Restaurant Roundup: “Pho-potle” and Yemeni Cuisine

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

By Ben McBee April 17, 2026

A bowl of Vietnamese pho with sliced beef, noodles, herbs, and lime sits on a counter next to orange chopsticks, fresh vegetables, and another takeout container.

Build-your-own pho, stacked how you want it at Vinason Pho Kitchen.

Photo courtesy of Vinason Pho Kitchen

This is it. The week (or two) that you, as a food and drink aficionado, wait for every year. A double whammy of epic portions. Seattle Cocktail Week (April 19-26) and Seattle Restaurant Week (April 19-May 2) are finally here.

Let’s start with a beverage

Seattle Cocktail Week is your chance to get out and support local bars and talented mixologists while enjoying signature drinks, nightly pop-ups, happy hours, and more. Events like the SpeedRack bartending competition, Johnny Walker’s Mall Walkers, Pisco & Disco, and a 19th Ave Bar Crawl lead up to the culminating Carnival of Cocktails, “a multi-level playground of spirits, creativity, and discovery,” hosted at Pacific Place.

On to the main course

The ultimate culinary choose-your-own-adventure is back, featuring restaurants, bars, cafes, food trucks, and pop-ups across Seattle and beyond. How much you eat into the budget is up to you, with curated prix-fixe menus at $20, $35, $50, and $65. There are a ton of options, so organizers have put together guides to help narrow your focus to topics like where to dine by the water, plates to pair with cider, and meals prepared with in-season ingredients. You can even Give a Meal at participating businesses to pay it forward.

This cuts deep

Patrons of Rain Shadow Meats in Capitol Hill’s Melrose Market will soon have to look elsewhere for premium cuts of beef, lamb, salamis, and similar products after the butcher’s landlord decided not to renew the lease for one of the market’s original tenants. Founder and owner Russ Flint will now start the search for a new retail space before the December deadline.

Best Detroit-style, pan division

That’s in the world, to be clear. Moto Pizza is celebrating a championship title from the recent Las Vegas World Pizza Championship, held at the International Pizza Expo. Founder Lee Kindell and his team struck gold at the “Olympics” of pizza by cooking up a white tomato-sauce-based pie loaded with prosciutto, crab, caviar, and kimchi. The West Seattle chain was also ranked No. 13 on Pizza Today’s Top 100 list; try its Filipino-influenced recipes for yourself at one of seven Washington locations.

“Pho-potle” is my life

Do you love the concept of building your own bowl, a la Chipotle, and have a penchant for pho? Well, put the viral “pho-potle” chain Vinason Pho Kitchen at the top of your list. Customers line up at the restaurant and point to the ingredients they want heaped into their bowl of broth and noodles—brisket, meatballs, a little more green onion, and a sprinkle of cilantro. Plenty of meats and fixings, not to mention a complimentary condiment station, fuel the allure of the fast-casual concept, which owner Quyen Phan dreams of one day expanding beyond the five existing Seattle-area locations.

Halal to the north and south

Emad and Mahmood Qaifa are the brothers behind two popular halal restaurants, Taste of Yemen in Kent and The Yemeni House in Lynnwood—both pioneering for the country’s cuisine not only in Washington, but across the Pacific Northwest. If you manage to snag a table for dinner (you might have to wait), authentic dishes like vegetable saltah, a traditional stew, or lamb haneeth, slow-roasted and served on rice, await your gusto. Lunch service and drinks like coffee and smoothies are available as well.