Pride is here and if you’re keen on showing a little extra support to bars and restaurants run by members of the LGBTQ+ community, you’re in luck—there are quite a few to choose from. Whether you raise a glass at WeRise Wines, enjoy a slice at A la Mode Pies, or slurp up the hand-pulled goodness at Biang Biang Noodles, it’s all love and local.

Ice cream, it’s so hot right now

There’s new competition along the Seattle Waterfront when it comes to cones. Lance and Moria Blair, the owners of Pier 54’s new Ben & Jerry’s franchise, will look to scoop out their own territory smack dab in the middle of Molly Moon’s and Seattle Bay Creamery. A pop-up with a limited menu will see the business through peak frozen treat season (mid-September), with plans to be fully up and running in the former Premier Meat Pies space by early next year at the latest.

Mo Salah, have you seen this menu?

Mohamed “Mo” Salah, Egypt’s biggest football star, has a lot on his plate representing his nation at this year’s FIFA World Cup, but the owners of Koshari, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Ballard, hope that he and his teammates will have the time to sample their food while they’re in town. Husband and wife Ayman Almasri and Amani Abouammo will be serving their restaurant’s namesake and Egypt’s national dish, koshari—layers of rice, lentils, macaroni, and garbanzo beans topped with fried onions—at the Seattle Center on June 15-17 and 23-26 as part of the city’s festivities for the tournament.

Big-name closures keep coming

This time it’s restaurateur Brendan Gill, who shuttered his last two Seattle restaurants—Café Hitchcock and Oyster Cellar, both in the Exchange Building—on May 31, citing low downtown foot traffic among other factors for the decision. Now, the James Beard-nominated chef will focus on his Bainbridge Island projects, including a new wholesale business and three restaurants: Bruciato, Kingfisher, and the remaining Café Hitchcock location. He didn’t rule out expanding to other markets like Bellevue or Tacoma in the future.

What’s black, white, and tasty all over?

Panda Fest, a fast-growing outdoor Asian food and culture festival, is set to return to Seattle for a second year on August 28-30. In addition to improvements to the guest experience such as seamless entry and improved flow throughout Fisher Pavilion, attendees can expect diverse street food, traditional and contemporary performances, hands-on cultural activities, an artisan market, and tons of cute panda photo-ops. Early access tickets ($10) are now on sale. 

Need-to-know openings

The Infatuation’s food writers always have their ears to the ground—taste buds to the table?—when it comes to the latest additions to Seattle’s food scene, and some recent entries to their running list have us intrigued. One is Thọ Tường, the South Lake Union extension of Tacoma’s Vietnamese BBQ standout specializing in crispy pork belly banh mi and duck bao buns. We might just have to start with dessert though, because the cookies at Anh Ơi Bake Shop look oh-so-good.