The Selena’s Guadalajara / Chabela’s / Patty’s Eggnest / Salut Bistro spot on 45th has a new tenant on the way: Pam’s Kitchen.
According to their web site:
The story of Pam’s Kitchen starts over 20 years ago, when the owner and chef Pam Jacobs was still living in her native country of Trinidad. She had a small establishment there, called ‘Pam’s Snack Shack’, but she always dreamed of coming to the Pacific Northwest to open a full restaurant.
When Pam moved to Seattle around 1994, she realized her dream, slowly but surely. While paying the bills with her housekeeping work, Jacobs began doing some catering for her housecleaning clients and their friends. They loved her roti! So, she decided to take her cooking to the next level, with a booth at a street fair in the University District. They had a huge line of waiting customers!
One thing led to another, and in 2006, Pam Jacobs opened her first Pam’s Kitchen in the University District near the University Heights Center on University Way.
Everybody needed an education on what Trinidadian food was, how to eat roti, and so on, so Pam and her family had a lot of work to do! Our team was happy to transform our restaurant into the cozy place it is today, bringing our vibe and spirit to the neighborhood. […]
Unfortunately, in early 2014 Pam’s Kitchen in the University District will have to close due to the impending demolition of our building. Not to worry, we will find a new home for Pam’s Kitchen as soon as we can!
Sounds like they found that new location, and it’s 45th Street in Wallingford. No word yet on when it’s scheduled to open, but the reviews of their existing location on Yelp are solid, and they earned a visit from the Food Channel’s Guy Fieri.
Update: Just spoke with Pam. She says they will be opening last weekend in February or early March. She will be cooking there (her Eastlake store is lunch only). She says it will “not be a stuck up restaurant. You gonna feel like you’re in my kitchen,” and is hoping to have live, Caribbean / steel drum music once a month.
It will be open for dinner initially, and then they’ll move into lunch over the following weeks. They’ll still have the bar and remain open until 11 pm in the evenings.
(Thanks for the tip, Raven and db)
Assuming the quality is the same as the U-District location, if Pam’s doesn’t make it there then that location really is cursed. This is good news.
You must try this food. I have found most ethnic restaurants to be disappointing. This is mainly because indigenous ingredients, that make the food so special, are not always available in the US. Or, processed American food is often used in place of indigenous ingredients. Not this place. I don’t know how she does it, but having visited Trinidad, I can honestly say that this food is not only authentic, but made with the kind of passion that transports you to another place. The only thing that’s missing is a hammock and a sun lamp. All this, plus, Pam is the nicest person you will ever meet, and her family, who also worked in the UDist, are the same. You will love eating here.
This place was really good in the U District. It was a little expensive for the area, but should fit nicely in Wallingford. If this doesn’t end the curse then….
One more thing on the “curse”. The problem for all businesses in Wallingford is lack of parking. Last Thursday at 6:30pm I planned to meet up with friends at the new Turkish Restaurant just across the street from Pam’s. I drove only because of the rain. If I had walked (from Latona) I would have gotten there sooner. I drove around so much looking for (legal) parking that after we had finished our (fantastic) meal, I almost forgot where I had parked my car. I wish I could contribute a solution to this issue, but lack of parking is definitely a problem in Wallingford.
Agree on parking problems!! Not helped by ridiculous parklet in front of Molly Moons, which took away spaces. Not sure when or if I might visit there again,even on foot. If MM did not advocate for it, they should have opposed it for broader public benefit of parking.
To all those complaining about the parking, take the bus dingdongs!
Super stoked to see Pam’s Kitchen alive and well. They should do well in this spot.
Kelly–two whole parking spaces would not solve the Wallingford parking crunch. Let’s enjoy the parklet.
As for Pam’s–YAY! They found a spot, Wallingford got a good restaurant–win win!!
Story updated with open date and a few other details
I al glad to have Pams Kitchen. Sounds wonderful.
Weighing in on the stupid poorlooking parklet of MM’s.. it looks awful and takes 2 spaces.
Normally, I would not take the bait, Tony, (why don’t you use your whole name so we know who you are?), but why call people names? Taking the bus is not practical for everyone…..many in Wallingford would have to walk farther to catch a bus than to walk to a restaurant. Also, in the rain, most people will take the path of least resistance to stay dry. To my point, I arrived for dinner at 6:3pm on a Thursday night, granted not the biggest night out in Wallingford. My friends and I were the only customers in the place for an hour and a half when one other small group came in. In the 30 years I have lived in Wallingford it could be seriously argued that there has been an increase in the number of businesses. This is great for those of us who keep these places profitable with our patronage. None of them would argue that the lack of parking is detrimental to their business.
Sorry, let me re-phrase…Business owners would agree that the lack of parking was detrimental to their businesses.
When people say problems of restaurants on 45th would be solved by more parking this is based on their own desire for more parking and not on any evidence that parking would help. I could just as easily say that I think we would help restaurants by removing parking from 45th and add wide people friendly sidewalks to increase foot traffic, after all that is what Molly Moons chose. Of course, mine is just another opinion.
