After a year of mergers and acquisitions in Capitol Hill food and drink, there will still be some new territory gained in 2019 as a few long awaited projects finally come together and a couple surprises materialize. Below, we count down the bars and restaurants around Capitol Hill you can look forward to visiting for the first time in 2019.

• Dig Bar: KEXP isn’t about top 40 or really any kind of lists beyond playlists but Dig Bar tops our charts for 2019. Morning DJ favorite John Richards and his wife Amy Richards are part of the all-star ownership behind this link-up with Steven Severin of Neumos and Leigh Sims to create a new hangout as part of the new construction at Pike and Harvard. “It’s going to be so dope,” Severin says.
• Zeeks Capitol Hill: The latest outpost of the local Zeeks chain is ready to make its debut in new construction on 19th Ave E January 14th. We’re told that Zeeks has long coveted a presence on Capitol Hill and that the 19th Ave E location is being opened by Sean Murray, a franchise owner with a strong connection to this part of the neighborhood.
• Homegrown at Metier: It’s not exactly new but sandwich chain Homegrown has announced it will link up with E Union’s Metier in a 2019 transformation of the cycling gear and training facility’s cafe. Watch for the changeover and expect fresh suds from the company’s Metier Brewing.
• Elysian: Also not new but also beer-y, Elysian will unveil the long awaited overhaul of its E Pike original brewery this spring.
• Bonchon: We first reported on the Korean fried chicken concern’s plans for new Broadway construction on First Hill *last* January. Bonchon First Hill is finally set to open… soon.
• Oma Bap at Hugo House: The “Korean-inspired” bowl purveyor this summer will open its second restaurant within a few block walk in the commercial space adjacent the new Hugo House literary center on 11th Ave across from Cal Anderson.
  

  (Image: Little Big Burger)

• Little Big Burger: Portland’s Little Big Burger made *last year’s* list but the buildout in new construction at 12th and Pike got a late start and has stretched into 2019.
• That Brown Girl Cooks: Kristi Brown and her son Damon Bomar will bring “Seattle Soul” to the new Liberty Bank Building at 24th and Union with plans to be open by summer.
• Taku: A new, more casual project from chef Shota Nakajima, Taku is planned to bring its kushikatsu deep-fried skewers to the Pike Motorworks building by spring.
• Chuan: Szechuan classics delivered in modern, sometimes non-traditional style will be on the menu at Chuan in the new Cove building on E Pike at Belmont. First time restaurateur Yo Huang began his education in the United States 20 years ago as in immigrant at Seattle Central.
• Capitol Hill Food Hall at Sea-Tac: Not exactly Capitol Hill, this new dining area at the airport is slated to open by June with with “gourmet sandwiches and baked goods” from Macrina Bakery, “artisan juices, smoothies and salad bowls” from something called Jujubeet, Salt & Straw “artisan ice cream,” and, “locally roasted” Slate Coffee. Meanwhile, Monica Dimas of Neon Taco, Tortas Condesa, and Westman’s Bagels is set to open a Sunset Fried Chicken at Sea-Tac’s Concourse D.
• Pho Huy: It’s no Taco Time but this offshoot of downtown’s Core Bistro is reportedly open in the mixed-use building that rose at the site where the taco chain’s E Madison location was demolished.
• 516 E Pike Doughnuts: Another holdover from 2018’s list, this project from a Top Pot founder may never see the light of day. Or it might debut in 2019. Stay tuned.
• Blade and Timber: It may not look like much has been readied inside the space formerly home to a “sex megastore,” but the Missouri-headquartered company is already in the process of securing a liquor license for its Broadway Blade and Timber lumbersexual axe-tossing bar.