Open wide for Bite of Seattle, the 44th annual food festival that’s coming to Seattle Center July 24–26. About 350,000 hungry attendees spent their weekend at this free event last year, and similarly massive crowds are likely to soon join the hunt for dishes such as gumbo and beignets (yes and yes, please), birria tacos, Korean corn dogs, jerk chicken—the list goes on and on. A percentage of every sale will go toward community programming and cultural enrichment on the campus throughout the year.

A love song to New Mexico

Notes of Hatch green chiles and smoky heat are the tunes of Cocina Barelas, a pop-up from musician Dave Hernandez making the rounds throughout July. Inspired by the family recipes of his childhood in Albuquerque—dishes like carne adovada and Frito pie tacos, flavors he longed for the most while on tour with The Shins—the rotating menu shares a regional culinary tradition you can’t find in many places around Seattle. Upcoming appearances include Old Stove Ship Canal (Monday, July 20) and Obec Brewing (Wednesday, July 22). Check social media for exact times and locations.

Dutch Bros lands in SoDo

The coffee and energy drink empire that started as a single pushcart in Grants Pass, Oregon, and now spans much of the country is making its first foray into Seattle’s ultra-competitive market. A changing of the guard of sorts (at least in this particular Costco parking lot) will take place, with Dutch Bros moving into the former Starbucks at 4115 Fourth Avenue S. The planned opening date is later this year. Expect a drive-through lane and counter for quick service.

It’s biscuits, b*tch

That’s right, Seattle’s own “Trailer Park to Table” breakfast chain will add a new location for the first time since before the pandemic, opening a new larger spot only a few blocks away from its current Belltown location. The 5,000-square-foot former Wann space will provide room for a commissary kitchen and events space, as well as two dining rooms—nearly tripling its existing footprint—and is set to debut by the end of the year.

Clucking-good custard

And no-frills chicken sandwiches are what you’ll find at Super Chix, the Texas-based chain with local outposts in Tukwila and, most recently, along the Seattle waterfront. Since the end of June, curious passersby have popped into the store across from the ferry terminal to try the main fare and other bites like fried pickles, loaded fries, and a sauce bar with eight options (the Carolina gold barbecue sauce has us intrigued).

This burger shop’s a throwback

Restaurateur Max Genereaux, a name Wallingford residents might know as the proprietor of Al’s Tavern, is set to open a retro burger shop in the former Kabul space next door. Max’s Burgers will bring a fast-casual energy to classic burgers, fries, and milkshakes, offering digital kiosk ordering and a conveyor belt for easy pickup, as well as a vintage game room to play in while you wait for your food. Branding for the business, including a new exterior mural, will pay homage to Genereaux’s adorable border collies, Neko and Minnie-Mae. Look for it to open later this summer.

A dark day for dim sum

Dim sum will have to be a weekend affair at Joyale from now on, as the Chinatown International District’s popular Cantonese restaurant has announced it will halt weekday service, focusing instead on weekend brunch. The shift is a reprieve of sorts, as owner Vince Zhao had initially planned to close the business due to crime in the area.