West Seattle restaurants: Cassis’s Alki location now official

“It’s been a bit of a long haul getting to this point but now all of the cylinders are running and we’re very excited.” So says Jef Fike, proprietor past and future of Cassis, mentioned here back in January, after <Rebekah Denn broke the news he hoped to revive his fabled French restaurant on Alki, nine years after it closed on Capitol Hill. We’ve checked in with him a time or two since then, and today he confirmed to WSB that the Alki location is now official, and as long rumored, it’s 2820 Alki SW, where Alki Arts closed its beach location at the end of September after its lease wasn’t extended.

Fike told WSB today that he has “signed a lease and taken possession of the gallery space. Plans are done, permits are now being applied for and we intend to open in February 2014. It will be a full restaurant and bar which should seat 45-50, including the bar seating.” No website yet but he’s launched a Facebook page. He’s “also doing a pop up dinner on November 11th at Cafe Grub on Queen Anne Hill to begin to introduce our food to the city. We’re hoping to find a West Seattle location for a second one in January.”

33 Replies to "West Seattle restaurants: Cassis's Alki location now official"

  • onion October 11, 2013 (5:30 pm)

    A French restaurant?? Darn. What we really need is another pizzeria or Thai restaurant.

    (just kidding)

    This is great news. I hope the good vibes that Alki Arts generated carry over to the new Cassis. I get really tired of reading about all the great new places opening in Ballard, Fremont, or Cap Hill.

    Best wishes to the new French kid on the block.

    And I’ll bet they even serve Merlot.

  • payrollgirl October 11, 2013 (5:45 pm)

    Another place to eat on Alki?!

    It being fancy or not but REALLY another food establishment.

  • jef October 11, 2013 (5:50 pm)

    Yes!!!!!!!!!

  • Dave October 11, 2013 (5:50 pm)

    That is awesome news, used to love that place when I moved to Seattle many years ago. If you have a good fine dining concept you have a great shot in really being successful in West Seattle in the coming years.

  • curtis October 11, 2013 (5:54 pm)

    beat me to it :-)

  • 2 Much Whine October 11, 2013 (6:46 pm)

    Payrollgirl, would you prefer a nail salon? How about a 7-11? A Walmart? Maybe another coffee shop? What would you prefer to a fine french rerstaurant? Why the hate? Having a bad day?

  • Wes Cider October 11, 2013 (7:56 pm)

    Speaking of French food, what about Fatburger? When will they open? I’m craving a burger and French fries.

  • NW October 11, 2013 (7:58 pm)

    New west seattle ……. Bummer

  • BeachDriveBoy October 11, 2013 (8:11 pm)

    Wow, a French restaurant!? C’est magnifique! Please don’t make the mistakes the last French restaurant made (where Pegasus currently is). Keep it accessible, perhaps ‘bistro’-style cuisine?

  • Last53BusRider October 11, 2013 (8:15 pm)

    I hope it’s really posh. No flip-flops allowed.

  • Brenda October 11, 2013 (8:21 pm)

    Nous ne pouvons pas attendre à votre restaurant!!

    A tres bientot !!

  • West Seattle since 1979 October 11, 2013 (8:24 pm)

    Can’t wait!

  • Craig October 12, 2013 (8:30 am)

    a second restaurant in January? Good luck, by January you will be mired in cost over runs and will still be months away from opening on the beach, but yeah, you work on that second restaurant!

    • WSB October 12, 2013 (8:31 am)

      Not opening a second restaurant. A second restaurant for a “pop-up” one-time sampling event.

  • Last53BusRider October 12, 2013 (8:50 am)

    I’m amused at how few comments this announcement has attracted – considering how food-obsessed West Seattle is. Perhaps people trust that a French restaurant will know what it is doing – and so won’t need the usual barrage of unsolicited advice, suggestions and personal requests.

    • WSB October 12, 2013 (8:54 am)

      53, Friday mid-afternoon through Monday morning is a relatively low readership time for us and other news sites. People are off to their weekends. But rather than shut down for the weekend, we keep publishing, because there are still thousands of people checking in wanting to know what’s going on. – TR

  • Merf October 12, 2013 (11:28 am)

    Can’t wait to walk down the hill to this killR restaurant! Love it!

    -Merf

  • Mongo October 12, 2013 (12:14 pm)

    Very excited! Been hoping for French bistro food option on this side of the bridge for years. With any luck, this will become our neighborhood’s equivalent of Le Pichet, Cafe Presse, etc.

