By Randall Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The West Seattle Junction is getting a tapas lounge!
Local resident Khalid Agour is hoping to have his new endeavor ready for business no later than July 1. Itto’s will bring Moroccan fusion to the northeast corner of California SW and SW Genesee, as soon as the former Firefly Café and Creperie space can be made ready.
Agour’s brother Aziz will be the culinary mind behind Itto’s, named for their mother who passed away last November and was the primary chef for the Agour family when the brothers were young. Khalid says that the restaurant will fulfill a long-held ambition to start a business in his neighborhood.
“West Seattle doesn’t have anything like what we plan to create,” said Khalid Agour, while adding, “It’s been a dream and now it’s coming true. Naming it for (his mother) is a way we can keep her with us.”
Khalid is a veteran of the Seattle restaurant scene, with 20 years experience backing his westside play, most notably in running Toscana Pizzeria on Capitol Hill the last 15. Aziz has many years of experience living and training in Europe, as well as the familial Moroccan heritage, to help to inform a diverse menu that Khalid says will change weekly.
“There will be five or six staples, but the menu will otherwise change every week,” said Agour.
“You’ll see Moroccan and Spanish, of course, but also French and Jewish, among quite a few other regional cuisines.”
“We’re going to let the flavors speak for themselves.”
Further details such as menu pricing are not yet available, but Agour says he plans to have some happy-hour deals. Along those lines, expect a full bar, to include craft cocktails along with beer and wine selections.
That said, Agour, both as restaurateur and as a father, understands the value of being family-friendly and wishes to emphasize that Itto’s “will be for everybody,” while also recognizing that West Seattle can be a tough market for new restaurants.
“I am from West Seattle and would love the local support. We are opening to succeed and not to fail. We’ll do our best to be a valued part of this community.”
Itto’s will initially open for business every day from 3 p.m. 4 PM until midnight.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: After Randall finished this story, Khalid Agour contacted him to add that someone has stolen tables and chairs from outside the future Itto’s. If you have any idea what happened to them, please contact police.
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