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Feeling ‘the ghosts of the last things that were here,’ Sugar Hill puts former Bauhaus/Capitol Club back into motion

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On a monochrome background, hundreds of record sleeves provide slivers and pops of color at E Pine’s newest restaurant and bar, Sugar Hill

“There’s an overwhelming amount of vinyls,” Sugar Hill co-owner Ahn Nguyen told CHS.

The name, by the way, was inspired by the AZ song “Sugar Hill” from the album “Do or Die” — not by hip-hop group The Sugarhill Gang. “I wanna chill on Sugar Hill …”

Hip hop and R&B music provided inspiration not only for the restaurant’s name but pretty much everything from drinks to food to the atmosphere of the nearly-done-and-already-open-for-business establishment.

The “contemporary Thai chicken and rice restaurant and bar” from restaurant veteran Guitar Srisuthiamorn also include business partners Will Doherty and Ronald Quo, who had been mulling over a restaurant concept for a while. When the former home to Bauhaus became available, the quartet had about a week to decide whether or not to take it. They dove in to share their music tastes and Srisuthiamorn’s Thai chicken and rice with the Hill.

Ahn Nguyen and Guitar Srisuthiamorn (Images: CHS)

Ahn Nguyen and Guitar Srisuthiamorn (Images: CHS)

DJ Tones donated the records that fill corner shelves downstairs and a section upstairs, and stencil and spray paint art by Alexander Codd based on photographs of life in Brooklyn and the Bronx in the 1970s hang on the walls.

“For the most part, people are really excited about the decor. It’s not something they’ve seen before,” Nguyen said.

They hope the music inspiration carries through to the food and drink menu, too.

Srisuthiamorn has been making Thai chicken and rice at her family’s long time Capitol Hill restaurant Ayutthaya every Friday.

“I think people are maybe tired of over complicating food,” Nguyen said. Thai chicken and rice can be done many different ways, but it’s simple and tastes good, she said.

Behind the bar, Nguyen said they’re still working on finalizing offerings, but plan to have seasonal drinks and want to offer nonalcoholic cocktails as well to cater to a daytime crowd.

Sugar Hill will be open from 11 AM until 2 AM Monday through Friday and 4 PM until 2 AM Saturday and Sunday. Food service will likely end around midnight.

The buildout of the space took longer than anticipated, but Nguyen said that’s because the group wanted to get the restaurant and bar right from the start.

One of the biggest challenges was the layout of the two-level, two-bar space, much of which has remained the same. “It’s an odd space,” Srisuthiamorn said, but the owners are working with it. “To gut it all would have been a lot more stressful,” Nguyen said.

Her advice to restaurateurs taking over similar spaces: “Feel the flow of the space you already have.”

CHS first reported on the project from the family behind E Pike’s old-timer Ayutthaya way back in May as dust from the financial implosion around the Bauhaus chain was just beginning to settle. Sugar Hill’s opening brings an end a year of emptiness following the cafe’s abrupt closure in December 2015.

The former tenants, Bauhaus and Capitol Club, have played a role in creating Sugar Hill, Nguyen told CHS.

“We’re feeling the ghosts of the last things that were here,” she said, and being a comfortable neighborhood place is something the group wants to continue.

Sugar Hill is located at 414 E Pine. You can learn more at sugarhillseattle.com.

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Tangerine
Tangerine
7 years ago

Looks nice! I will miss Kamalco until the end of time though.

Stu
Stu
7 years ago

In a weird way, the vinyl collection reminds me of the old, original Bauhaus library collection. It’s a good look.

Helen
Helen
7 years ago

I like the comfort food there! Worth a visit!