Atoma, located at 1411 N 45th Street, was thrilled to celebrate their second anniversary on November 2nd. They kept the tradition alive with a big party, a Halloween-themed house bash on Saturday, November 1st. They cleared out all the tables, filled the space with spooky decor, music, entertainment, and, of course, endless food and drinks. These events have become a real highlight for them and for their guests—tickets sold out in just a few days!
Their second year brought some unforgettable moments. The biggest was being named a finalist for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in America, an incredible honor often described as the “Oscars of the food world.” The team traveled to Chicago for the ceremony, and while they didn’t take home the award, they were proud to represent Seattle on the national stage. Public nominations for this year’s awards closed on November 21st, but you can bookmark this link to show support for your favorite restaurants next year.
Entering year three, Atoma is staying true to what defines them: a constantly evolving menu rooted in the seasons of the Pacific Northwest. You’ll find them each week at the U District Farmers Market loading up on beautiful local produce from farmers they’ve worked with since the beginning.
They look forward to continuing to welcome neighbors and friends, and to keeping Atoma a place that feels like part of the Wallingford fabric.
In other neighborhood restaurant news, the restaurant recommendation website Infatuation Seattle has released its list of Seattle’s Best New Restaurants of 2025, and three of them are located in the Wallingford area:
- Hushy’s, a sandwich counter on lower Stone Way that romanticizes the sit-down lunch
- My Friend Derek’s, an all-season treasure for Detroit-style pizza, located in Tangletown
- The Wayland Mill, a Midwestern-meets-Japanese all-day cafe near Lake Union, which was featured in Wallyhood earlier this year.
Although these newer eateries are making a splash on the Wallingford restaurant scene, several stalwart establishments have decided to close up shop, many citing the steeply rising costs of operating a restaurant in Seattle. There was Art of the Table, which closed in late 2024; The Whale Wins earlier this year; Kate’s Pub, where the last pint was poured on Halloween night; and the recent announcement that local Afghan favorite Kabul is closing its doors at the end of the year.
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Rising cost can always be blamed since nobody wants deflation and prices in general go up over time. However, it's a fact that there are more, not fewer, dining options around here. All the closing and opening are just the norm for the cut throat restaurant industry.
It was an honor to be nominated for a James Beard award and a feather in the cap for our community having such a fine restaurant in our neighborhood. It will be interesting to see what other restaurants open with all the growth on Stone Way as the new housing and commercial spaces keeps being built. Thanks for the updates.