opening its first Seattle location at Rainier Valley Square, likely sometime in 2024. And here’s another one: Pinstripes is moving into Bellevue’s 555 Tower.

What’s Pinstripes? Well according to the press release it’s “a combination of made-from-scratch dining and face-to-face gaming.” To translate that from comms, it’s an Italian-American restaurant that also has bowling and bocce. The new Pinstripes location — the first in Washington State — will take up all 21,000 square feet of the pavilion at 555 Tower, which is on 108th Avenue NE, across the street from the Bellevue Transit Center. The tower, the tallest building in Bellevue, is owned by Vulcan Real Estate (founded by Jody Allen and the late Paul Allen).

The spiffy new venue is slated to open in the middle of next year, should be an ideal spot for corporate events thanks to its huge size and team-building-friendly activities, and it plans to host a lot of events — its goal is 1,000 social and corporate events within the first year of its opening.

Fuel Coffee is taking over Capitol Hill’s famed sidewalk espresso bar

Remember earlier this year, when Vivace Espresso shut down its well-loved sidewalk cafe essentially because it didn’t want to keep competing with its flagship shop nearby? Well, that vacant space has found a new owner in Fuel Coffee, which is making it the local chain’s fourth location in Seattle, reports Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. It should be open in the near future, CHS writes, adding, “Don’t worry. The old Vivace shrine featuring Caffeina, Goddess of the Waking Day should still be in place.”

Pike Brewing isn’t going to be brewing in Pike Place anymore

One of the city’s longstanding breweries is making a big shift to its operations. Pike Brewing, founded in 1989, announced this week that it would no longer be producing beer at its location in the Pike Place Market area and would instead be brewing in a new SoDo facility. “We have cherished the memories, the community, and the history that has been made at our current location,” said company founder Charles Finkel in a statement. “However, we are excited about the endless possibilities that our new facility will offer as we continue to produce exceptional craft beer.” Pike Brewing will be maintaining its bar and restaurant on First Avenue, however.

An acclaimed chef is popping up at Doe Bay Wine Company

Doe Bay Wine Company’s new tasting room in Phinney Ridge’s Shared Roof building scored a fairly big name for a collaboration: D.C. chef Boby Pradachith, who runs a popular Laotian restaurant group with his mother, Seng Luangrath. Pradachith will be at the tasting room next Tuesday, October 24, preparing take-home dinners. On the menu is pork ribs in a sour curry that uses pork broth as the base alongside fall vegetables, a salad, steamed rice, and massaman snickerdoodles. For $95 you get that dinner for two along with your choice of one of two bottles of low-intervention wine to complement the food. For more information and to buy tickets, go here.