Nobody is saying there’s a rivalry between former partners but there definitely appears to be a little healthy competition over chicken and waffles in the Central District.
Rainier Beach-born Nate’s Wings and Waffles is now open near 12th and Jefferson in an overhauled Ethiopian restaurant.
The second location of the restaurant from Darren McGill, Andrae Israel, and NBA star Nate Robinson opened over the weekend and is planning to be “officially” ready to deploy its full game starting Tuesday. The special is the Pumpkin Pie Waffle. Get some.
2015 may have started with the loss of a Seattle soul food legend as Capitol Hill’s Kingfish Cafe served its final meal after 18th years 19th and Mercer but the openings are part of a group of Southern-inspired openings. Nate’s CD opening is in step with the debut of Fat’s Chicken and Waffles from Capitol Hill nightlife entrepreneur Marcus Lolario in the former Catfish Corner location at MLK and Cherry. A new Catfish Corner, in the meantime, is lining up to open at 23rd and Jackson while Ms. Helen is planned to be back in the good food business at 23rd and Union.
CHS spoke with Nate’s partner McGill in April when we broke the news on the new project.
“When I got to Seattle, I saw that you guys don’t really have a chicken and waffle place here,” McGill told CHS this spring about the opportunity he originally pursued with prolific Pike/Pine food, drink, and nightlife entrepreneur Lolario to open the South Seattle original Nate’s. “I found a spot over in Rainier Beach and was 75% done and kind of running out of funding,” McGill said. After the partnership with Lolario broke up, a timely collaboration with Robinson helped make McGill’s restaurant a reality — under a new name, of course. The amiable split allowed both McGill and Lolario to move on to create their own projects.
Like Fat’s, Nate’s CD is stepping up the chicken and waffles game with liquor, happy hour, and plans for possible late night hours if there’s enough customer demand. You can also expect Nate’s signature, kinda insane waffles. “We just get really creative with the waffles,” McGill told CHS.
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(Image: Jessica Tupper)
Nate’s CD is located at 1224 E Jefferson. Hours are currently 11 AM to 11 PM with possible 3 AM closures coming. Learn more at nateswingsandwaffles.com.
Fat’s needs a fan or AC.