HELP SAY GOODBYE TO 2023 AND TO THIS WALLINGFORD GEM
For over 40 years Julia’s has been serving brunch in the Wallingford neighborhood, and tomorrow, the last service will run, leaving an egg-shaped void in our collective hearts and stomachs. Some of you may have bid farewell by attending the yacht rock brunch hosted in mid-December, but for others, tomorrow is the last chance to stop by the corner of Wallingford Ave and 44th Street, and enjoy the charm of this neighborhood favorite.
Since the days of sending a shot back to the kitchen are behind us, as a final way to honor the people who’ve made our benedicts and huevos rancheros all these years, Julia’s is selling shirts, hoodies, mugs, and stickers from their online store with all proceeds supporting the kitchen staff. The website honors this crew saying “Your purchase of a store item will help support our kitchen family who’ve fed the community for decades as they transition to their next adventure. All proceeds go to them…Every purchase holds our history and gratitude for your patronage over 4 decades”.
NEIGHBORHOOD FAVORITE PUSHED OUT BY NAMESAKE AFTER 42 YEARS
While getting breakfast from Julia’s personally took me through a dismal stretch of the pandemic, it seems that not all was peaceful behind the scenes. Vanishing Seattle tells a story on their Instagram account of Julia Miller, who opened the restaurant in 1981 and German immigrant Karsten Betd, who joined Julia’s as a bus boy in 1983, and through talent and diligence became a manager then owner — purchasing Julia’s in 1993, and eventually passing it to his daughter, Lauren. The story continues with Julia’s decisions to maintain ownership of the building (contrary to previous commitments), and even raise the rent, causing Julia’s to close tomorrow — December 31, 2023.
It’s said that there are three sides to every story, but tales of rent spikes pushing out longtime tenants are certainly not just the stuff of fiction here in Seattle. So whatever the details are, Julia’s is a story of an idea come to life, of hard work, a family business and of the end of an era! And whatever the full story is, Wallingford is sorry to see Julia’s go, so let’s give her one heck of a final day tomorrow (open 9:00am-2:30pm)!