Do you remember these? 22 iconic Seattle bars, restaurants that are no longer around

Restaurants come and restaurants go. The wave of restaurant closings in Seattle last year has caused concern among the city’s foodies, but this is not the first time once-usual eateries have been forced to close due to the rapidly changing landscape and rising costs of the Emerald City .

Keep scrolling to take a look back at 22 famous, historic Seattle restaurants and bars that have since departed.

Zestos Burger & Fish House on 15th Avenue NW in Ballard.

Zestus

1. Zestos

Generations of Ballard High School teenagers flocked to Zesto’s for its burgers, fries, and jukebox cool. It opened in 1952 and was known as the place with a ’57 Chevy on the roof. It was closed in early 2012.

The burger bar was closed in 2010.

Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com

2. Red Robin Tavern

A popular meeting place for the University of Washington on the corner of Furhman Avenue and Eastlake Avenue, the restaurant was originally named after the owner, Sam’s Tavern. After being sold to a local restaurant entrepreneur, the franchise’s first restaurant opened in Yakima in 1979.

Twin teepee on Aurora Avenue North near Green Lake.

ROBIN LAYTON

3. Twin tipis

Opened in 1937 on Aurora Avenue North near Green Lake, Twin Teepees was razed to the ground after a fire in 2000. It was part of a dwindling generation of street shops and a former workplace of chef Harland Sanders famous in Kentucky Fried Chicken. There is a legend that he perfected KFC’s Fried Chicken recipe at the Teepees, but it has never been proven.

Bartender Amon Mende lights up for Dustin Friebus and Emeri Hansen at Tini Bigs in Lower Queen Anne on Monday October 31, 2005. Initiative 901 would ban smoking in almost all public places.

Joshua Trujillo / Joshua Trujillo / Seattle Post-Intelligencer File

4. Tini Bigs

The popular bar on the corner of Denny Way and First Avenue closed in 2017. Before the smoking ban in 2005, guests could smoke at Tini Bigs. The neighbor Hula Hula has moved to Capitol Hill.

Interior of the Two Bells tavern in Belltown.

5. Tavern with two bells

The Belltown eatery served its five and a half ounce “tavern burger” on a sourdough bun with great side dishes of your choice (coleslaw, beans, and potato salad). The historic dive bar closed in 2018 when the owners were ready to retire.

The Red Door in Fremont.

PHIL H. WEBBER / Seattle Post-Intelligence

6. Red Door Alehouse

The famous bar was a meeting place for bikers at its original location on Fremont Avenue. Housed in a 1902 building, Red Door eventually moved one block west into Fremont. The iconic waterhole was permanently closed in March 2020.

The original location of Catfish Corner in the Central District.

Google Maps

7. Catfish corner

The Soul Food Center in the Central District closed in August 2014 after 30 years in business. A new location has now opened in the Rainier Valley along with a brand new outpost in the Central District.

Andy’s Diner on Fourth Avenue South.

Seattle Post Intelligence

8. Andy’s diner

Housed in a collection of historic railroad cars, the diner was a familiar sight on Fourth Avenue South for many years. It opened in 1949 and quickly became a hip hangout for Boeing executives coming for grilled steaks. One of the wagons at Andy’s Diner was one that President Franklin Roosevelt allegedly traveled in during his 1944 re-election campaign. The South Seattle landmark closed its doors in 2008.

Her sign read, “All roads lead to the dog house … where friends meet friends in Seattle.” Pictured is long-time waitress Jennie Lee Alvord, who worked at the Dog House for 30 years and was known as “JL”.

9. The dog house

When the Dog House 24-hour restaurant and bar closed in 1994, an era passed. KCTS streamed its final day live, and Seattle PI columnist Jon Hahn wrote it was “an epoch in Seattle history, a virtually uninterrupted, 24/7 run of food, alcohol, music and community.”

the Border area.

10. The border area

In the early 90s, the Frontier Room was a popular, seedy hangout for musicians who came for the potent highballs for $ 1.50. It opened in 1954. The “old” Frontier Room with cheap strong drinks was closed in 2001. The newer incarnation was rented out on March 24, 2014.

