At 6 a.m. on any day this fall, the lights are on at the southeast corner of California and Alaska. Anchorhead Coffee opened there on Saturday, October 24, in the former Junction Starbucks at 4233 SW Alaska. It now runs "every day from 6 to 6," in the words of the proprietor as reported by West Seattle Blog. The next morning, Portage Bay Café served its last brunch around the corner at 4725 42nd SW. That same Sunday, Kizuki Ramen closed at 42nd SW and SW Alaska after ten years.
Within one block and one weekend, the Junction gained a 6 a.m. coffee counter and lost a brunch room and a ramen dining room. The openings planned for November follow the same pattern. The new places stretch the block's hours at both ends of the day, and the seats for a sit-down meal are what has thinned out.
Who left the block in October
Three closures landed within a week, and all three were sit-down meals. None of the three gave the same reason.
Portage Bay owner Amy Fair Gunnar told West Seattle Blog that the location had a basic problem. It didn't have enough indoor seating to get through fall and winter, at a time of "soaring costs" for running a restaurant. Her other four locations, she said, are going strong. She also pointed to a Washington Hospitality Association count of about 2,000 restaurant closures statewide this year, which she said is more than in the first year of COVID. The 42nd SW space has turned over before. Fresh Bistro ran there for nine years and Agave Cocina for three before Portage Bay opened in early 2023.
Kizuki's exit was a lease that ran its course. The commercial broker who represents the space told West Seattle Blog that Kizuki chose not to renew after a decade. A new lease is already signed with "a very experienced local West Seattle restaurant group" planning a fresh concept, which will open "sometime in 2027 after the remodel."
Mashiko is the longest-running of the three. Its final night in the Junction was Monday, October 19, after more than 30 years on California Ave. In a farewell message shared through West Seattle Blog, sushi chef Mariah Kmitta, who has worked at Mashiko for close to 27 years, said: "We've been fortunate enough to be a part of so many people's lives." The restaurant is moving to 9640 16th SW in White Center under the name Mashiko Tsugu. Owner and GM Alix Yarrow told the outlet the team would "love to be open by the end of the year," depending on how fast permitting moves.
Add the former Rudy's Barbershop, empty since that salon merged into the Rudy's on Fauntleroy Way in August. West Seattle Blog counted three vacant spaces on that one block. Across 42nd, Jefferson Square has several vacancies that have lasted a long time.
Who arrives on the same block this month
The table below lines up the changes on the block by address and hours.
| Address | Leaving or left | Arriving | Hours or timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4233 SW Alaska | Starbucks | Anchorhead Coffee, opened Oct. 24 | 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily |
| 4706 California Ave SW | Haymaker, closed May 2024 | Dave's Hot Chicken and Gong Cha | Dave's open until 11 p.m. Sun–Thu, midnight Fri–Sat |
| 4725 42nd SW | Portage Bay Café, last day Oct. 25 | No tenant announced | |
| 42nd SW and SW Alaska | Kizuki Ramen, last day Oct. 25 | Local restaurant group, new concept | 2027, after remodel |
| California Ave | Mashiko, last night Oct. 19 | Relocating to White Center | Hoping for year-end reopening |
The 4706 California storefront has been dark for about two and a half years. Haymaker closed there in May 2024 after five years, when its parent company said the concept no longer fit the brands it planned to grow. The space is now being split into two storefronts, both franchises run by the Kirkland-based Keshap Group. Sana Keshap is opening Dave's Hot Chicken and Prachi Keshap is opening Gong Cha.
West Seattle Blog described the stretch as "a block where restaurant food options are limited after 10 pm." Dave's will run from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. That puts hot food on California Ave an hour or two past the point where the block has usually gone quiet.
When the doors open, and what the first weeks may look like
Dave's grand opening is set for no later than Friday, November 13, with a soft opening the day before. It could move up to the first Friday of the month if construction wraps up early. Sana Keshap told the outlet that "the West Seattle permit took a little longer than expected." The franchisees expect big crowds early on. Their combined Dave's and Gong Cha location on Capitol Hill drew more than 2,000 customers during its opening days. Delivery apps will come later, once in-person volume is manageable.
Gong Cha is taking a slower approach. Its West Seattle store will be only the second in Washington. An extended soft opening starts November 12 or 13, and the grand opening runs December 3 and 4, with buy-one-get-one specials on select drinks. That grand opening falls on the same Thursday as the Junction's first holiday Shop Late night, covered below.
The Junction's wider pattern this fall
The rest of the Junction's recent openings and signed leases lean the same way. They are places to stop in, make something or grab food at the counter. None is a full-service dining room.
- Starbird Chicken opened at 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW on September 28, the chain's first Washington location.
- CraftLab Seattle, a craft studio at 4411 California SW, held its public opening on October 3.
- VivaArts opened its new studio at 4736 California SW on October 17.
- HoneyDew Glassworks holds its grand opening at 2914 SW Avalon Way on Friday, November 13, from noon to 6 p.m. That is the same date as the latest possible Dave's opening.
- Take Care Yoga signed a lease at 4747 California Ave SW, the former Junction Hot Yoga space, and expects to open in mid- to late January 2027 after a remodel.
So for this winter, the Junction's breakfast-to-dinner seating is thinner than it was in September. The new places are open earlier, later, or for something other than a meal. The sit-down replacement already announced, the new concept in the Kizuki space, is set for 2027.
The holiday calendar runs on the same evening hours
The Junction Association's holiday schedule leans on evenings, the hours the new Dave's will cover and the closed dining rooms used to serve.
- Alki Holiday Lights, Friday, November 27, 6 to 9 p.m., on Alki Avenue between 57th and 63rd. The Alki Community Council lists treats and games, and Argosy's shoreline performance at Alki Beach runs 8:35 to 8:55 p.m.
- Junction Shop Late with Santa and elves, Thursday, December 3, with live music by Better as Brass and the first-Thursday West Seattle Book Club. It is also day one of Gong Cha's grand opening.
- West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays, Saturday, December 5, on SW Alaska St. between 42nd and California, including Junction Plaza Park. The night market opens at 4 p.m., performances start at 4:30, the pet costume contest is at 5:30, the tree lighting is at 6, and the market closes at 8. Full details are on the Junction Association's Hometown Holidays page.
- Shop Late with Figgy Pudding carolers and the Art Walk, Thursday, December 10.
- Santa and elves at Curious Kidstuff, Saturday, December 12.
- Kiwanis Cocoa & Coat Drive, Sunday, December 13, at the Junction farmers market near the All-Ways intersection, with free cocoa donated by Husky Deli.
On the December 5 tree-lighting night, the market closes at 8 p.m. Once Dave's is open, it will still have four hours of service left that Saturday, and Anchorhead will have closed two hours before the market opens. On 42nd SW, the former Portage Bay and Kizuki rooms will be dark that night.
For more on how Seattle neighborhoods refill the storefronts they lose, see our look at Capitol Hill's fall food wave, or browse our Seattle neighborhood page.
Changes on a block like this one affect daily life for the people who live nearby, and they also shape how a home nearby is presented when it goes to market. If you own near the Junction and want to understand how these changes fit your plans, The Sessoms Group can walk you through it. Schedule your concierge consultation.
