Born into the pandemic, Chophouse Row wine bar Light Sleeper is closing

Light Sleeper was born with a mask on into the teeth of the pandemic and made the best of things with takeout and bottles to go

Honey, wake up, Chophouse Row’s “vins sans intrants” and “roast chicken, fries & pizza pies” hangout Light Sleeper is closing.

“Opening a spot as an independent operator is very personal. Lots of dreaming and sacrifice. Lots of fear and joy. The costs to do this in Seattle are insane… some can pull it off, others can’t,” sommelier owner Ezra Wick said in the announcement that wine-focused restaurant is set to close in February after six years inside 11th Ave’s Chophouse Row.

“I started my career in restaurants on Pike/Pine, cooking breakfast at the Puss Puss Café over 30 years ago. I’ve been pouring wine on this block for 16 years, Osteria La Spiga, Bar Ferdinand, Sitka and Spruce – I met and fell in love with my wife on this block. Shit, I was born seven blocks away. It’s personal.”

CHS reported here as Light Sleeper took shape in the most challenging times for Capitol Hill small businesses during the outbreak of COVID-19. Sommelier Wick and chef Eli Dahlin got the keys to the space inside off the Chophouse Row courtyard just as the pandemic first hit. The Bar Ferdinand employees took over the restaurant from Matt Dillon as the chef cut his final ties with the neighborhood in early 2020. Bottle shop Wide Eyed Wines was part of the venture.

Now as 2026 begins, Wick says Light Sleeper’s final service will be on February 13th.

The closure inside Chophouse Row is rare but the mixed-use food, retail, office, and penthouse housing project from Capitol Hill developer Liz Dunn has been resilient and able to curate a sustainable mix of small businesses over the years. In 2025, CHS reported on Chophouse Row’s tenth anniversary as Dunn described how the businesses of Chophouse Row fit together.

“They really bolster each other as far as foot traffic, customers coming in, discovering, and getting what they need,” Dunn said last year. “It’s a nice little critical mass of stuff for people who live on Capitol Hill.”

Chophouse has also created a resilient mix. The most recent example comes on the 12th Ave side of the complex where Colibri Mexican Kitchen has kept the offerings colorful and delicious after the much-loved Plum Bistro ended its 20-year run there to start 2025.

It’s likely Chophouse Row is already at work figuring out how to keep things fitting together nicely following this latest exit.

At Light Sleeper, meanwhile, Wick is planning a good send-off.

“There are a lot of stories to be told in these walls, and in these bottles,” Wick said. “The last 34 days of this baby we’ll be pulling out the stops, pulling off the bandaids, and having some fun.”

Light Sleeper is located inside Chophouse Row at 1424 11th Ave. Learn more at lightsleeperseattle.com.

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