The former home of La Spiga at Union and Broadway will again have a new restaurant attempt to fill the space. Just a little more than a year after moving to the location and after a failed attempt to sell the restaurant this fall, Tidbit Bistro tells Seattle Met it is going out of business shutting down and selling out to a new unnamed restaurant (see update below):
On Saturday, August 27, Tidbit Bistro will serve its last plate of pasta, Nosh Pit has learned from a company rep. During closing week, the Capitol Hill restaurant will offer dinner only—so this Sunday, August 21 will be the final brunch service.
Owners John van Deinse and Nicola Longo opened Tidbit almost four years ago on 10th Avenue E, but announced plans to relocate to street-traffic-boasting Broadway in May 2010. Van Deinse and Longo are known to have a close relationship with their loyal regulars, who were vocal in their support for the restaurant as it struggled to stay in the black. Over the years, Tidbit also ran many promotions and special offers and hosted charity events.
But now its owners plan to move out of the business: van Deinse would like to work in the wine industry down the road, while Longo plans to return to engineering.
Tidbit moved from the Roanoke Park area of 10th Ave E to Broadway in 2010. Easy Joe’s now lives in its old home. In addition to being the former home of La Spiga, the Broadway location was also home to the ill-fated sushi provider Vi Bacchus.
The magazine reports that an unnamed restaurant is lined up to fill the space.
In fall of 2010, CHS reported that Tidbit’s owners were attempting to sell the restaurant. With the move, the bistro added an aggressively priced happy hour with cheap booze to attempt to drum up business. Over the years, it also sported an ambitious social media effort with its @tidbitbistro Twitter followers ballooning to some 18,000 followers.
No announcement of the closure on that account’s feed, yet, but @tidbitbistro did recently make a call for any Groupon holders to not wait for the last minute to cash in a deal the restaurant recently offered.
I also live close to this place. Was only there a couple times because the portions were small and both dishes had so much garlic, you couldn’t taste any other flavors.
That said, I feel bad for them. Given the history, many have tried and failed in that location. For some reason, people don’t want to eat there, or the rent is too high to make a profit. I wish the next one better fortune. If that doesn’t work, they should convert it to retail space.
I feel bad for them too. It does seem that nothing seems to do well there. On the other hand, everything that’s tried has been a pretty nice place. Maybe that spot needs to have a more downscale place , in keeping with the other neighborhood offerings. An open-late place that caters to post-bar crowd would probably clean up. No, it’s not particularly elegant, but it might be more commercially successful.
The last time I ate there the food was pretty pedestrian and not prepared well. I remember that no one at the table finished their plate.
No real food value, no real eating experience – all hype.
But, deserts which I eat little – were good.
Funny name. Weak marketing even if helping charity. So twitter didn’t work, imagine that, the spam machine is not real marketing I guess.
Should have tried the name, Fag Haven
Too bad. I thought the place was perfect because the food was of very good quality, the portions were nice and small, and it wasn’t at all expensive. Service was very friendly and professional. It’s unfortunate they’re closing, because there isn’t anything like them in the neighborhood. – However, I don’t agree with the comments saying nothing does well in that location. La Spiga did very well there for years and eventually moved on to a much bigger location on 12th, making itself a completely different place. That Harvard Market location looks like a mall resto from the outside, but inside it’s very comfortable. It would sure be nice to get a good Hungarian or Turkish restaurant there.
In case you don’t already know about it, there is a small Turkish restaurant in Madrona: http://www.bistroturkuaz.com/
Is crazy expensive, as I recall around 8k a month. Hard to make it when so much goes to cover rent. These gentlemen are both very nice, I wish them the best in their next chapter!
Yes to Turkish Pizzas, but what Broadway really needs is a thai, pho, or sushi place.
…once at their north broadway location and a second time in their current spot. I may have visited on an off night, but it seemed to me that there was a huge disparity of quality since after the move. I swear there were kraft singles in my grilled panini.
Usually Panevino takes care of my fix for inexpensive, casual Italian food.
“Yes to Turkish Pizzas, but what Broadway really needs is a thai, pho, or sushi place.”
You are joking, right? Broadway/Capitol Hill is awash in such places.
Nooooooooooooo! No more thai, pho or sushi places! Nooooooooooo!