Balandra

Fremont

Taking over the legendary former Art of the Table space on Stone Way—following a brief stint as Robin’s—is Balandra, a chef-driven tapas and wine bar. Named for a Spanish sailing ship, it’s the debut from first-time owner Anna Bennett, who hails from the Eastside, with veteran chef Ivan Barraza at the helm. Along with small plates and charcuterie, it will focus on global dishes, like Sangiovese-braised beef cheeks, trumpet mushroom udon with guajillo-peanut sauce, and lamb leg with gochujang mole.

The Rebel

Wallingford

R.I.P. to beloved longtime neighborhood pub Kate’s, but frankly, its replacement is pretty lovable, too. At the top of 2026, former Kate’s bartender Stephanie Kosmas took over her old boss’ lease and added some upmarket touches in the process. New additions to the still-pubby menu include wings fried in wagyu tallow, Polish dogs in several different stylings, seasoned curly fries with garlic-herb aioli, and San Diego-style crunchy tacos. There’s still karaoke on Wednesdays, plus a new punk/ metal version on Fridays.

Queen Nzinga

Seattle Chinatown-International District

Seattle—and actually all of Washington State—got its first Angolan restaurant this spring. Named for the 17th-century queen (and military tactician) of modern-day Angola, Queen Nzinga serves affordable fast food, with dishes like Angola-style burgers and hot dogs, as well as sit-down entrées with both West African and Portuguese touches. The juicy prego no Pão—a steak-and-cheese sandwich on a crusty roll—is a standout. Especially for just $10. So far, early adopters love the grilled goat with onions and kikuanga, an Angolan bread made from fermented cassava, and the gambas ao alho—massive head-on prawns sautéed in butter and garlic—is a showstopper, too.

Tacos Cometa

Capitol Hill

In March, this late-night taco stand from Michelin-pedigreed chef brothers Rey and Osiel Gastelum finally made things official with its first brick-and-mortar. At their new spot just around the corner from their popular stall near Cal Anderson Park, the name of the game is still Sinaloa-style mesquite-grilled carne asada, chopped fine and served in three different permutations: tacos, quesadillas, or vampiros. (As the menu explains, “Meat choices: Carne asada. That’s it.”) They’ve added a few veggie options, though, plus agua fresca, rotating beers, and occasional specials, such as a browned-butter chocolate chip cookie with almonds.

Tacos Cometa

Photo courtesy of Tacos Cometa

Kha-Bar

Capitol Hill

In late winter, Kha-Bar moved into the old Soju/Anju Bar on 12th Avenue, serving regional specialties from Bangladesh. Owner Chitralekha Majhi is also a Kathak dancer and choreographer, and along with her husband, Manash, she’s opened the restaurant right next door to the eXit Space School of Dance and NOD Theater. The space has a separate lounge, and although there’s only one menu now—featuring lamb tacos, fried soft-shell crab, and a gingery Bengali chicken curry garnished with pansies—the Majhis plan to develop a separate menu with drinks and snacks for the bar seating.

Blue Willow

Capitol Hill

The former stateside space already has new residents, as Blue Willow opened for biz in late March. Owned by restaurateur Benjamin Chew, who also has Tyger Tyger on Lower Queen Anne, this dinner spot is a little sleeker and more modern than its family-style sister, offering Sichuan-inspired dishes like sweet-and-spicy baby back ribs, crispy eggplant with a Honeycrisp–cumin glaze, and honey walnut prawn buns, rather than classics. There’s also a gorgeous Chinese mural in red and gold gilt to set the splashy, date-night mood.

Baiana

Pike Place Market

Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay alum Emme Ribeiro Collins chose Pike Place Market to open up her Afro-Brazilian joint, and it’s hard to imagine a more perfect addition to its culinary pantheon. Baiana is the restaurant version of her acclaimed pop-up, where she’s celebrating her Northeastern Brazilian background via dishes like rabada (oxtail soup with manioc), moqueca (coconutty seafood stew), and acarajé (black-eyed pea fritters filled with peanut-sauced shrimp and braised okra). Collins opened the eight-seat stall, previously home to Pike’s Pit Bar-B-Que, at the end of April.