Author Archives: Soumya Gupta -- CHS Intern

Spice SPC, an Indian grocery also serving samosas, curries, and fresh chai, settles in on E Madison

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After its move from Rainier Ave in May, Spice SPC has been adding new flavors to the Capitol Hill and Central District communities around its new location on E Madison. Started by Aditya Bajaj, Spice SPC is a social purpose Indian grocery store. The new shop has been receiving a warm response from the neighborhood as it stands across Safeway next to a big chain takeout pizza franchise.

“The new location has definitely helped us attract more customers, especially because it’s in a very accessible location from most parts of the city,” Bajaj said. “We were previously in a very isolated location, and so we moved to Capitol Hill.”

Spice SPC’s E Madison’s new grocery has seen many perks of shifting locations. Bajaj said that this has allowed them to introduce a small food menu serving Indian curries, rice, samosas, and fresh chai. He plans to soon expand the spread and include more snacks and beverages. For now, it is best to stop by on the weekends for the house creations. Despite the store being new to the neighborhood, Bajaj says that they’ve seen many customers coming their way, especially through word of mouth. Continue reading →

Galbi Burger adding hamburgers to Capitol Hill’s rich menu of Korean restaurants

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(Image: Galbi Burger)

The space formerly home to a Korean bistro that served Broadway for more than 20 years will host a new take on the cuisine.

Galbi Burger, which has its first location in Arlington, Washington, is set to expand to Capitol Hill in the space formerly home to Kimchi Bistro. Hannah Ha initially started the venture last year to introduce Korean hamburgers to the Pacific Northwest. Ha said that she has been in the food industry for the last eight years, and previously owned a katsu-burger joint with her sister.

“I know that hamburgers are very popular, so I wanted to serve them with a twist, derived from my Korean heritage,” Ha said. “Galbi Burger is inspired from the galbi marinade sauce that I grew up with.” Continue reading →

A new dessert ‘valley’ at the top of Capitol Hill? Coché Valley Dessert Cafe coming to 15th and Pine

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Coché Valley Dessert Cafe, a family-owned cafe serving pastries, crepes, and waffles inspired from Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong is moving in at 15th and Pine.

Bee Puntip Paisan says she brought the idea for Coché Valley to Seattle after working in Thailand as a pastry chef. Two years later, she has now turned her passion for desserts into a Capitol Hill cafe serving Asian sweet treats. Coché Valley Dessert Cafe will be her first venture.

“The idea came to me when I was a pastry Intern during university, where I realized my passion for desserts,” Paisan said. “I wanted to create a place where people could feel happy.”

After graduating in 2019, Paisan moved with her husband to New Orleans, and finally Seattle specifically to start her own line of Asian sweets. Continue reading →

The Capitol Hill Station vacuum was a sign — It is time to clean up Broadway’s light rail station

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@typewriteralley recently posted about the now infamous Capitol Hill Station vacuum — “The detritus at Capitol Hill Station has gotten to the level of small appliances”

After seven years accumulation of grime and grit, a discarded vacuum cleaner didn’t push things over the edge but its recent removal along with the rest of the trash that had piled up below the escalator down to the subway platform was a sign of things to come.

It is time to clean up Capitol Hill Station.

John Gallagher, a spokesperson for Sound Transit, tells CHS that the station is generally cleaned on a daily basis, as the custodial staff operates on three shifts throughout the week while also being tasked to respond to urgent cleaning requests from all stations.

But something changed below Broadway in recent months. And the junk — and complaints — have piled up at the seven-year-old facility.

According to Gallagher, Sound Transit has seen an increase in hygiene complaints at the station the possible factors including bold graffiti drawings on the escalators and walls. In addition, riders noticed piles of garbage thrown around the entrances and accumulating in the station’s nooks and crannies.

“We have attempted to make efforts to fix the situation,” Gallagher said. “Last week, we sent a specialized graffiti removal crew to work on the escalators, and cleared out most debris from the elevated areas as well.”

But riders have expressed frustration with the lack of effort taken by Sound Transit to ensure the upkeep of the station, complaining of trash on the overhead lights and the lack of dustbins near the platforms. There was also concern raised about dirt on the floors, and foul smell in most elevators. Continue reading →

Annapurna celebrates a 20-year Capitol Hill climb on Broadway

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With flavors from the heights of Nepal, Annapurna Cafe has grown into a foundation of the Broadway restaurant scene. It is marking 20 years on Capitol Hill this summer in its below-the-surface restaurant down the stairs at Broadway and Denny.

Roshita Shrestha and Sujan Sharma started Annapurna in May 2003 as a small venture to introduce the cuisine to Broadway and the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Shrestha said that she wanted to bring flavors that she had grown up with to Seattle, in the form of scrumptious meals.

“I noticed many restaurants serving South Asian food, but I primarily wanted to introduce the concept of Nepalese dishes to the city,” Shrestha said.

Like any good climb, Annapurna faced its biggest challenges as it neared its 20-year summit, first in the form of the massive Capitol Hill Station construction project across the street and, then, near the crest, sorting out how to keep the business thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic. Street closures and infrastructure disruptions outweighed even the virus.

“The light rail construction was the biggest challenge, for the last six years”, Shrestha said. “We were basically hidden and wrapped in blue tarp for a very long time.” Continue reading →