Industry Entrées: New Restaurants Around the Sound

De La Soil

Kenmore

Inside copperworks distilling Co.’s spacious Kenmore location along the Burke-Gilman Trail, De La Soil is a relaxed, community-driven, farm‑to‑table kitchen run by chef duo Cody and Andrea Westerfield (Lecosho, Serafina Osteria). Their focus is on seasonal, hyper‑local produce—almost entirely sourced from Tuk Muk Farm in nearby Woodinville—styled into approachable counter‑service dishes. Beef-fat baby carrots, chargrilled asparagus, smashburgers, and creatively crafted tacos are highlights, as are the rotating seasonal specials. The family‑friendly 5,000 square feet includes a great patio and plays host to regular events like trivia nights and pop-up markets. Naturally, Copperworks’ award‑winning spirits are available as well.

De La Soil, 7324 N.E. 175th St., Kenmore

Little Beast

Ballard

After popping up to great acclaim inside Fair Isle Brewing for a few years, Seattle’s favorite butchers are now striking out on their own. Taking over the former Ballard Pizza Co. space on Ballard Avenue, the folks at Beast & Cleaver have created a warm and welcoming English‑style pub, offering classic fare like Scotch eggs, meat pies, sausage rolls, sticky toffee pudding, and hearty Sunday roasts. Highlights so far are the lamb korma pie, currywurst rolls, and a perfectly charred pork chop with grilled nectarines. As with the pop-up version, it’s all made with top‑notch, PNW-sourced ingredients, while keeping whole‑animal butchery at the core.

Little Beast, 5107 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle

Man with glasses and a beard, wearing a "Too Good" t-shirt, stands with arms crossed in a commercial kitchen—perhaps he's the chef behind La De Soil, one of the top vegetarian restaurants on any "Where to eat in Seattle" list.

Caterer Richard Mullen cooks up barbecue standards.

Phot courtesy of Richard's Too Good BBQ Shop

Richard’s Too Good BBQ Shop

Madrona

In an old barber shop in Madrona, longtime caterers Richard and Lauren Mullen are cooking up barbecue standards like applewood-smoked chicken, brisket, pulled pork, and ribs. Plates come with two hard-to-choose sides: your choice of mac & cheese, bacon baked beans, dilly potato salad, collards, green salad, honey cornbread muffins, or mango-citrus coleslaw. Richard, who grew up in nearby Des Moines, is a former social worker, and he and Lauren built the shop on a foundation of community and social outreach. Everything on this menu is 100% gluten-free, and they also bottle and sell their sauces and rubs, all of which are vegan.

Richard’s Too Good BBQ Shop, 1123 34th Ave., Seattle

Marin

Downtown Seattle

Opened this summer in the recently renovated downtown Kimpton Hotel Monaco at Fourth and Spring, Marin is serving West Coast cuisine—as perhaps the name suggests. Under executive chef Robin Posey, the menu delivers globally inspired coastal fare made from PNW ingredients: grilled British Columbia king salmon, Oregon albacore tuna tartare, housemade pitas with smoked trout dip, and Rainier Beer-battered fish and chips. Longtime Seattle chef Posey (Lark, Toulouse Petit, the Hi-Life) is keeping things modern and fresh by adding cool global twists here and there. E.g., the Moroccan roasted chicken accented with ras el hanout, the charred carrots with harissa yogurt, and the marigold negroni with calendula-infused vermouth.

Marin, 1101 Fourth Ave., Seattle

Mint & Martini

Capitol Hill

This place is shaking up the fusion cuisine genre in the huge 4500-square-foot former Barrio space (RIP). Mint & Martini brings together modern Indian, Indochinese (and even a few Mediterranean and American) flavors, serving classics like biryani and lamb rogan josh and tandoori chicken, as well as a tikka masala pizza (your choice of protein), and even a selection of Italian dishes like pasta pomodoro and fettuccine alfredo. There’s a long, diverse list of beer, wine, and cocktails, and the mocktail list is pretty substantial, too. The food menu’s almost as massive as the restaurant, and about half of it’s veggie, so this place is a must-investigate for vegetarians who like to party.

Mint & Martini, 1420 12th Ave., Seattle

A person places two plates of prepared food on a counter in La De Soil’s restaurant kitchen, with more dishes and ingredients visible in the background—a great spot for those seeking vegetarian restaurants or wondering where to eat in Seattle.

Kahlo & Loyal rethinks post-work tapas and tipples.

Photo courtesy of Khalo & Loyal

Kahlo & Loyal

Ballard

A block off the main drag, Kahlo & Loyal is serving cocktails and small plates in the former Little Prague Bakery space. Born and raised in Durban, South Africa, owner Sheldon Raju has lived and cooked around the world, and his new restaurant-bar is a patchwork quilt of culinary influences: Mexican, German, Chinese, Spanish, Korean, and South African, to name a few. Some crowd faves so far are the crispy paprika-smoked calamari with miso mayo, the bibim guksu-spiced soba noodles with pickled veg and poached quail eggs, and the steamed shrimp baos full of cucumber, mint, and basil. With mismatched china, walls covered in quirky art, and a peacock theme popping up throughout the space, it’s a fun addition to the ongoing Market Street (well, almost) portfolio of bars and restaurants.

Kahlo & Loyal, 5608 17th Ave. N.W., Seattle