It seems like we just got done recapping the best of the Seattle restaurant scene in 2025, but time keeps churning out new years and that means we have to stop looking backwards. So we’re looking ahead to the most anticipated restaurant openings coming to Seattle this winter.
One trend we’re watching is a shift to more casual, more affordable restaurants — in case you haven’t noticed, the streets are no longer flowing with that tech boom money, and restaurateurs are responding accordingly. Owners are also looking to save money in an era of high costs and have been adopting counter-service models in an effort to cut down on the number of employee hours worked. That means these places are mostly not your classic “sit down, then the server brings you water” concepts.
Here’s the list — note that restaurant opening dates are notoriously subject to change.
Where: The luxe Railspur development in Pioneer Square
Who: Sea Creatures, the restaurant group helmed by star chef Renee Erickson
When: Any day now
More than a year and a half ago, Renee Erickson and company announced they’d be bringing a trio of restaurants to Pioneer Square, and now they’re on the verge of opening. Lowlander is a brewery but also very much a sports bar with a row of TVs hovering above its massive U-shaped marble bartop; Un Po Tipsy is a pizzeria attached to the bar (which also serves sausages and salad); My Oh My is a little more of a classic Erickson full-service restaurant next door, where the chef will combine inspirations from London, Italy, and seasonal ingredients. They’ll likely be open by the time the Seahawks are in the playoffs. It’s a busy time at Sea Creatures: The restaurant group is negotiating with its unionized workers at the Walrus and the Carpenter, and also working to reopen Bateau, the steakhouse that temporarily closed not long after employees unionized.
Where: The former Rachel’s Ginger Beer space on 12th and Pine on Capitol Hill
Who: Chef Forrest Bruton
When: January
Forrest Bruton has already had a successful career cooking all over Seattle for Maria Hines (Tilth) and Linda Derschang (Oddfellows). Now, after a brief time running a restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, he’s back in town and opening what will be the only true pizza al taglio (“pizza by the cut”) spot in Seattle, where staff will cut rectangular pies with scissors according to how much ‘za a customer wants. Expect creative toppings — Bruton has experimented with things like boar bolognese, green curry, and fried yucca.
Where: Pike Place Market, in the former Pike’s Pit space
Who: Chef Emme Collins and her parents
When: Late February or early March
Emme Collins has a truly eclectic resume: She hosts a podcast called Dishin’ Up Diaspora, she has a cookbook in the works, she’s served as a James Beard Award judge, she’s won Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped, and she’s been the executive chef of Seattle Public Schools. Her latest venture is the brick-and-mortar version of her pop-up, Baiana, which she’s opening in Pike Place Market with the help of her parents, who owned Brazilian restaurant Tempero do Brasil. Baiana will be serving food from Bahia, the northeastern Brazilian state where the family originates; dishes will include things like coxinha croquettes and moqueca, a seafood stew.
Where: The Broadway Building on Capitol HIll
Who: Owners Rey and Osiel Gastelum
When: By the spring
Originally from Sinaloa, Mexico, the Gastelum brothers have cooked in Michelin-starred kitchens around the world before founding a hit taco stand. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reports that after some adventures with the King County Health Department (and a successful Kickstarter campaign), the brothers are opening a brick-and-mortar taqueria. They already have plenty of fans, including LTD Edition Sushi’s Keiji Tsukasaki — according to CHS, the famed sushi chef has “bought Cometa tacos as a surprise addition to round out his now-famed omakase meals.”
Where: Pioneer Square
Who: Owner David Orozco
When: TBD
This was on our anticipated fall restaurants list so we’re just rolling it forward: David Orozco, owner of the well-regarded Asadero steakhouses, is planning a new steakhouse in Pioneer Square, with not a whole lot of information out there yet, let alone an opening date. But we’re excited about it nonetheless.