10 new restaurants in Seattle and Bellevue, plus a dozen to get excited about

Now open:

Marmite, the new soup-and-sandwich spot inside Chophouse Row on Capitol Hill, will start dinner service by early February, adding grilled meat and fish, along with its signature soups. Owners Bruce and Sara Naftaly will also add a small bar similar to their late-but-great cocktail den Sambar in that space. Bruce said the new bar, called Spirit in the Bottle, will be open by the end of February. Brunch service started over the weekend. Their sous chef, Miles James of Dot’s Butcher & Deli,  does the charcuterie and other meat (ham for brunch; merguez sausage and Canadian bacon for sandwiches) while Bruce’s wife, Sara, who owns the bakery Amandine next door, makes baguettes and other breads daily for the lunch program. With their last restaurant Le Gourmand, (closed in 2012) the Naftalys helped introduce French cuisine and focused on locally sourced ingredients long before both became popular in Seattle.

Cook Weaver on Capitol Hill: An eclectic and fun menu that includes “kimchi potato latkes” and cheetos, though mercifully not in the same dish.

Cycene in Pike Place Market: A small breakfast-and-lunch spot focused on Southern-style sandwiches and grits

Crab King in Bellevue: From the  owners of Flying Fish in South Lake Union, a high-end Asian seafood restaurant where Japanese snow crab and Alaskan king crab feasts range from $58-$165. That’s per person.

Café Bollywood in Bellevue: From the same folks behind the two Oh! India restaurants on the Eastside, another affordable lunch option with many vegetarian dishes in the $5-$9 range and meat dishes only a couple bucks more.

Existing restaurants expanding into other neighborhoods: 

Katsu Burger on Capitol Hill (look for our happy-hour  review this Wednesday); Cucina Americana in Maple Leaf; Mioposto Pizzeria on Mercer Island; Green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant in Bellevue; Caliburger in Alderwood mall.

Openings to keep an  eye on:

Sen Noodle House in Ballard comes from the folks behind Pestle Rock next door. Pestle Rock is a stellar Thai restaurant – some would say Seattle’s best Thai, specializing in cuisine from the northeastern region. Their new venture, Sen, scheduled to open by the end of January, will focus on noodles, both soup and the stir- fried variety.

B’s Po Boy in West Seattle will open in the closed Fatburger spot on Alki, the West Seattle blog reported. Deborah and Ryan Borchelt opened the first B’s Po Boy in Indianapolis. In a phone interview, Deborah said they closed the deal last Friday and could open as early as late March because they’re only making “cosmetic” changes to the existing space. With a bigger kitchen to work with, the owners plan to expand the menu to include jambalaya, étouffée and other Cajun offerings. The 90-seat restaurant will include a full bar.

Din Tai Fung will open in Southcenter this spring, Eater reported. No date yet on when the soup-dumpling mecca will finally open in Pacific Place … and speaking of soup dumplings, we know now Dough Zone will open a branch in the Chinatown-International District in May. So, there’s that.

The Halal Guys, the investors behind those wildly popular gyro-and-falafel carts around New York City, will open a sit-down restaurant in the spring in Pioneer Square at 105 Yesler Way, Eater reported.

And, last but not least, Belltown will get six openings and reopenings all within a four-block radius in the coming months.