(Image: Karachi Cowboys)
The Capitol Hill food and drink scene has lost one of its more interesting recent additions with the sudden closure of 12th Ave’s Karachi Cowboys.
The tiny joint known for its Pakistani soul food creations has gone quiet. Owner Nasir Zubair declined to comment on the shutdown and any future plans.
CHS reported here on the spring 2021 debut for the project shaped by the Seattle food and drink pop-up scene.
Zubair said the spirit of Karachi Cowboys was born of his life growing up in Texas in a Pakistani home filled with Desi flavors and the African American food and drink culture of his mixed family. “We take liberties, pick from here and there. We pick from all over India and Pakistan,” Zubair told CHS at the time. In 2022, Karachi Cowboys made this New York Times rundown of interesting new additions to Seattle’s dining and arts scenes as the city recovered from the pandemic.
Karachi Cowboys took over the spot formerly home to natural wine shop Glinda which was a project from Kari Brunson as she came up with concepts to fill in after her Juicebox Cafe became a pandemic casualty.
At the time, Brunson was already eight years into a lease in the Hunters Capital-owned Ballou Wright Building. The timing of the Karachi Cowboys exit would coincide with a standard food and drink lease for the neighborhood having run its course and then some.
There’s no word, yet, what will come next for the 12th Ave space between Pine and Pike. If you’re interested, the 877-square-foot cafe has been listed for $3,200 a month rent under terms of a five-year deal.
“This restaurant space is ready for your new shop to launch in this lively neighborhood! This neighborhood is vibrant with restaurants, theaters, parks, boutiques, colleges and galleries,” the listing reads. “Framed by pedestrian-friendly streets & multiple transit options, it is a short trip from Seattle’s downtown core. Former uses include restaurant, wine bar, & juice bar.”
You can now add Pakistani soul food joint to the list.
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Didn’t he announce on Instagram in like January that was no longer serving food and would only host popups? The account is gone so no way to confirm now.
$43 a square foot per year. No wonder they didn’t make it.
Another black business driven out by greedy landlords. Their food was amazing!
Ah yes, the landlord is why the *checks notes* Pakistani Texas fusion restaurant failed.
It indeed was…
You haven’t looked at the stupidly high prices small businesses have to pay and how that greatly impacts their ability to thrive or survive.
This place has been closed for a long time!
Yep. Not sure why the article doesn’t mention this.
The service was rude, the music too loud, the tables too close and the food was served in tiny portions with odd flavor combos. It was obviously yet another vanity project from a tech salary windfall and I hope the space finds better.