(Image: Flight Wine + Chocolate)
With March turning into unofficial Capitol Hill new restaurant season with the opening of Kha-Bar on 12th Ave, BusanJeong and Tacos Cometa on Broadway, and Jeffry’s at 10th and Union, here are a few more food and drink items of note in the neighborhood.
- Raygun Lounge is saved! CHS reported in December on the crowdfunding effort to keep the E Pine arcade and tabletop gaming hangout under new management. “It’s been a loooooong few months and there have been many challenges, but because of your backing, we made enough money to sign our lease! We signed it yesterday,” new owner River Flanary announced. More than $23,000 was raised to support the lounge’s restart.
- Pinto Thai gets new owners: There is new ownership in 2026 for the 2010-born Broadway Thai joint that has changed a hands a few times over recent years. Pinto Thai is now part of Runglawan Senirajjangkul’s MyThai restaurant business. Coincidentally, Pinto Thai’s previous owners now own and operate a former E Olive Way bakery favorite. Crumble and Flake left Capitol Hill in 2023. The former Pinto Thai owners now run Crumble and Flake and a small collection of cafes in the Issaquah area, according to state business license information.
- Flight Wine + Chocolate is celebrating five years at 1300 E Pike. CHS reported here on the 2021 opening of the chocolate shop and wine pairing cafe from husband and husband team David Wildman and Kevin Morton. The shop is celebrating with a “greatest hits” rotation of favorite chocolate creations:
Flight Wine + Chocolate, the retro-aviation themed wine bar and craft chocolate shop in the Solis building on 13th and Pike, will celebrate their 5-year anniversary this March. To celebrate, Flight plans to offer a “greatest hits” specialty flight in March, featuring staff favorites and best-sellers from years past.Husband and husband-team Kevin Morton and David Wildman planned to open their “neighborhood getaway” in 2020, but had to push back to March of 2021, when Covid restrictions started allowing restricted dining out in the city. From there they faced an uphill battle to establish their boutique wine and chocolate shop as part of the Pike/Pine corridor. But despite the setbacks, Flight has grown into highly-rated, unpretentious staple for chocolate fans and wine-lovers in the city and beyond.
“We love being a part of the Capitol Hill scene and have an amazing group of regulars from the neighborhood.” Said wine guy Wildman. “Some have even joined our small but mighty staff.”
Chocolate guy Morton told us “We have club members who live around the corner, while others drive in from outside the city, and some of our hardcore fans fly in from California and even as far as Alabama.”
Since 2021, Flight has poured over 400 different wines and served over 50 different chocolate flavors (all nut-free and gluten-free). The two growing wine clubs offer Flight’s members discounts on wine, chocolate, and merch, as well as the opportunity to attend exclusive member only events. While initially focused only on Washington wines, Flight has expanded to a broader PNW focus by embracing unique wineries of the Willamette and Rogue valleys of Oregon. In addition to PNW-focused wines and rotating chocolates, Flight also curates special destination flights of international wines as well as festive sparkling flights during pride month and the holidays.
The “greatest hits” flight will land, in March and run until mid April, when the “First Class” and “Business Class” flights will refresh with all new wines for Spring.
- Flight neighbor lined up: The Flight shop will have a new neighbor — finally. CHS reported last fall on the plans for “Seattle’s premier halal bagel cafe” TOASTED to join the mixed-use Solis building at 13th and Pike.
- Blue Willow debut: Here’s another new opening — but this one has gone about its first weeks on Capitol Hill in an extremely quiet fashion. Blue Willow has been open in the old Stateside space on E Pike but the project from the Tyger Tyger food and drink family has keep things on the down low. There is no website or Instagram feed hyping the menu of dumplings and Sichuan peppercorn-rich entrees but stop by, grab a drink and welcome Blue Willow to 300 E Pike.
- Dave Meinert continues to grow his food and drink business — off Capitol Hill. It has been seven years since his Pike/Pine business partners distanced themselves from the accusations against Meinert, saying they removed the nightlife veteran from the corporations behind a collection of venues including Queer/Bar, Lost Lake, and the Comet. Meinert also announced he had sold his share of Big Mario’s at the time. Meinert’s Hold Fast Hospitality Group formed around his ownership of Seattle classic dives The 5 Point and the Mecca Cafe and expanded to Huckleberry Square. Now Meinert is adding another joint near his hometown. The B-Town Blog reports Meinert has added Wally’s Chowder House in Des Moines to his food and drink stable.
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