(Image: Junbi)

By Toni Guy, CHS Summer Intern

Holes in the business community fabric of E Pike are being sewn up this summer. There are bigger gaps but one of the smaller tears also is ready to be filled.

Junbi, a growing matcha franchise with Japanese roots, is opening a new shop on Capitol Hill. Known for its colorful approach to traditional matcha, the cafe plans to offer matcha and soft-serve ice cream. The owner of the upcoming Seattle location R.J. Realubit says they’re hoping to help bring energy back to Capitol Hill after the freeze of the pandemic.

The soon to open cafe neighbors the block’s Life on Mars vegan and vinyl bar in the space left empty by the exit of Mexican chocolate maker Rey Amargo earlier this year. While life was looking a little lonely for Life on Mars after exits of the nearby Redhook brewery and the Taku fried chicken joint from Seattle celebrity chef Shota Nakajima, Junbi is part of a quick return of signs of life on the block. While the Redhook brewery and taproom, for now, remains empty, the former Taku is already revived with the Gol Mok Korean Market Bar from the MEET BBQ family of food and drink businesses.

The Junbi franchise currently has 13 locations across the country. The closest is San Francisco but that will change quickly. Realubit and his business partners have plans for more locations in the Seattle area.

On Capitol Hill, Realubit says he attended Seattle University so the neighborhood feels like a second home. The neighborhood’s walkability, and young consumer demographic also match up well with matcha.

The new matcha shop is taking over the former Rey Amargo cafe has made the setup relatively straightforward. Junbi has signed a five-year lease and is planning to be a long-term part of the community. They plan for a soft launch in mid-August and a grand opening to follow.

Junbi also plans to continue pop-ups on the Eastside where you will likely see new cafes soon.

The new cafe joins an almost impossible to track transition to a wave of small tea and boba shops across Capitol Hill and the city. There are also new directions for coffee here like Phê, the new Capitol Hill Vietnamese coffee joint on E Pine.

Realubit says what sets Junbi apart is its direct connection to Japanese matcha farms. Despite an ongoing matcha shortage, Junbi says it has secured exclusive sourcing through a contracted “master blender” team at first-harvest farms in Japan.

“We offer single origin matcha by working with our master blender team, that ensures all of our drinks hit all of Junbi’s signature flavor notes” Realubit said.

Junbi will open soon at 722 E Pike. Follow @junbiseattle for updates.

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