The days and weeks following the 4th of July holiday have turned into busy ones for new Capitol Hill food and drink establishments. Not one but two new sushi places are suddenly open — and a third is on the way. These pictures of the new Octo Sushi on 12th Ave and the conveyor belt Genki Sushi in the Broadway Building give you an idea how things are starting for two of the players. Genki, budget focused, part of a chain and on the busier street, was packed. Indie Octo? Less so. But, hey, it’s only mid-July. Things just got, um, cooking. Here’s a rundown of July’s new restaurants and bars joining the scene on Capitol Hill.
Octo Sushi gets a quiet start on Tuesday night (All photos: Staton DuBois)
Meanwhile, Genki’s kaiten-style sushi was flying off the belt
- In addition to Octo, in the former Crave space, and Genki, in the Broadway Building, Pinto Thai will bring thai-sushi fusion to Broadway in the old Ali Baba space. Pinto’s Web site says they expect to open at 408 Broadway E in “early July.”
- Repeating our Melrose Market update from earlier this week, Homegrown Sandwiches is now fully operational and Matt Dillon’s oyster/wine counter Bar Ferdinand joins his already flourishing Sitka and Spruce. More info at http://www.eathomegrown.com/ and http://www.ferdinandthebar.com/, respectively.
- TidBit Bistro (CHS advertiser) has brought its palendromic offerings from the Hill’s northern reaches to the corner of Broadway and Union.
- Panevino Trattoria Bar sounds as if it is off to a good start on Broadway in the former home of the short-lived Zhivago’s.
- E. Pike welcomes late-night pizza pusher Big Mario’s to the mix starting this Thursday. Pizza until 4 AM. Party.
- Also Thursday: The Silver Cloud Inn celebrates the grand opening of Jimmy’s on Broadway at the corner of Broadway and Madison. Jimmy’s is the sequel to Jimmy’s on First, a sports focused classy place that caters to the stadium crowd. It replaces Cayenne, your favorite place you never went inside.
- Off Hill: Japanese crepes and gourmet sandwiches on First Hill
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Genki is definately not the best quality sushi, but you cannot argue the price and options. It is a great drop in place for $10-12 bucks you can fill up. The service was very friendly and I like that they serve free green tea. Will be eating there once a week or so. Don’t want to break the bank and want friendly service – you should check it out.
Completely agree. I dropped in on Sunday after visiting Blick Art Supplies (which is right next door) and had a full meal for just under $14. Not quite as good the more expensive sushi places, but definitely better than average. Good desserts too.
My gf and I went to Genki the day they opened and were pleasantly surprised. Their quality isn’t as good as the fancy sushi restaurants, but I don’t think it’s any worse than Blue C and it’s half the price. There’s also substantially more choices at Genki than Blue C…and they give you free tea.
They also gave out free teacups and soy sauce plates at the grand opening which we both really enjoyed. It was like $17 for the two of us too, can’t beat that.
Genki is great – you just have to identify it for what it is and not set the bar higher than that. i mean, what do you expect for $1-$4 a plate? WAY more affordable than Blue C and in my opinion, of the same quality. I am definitely curious about this “thai sushi” fusion place though – glad to see more offerings popping up this summer!
I thought the sushi was lower quality than Blue C (which is of middling quality itself), particularly the nigiri. It was more on line with Sushiland, I thought. That said, it’s true you can’t argue with the price, and I’m sure I’ll end up going there a fair amount.
It was my favorite place to look at quizzically and say, “How is THAT still around?”
“Pinto Thai will bring thai-sushi fusion to Broadway”
*eyeroll* God, PLEASE stop the ‘thai fusion.’ we have had enough already.
I live right between the two new restaurants and have been to both Octo Sushi and Genki. I agree, Genki is a really great drop-in place for a quick lunch. But if you have the extra five minutes, walk up to 12th for Octo. It’s less busy (which may be a plus), but the selection and taste trumps Genki. I’d go back to Genki if I were in a rush and craving sushi, but Octo absolutely made it on to my short list.
Mariano’s on Pine is being replaced by, wait, another hot dog shop.