Intentionalist: Your Guide to Seattle Restaurant Week

by Kristina Rivera

Showing support for your favorite local restaurants has never been so delicious thanks to Seattle Restaurant Week.

Throughout the month of April, dozens of Seattle-area restaurants are offering special deals available for takeout, outdoor dining, limited dine-in, delivery, or all of the above. It's the perfect opportunity to support your favorite restaurants, find some new favorites, or explore a different neighborhood.

With over 200 participating restaurants, it can be daunting to know where to start. Check out the full list of Intentionalist businesses that are part of Seattle Restaurant Week, or read on for three recommendations for eateries you can support this month.

Theary Cambodian Foods

Theary Ngeth shares her Cambodian culture and Khmer cuisine as authentically as she can at her food stall, Theary Cambodian Foods. Theary Cambodian Foods is part of Spice Bridge in Tukwila, which is home to the Food Innovation Network's Food Business Incubator — a program that helps South King County women of color and immigrants start and grow thriving businesses. Theary's passion for cooking started after she began preparing meals for Cambodian seniors in the Seattle area, which is something her parents did in the '80s to mid '90s. The seniors told Theary her dishes reminded them of the food they grew up eating before fleeing the Khmer Rouge, which inspired her to keep the tradition of Cambodian cooking alive. She became a part of Spice Bridge when her friend Liyu Yirdaw (the owner of Ethiopian-American food stall WUHA at Spice Bridge) tasted Theary's homemade chili oil and encouraged her to apply. Now Theary is working toward her dream of owning her own brick-and-mortar restaurant.

For Seattle Restaurant Week, Theary is offering a $50 combination meal for two and a $20 duck curry lunch plate for two featuring duck curry with rice vermicelli noodles, greens, sprouts, fresh herbs, Theary's famous chili oil, coconut cream paste, garlic, and chao quẩy (a Chinese fried donut). Check out all of Theary Cambodian Foods' Seattle Restaurant Week offerings.

"[My parents] have come such a long way and have been "I'm happy and humble to be able to produce food that helps [people] bring back memories of their loved ones that used to be prepared for them. For me, that's very heartwarming when they say, 'My God, this is like my mother's!'"

— Theary Ngeth

Anju Bar and Eatery

In 2018, Sam Jo opened Anju Bar and Eatery in White Center after quitting his job in construction to pursue his dream of owning his own business. His father owned several small businesses, and Sam wanted to share his Korean roots, so opening a Korean restaurant and bar was a natural choice for him. At Anju — which means food eaten with alcohol in Korean — Sam seeks to transport guests out of Seattle and into Los Angeles. The restaurant has a casual ambience reminiscent of the outdoor bars in Koreatown in LA and features street-style food you'd find in Seoul. In addition to Korean-inspired cuisine, you'll also find classic Korean drinks like soju, makguli, and boricha as well as craft beer and spirits.

Anju Bar and Eatery has three different $35 takeout options for Seattle Restaurant Week: Meat, Heat, and Mostly Veggie. Each option comes with four entrees, and the Meat dinner package consists of Korean fried chicken bites, chicken teriyaki, a Koreadilla (a kimchi quesadilla with Korean barbecue beef that's oozing with cheese), and chicken katsu. Anju Bar and Eatery is open for takeout only, here is their full menu of Seattle Restaurant Week offerings.

"My favorite part about White Center is just that it has this sort of genuine realness to it. At the core of White Center, most of those are independent, small businesses and there's still a strong immigrant population there. There's still a strong ethnic and minority population there. It feels like a grassroots community where people can come and start their business and their life and grow and nurture it."

— Sam Jo

Cafe Red

Cafe Red owners Jesiah Wurtz and Haley Williams (who is also the head chef) have been serving coffee to South Seattle since 2015, beginning with their mobile coffee cart. The couple always knew that coffee had the power to bring people together, so they opened Cafe Red's brick-and-mortar space in Othello in 2017 to create a place where people can connect, gather, and authentically be themselves. Cafe Red's food menu is 100 percent plant-based, and they supply a majority of their ingredients locally — like tofu from Chu Minh Tofu and fresh-baked bread from Moon Village Bakery. Before the pandemic, Cafe Red was a hub for live music and events, which Haley and Jesiah hope to continue when it's safe to gather again.

Get your breakfast fix at Cafe Red for Seattle Restaurant Week. The cafe is offering a $50 breakfast for four, a $30 breakfast and coffee for two, and a $20 solo deluxe breakfast that comes with one breakfast sandwich, one chorizo or veggie taco, a deluxe hashbrown, and a medium Oatnilla (a cold brew, organic vanilla, and oat milk drink). Cafe Red is open for takeout only, and you can view their full Seattle Restaurant Week menu.

"People know each other, people care about each other [in Othello]. It really feels like we're part of a community that is really looking out for each other. And in a hyper-capitalist society, it's really easy to feel isolated. Being able to literally feel like the community has our back and finding ways we can tap in and support people too, it's just really been a wonderful experience." — Jesiah Wurtz

— Jesiah Wurtz

Kristina Rivera is the marketing and communications coordinator at Intentionalist. She graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in journalism and public relations and has worked with organizations ranging from local nonprofits to global PR firms.

Featured Image: Dishes from Theary Cambodian Food, including house made chili oil, a bowl of oxtail and beef back rib soup, and a plate of Me Ga Tunk — beef sauted with crushed caramelized garlic, egg, and Chinese broccoli. (Photo: Denise Miller for Global to Local).