Seattle, WA

Seattle’s 10 Biggest Restaurant Stories of 2024

Published

1 year ago

December 4, 2024

Seattle’s 10 Biggest Restaurant Stories of 2024

What a year it has been. It’s impossible to adequately summarize the highs and lows of 2024, but there’s something cathartic about re-engaging with the stories that really grabbed our readers and captured the mood of the last 12 months in Seattle. From the saddest closures to the triumphs of a solo deliveryman stickin’ it to the apps, these were the biggest moments in Seattle food news this year.

Shame on us for thinking the Barbie bump was over post-Barbenheimer Summer 2023. Seattle’s decorated restaurant institution Canlis proved that odes to the Mattel brand continue to capture attention even a year later, when in July the whole restaurant was repainted Barbie pink to transform into “Kenlis” for a a doll-themed two-day party in August. Naturally, it sold out.

There’s nothing more wholesome in the face of late-stage capitalism than watching a guy like Tony Illes rise in the delivery wars against the likes of DoorDash and Uber Eats. Illes made a name for himself by charging a flat delivery fee, competing with the high costs of competitors that hiked rates in response to Seattle standards for minimum wage workers on the app. We salute you, Tony Delivers.

This story’s outsized impact merely scrapes the surface of what Howdy Bagel co-owner Jake Carter meant to the wider community. Carter was tragically killed while traveling in New Orleans in January. The Tacoma restaurant, which is known to draw long lines, reopened in February with friends and fans of the shop paying tribute to Carter in the form of hand-written notes.

In August, Eater Seattle editor Harry Cheadle reported on the exception to Seattle’s minimum wage law that allowed small businesses to give tipped workers a lower base pay rate than non-tipped workers. Allowing the exemption to expire will likely put a squeeze on many restaurants in the city next year and perhaps lead to broader changes such as increased use of service fees. In October, elected officials confirmed that they would allow the tipped credit exemption to expire as planned. Hourly workers in all businesses, tipped or not, will be paid $20.76 come 2025.

Seattle celebrated its 2024 crop of James Beard Award semifinalists in January. Included among the ranks were Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham of Pho Bac, the Boat, and Phocific Standard Time; Aaron Verzosa of Archipelago; the Walrus and the Carpenter; Jenet Becerra of Pancita; Ben Campbell of Ben’s Bread Co.; and Eight Row. They were joined by Kristi Brown of Communion, Grayson Corrales of MariPili Tapas Bar, Evan Leichtling of Off Alley, Melissa Miranda of Musang, Avery Adams of Orcas Island’s Matia Kitchen, and Derek Bray at the Table in Tacoma — all of whom were under consideration for the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category. Ultimately, the region walked away empty-handed.

Build-your-own pizza chain Mod Pizza got its start in Seattle and has expanded to hundreds of locations since then, but lately, it’s fallen on hard times. In what’s been characterized as a move to avert bankruptcy, Mod sold to Elite Restaurant Group in July.

Cupcake Royale

The early aughts trend in cupcake shops managed to sustain in Seattle for decades under Cupcake Royale. The brand founded by Jody Hall opened in 2003 on the leading edge of the cupcake craze in the PNW. But, like so many things harmed by the pandemic, Hall announced that Cupcake Royale would be shutting down its cafes to focus on delivery and pickup service.

Seattle lost more than a few great restaurants and bars this year — we’re looking at you ʔálʔal Cafe, Two Doors Down, Coastal Kitchen, that one weird Taco Time — but some hurt more than others and for Eater Seattle readers, dry-aged burger favorite 49th Street Beast was deeply mourned. The restaurant closed on July 28 inside Fair Island Brewing.

In brighter burger news, Familyfriend absolutely captivated diners this year with its smash-hit Kewpie burger — a dish so good it earned an Eater Award. Eater Seattle’s piece on the dramatic rise of Familyfriend on TikTok revealed even more about this Guamian gamechanger, which (by the way) has way more than burgers to offer.

Word of Andrew Rubinstein’s forthcoming bagel shop delighted fans throughout the Seattle area after he sold his namesake shop Rubinstein Bagels to restaurateur Ethan Stowell. Rubinstein’s new venture, Hey Bagel, is slated to open any day now in University Village and you could cut the anticipation with a bread knife.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Seahawks’ home, road opponents set for 2026 season

Published

7 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Seattle Seahawks’ home, road opponents set for 2026 season

Patrick Mahomes and 2025 MVP candidate Drake Maye are set to make trips to Lumen Field to face the Seattle Seahawks next season.

The Seahawks’ nine home and eight road opponents are now set for the 2026 campaign. They will face what on paper will be a tough slate after securing the NFC West title this year, which means they will take on the reigning division champions from the NFC North, NFC South and AFC East in addition to their home-and-home series with their NFC rivals and matchups against each team from the NFC East and AFC West.

The numbers behind Seattle Seahawks’ defensive masterpiece vs 49ers

The full schedule with dates for games has yet to be released. The NFL typically unveils the following season’s schedule in May.

Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Maye’s New England Patriots coming to town are among the highlights of the Seahawks’ 2026 slate. They could also be in line for a reunion with former coach Pete Carroll, as a trip to Las Vegas to face the Raiders is on the docket. However, the Raiders are not expected to keep Carroll for a second season.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is in line to square off with one of his former mentors when Seattle hosts Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh was the head coach at the University of Michigan when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator in 2021. Harbaugh is also the dad of Seahawks special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh.

Seattle has three trips to the east coast next season where they will face the reigning NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles, reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders. The Seahawks also faced the Panthers and Commanders on the road this season.

Here’s a full look at Seattle’s 2026 home and away opponents.

