Tag Archives: roy

Capitol Hill’s new Cafe Lolo has filled its fascinating menus with love, balance, and the seasons

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You’re probably not going to find a lot of menus on Capitol Hill like the menus at Cafe Lolo.

The “seasonally dictated” cafe born in the city’s farmers markets with a dedication to local grains and the bounties of the Pacific Northwest is now open in the Loveless Building on E Roy just off the northern end of Broadway.

Lolo’s offerings also vary by the day. The cafe is beginning life open Thursdays through Sundays. On Thursday and Friday, service begins at 11 AM and runs through lunch and dinner until 9 PM. On Saturday and Sunday, Lolo opens at 9 AM and adds its hearty brunch menu to the schedule. In between night and day, the kitchen is closed from 2 to 5 PM but there are “grab and go” options and pastries available. plus Lolo’s full bar, creative beverage menu, and coffee available. Continue reading →

Cafe Lolo is now (softly) open — It’s new restaurant season on Capitol Hill

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The folks at Capitol Hill’s Cafe Lolo are still smiling as they welcome first customers for this week’s “soft opening” of the new “seasonal” day and night cafe.

The cafe is beginning its run in the Loveless Building on E Roy just off northern Broadway with a calm as possible schedule with limited hours. You’ll want to check eatcafelolo.com for updates.

CHS reported here in January on the project from restaurant veterans Leah Engel and Alex Halmi who found love and a life together growing Cafe Lolo at Seattle farmers markets and pop-ups. Brett Bankson rounds out the trio.

Capitol Hill diners may know Halmi from his time as “pastaioli” at 14th Ave’s Cascina Spinasse, Engel and Bankson were previously part of the crew at Roosevelt’s Three Sacks Full. Continue reading →

Cafe Lolo will make seasonal start this spring on Capitol Hill

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(Image: Cafe Lolo)

Three cooks are ready to share the kitchen in a new start in Capitol Hill’s historical Loveless Building that will align with the seasons of the Pacific Northwest’s farmers and foragers.

“Having three, each person has their thing that’s theirs, and we feel support from each other” Leah Engel tells CHS about Cafe Lolo, a “seasonally dictated” day and night cafe taking shape in the longtime E Roy home of Cook Weaver which closed as 2025 drew to an end to make way for the new project.

Much as Cook Weaver’s Zac Reynolds balanced family and a food and drink career for a near-decade of service at Cook Weaver, restaurant veterans Engel and Alex Halmi found love and a life together growing Cafe Lolo at Seattle farmers markets and pop-ups.

As they honed the concept for a fixed-place version of Lolo with a residency last year at Roosevelt’s Three Sacks Full, Engel’s co-worker at the NE 64th locally-sourced restaurant Brett Bankson joined the team. Continue reading →

Cook Weaver ready to hand over its historic space after a decade on Capitol Hill

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Chef Zac Reynolds and Nile Klein of Cook and Weaver at its opening in 2017

For a chef who creates their own place on Capitol Hill, there are paths that might lead someday to your own restaurant group with 12 unique concepts and 20 locations.

And there are simpler routes that don’t lead to much more than good times and happy memories.

Chef-driven Cook Weaver has announced it will close with one last New Year’s Day of service after a decade in Capitol Hill’s historic Loveless Building.

“Why are we closing? Well, have you ever looked forward to a new chapter with anticipation, while also in tender thanksgiving for all that has brought you to this moment?,” owner Zac Reynolds wrote in the E Roy restaurant’s announcement. “That’s pretty much where I am. In truth, I really want to spend more time with my kid and my wife on evenings and weekends – it’s that simple.” Continue reading →

Capitol Hill, get to know your artful new neighbor at grand opening of STG at Kerry Hall

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(Image: STG at Kerry Hall)

By Domenic Strazzabosco

A year after the $6 million deal to add the historic Capitol Hill performance space to the family of Seattle venues including the Paramount, the Moore, and the Neptune, STG at Kerry Hall is holding a grand opening party this weekend.

The free Saturday, November 15th event will celebrate the Seattle Theater Group’s new addition. It’s an excellent opportunity for neighbors to stop through to see how the new life for the diverse, artistic space is taking shape.

“Kerry Hall is starting to come to life,” said Marisol Sanchez Best, STG’s Director of Education & Community Engagement. “Now, the big job is to let everyone know the building is available for them to come and utilize it as a creative space.”

STG put the E Roy just off northern Broadway building and studios into motion almost immediately after purchasing the 104-year-old property as Cornish College of the Arts severed its final ties to the neighborhood.

