Manu Alfau is enjoying the view so far on E Madison (Images: Alex Garland for CHS)

With a bright coat of Latin American colors and plenty of pickled jalapenos, Manu’s Bodegita is now open, softly, in the E Madison walk-up Little Uncle left behind.

“We’re buddies with PK and Wiley who own Little Uncle,” Manu Alfau said. I told them a long time ago, ‘Hey, if you guys ever think about getting rid of the window, give me a call.’”

“Sure enough, a couple months ago, PK called me up and said, ‘OK, dude…’”

CHS reported in June on Manu’s Capitol Hill start as a pop-up in front of Montana and Alfau’s plan to make his mark in Seattle food and drink with small spaces, quality food, and affordable price points.

The new Capitol Hill little brother to Pioneer Square’s Manu’s Bodega opened up this week with a starter menu of the Hill-exclusive ceviche, empanadas, sandwiches, and rice bowls and limited hours through the weekend. You can also expect the counter’s first test of neighborhood late night action.

Monday brings the real deal. The Bodegita is planned to be open Mondays through Thursdays, 7 AM to 9 PM, Fridays 7 AM to 1 AM, and Saturday 8 AM to 1 AM. The late night hours? Nice. The weekday mornings? Breakfast tacos.

While bright summer mornings at 15th and Madison with a fistful of breakfast taco is a nice way to start, Alfau tells CHS the days on E Madison next to the solar-powered Bullitt Center and in the midst of two new six-story development projects end nicely, too.

“All of a sudden at the end of the night, you’re wiping down, you look up and the sky is all pink,” Alfau said. “Hopefully that building won’t block it completely when it goes up. We love it up here.”

Manu’s Bodegita is now open at 1509 E Madison. You can keep track of the soft opening and learn more at facebook.com/manusbodegita.