A Capitol Hill cafe space left empty since a labor dispute ended with ownership pulling the plug will move back into motion with a breath of fresh First Hill baked air.

Sugar Bakery says it has been hard at work all year and is nearly ready to open along E Pine just below Bellevue Ave:

We’re very excited to announce that our newest location Sugar Bakery in Capitol Hill will be opening soon! We’ve been working hard on this location since the beginning of this year! More details on the opening date is coming soon! Thank you for your continued support!

The First Hill-born bakery has taken over the former home of the Capitol Hill Cherry Street Coffee. Cherry Street owner Ali Ghambari had planned to reopen after closing the cafe in response to a one-day worker strike but told CHS he was calling it quits on E Pine instead. Former Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant and supporters had targeted Ghambari after his city council testimony over efforts to change the city’s minimum wage law.

District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth ultimately pulled back on her proposal to end the city’s tip credit for small businesses like Cherry Street. Ghambari opted to keep the E Pine cafe shuttered.

Sugar Bakery will mark a fresh start. The original marked a decade of business along First Hill’s Madison in 2016 as founder Stephanie Crocker stepped away from the oven and retired. Employee and baker Quynh La stepped up and took over the business putting her Culinary Arts degree and a second degree in Specialty Desserts & Bread to work.

The Madison location has room for baking, custom cake decorating, sandwich assembly, and also offers a healthy selection of plants for sale along with the pastries, cookies, sandwiches, and coffee. We’ll check in to find how much Sugar Bakery is bringing along for its new space.

Sugar now arrives on Capitol Hill after holding on through the challenges of G Line construction that tore up Madison through First Hill in recent years but has transformed the corridor’s transit and streetscape. It will turn 20 in 2026. Now E Pine will be part of the celebration, too.

Sugar Bakery will open soon at 320 E Pine. Learn more at sugarbakerycafe.com.

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