Continuing our mission to fact check anonymous Slog tippers, we are happy to report that Chao Bistro is not dead.
Here’s the mail we received from Chao partner Brian Ellis:
Didn’t see The Stranger post but we were open the bulk of last week. Things were a little hectic just because of the snow days, and of course Thanksgiving, but we had a sign on the door so not sure what’s going around…
Thanks for checking in..
With the passing of East Pine’s Kurrent down the hill, we were worried we were going to have to be on the lookout for another Hill restaurant RIP — these things, too, come in threes.
Chao, you may recall, opened in September 2009 in a space that once housed the 1200 Bistro and then, briefly, Pike’s Bar & Grill. The partners behind the restaurant and lounge span a good chunk of Seattle downtown nightlife with roots in Club Venom, Belltown’s Amber and Cowgirls, Inc. A lawsuit pitting Chow Foods against Chao over potential confusion caused by the new venture’s name was apparently settled but we’re not aware of the details having been made public.
This has to be one of the worst restaurants on the Hill. Too bad it’s still alive kicking….I was hoping for something better to come in its stead
Chao may be alive, but the place is definitely not kicking.
I’m not sure if I’d go that far–but I understand the sentiment. Generic Asian fusion isn’t particularly compelling, along with other random items like hummus and deep fried cheesecake. This is in addition to the whole space being pretty blah. Also, can we stop calling every restaurant a bistro?
Hmm, I’ve not had a bad meal here….friendly service, too, the several times I have been in.
Been there several times for brunch. Good food & GREAT service.
Happy hour drinks and food were good, too.
Go there several times a week for late happy hour- just fine.
while not terrible food, it is rather uninspired and just general pub grub. Drinks okay. Staff very nice and mostly attentive. Lacks a cohesive personality/atmosphere.