BIZNOTE: The Avenue arriving at 2808 Alki SW

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Meet the new owners of what has been The Pacific Room on Alki since just last summer, but not for much longer

(WSB photo)

Jisun Jackson and Bobbie Robinson are the new owners of the restaurant/bar at 2808 Alki SW, which they plan to transform into The Avenue.

The changes are happening without a closure, so it’s still open for food, drink, and entertainment while the metamorphosis takes place. But they’re changing just about everything, bit by bit – the menu (with a new executive chef), the aesthetics, the decor (adding local art, for one).

And the hours; They’re planning to add lunch and weekend brunch.

Live music will stay – in fact, Jisun and Bobbie are both musicians themselves. But while The Pacific Room was focusing heavily on jazz, The Avenue will diversify, adding other genres of music, and some late-night DJs in summer. Plus a local favorite – CC from the Chelan Café – will perform every Monday. “That’s her piano!” Jisun pointed out during our conversation on Tuesday.

The Avenue’s atmosphere will be “classy but casual,” as described by Bobbie. “Accessible and inviting,” added Jisun, who says the intention is for customers to feel like the people at The Avenue are neighbors. “We want this to be a place where people feel comfortable.” All ages welcome (even the kids’ menu is getting overhauled). They’ve just added TVs at the bar, which means they’ll be able to offer sports-geared specials too. More local wines and beers will be part of the revamped beverage menu.

Once The Avenue is up to full speed, and you’ve tried it, they will be eager for your feedback, Jisun promised. If something’s not working, “I’ll want to change it.”

But in the meantime, they’re already appreciative of the warm welcome they’re getting. Jisun, who came to Seattle from Chicago, enthused, “Everybody’s been so friendly!”

Look for the name change and other changes over the next month or so.

Justme February 5, 2020 (4:21 pm)

I wonder if these changes have anything to do with my experience of making a reservation and then having the place be closed without explanation when we arrived. Such a strange thing for a restaurant to do. For that reason we would be very reluctant to make the effort again.

WSB February 5, 2020 (4:26 pm)

Again, these are brand-new owners. Someone asked us a few weeks back about a one-day closure (we went down and found a note on the door but they were back open the next day); that would have been before the ownership change.
OnAlki February 7, 2020 (10:20 am)

Give the new owners a shot. From what I’ve seen, they’re leading their staff by example and are there busting their butts along side everyone else. They come with long time experience in the industry and work ethic that the previous Microsoft executive owner didn’t have (and it showed). We will miss Warren’s food though and sure hope that he lands on his feet somewhere else.

onion February 5, 2020 (4:56 pm)

I’ve been meaning to check out the jazz there. I hope the new owners truly give jazz it’s due. It’s a genre that is underserved around here.

sam-c February 5, 2020 (8:25 pm)

Same, Shoot! I’ve got some friends that saw some live jazz there, and I was hoping to follow suit, but haven’t yet. Hope I didn’t miss my chance. I heard the music and vibe were pretty good.

John February 5, 2020 (5:26 pm)

Hoping for better things! We were very unimpressed with the Pacific Room.

ALKIbum February 5, 2020 (7:06 pm)

I’m hoping a good Sushi in Alki. Stuck up place with Jazz will hardly work in Alki. If your aim is tourists lunch money that would make winters very hard for the owners as many failed here with same approach.

WSB February 5, 2020 (8:10 pm)

If you read the story, their point – stated repeatedly – is to be NOT “stuck up.”

jissy February 5, 2020 (8:35 pm)

Hmmm, wonder what happens with the Gift Certificate I got for Christmas??

LL February 5, 2020 (8:51 pm)

So glad they’ve decided to make a quick change of things. Even the happy hour menu and prices were too pretentious for our budget so we never stopped in. Excited to check out their new concept for the menu and space.

End of the Line February 5, 2020 (9:19 pm)

We really enjoyed the jazz and the ambiance at Pacific Room! Though the food and service left something to be desired, the live music made up for it. Wishing the best of luck to The Avenue! We’ll check it!

Miz M. February 5, 2020 (11:09 pm)

Can’t wait to see CC on Mondays! Monty Banks played there last summer and he said he’ll be back in June, so there will be plenty of jazz! Let’s support local businesses in West Seattle.

Joan February 6, 2020 (7:29 am)

Wow, I did not even get to check it out with the jazz performers. I too was excited to see a jazz venue right here. Well, I hope to catch some in the future. I was hoping it might be a nice place to take out of town visitors. DJs have no appeal for me. There are plenty of places to appeal to the younger crowd already.

Justme February 6, 2020 (10:47 am)

Simone: All DJ music is not geared toward the “boisterous” crowd you mention. It can cover any and all music genres.
- OnAlki February 7, 2020 (10:23 am)
  
  That’s what the Alki Beach Pub is for. :D

Simone February 6, 2020 (8:16 am)

Looking forward to trying out this restaurant once the changes are made. But I do have some concerns about the whole DJ thing, especially with the kind of crowds we get during the summer. I’m all for offering different kinds of music, but DJ-type music usually attract well, shall we say, a more boisterous group of audience? If I’m wrong making this assumption, I’ll happily admit it! 😀

wscommuter February 6, 2020 (9:17 am)

We enjoyed a jazz show there in December and it was a terrific venue for that. The cover charge for the show was delightfully reasonable. The food was mediocre, although we didn’t think over-priced. We’ll welcome an update to the menu and we’ll be back for jazz. We’re really hoping the new owners have success. Best of luck to them.

LD February 6, 2020 (1:07 pm)

Congratulations to Jisun and Bobbie. I look forward to trying this out! And thank you to West Seattle Blog for introducing us.

CC ENGEL February 6, 2020 (5:47 pm)

Hi I’m CC Engel. I’m very excited to perform Mondays 5:30 to 8:30pm for everybody. Remember that at CC piano bar you can come up and sing with me ,bring your instruments. I welcome all musicians .You can dance and just have a good time. So I really appreciate the opportunity to work and I know it’s going to be a great place See you there!!!!@ Thank you Jisun, Bobbie and Jaren

Jackie L Peez February 6, 2020 (5:59 pm)

Good luck, can’t wait to check it out. Looking forward to seeing CC again.

AlkiGal February 7, 2020 (8:28 am)

So glad it’s changing hands. We tried it a couple times under the Pacific Room owners – the drinks were good, the service was spotty, and the food was meh and overpriced. Hope these new folks do better!

AlkiGuy February 7, 2020 (10:25 am)

I’m holding out hope that it’ll be an improvement too. At least the new owners have bar and restaurant experience.

Inca Mess February 8, 2020 (3:39 pm)

Television with Live Music? Hmm…..one or the other, but not both.

Stay Positive February 12, 2020 (2:28 pm)

Jeez people! This change and the new owners sound great! When did WS Seattle become full of so many downers? I can’t wait to try out soon and often. Welcome to the neighborhood, I promise not everyone here is a Bahumbug!

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