Bar Vacilando turns 10 (one of Capitol Hill’s best patios is a little bit older)

(Image: Bar Vacilando)

By Brenna Gauchat

One of Capitol Hill’s best patios has been around longer but the current caretaker of the space is celebrating a decade on 15th Ave E.

This May, Bar Vacilando is celebrating its 10th anniversary serving elevated bar bites, craft cocktails, and local brews. CHS reported on the restaurant’s opening in May 2016, when the bar’s ownership was hoping to grow a Seattle restaurant family and create a space that reminded guests what it was like to travel the world

“We’ve always felt deeply connected to the spirit of ‘vacilando’ — the idea that the journey matters just as much as the destination — and in many ways, that’s what these last ten years have been about for us,” Jaclyn Lensch, director of operations for the Black Bottle Group restaurant family, said about the anniversary.

“More than anything, we’re just thankful to be part of so many people’s lives and memories along the way.”

Bar Vacilando was born out of Seattle’s “gastrotavern” era of flatbreads and sharable plates that Black Bottle excelled at. Some of Vacilando’s menu today still reflect those roots with a nod or two to global flavors and international travel.

In his 1962 book Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck wrote, “If one is vacilando, he is going somewhere but doesn’t greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction.”

No review of Vacilando doesn’t mention its patio. The restaurant’s coveted patio is both heated and covered — and full of plants. It’s like a visit to the nearby Volunteer Park Conservatory — with a gin and tonic.

The patio and the dining room’s ceiling beams, vines crawling up and down white brickwork are essential to Bar Vacilando’s “wunderlust” aesthetic.

Vacilando’s 2016 opening ended years of darkness in the space after the closure of previous tenant, 22 Doors. That lounge had operated in the space since 2005, created with 22 mahogany doors from the old Camlin Hotel.

22 Doors ended in a bit of a financial meltdown. Vacilando has also hit a few bumps and rough patches over the years including the challenges of COVID-19-era staffing and emerging from the changing food and drink habits of the pandemic. Gastropub fare isn’t necessarily the kind of thing you order for takeout. A basket of fries, some aioli and a craft cocktail do go very well on a leafy patio, however.

In its tenth year, Bar Vacilando travels on.

“Over the past decade, we’ve been incredibly grateful for the community that has gathered around us: our staff, our guests, and the neighborhood itself have truly shaped what this place became,” Lensch told CHS.

Bar Vacilando is located at 405 15th Ave E. You can learn more at barvacilando.com.

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