Restaurant Roundup: Take a Bite of the Latest Seattle Food News
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City
By Ben McBee April 25, 2025
Seattle is a special place to eat — you know it, we know it — so it’s not exactly a surprise when local culinary talent makes the headlines. Nevertheless, it’s always worth throwing a little more shine to the spotlight — take a peek to find out which star gained some national acclaim this week, as well as a few other upcoming openings and closings.
The nominee is…
Each year, the Secret Media Network 100 list “celebrates the entrepreneurs, creators, and innovators redefining what it means to live and play in the U.S.” Chef Johnny Courtney of Atoma represented Seattle in the Food & Drink category, earning a shoutout for bringing informal fine dining and seasonal local fare to the Wallingford neighborhood restaurant.
Let’s go to the pub
Beast and Cleaver, the Ballard butcher shop, is carving out a niche with its latest venture. Little Beast will serve up “traditional English pub” fare like meat pies, Scotch eggs, Yorkshire pudding, and sticky toffee pudding. Expect it to open in the former Ballard Pizza Company space this summer.
Shanghai Garden says goodbye
A year before Nirvana’s iconic show at the Paramount, Shanghai Garden was satisfying hungry customers in the Chinatown-International District with its steamed dumplings and hand-shaved noodles. The family-run restaurant, which opened in 1990, has made the decision to close its doors on May 31, saying, “We are incredibly proud of the memories we’ve made here with you all and the countless meals shared at our tables… Your support, your stories, and your smiles have meant the world to us.”
Come see the new Canadian Asian supermarket
T&T Supermarket’s first location in the U.S. recently opened in Bellevue and it’s… dynamite (sorry we couldn’t help ourselves). The massive Asian superstore debuted at the end of last year with lengthy lines and fans singing its praises on TikTok; Eater Seattle’s Paolo Bicchieri explored the range of dine-in options, from customizable congee to Chinese-style savory crepes and barbecued duck. Their verdict: “One could hang out and eat something new here every day… for months, maybe longer.”
About Restaurant Roundup
Follow Us
Restaurant Roundup: Holiday Cheer at SLU BRU, StarChefs, and Kabul Closing
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Fusion food has an innate ability to bring us together. In the blending of two (or sometimes more) cultures, new perspectives are unlocked and we are all better for it. Esquire is in agreement, as the magazine has selected Lupe’s Situ Tacos, a Mexican-Lebanese taqueria in Ballard, as one of the 33 best new restaurants…
Counter Culture: Sansonina Ristorante Italiano
An Italian escape hiding in Renton.
Tucked just off Rainier Avenue, across from a Safeway, Sansonina Ristorante Italiano—which opened early in 2019—is the kind of place you drive past for years without noticing until you walk through the door. Once inside, the outside world dissolves, the hum of traffic fades, and suddenly you’re not in Renton anymore. You’re in a dimly…
5 Things to Eat in December
This month’s assignment: Take the pressure off.
There’s something about the end of the year that adds pressure to everything we do. Despite all the talk of holiday cheer and “merry and bright,” heightened expectations can bring a sense of weariness. We’re fretting over feasts and gatherings while working fervently to tie up loose ends—gifts, work, everything—with a pretty bow. Each month,…
Ahead of the Cut
How a tech-minded home cook turned years of tinkering into a chef’s knife powered by 40,000 vibrations per second.
Scott Heimendinger traces his love for knives back to college, when his dad taught him how to cook over the phone. By his junior year he had saved for his first real knife, a JA Henckels Santoku. Compared with the $9 IKEA knife he had been using, “it felt like a laser… things that used…