Roma Roma

Capitol Hill

It seems like roman-style pizza keeps trying to catch on in this town, then disappearing, then popping back up in a fresh incarnation. (See also: Pizza by Ruffin, the recently departed Sacro Bosco, and the long-departed Bar Taglio.) At 12th and Olive, Roma Roma is the latest attempt. The skipped-over element in the previous versions, though, has been the al taglio (“by the cut”) model that’s common all over Italy, wherein rectangular pizza slices are sold by weight. In the former Rachel’s Ginger Beer location on Capitol Hill, old-school Seattle chef Forrest Brunton is doing pizza al taglio to the letter, replete with a scissor-wielding pizzamonger to slice your slice and weigh it, just like in Roma. Maybe it’s the attendant Pizza Scissorhands that we’ve needed in order for this trend to finally take hold.

Friends of Carmela

Pike Place

Offering east coast-style sandwiches and pasta, this deli is a rebrand of the longtime Pike Place stalwart, Michou, and it’s operated by the same owners. The name is a nod, of course, to everyone’s favorite TV mob wife, and as such, the vibe is specifically Italian American, e.g., the grilled top sirloin sandwich with “beefy onions,” Cougar Gold cheese whiz, broccolini, and fried onions, served hot. Another very Sopranos-coded sando includes soppressata, ‘nduja, whipped ricotta, hot honey, stracciatella cheese, shaved fennel, and shredduce. (What, no gabagool?)

Okonomiyaki Jiban-Ya

Northlake

Seattle has its first okonomiyaki spot, at long last, and it’s kind of a whole dang experience. ICYMI, okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese pancake that combines ingredients like meat, seafood, cabbage, and other veggies, which are bound together with a flour-based batter and cooked on a griddle. These crispy, chunky flapjacks are then topped with tangy-sweet okonomiyaki sauce, Kewpie mayonnaise, dried seaweed bits, and bonito flakes, and they’re designed for sharing with friends. Okonomiyaki Jiban-Ya is brought to us by the wacky sibling masterminds behind Ginger & Scallion and Secret Congee, known as Boss and JP, and even more compelling is the fact that it’s in the historic old Northlake Tavern pizzeria space.

Gordo Steak

Pioneer Square

The folks at Guadalajara-coded steakhouse Asadero have been branching out hard lately, and Gordo Steak is their latest brainchild, the fifth restaurant in the family. The aesthetic here is sleeker than the grand hacienda style at the other spots, with clean lines, geometric patterns, and rattan light fixtures. With a focus on carne asada, the idea here is more sunlit taco lunch than Australian wagyu anniversary dinner. Of course, steak is still right there in the name, and the menu features some interesting cuts, like a picanha asada: 14 ounces of rump steak, also known as “the queen’s cut” in Brazil, served thinly sliced. They’ll also turn a whole chile-rubbed tomahawk into a luxurious little taco party for two.

Janggogi

Crossroads

Replacing the former Palace on 8th restaurant in Bellevue, Janggogi has taken the space’s old Korean BBQ concept and up-scaled it, combining KBBQ with sushi, and offering both standard and all-you-can-eat options. Korean stews served in hot stone bowls also appear on the menu, with galbitang (beef short rib soup) and kimchi-jjigae (kimchi stew with pork) among the highlights. The shop is family-owned, like its predecessor, and the kimchi is fermented in-house. And at more than 6,000 square feet, this standalone building is massive, with a nice big parking lot for guests.

Jaded Bagels

Lake City

Seattle’s been in its bagel era for a few years now, with a hot new craft bagel pop-up manifesting around town every six months or so. Now it’s Lake City’s turn, with the debut of Jaded Bagels at 125th and Lake City Way. Although its ownership was initially kept on the down low, it’s now known that Jaded is the handiwork of Jaafar Altameemi and Murat Akyuz, the team behind local chain TOASTED. At Jaded, they’re serving huge, airy bagels that’re baked onsite—a departure from the TOASTED concept, which, until now, was serving bagels purchased from a wholesaler. Also, while TOASTED is all about the fancy bagel sandos, Jaded is strictly a bakery, selling only bagels, tubs of cream cheese in a couple of flavors, fresh-baked cookies, and basic beverages.

Win Feng Noodles

University District and Lake Hills

Curiously, newcomer Win Feng has opened two locations within the same week: one in the U District and one in Bellevue’s Lake Hills neighborhood. Located in eastern China, the city of Guilin is famous for its noodles, which are typically loaded with braised pork intestines and beef tripe and served in bone broth. If you think adding organ meats to your noodle bowl is an offal idea, other options include beef rib, beef shank, and crispy pork belly. Although the U District location has a longtime rep as a vegan spot—being the former addresses of both Chaco Canyon and Broadfork Cafe—Win Feng has done a 180 here and actually offers zero veggie options, to say nothing of vegan ones.