A Pike Place Market Bar Is Closing After 36 Years

A longtime Pike Place Market fixture is closing permanently: This week the owners of Pike Brewing Company announced that it will be closing Pike Pub and Pike Fish Bar, which share a space inside the market on First Avenue.

Pike Brewing is a venerable craft brewer, established in 1989 (the fish bar opened much later, in 2022). In 2021, after the death of co-founder Rose Ann Finkel, the brewery partnered with the investment company Seattle Hospitality Group. Last year SHG acquired a controlling stake in Fremont Brewing, bringing the two prominent beer-makers under the same umbrella.

Matt Lincecum, who founded Fremont Brewing and is now the CEO of Pike Brewing, says that rising food and labor costs contributed to the decision to close — ketchup has gone up in price “20 to 40 percent,” for instance. He describes the closure as part of Pike Brewing’s “evolution”: The brand will continue to produce and distribute its beers, and is keeping its taproom at the Seattle Convention Center. Fremont Brewing’s beer garden business is “very healthy,” Lincecum adds.

The closure means that about 35 employees, mostly part-timers, will lose their jobs. Lincecum says that they will be paid and receive benefits until the end of the year. The pub and fish bar will be pouring $4 drafts until it closes on Sunday, November 30.

Over the summer, Renee Erickson’s famed steakhouse Bateau temporarily closed for a “reimagining,” and it looks like that process is nearly done. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reports that Erickson’s Sea Creatures group is eyeing a February reopening date, with a revamped menu. Co-owner Jeremy Price told the neighborhood news outlet that the plan is to invite back all former staff members (who, notably, unionized earlier this year). Meanwhile, Sea Creatures is planning to open its long-awaited three new restaurants in Pioneer Square’s Railspur development in December.

Fire breaks out at Green Lake restaurant

Greenlake Bar and Grill, a restaurant at the corner of Northeast 72nd Street and Green Lake Way, is closed after a fire broke out in the kitchen earlier this week. The Seattle Fire Department told the Seattle Times that the fire was accidental and probably caused by faulty wiring. A worker at nearby Revolutions Coffee has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to support the restaurant and its affected employees.

Plantains are back on the menu at Marjorie

Finally, if you’ve visited the latest version of Donna Moodie’s famed restaurant Marjorie, you may have noticed that its famed plantain chips were missing. Well, they’re back! In a press release, the Marjorie’s says that the crispy spiced chips — which have been a staple since 2003, when Marjorie’s was in Belltown — are now officially available at the Central District restaurant.