Just a few blocks from Lumen Field, Four Diamonds quietly took over the former Local Bigger Burger space at Second Avenue South and South Washington Street this spring. Serving pho, banh mi, vermicelli bowls and other Vietnamese standards in a streamlined space, the shop’s got a few unusual menu items too, like a saucy shrimp banh mi and a tempura-like corn dog crusted in deep-fried potato chunks and mozzarella. Fruity yogurt frappes and elaborate milk teas, like the vivid tropical sunset, are also a major part of the concept here. They’re highly Instagrammable as well!

Here are a handful of other new openings sure to please the palate.

Robin’s Restaurant and Market

Fremont

Fresh off the December 2024 debut of Greenwood American Bistro, chef Grant Rico and business partner (and former culinary school roommate) Or’el Anbar have followed it up with Robin’s Restaurant and Market on Stone Way in eastern Fremont. The team — the parent company is known as Model Restaurant Group — took over the old Art of the Table space, restyling it as an upscale diner that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The morning menu features waffle sandwiches and huevos rancheros. Lunch is all about big salads and deli fare, while dinner spotlights stick-to-your-ribs entrees such as braised beef with polenta and roasted romanesco broccoli or local mussels with nduja butter and grilled bread. The “market” part of the name pertains to a selection of cookbooks, pantry items and natural wines, the latter curated by Bellevue’s Story in a Bottle Wines.

The waffle sandwiches are a breakfast staple at Robin’s.

Photo courtesy of Robin's Restaurant and Market

Schooner Street

Ballard

You just can’t keep Liz Nielsen and Darren Miller down. After the married couple’s longtime neighborhood bar, The Stepping Stone, closed in January 2025, Ballardites were left bereft — but not for long. A few months later, the duo has reopened right up the road as Schooner Street, in the spot once known as Pour Decisions (and, prior to that, The Dane). “Schooner Street” was the original name for Northwest 80th Street when Ballard was an incorporated city, but was changed when Seattle annexed it in 1907. The historic street’s namesake pub will serve beer and wine alongside sandwiches, soups and salads.

The pub will serve beer and wine alongside sandwiches, soups and salads

Photo courtesy of Schooner Street

Bottega Gabriele

Pioneer Square

As of march 2025, Bottega Gabriele has moved into a small slot on the ground floor of the 110-year-old Pioneer Square Hotel at Yesler Street and Western Avenue. Owned by two native Italian Gabrieles — that’s Gabriele Russo from Naples and Gabriele Brownstein from Sardinia — this picture-perfect salumeria looks like it was plucked from a Fellini film. Specializing in huge focaccia sandwiches with hearty fillings, the deli’s standouts include the mortadella sandwich with lemon zest, arugula, ricotta and hot Calabrian honey, as well as the prosciutto with almond butter, apples and pecorino.

The Gabrieles also sell imported meats and cheeses by the pound.

Enjoy a focaccia sandwich with hearty fillings like mortadella, ricotta and prosciutto.

Photo courtesy of Bottega Gabriele

Cocoa Legato

Greenwood

On north 85th street and Greenwood Avenue North, Cocoa Legato has moved into the long-empty spot just east of Hummus Cafe. Owner Aaron Lindstrom, a former manager at Theo Chocolate, had a dream of fusing a chocolate shop with a music venue, so sweet-toothed music fans can now catch live bands while they indulge. Legato, which means “smooth” in Italian, is a nod to both the classical music term and the product that Lindstrom is selling.

Indulge in a sweet chocolate while listening to live music at Cocoa Legato

PHOTO BY SHERI FOREMAN

Jiang Nan

Bellevue

Beloved New York city-based restaurant chain Jiang Nan has at last arrived on the West Coast, opening a new chandelier-bedecked location inside The Shops at the Bravern in downtown Bellevue. The new 8,000-square-foot space is the chain’s largest so far. Jiang Nan is known throughout the East Coast for its elevated pan-Chinese menus, covering everything from famous dishes such as Peking duck or xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) to deeper cuts like abalone and sea snail soup or stir-fried loofah.

The crab dishes are a must at Jian Nan.

Photo courtesy of Jian Nan