Good news for Eastlake: Cicchetti Kitchen & Bar, the neighborhood’s beloved restaurant built around tapas and shareable plates, is reopening today after being closed since the pandemic shut it down in 2020. For regulars, it will feel like an old friend returning.

“We’ve wanted to reopen for a long time, but with Seattle’s worker shortage we kept our team focused on Serafina, Cicchetti’s sister restaurant,” says owner and chef Christian Chandler. “Hardly a day went by without someone asking when Cicchetti would be back. We’re thrilled that the wait is finally over, and we can open our doors again.”

The dining room didn’t sit completely idle. Cicchetti was used for catering and private events while Serafina remained open. The romantic two-level space—just behind Serafina in a building designed by Seattle architect George Suyama, and home to one of the neighborhood’s best patios—is back now with some familiar faces. Former bar manager Randy Deshaies has returned to run the front, a line cook from the pre-pandemic team is back in the kitchen, and Chandler’s younger brother handled some new contracting work. “Cicchetti just feels like home again for the staff and I,” Chandler says.

On the menu, longtime favorites like lamb dolmas, beef tartare, and berbere chicken wings are back. “I’m also looking forward to cooking the steak frites dish which features an 8-oz bavette or a 28-oz bone-in chuck Delmonico. It was on our menu before we closed for the lockdowns, and we revamped it just a little bit,” Chandler says.

There will also be new foods to try, including the carciofo alla giudia, or Jewish artichokes. “When I traveled to Italy, we spent some time in the Cannaregio district (Jewish region) of Venice and saw local merchants sitting on the canal peeling artichokes,” he says. “At the restaurants we visited, we always ordered fried artichokes with lemon.” His version at Cicchetti features artichokes from Italy served with pickled then woodfired local chanterelle mushrooms, sumac, burnt lemon, and an egg with a runny yolk.

Cicchetti Kitchen & Bar first opened in 2009, created by Susan Kaufman as a companion to her intimate and well-loved Italian restaurant Serafina, which she launched in 1991. Kaufman shaped Eastlake dining with her vision of a neighborhood place that felt as welcoming as an Italian home. She died of breast cancer in 2016 at age 64. Chandler trained under Kaufman, became co-owner of both restaurants in 2015, and took over as sole owner in 2019, building his reputation by staying true to her family-oriented approach while continuing to evolve both spaces.

The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are available online, and walk-ins are welcome.