Big Brother, Big Mario. It’s time to get small, man. Here are a few tiny restaurants on the Hill that try to keep your bill tiny as well. Got a small, small love for something we missed? Leave a comment.
1601 Harvard Avenue
Before Mia’s was Mia’s, it was a kosher deli open on Capitol Hill for eight years. When Mia Lawrence found out her then boss was planning on selling the place, she and her husband Bill jumped at the opportunity.
“We always wanted to open up our own restaurant,” Mia said.
Since opening three years ago, Mia’s has expanded it’s lunch-centered menu to include burgers and Asian food. Nothing on the menu is more than ten bucks which is great for the Seattle Central students and faculty who frequent this little café.
Mia says he keeps his prices low by doing a lot of the work themselves, from making their fries from scratch and buying local and organic.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it,” Lawrence said.
Hot Mama’s Pizza 700 E. Pine Street
Proudly displayed on the wall of Hot Mama’s is an award for “ Best Preventative Measure for Alcohol Poisoning,” a sign that represents the business well. For the people who work, live, and play on Capitol Hill, Hot Mama’s has been the source of many a drunken binge.
Owner Dave Nelson says he keeps his price low by being “efficient,” and not to mention busy. After 15 years, this corner shop doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, but expansion seems to be out of the question as well.
“I think our size dictates our game plan. I would love to do salads, but we just don’t have the room for salads,” Nelson said.
Mama’s serves pizza by the slice for less than three dollars from lunch to late into the night.
1519 Broadway
Broadway Café’ sits between Pike and Pine on Broadway, and definitely wears it’s sixteen years proudly. Owner Val Toyoma says that his secret to staying alive on Broadway is “to not get greedy.”
Toyama is quite the character, and is knowledgeable about the area the way only well established business owners can be. He runs Broadway Café with no employees, six days a week.
According to Toyama, BC’s clientele is made up of mostly regulars and people who live and work in the area.
“We aren’t into making money, we are into keeping busy,” Toyama said.
I’ve been a faithful customer at Mia’s for a few years now. The food is great, they have reasonable prices and Mia makes everyone feel welcome and like they are a friend. I especially like the chicken salad sandwich and the veggie chili. The next time you are on Pine and want a different lunch option, check out Mia’s!
the kids who run the place are friendly, the pie is very good if not exceptional and my buddy really likes the veggie side.
local owned, and reasonable …. about twice a week for years.
Marios is good. I went tonight.
The couple that owns this place are the some of the friendliest, most genuine shop owners I’ve encountered amongst my dining experiences.
The pho here is to die for, BEST pho in the city. The veggie noodle soup is equally delicious. It tastes like real home cooking…which it basically is, given that it’s a tiny enterprise. I often see them taking pieces off a whole chicken by hand to be used in the pho. I think they probably use the rest of the chicken for soup stock…real farm style cooking. I find it typical that frequenting the same place doesn’t always guarantee 100% quality/consistency all the time…but these guys somehow figured it all out. I’ve never been disappointed. I hope they stay around for a long long time!
Delicious and two can dine for under $20. The staff there is always friendly and they have a pretty good menu to boot!
I’m a big fan of tiny Sushi Maki on Bellevue between Pine & Olive. They have a few chairs, but unless it’s really nice out I get mine to go. Very good sushi in very generous portions for very reasonable prices.