Home

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angeles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Chicago Bears
• New England Patriots
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Dallas Cowboys
• New York Giants

Away

• Arizona Cardinals
• Los Angles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers
• Carolina Panthers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Denver Broncos
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Washington Commanders

Find more info on how each team’s opponents are chosen here.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Seattle Seahawks GM shares positive updates on Bryant, Cross for playoffs
• Drake Thomas an unlikely hero in Seattle Seahawks’ landmark win
• Seahawks’ season-long commitment to run game pays off in massive win
• Stacy Rost: Seattle Seahawks show their fatal flaw may not matter
• The 5 biggest plays that delivered Seahawks’ win over 49ers

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Seattle’s Defense Wanted To Show It Was The ‘Best Defense In The NFL With Dominant Win

Published

19 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Seattle’s Defense Wanted To Show It Was The ‘Best Defense In The NFL With Dominant Win

Santa Clara—When Seattle’s defense stepped on the field for the Week 18 matchup against the 49ers, they had a few goals in mind, winning was of course one of those, but they wanted to show everyone watching they are the best defense in the league.

“We made up our mind that we were going to be the best defense in the NFL,” linebacker Uchenna Nwosu said. “We were going to show the world tonight and that’s what we did.”

As has been the case for the entire season, the Seahawks’ defense was once again a highlight in their 13-3 win. The Seahawks won, in part thanks to a dominant performance by the defense that held the San Francisco 49ers to just three points. The last time Kyle Shanahan’s offense was held to just three points was in his 49ers head coaching debut in 2017. Since then, San Francisco has scored at least 6 points in every game, until Saturday.

Coming into Saturday’s game, the 49ers were riding a three-game streak of great performances by its offense. Throughout all three of those games, San Francisco was averaging 42.3 points per game, 455.3 yards per game and 29.3 first downs per game.

Seattle’s defense held San Francisco to just 53 rushing yards, which included 21 yards from quarterback Brock Purdy, 127 yards through the air, a lone field goal, and just nine first downs. They also picked off Purdy once, sacked him three times and forced the 49ers to punt four times.

“They’re a tremendous offense,” head coach Mike Macdonald said following the game. “Probably top whatever in the league and have been doing it for a long time. They have great players, they have great coaches, and the numbers back it up. Our guys played great complimentary football today. They really did. I can’t say enough, but I can’t wait to watch the tape. There’s a lot of assists going on in there, guys rushing unselfishly to free somebody else up or to let somebody else have a two-way go so they can cover for them. How we played in the back end, it felt like we were ahead of plays. These guys did a great job. I’m looking forward to watching it.”

Christian McCaffery, one of San Francisco’s top offensive playmakers in both the run and passing game was held to his lowest rushing yards all season with 23 yards through the night and his fourth lowest receiving yards with 34.

Nick Emmanwori who had a team high seven tackles, as well as a tackle for loss and quarterback hit said, “Our front seven is the best in the world. Our D-Line is the best in the world. Got dudes like Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy. Our edges are dogs. They handle business every week. We’ve got the best run defense I the league. It makes it easy for us on the back end.”

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What does the Buccaneers beating the Panthers mean for the Seahawks?

Published

1 day ago

January 3, 2026

Press Room

What does the Buccaneers beating the Panthers mean for the Seahawks?

We’ll have to wait one more day to learn who takes the NFC South crown.

The Buccaneers, losers of seven of their last eight coming into today, were able to piece together a tough, 16-14 win in bad weather against the Panthers. It was a calming three hours for the Bucs and their fans, who had seen their team go from theorized Super Bowl contender in the early months of the season to bottomless freefall.

Had the Panthers found a way to win today, the NFC South, and the #4 seed in the NFC, would have been determined. Instead, we’ll have to wait another day, as a matchup between the two NFC South rivals who are eliminated from the postseason entirely will now determine everything. Certainly ironic, but great for drama.

The New Orleans Saints travel to the Atlanta Falcons tomorrow to wrap up their respective seasons, and while they’re not playing for much more than pride, both the Buccaneers and Panthers will be watching with great interest. If the Falcons win, today will prove to be little more than a minor setback for Carolina, and they’ll win the division regardless.

However, should the Saints get the road upset, everything gets flipped. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were seemingly skidding towards a shocking early offseason, would be awarded the division on tiebreakers. Their Week Eight 23-3 victory over New Orleans, at the time seemingly innocuous, would end up salvaging their playoff spot.

Both Atlanta and New Orleans are on hot runs right now, the Falcons winners of three straight and the Saints on a four game streak. It’s a surprisingly compelling game given that both teams are guaranteed losing records on the season.

And this is very relevant to the Seattle Seahawks, because depending on tonight’s result in San Francisco, the NFC South division winner will either possibly, or definitely, be the team they play in their first playoff game.

If Seattle prevails tonight and takes the top seed in the NFC, it is entirely possible that their Divisional Round opponent is whoever comes out on top here. As the top seed, they play the lowest remaining seed, which would be either Carolina or Tampa Bay if all three home teams win on Wild Card Weekend. I wouldn’t bet on it, but it’s entirely possible.

On the other hand, if the Seahawks drop their game tonight and end up the #5 seeded NFC squad, then they’re drawing the winner of the NFC South in the first round for sure. Seattle has already played both teams this year, dropping an early-season bout to Tampa Bay 38-35, and just last week handling Carolina 27-10.

Of course, the Buccaneers were a far better team in that Week Five matchup, and the Seahawks have changed radically over the last three months as well, so it’s a matter of debate which team Seattle matches up better with. I imagine most Seahawks fans would feel good about either opponent, but there’s probably a preference somewhere in there.

Regardless, we’ll be waiting one more day to find out who the opponent will be, by which Seattle will already know if they’re watching the first round of the playoffs on a bye, or facing off against the south’s winner on the road.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images