About two dozen more new restaurants have opened in Seattle and on the Eastside including a Nordic restaurant in — where else? — Ballard, and a Woodinville restaurant with a nostalgic Americana menu, from chicken and dumplings to oysters Rockefeller.
Freya serves Scandinavian cuisine at the Nordic Museum in Ballard. Expect smørrebrød, an open-faced Danish sandwich, and Swedish sweets such as Pepparkakor and Toscakaka. The bar? Aquavit and Iceland’s spirit Brennivín, of course.
Aarthi Sampath, who worked at the Michelin-starred Junoon and at The Breslin under famed chef April Bloomfield, now runs Kukree, a food truck that makes the rounds around Seattle and the Eastside. She partnered with former Amazon employee Shilpi Gupta. Check its Facebook page for the lunch schedule.
Buddha Bruddah, an Asian food truck, opened a brick-and-mortar in Rainier Valley and is scheduled to start dinner service May 18. Buddha Bruddah now has the kitchen space to expand its comfort-food menu (grilled short ribs, loco moco and pressure-fried chicken) while offering all the food-truck favorites (Huli Huli ginger chicken, Hawaiian grilled beef and Kalua pork).
Schooner Brewing now has a deli lunch counter, Schooner Provisions (open weekdays 10 a.m.-3 p.m.) with burgers, BLTs, cheesesteaks and other hot sandwiches. A few doors down in Sodo, Nine Hats Wines recently also added a pizzeria. This sleek wine warehouse, Urban Works, is starting to look like Paso Robles’ hip wine hub Tin City and Santa Barbara’s slick wine-warehouse district.
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Tapas Lab takes over the old Revolutions Coffee spot in Green Lake, with bites from chorizo meatballs to cured salmon pincho.
Downtown workers now have a few more lunch options: Chef Brendan McGill’s Café Hitchcock Express offers coffee, sandwiches, rice bowls and other grab-and-go items. Tribeca Kitchen & Bar has Neapolitan pizza, house made pasta and small plates. Closer to Pike Place Market, Aburiya Bento House does rice bowls and sushi along Western Avenue.
Anejo Restaurant and Tequila Bar opened along Broadway East with tacos and other familiar Mexican fare. Tortillas are made from scratch. Intrigue Chocolate & Coffeehouse in Pioneer Square also expanded to Capitol Hill near the corner of 15th Avenue and East Madison Street.
Broadfork Cafe brings vegan options for students around University District, and according to its website, it’s eyeing an expansion to lower Queen Anne. Speaking of Queen Anne, there’s another takeout option: Basilic Essentially Thai, across from the Mercer Street Garage on Roy Street.
With all the buzz over Edouardo Jordan’s JuneBaby as well as Salare, few have seemed to notice Asian fusion Hua Sai, which opened nearby. Ridge Pizza also opened a branch in Ravenna.
Medina Gyro Shawarma Grill serves rice bowls, salads and gyros in Loyal Heights.
Xing Xing’s Cafe has Chinese takeout covered in Highline.
Blackball Taiwanese Desserts is the latest bubble-tea spot to open in the Chinatown International District.
In Skyway, My’s Vietnamese Sandwiches and Deli offers 14 different meat and veggie subs, all priced under $5.
On the Eastside
The Woodinville Cut Shop goes all nostalgic Americana with Waldorf salad, mushroom stroganoff, pimento cheese, oysters Rockefeller and chicken and dumplings.
Heritage Restaurant Bar focuses on wine-friendly, New American dishes since it’s located in Woodinville by the Hollywood Hills roundabout.
Little Ting’s Dumplings expands to Bellevue, but clay pots with seafood and beef are the emphasis instead of its signature dumplings, Eater reports.
Indian restaurant Kaniskha Express opened in downtown Bellevue, near Lincoln Square.
Also Radish Creative Salad Co. opened in Bellevue, while the bubble-tea spot Trio Cafe moved into the Bellevue Pacific Center.
Lau’s does Chinese comfort food from wonton soup to Beijing noodles with soy bean paste in Kirkland.
In the South End
You can get burgers and craft cocktails now at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s Concourse B at Rel’Lish Burger Lounge.
In Renton, Pho Roll opens in the Fairwood Center, hawking Vietnamese soups and spring and egg rolls. It comes from the owners behind Pho Binh in Lake City.
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