(Image: @chefshota)
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After five years on E Pike and a decade of his work in the neighborhood, celebrity chef Shota Nakajima is kissing his latest Capitol Hill creation — and maybe the Hill and the city — goodbye.
“After an incredible run, it’s time to officially say goodbye to Taku. The sign may say ‘temporarily closed,’ but let’s be real—it’s time to turn off the lights, toast one last drink, and close this chapter,” Nakajima posted this week.
Nakajima’s 2020-born, Osaka-inspired karaage bar had been closed in recent weeks as the chef announced he was hosting a series of pop-ups inspired by his first Capitol Hill creation — the meticulous 10-course Japanese kaiseki joint Naka at 15th and Pine where Kedai Makan now lives.
This goodbye seems to ripple beyond business.
“The past 10 years have been a wild, beautiful, rain-or-shine, wouldn’t-trade-it-for-anything kind of ride. The late nights, the shared meals, the community—Seattle, you’ve given me more than I could ever ask for,” Nakajima writes. “But this isn’t goodbye forever. Just like the hunt for the best foraged finds, change is part of the journey—I can’t wait to share what’s next 🍄🟫.”
CHS is checking in to make sure we fully got the chef’s drift — but this sounds like goodbye.
Nakajima arrived on Capitol Hill with Naka’s 2015 opening and began elevating his career with television appearances and successful runs on the Top Chef reality series where his goofy laugh became an endearing part of his celebrity character.
“I don’t care if 999 people don’t — as long as one person notices, that’s what matters,” the Suji Culinary Arts School-trained chef told CHS about his attention to detail and focus on the particulars as he arrived in the neighborhood.
The Taku closure follows another Nakajima exit from the block last year as he shut down his Detroit meets Osaka pizza pop-up Kōbo after a two-year run inside the Redhook Brewlab microbrewery.
At the time, it seemed like the pizza closure was part of bigger plans on E Pike. It looked like Nakajima was ready to double down on the popular Taku with plans filed with the city exploring an expansion of the E Pike joint on the southwest corner of the Pike Motorworks development.
A lot has changed in three months. In December, the construction permit was formally withdrawn from the city’s planning department.
Through reinventions and reboots, there were plenty of hits for Nakajima along the way along with the misses and challenges of the business — like inheriting an awkward restaurant layout at 15th and Pine and, most challenging of all, opening his new Taku venture on E Pike in the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, ten years, later, the still youthful chef is planning something new — but the next journey sounds like it might take place far from the Seattle woods he forages.
“From the bottom of my heart—thank you, Sea-town,” his Taku closure announcement concludes, “You’ve been everything.”
Nakajima is planning farewell dinner pop-ups at Taku. Learn more and follow @chefshota here.
$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE THIS SPRING
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Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.
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Another empty storefront after another Capitol Hill trendy “concept” restaurant has come and gone.
We have also gained a bunch. So quit the whining.
Bold statement
I just knew that place was gonna be there for ever. But with all the fried chicken joints popping up, I’d call it quits too!
There’s a lot of empty storefronts on the Hill again. Doesn’t feel great. I guess Seattle is going to see what happens when you make doing business expensive and you’re not in a historic boom. The boom is over, everybody is going to be cutting back, including the upper middle class that fuels leisure and restaurant spending.
And things will go into them. This has happened for years. Not a new thing. Economy sucking isn’t “The Hill’s” or Seattle’s fault.
I’ve lived on the hill for almost 15 year now and no I’ve never seen open storefronts like this. Not even during Covid. Blame whatever you want to blame but the reality is we have a lot of openings.
Me when I lie
When did it become such a leftist thing to insist that local conditions and policies can’t be looked at? Is it always a national thing? Of course it’s from the dude who made excuses for shoplifting earlier today. No ability to connect those two dots
I agree. The Seattle left used to want to make this a great city. Now they just gaslight to cover up their failed policies that have sucked the vitality out of the city.
“ including the upper middle class that fuels leisure and restaurant spending.”
* I would just like to add some notes for accuracy.
Yep and yep!
Be well observant citizen.
This is so unfortunate, I assume he’s relocating to Los Angeles?
Which, professionally, makes sense as that’s where the potential for media appearances is centered.
Now if Seattle and Washington could do more to encourage television/film in the state we’d be able to compete with Vancouver.
so why focus on the one industry? if it’s good enough for the television/film folks, then it should be good enough for the rest of us too
“Sea-Town”??? ugh
Good bye
?
right…You made my point…See any actually Seattleites older than 30? Nope…
I appreciate the complete ignorance.
Do I see any Seattleites older than 30 in a video from the mid-90s? What?
I have no idea why you’re such a hater but Shota grew up here. Such a negative person
No man…My Beef is “Sea-Town” vs, Seattle. And that “Sea-Town” is a new term tech bro’s and people who parrot it made up. It’s not a thing.
“Chi-Town” is that because it is. “Motown” as well. But the “Towning” of every city has become old. It’s fine if you want to do it. I am just saying that it is not “Seattle”. Has not a single thing to do with Seattle other than it’s a plumbing company.
I love everyone who’s not some Nazi. The dude has it goin’ on. I like his flow. Great lyrics. Great rhymes.
Best “Sea-Town” song I’ve heard. But that’s not saying much. Blue Profits use it too. This guy is levels above them.
Sure this is where I suspected you were coming from, but Shota isn’t a transplant or a tech bro, and it’s enough of a thing in the local hip hop scene for there to be a music video from the ’90’s
good riddance. food was good but once I learned about how problematic this guy is, i’m glad to see him go permanently.
You sure you’re talking about the right guy? Do you have a source for that?
I worked with a lot of people that worked for him previously. The consensus I got was, if you went out partying with Shota and did a bunch of coke you were his favorite person. But if you didn’t do that, he would make your life hell, scream at you, not give you any hours, etc. Every one of the coworkers i had that had previously worked for him said he was the worst boss they had ever had.
Oof, that sounds like an awful work environment. We need less celebrity chefs and more community cooks and world kitchens.
Honestly, celebrity anything is just a nonsense title and position in our society is used to justify gatekeeping and inequality. We need to stop lifting up celebrities, particularly from the entertainment industries, and start lifting up truly great people from our communities. We have so many great restaurants and chefs in this city that don’t care about making national or global headlines and are more interested in the people from the neighborhood that walk in the door every week than the press and prestige.
I’m with you…thanks for the warning.
I only do tons of coke with people who’ll love me even if I had none at all.
Recently saw the competition on food network. Reviewed biography after hearing Seattle. Wondered why they wanted to remain, henpecked in a remote logging and fishing town of outlaws and no forward thinking policy for small businesses or bright lights. (No longer i90 bound to thrive). Kudos to them seeking modern, cultural, and culinary advancement. Why stick around in this armpit? (Next up was Seattle hotels to Chicago.. don’t blame them)
One wonders why you want to remain, if that’s what you think of this place!
Willing to set up a gofundme for relocation expenses.
Until then, I’m tired of having the opportunity to live in an area with empty store fronts, smashed and boarded up windows, rampant shoplifting, people in drug or mental crisis on every block, general urban decay, and a city that does not promote the growth of small or creative businesses.
are there any good parts around here anywhere? I mean in WA.
Damn, this is a hugeee bummer! Taku was always a fun and filling place with a great vibe for a small group. Best of luck to Shota, gonna miss having his food around!