Like most dreams, the arrival of an “Old World” Jewish deli on Capitol Hill might not play out exactly as you might expect.

Dingfelder’s Delicatessen, a Seattle coming soon food+drink venture so hyped that Seattle Eater has already done two posts this summer about it being almost ready to open, is, well, almost ready to open.

“Probably the end of next week,” Stephanie Hemsworth told CHS last week as the already busy kitchen at 14th and Pine was preparing for a tasting party to put its first available menu offerings to the test. “We had our door made, the POS is arriving, and we’re doing taste testing tonight.”

Dingfelder’s will start with a smaller, leaner version of the full deli stuffed with stacked-high corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, kosher hot dogs, knishes, smoked fish, and bagels CHS first reported on back in January. Hemsworth and husband Vance Dingfelder are planning to debut this week as a walk-up through the front door of the commercial kitchen at 14th and Pine where the rest of the delicatessen is planned to be built out over the coming months.

Bagels and Jewish delis are a solid Seattle food trend. Around the Hill, Westman’s Bagels and Coffee from Monica Dimas and Molly Westman opened in January and continues to draw lines on E Madison and Eltana opened in late 2010 and sold more than 2,000 bagels per day in its first year before expansion. Bagel chain Einstein Bros. shuttered on Broadway in 2016 while the much loved Bagel Deli closed its doors on 15th Ave E in late 2013. In the meantime, Loxsmith Bagels has been popping up with summer offerings on E Olive Way.

Dingfelder’s will put its best food foot forward with its debut. Vance’s “perfect pastrami” and “perfect corned beef” are ready, Hemsworth said. The corned beef and pastrami sandwiches will be Dingfelder’s debut highlights on a “very limited menu” with “a few other surprises.”

“Every week, we’ll add an item,” Hemsworth said. Dingfelder’s also is planning to be open for breakfast needs during the walk-up phase of its start on Capitol Hill. Late night hours are also part of the plan though Hemsworth and Dingfelder have been secretive about their “late night drunk food” offerings.

Hemsworth says the old building will be undergoing a full renovation to restore its original architecture and add a new entrance at the corner. Inside, where a commercial kitchen has been in operation, the couple have an overhauled facility for their Nourish Catering company and for creating Dingfelder’s delicacies.

The methodical pace is a function, Hemsworth says, of her husband’s perfectionism and the realities of permits, contractors, and construction needed to transform the building neighboring Aria Salon on the northwest corner of 14th and Pine.

“Not by planning, we’re just trying to do this the best we can,” Hemsworth said.

Dingfelder’s is planned to open soon at 1318 E Pine. You can keep track of updates and learn more at facebook.com/Dingfelders.

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