Instead of letting uninformed options about parking face of on every second Wallyhood article we could look to the many smart people have studied what makes neighborhoods thrive. I suggest before anyone chimes in on any Wallyhood topic with a suggestion that parking will solve a problem they read “Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time” by Jeff Speck. He describes approaches to livability in old city neighborhoods like ours. These approaches don’t say we should eliminate parking, however they are sensible options which place a value on having people, not cars in the neighborhood.
I hope their food is better than their website.
I hope their food is better than the photo. Yikes. Agree with Ben wholeheartedly. Big sidewalks with trees, plants, and some open space. The little strip where this space is located is so narrow. What’s funny to me is that Seattle has been a wonderfully walkable city. We have extraordinary stairways, lovely wooded paths and interesting residential corridors. But the last 25 years have witnessed the displacement of a lot of this good stuff for boxy, cut to the curb, monotonous multiplexes that remove the sweet gardens, open spaces and breathability that foster and support walkin’ round.
Really Jon. You’re going to get on Tony’s case for using the word “dingdongs?”
I gather you’re accustomed to being addressed that way?
@ “Doug”, “walkinroun” & “impliedobserver” –LOL!! Agree, agree, agree. Thanks for the laughs. I needed that.
Legal parking is available on the residential streets above 45th. Although at 6:30 I’d imagine many of the residents are home by then so availability is less. But I’ve never had much of a problem.
Dear would-be entrepreneurs of Wallingford,
Thank you for coming here! I am excited to try your food. But please, do not open another restaurant in that same miserable space without remodeling it first.
The “curse” is simply that – it is a terrible, awful, nasty space. It needs to be remodeled. I hope that some day someone with the budget to do that will take over the space.
Good luck – Pam sounds awesome – I hope you find a good home in our neighborhood.
I’m excited to try Pam’s! I’ve heard they offer vegetarian, too. We’ll go early on and then go as often as possible and spread the word — we’ll try to help get rid of any curse on that space! Welcome to Wallingford!
Parking is seriously not the issue. We’re one block off 45th, and could walk to any of these restaurants in a few minutes. But generally we don’t – we take the bus to Fremont, Capitol Hill, downtown, Ballard – because most Wallingford restaurants are just ok, and if I’m plunking down $$ for someone else to feed me, I want more than ok.
I’m actually excited about Pam’s; we have one next door to my office, and the food is good & inexpensive. But I do hope they remodel that space before opening.
I’m looking forward to this place. I was sad to see them leave the U district.
@walkinroun if that photo is not appealing to you then this restaurant probably isn’t the place for you
As a vegetarian, I liked getting for dinner the chickpeas and potato roti which is basically the sides of the meat dishes. I’d also get a side of the spicy string beans. Very filling. For lunch, the chickpea coconut bread sandwich is not only delicious but a deal at $6. At least that was the price at the U-district location.
Oh Wendell, please don’t get all huffy on me. The photo on the website is better, but the photo here just does not convey “come on in” to me. I do get that looks and taste can differ widely. But I would guess I am not alone in finding this photo less than welcoming, and I would also venture that the restaurant might want to know potential customers’ impressions. Maybe not.
Actually, Pam’s Kitchen has been on our radar for a while, we just haven’t had the chance to try the Eastlake location yet. We have been searching and searching for a good soul food joint ever since Ms. Helen’s closed after the Nisqually earthquake. The Kingfisher recently closed, but for us it did not come close to Ms. Helen’s. We will definitely give Pam’s Kitchen a try.
If anyone’s mystified as I was by what appears to be a content free web site with a lot of black space — that’s because of the black background and foreground colors, and you can “select” areas to highlight the background and reveal the hidden text. There’s menus and stuff.
One never knows, but I doubt we’re speaking to the proprietors, here, it’s just the usual dozen or so comment crowd, so I guess we can argue over what the feedback on that picture should actually be and nominate someone to present the consensus in person at the restaurant.
I’m optimistic. My theory is that it will never be a particularly enticing location for various reasons, but assuming it isn’t unreasonably expensive, it’s good for a place that’s a one-of-a-kind culinary destination.
We went to Pam’s Kitchen for diner tonight and it was amazing! It is the Trinidadian restaurant that is moving into the space on 45th in Wallingford where Patty’s Eggnest and several Mexican places have been.
Pam’s has an amazing rep already, written up in Seattle Met, Diners Drive Ins and Dives (they are moving here from their U District location, which I just never made it to). They are not yet officially open, so no liquor license yet and they did not have a few items on the menu. But what we had was amazing. The vegan curry dish was the best (we scraped the plate of the pumpkin and kale!). Super nice staff. Pam is so sweet.
Let’s all support her and finally help a restaurant to stay in this location!
I’m going to try it tonight. Fingers crossed.