  • payrollgirl October 12, 2013 (12:25 pm)

    1st off to 2 Much Whine, no I am not having a bad day and I wish Cassis’ good luck in their new location.
    BUT….
    I just wish that this location could have given a small business owner like another Art Studio, Skateboard, Jewelry making… a chance there.

    And everyone just one time drive the Harbor Ave/Alki Ave location and count how many food establishments there are and ask yourself “do we really need another one”?!

  • twobottles October 12, 2013 (4:16 pm)

    The truth is, we don’t “need” any restaurants, really. But more restaurants means more variety, which I think is a good thing. I swear, it seems that some people think we should have just one pizza place, just one mexican place, just one burger place, just one fish place, just one Italian place, etc. Wouldn’t that be boring?

  • datamuse October 12, 2013 (4:51 pm)

    Since I don’t like most of the restaurants that are there already, yes please! (Besides, are there ANY other French restaurants in West Seattle? And if there are, man, y’all been holding out on me!)

  • Junebug October 12, 2013 (9:46 pm)

    I always loved the pomme frites at the Capital Hill Cassis but could rarely afford to eat there when I lived on the Hill. West Seattle is where people move to when the Capital Hill Block Party keeps the kids from sleeping before midnight. I think they’ll be a great spot at that end of Alki Beach. I’m hoping for Negronis and rabbit in mustard cream sauce in February. Something to dream about over the rainy months.

  • JanS October 12, 2013 (10:41 pm)

    Wes Cider…I drove by the Fatburger location yesterday and noticed that the paper is off the windows and they have a “hiring” sign on the door…

    • WSB October 12, 2013 (10:47 pm)

      They’ve been hiring for a couple weeks. I have been trying to reach someone for comment but sadly like many chains, they don’t bother to reply to inquiries. We are continuing to go by every day or two and looking to see if anyone is there to ask. Given the state of the decor and signage inside, I’d suspect they’re pretty close – TR

  • payrollgirl October 13, 2013 (7:38 am)

    And parking…that’s all I’m going to say.

  • Luna Park October 13, 2013 (10:22 am)

    I’m excited about having a french restaurant on Alki again. My husband and I used to go to Chez Million with our kids and loved it. The owners tried very hard to make it accessible,casual and friendly so that people felt comfortable coming in from the beach. We enjoyed dressing up for dinner and equally, riding our bikes down and stopping in wearing shorts and flip flops. Best of luck to Cassis, we’ll look forward to dining there.

  • Gini Johnson October 14, 2013 (1:39 am)

    Yippee…I can’t wait. I drive to Capitol Hill often to go to a French Restaurant.

  • datamuse October 14, 2013 (12:28 pm)

    payrollgirl, how exactly would retail instead of a restaurant help the parking situation?

  • payrollgirl October 14, 2013 (1:05 pm)

    datamuse>>it wouldn’t help the parking situation any but from my earlier comment to 2 much whine, more about how many eating establishments there are already:

    “1st off to 2 Much Whine, no I am not having a bad day and I wish Cassis’ good luck in their new location.
    BUT….
    I just wish that this location could have given a small business owner like another Art Studio, Skateboard, Jewelry making… a chance there.

    And everyone just one time drive the Harbor Ave/Alki Ave location and count how many food establishments there are and ask yourself “do we really need another one”?!”

  • Ms. Picky October 14, 2013 (1:31 pm)

    @Junebug: That sounds fabulous for a rainy February evening.

    I adored Cassis and am so looking forward to this. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Fike, for bringing your next restaurant to West Seattle!

    P.S. I would be happy to host the January pop-up, but I have a, um, challenging kitchen …

  • aboutWS October 14, 2013 (11:36 pm)

    Payroll girl, really do you think a jewerly place will make it there when a gallery could not? We need more food establishments in this community and definetly more variety, I myself am worn out of pizza and coffee places. Parking is an issue no matter who operates so that is lame-this is an excellent neighborhood for food establishments and really who will succeed in this environment. Just has to be the right one and I think Cassis has the best chance not another lame retail cater to the summer crowd outlet. Get over yourself.

  • payrollgirl October 15, 2013 (7:34 pm)

    aboutWS…what do you mean “get over myself”? Very rude to say I don’t think this is about me???.
    Anyways I would just like to see something other than a food establishment go in that space and as for the ArtGallery not making a “go” at it there correct me if I’m wrong they did very well there and they’re gone because their temporary lease ran out. I’d rather have someone like that there showing/selling local artists things than food.

  • MikeRussellFoto October 16, 2013 (5:19 pm)

    So happy about this news! Can’t wait! We need more restaurants like this in West Seattle.

    I vote for a pop-up in the Blackboard Bistro space. (Not that anyone asked.) :-)

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