The move preserved the historic building Nellie Cornish once called home for a new generation of Seattle artists while giving STG a home for rehearsals and its educational programs as well as opportunities for smaller performance spaces.

STG’s success in Kerry Hall could be a hopeful good sign for another historic Capitol Hill venue. CHS reported here on Seattle Central’s search for new partners to put E Pine’s Egyptian Theater back in the movie business after SIFF’s exit from Capitol Hill.

Saturday at Kerry Hall, after a ribbon-cutting to kick off the event, attendees will be welcomed to walk through the historic building and observe or participate in the many activities and workshops planned while also enjoying a slate of performances. There will be a food truck as well. Continue reading →

Mexican Consulate invites you to a Capitol Hill Dia de Muertos celebration

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With the annual Broadway Hilloween kids carnival lost to post-pandemic challenges, there will be a new family-friendly gathering to celebrate the spirit of the season on Capitol Hill.

Saturday, Harvard Ave’s Consulate of Mexico in Seattle is throwing a party with its neighbors at STG Kerry Hall:

Dia de Muertos
Saturday Nov. 1, 2025

Kerry Hall | 3pm – 5pm | All Ages

Each year, Día de Muertos invites us to honor our beloved who have passed, celebrate traditions, and embrace the beauty of celebrating death through life.
Continue reading →

‘It’s crazy out there’ — In challenging times, Capitol Hill restaurant Cook Weaver shifting to more proletariat menu

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(Image: Cook Weaver)

Food is political. Capitol Hill’s Cook Weaver is making a shift to give the people what they want — and what they need:

There is no way to say how sorry we are for everyone who is being harmed and targeted by this administration. We know that this moment requires a response at all levels: the personal, the communal, the political. For our part, we want to nourish our community, bring people together for joy, pleasure, and rejuvenation, and celebrate the culinary context of the Pacific Northwest. So, we are making a change.

Next week, the E Roy restaurant just off North Broadway is making changes it says will focus on a more affordable, more flexible menu, “so that we can serve more people and meet our community at this moment.”

“In this iteration we will offer a place to have a few dishes with wine. A cocktail with friends.
Or a full dinner,” Cook Weaver’s announcement of its new “neo-bistro format” reads. “And, we will continue to offer Chef Zac’s curated tasting menu for our guests who desire that expansive culinary experience.” Continue reading →

The self-pour taps will reopen as Nomadic Wine Dispensary begins new journey on North Broadway

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Rapport’s wine taps will not rest


 
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Neighbors and regulars of a popular nearby hangout that suddenly went dark to start the year on North Broadway are jumping into the wine business and reviving the space.

Nomadic Wine Dispensary will open soon in the former home of “self-pour” wine bar Rapport. Owners and first-time hospitality entrepreneurs Bonnie Donovan and Tim Sale say they weren’t looking to become part of Capitol Hill’s food and drink economy but could not bear to see the comfortable cafe space go empty. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill ‘self-pour’ wine bar Rapport closed ‘indefinitely’

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Thanks to reader Todd for the picture

“Self-pour” wine bar Rapport has closed indefinitely on Capitol Hill as people involved in the business say they are seeking options to reopen the E Roy venue that carved a popular hangout out of a former Starbucks concept cafe on North Broadway.

A person with knowledge of the closure said the shutdown was due to a personal family decision with the ownership and that there were hopes of possibly working out a new deal for the cafe and wine bar’s lease.

Rapport’s last night of business was December 29th. Continue reading →

The French Guys bakery shop starts second year on Capitol Hill with growth, new sweets, and, yes, Pride croissants

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(Image: The French Guys)

The French Guys bakery shop is beginning its second year on Capitol Hill with a new baking facility, new menu, and Pride croissants available every weekend at the E Roy counter and cafe.

Making room for the right mix of fresh daily offerings has been part of the learning that has taken place over the first year of business for The French Guys in a brick and mortar location on Capitol Hill after growing as Seattle’s first mobile French bakery.

“The store is tiny and there is not a lot of space so we need to be creative for that, Thibault Beaugende said.

Beaugende also says The French Guys still love their E Roy home in the historic Loveless Building.

“The building speaks for itself,” Beaugende says. “It’s really rare to find in Seattle… the European charm.”

The Loveless will turn 100 next year but The French Guys shop is now one year old — and counting. The second year of business comes with major growth for The French Guys as owners Beaugende and Renaud Lacipiere have moved into a larger, much improved new baking facility. The new space brings new opportunities to grow their baked creations they continue to deliver to cafes and restaurants, as well as supplying its popular presence at Seattle farmers markets and the Capitol Hill bakery shop. Continue reading →