Exterior of the Alki Tavern on Harbor Ave SW.

atürkus / Flickr

11. Alki tavern

For more than three decades, the Alki Tavern was the most famous dive bar with a view in West Seattle. But the Taco Thursdays and biker patrons said goodbye in March 2013 when the bar closed to make way for condos.

Big Top pictured at Northgate Mall in 1968.

Seattle City Archives

12. Big Top

This circus-themed restaurant on Northgate Mall was part of an empire run by Walter Clark, an industry giant who also owned twin teepees.

The old spaghetti factory at 2801 Elliott Ave. in Seattle, Washington.

Justin H. on Yelp

13. Old spaghetti factory

After 46 years of spaghetti and lasagna dinner fun in brick buildings, Seattle’s Old Spaghetti Factory on Elliott Avenue closed in 2016.

Owner Laurie Coaston at the Kingfish Cafe.

Scott Eklund / Seattle Post-Intelligence

14. Kingfish Café

The soul food cafe closed in 2015 after serving silent pups on Capitol Hill’s 19th Avenue for nearly 20 years. Owner Laurie Coaston said her restaurant tapped into this delicious secret ingredient called “passion”.

Owner Danny Piecora tosses a cake in 2007.

Scott Eklund / Seattle Post-Intelligence

15. Pieora’s pizza

Piecora’s on Capitol Hill had big stalls, hot pizza, cold jugs, and friendly service. After more than 30 years in the neighborhood, the Piecora family gave up in April 2014 after selling their property to a major developer.

Le Gourmand in Ballard.

Chelsea Nesvig, Creative Commons Flickr

16. The gourmet

Seattle foodies died a little in 2012 when Le Gourmand in Ballard closed its doors. Owned by Bruce Naftaly, its fresh, seasonal, French-northwest cuisine had swooned diners.

Jason Wang runs the till at Bakeman’s Restaurant in downtown Seattle.

Dan DeLong / Seattle Post-Intelligence

17. Bakeman’s

This busy, no-frills lunch on Cherry Street was popular for its signature oven-roasted turkey sandwiches. It closed in 2018 after 47 years of serving the city center.

Exterior of Ernie Steeles.

18. Ernie Steeles

The eponymous bar of a UW soccer star was known for its walls full of hunting trophies and stalls with hard-drinking classic cars. It took 46 years to become Ileen’s Sports Bar in the early 90s. This bar has also closed and the space is now home to Julia’s, known for its drag brunch.

The tiki-themed trader Vic’s was at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Seattle (now the Westin).

19. Trader Vics

The Polynesian-style restaurant was located in the Washington Plaza Hotel (now the Westin) in Seattle and was based on the Tiki fashion of the 1950s and 1960s. The spot was known for serving Mai Tais and closed in 1991.

The interior of Labuznik is on First Avenue 1924. The restaurant was opened by Czech immigrant Peter Cipra.

20. Labuznik

The Czech restaurant opened on First Avenue in the 1970s, long before the neighborhood became trendy Belltown. After almost 30 years of delicious tournedos Rossini, the restaurant closed in 1998.

The French chef Francois Kissel pictured in front of the Brasserie Pittsbourg on February 7, 1980.

21. The Pittsbourg Brasserie

In 1969, in front of Maximilien on the Pike Place Market, there was the Brasserie Pittsbourg on Pioneer Square with French cuisine. The French chef Francois Kissel opened both restaurants. The sign “table for women” referred to tables reserved for “real” women who wanted to dine alone without looking like a prostitute, a predominant notion of single female guests.

Randy’s restaurant in Tukwila.

Patricia S. on Yelp

22. Randy’s restaurant

Randy’s Restaurant, the 24-hour diner in Tukwila, which had been open for almost 40 years, closed on November 15, 2020. The restaurant, which offered everything about aviation, was a living relic of Seattle in the times of “Jet City”. Guests would stop by the restaurant on their way to the Museum of Flight for a quintessentially American brunch of steak and eggs, a stack of pancakes or a classic burger, and marvel at the walls of aviation memorabilia and hanging model airplanes.