Hungry for news? Welcome to our Friday Feed, where we run through all the local food and restaurant news this week—and maybe help you figure out where to eat this weekend.
Xi'an Noodles' signature biang biang noodles.
Bad News and Big News from Xi’an Noodles
The (presumably) good people of Reddit noticed this week that the U-District location of Xi’an Noodles had not only closed, but had a sheriff’s notice of eviction on the door. On Facebook, the restaurant confirmed (kind of) with a post saying it is “Temporarily closed due to ongoing lease-related matters.” Owner Lily Wu, also of Happy Crab, explains that it’s just the latest in an ongoing saga regarding how much the restaurant pays of the building’s operating costs versus how much of the building it occupies. “We repeatedly asked the landlord to review and correct these charges, but the issue was never addressed,” she says. “After we raised these concerns, we believe our business was subjected to discriminatory and unfair treatment.” Wu is hesitant to comment further, because there are currently two separate legal processes happening: one regarding the eviction and the other, the underlying disputes regarding overcharges.
But, in our conversation, Wu let slip a little good news: Not only are the other two current Xi’an Noodles locations open (Bellevue and Westlake Center), she is possibly mere months away from two more. Should the current lease negotiations pan out for them, the two locations (one in the Chinatown–International District, one near the Ave) will be upgraded versions of Xi’an Noodles, with soup dumplings, build-your-own noodle bowls, and a wider selection of vegetables, proteins, and seafood. Both spaces are turnkey, she says, so if things go smoothly, she expects to open them in just two or three months.
More Openings and Closings
- Mahalo to more: Everett’s Filipino and Hawaiian Enseamada opened the doors to a second shop in Renton this week, Makai Island Co. The new spot, per the Instagram announcement, has much of the same Island comfort food as the northern outpost, plus a few new items.
- Más meat, por favor: Auburn’s Sonora Carne Asada House announced it will be opening a Seattle location in Hillman City soon in the former Fryzone space; a bit of great news for fans of northern Mexico’s flour tortillas and beefy tacos.
- Make a beeline: A Chinese-inspired coffee shop from two former “corporate warriors” opened this week on Capitol Hill. Offline Coffee’s menu includes signature drinks like the orange osmanthus latte and yuzu maple mont blanc. Also, there are pineapple buns, which, frankly, should be in way more coffee shops.
- Don’t make a beeline yet: There’s also another coffee shop coming soon to Capitol Hill: Thai Cha Chak plans to open there, per Capitol Hill Seattle, hot on the heels of Capitol Hill Thai coffee shop Nudibranch.
- Make a beeline in a Hurry: Fans of South Lake Union’s Hurry Curry should uh, hustle to get in for one last meal. The restaurant announced on Facebook that its Seattle location will close on April 12. (A Santa Monica location will remain open.) After a decade there, the owners decided not to renew the lease, but did leave open the possibility for a catering operation in the future.
Oh, BTW, here’s what you missed last time.