Do you remember these? 22 iconic Seattle bars, restaurants that are no longer around

Restaurants come and restaurants go. The wave of restaurant closures in Seattle last year sparked concern among the city's foodies, but it's not the first time that once stapled restaurants have been forced to shut their doors due to the rapidly changing landscape and rising costs of the Emerald City.

Keep scrolling for a look back on 22 famed, historic Seattle eateries and bars that have since departed.

1. Zesto's

Generations of Ballard High School teens hung out at Zesto's for its burgers, fries and jukebox cool. It opened in 1952 and was known as the place with a '57 Chevy on the roof. It closed in early 2012.

2. Red Robin Tavern

A staple University of Washington hangout on the corner of Furhman and Eastlake avenues, the restaurant was originally named Sam's Tavern after the owner. After being sold to a local restaurant entrepreneur, the first restaurant in the franchise opened in Yakima in 1979.

3. Twin Teepees

Opened in 1937, the Twin Teepees, on Aurora Avenue North near Green Lake, was razed after a fire in 2000. It was part of a vanishing generation of roadside businesses and a one-time workplace of cook Harland Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. There's a legend that he perfected KFC's fried-chicken recipe at the Teepees, but it's never been proven.

4. Tini Bigs

The popular bar at the corner of Denny Way and First Avenue closed in 2017. Before the 2005 smoking ban, patrons used to be able to smoke inside Tini Bigs. It's neighbor Hula Hula relocated to Capitol Hill.

5. Two Bells Tavern

The Belltown joint served up their five-and-a-half ounce "tavern burger" on a sourdough roll with your choice of great sides (coleslaw, beans and potato salad). The historic dive bar closed in 2018 when the owners were ready to retire.

6. Red Door Alehouse

The landmark bar was a biker hangout at its original location on Fremont Avenue. Housed in a 1902 building, Red Door eventually moved a block west in Fremont. The iconic watering hole closed permanently in March 2020.

7. Catfish Corner

The Central District soul food center closed in August of 2014 after 30 years in business. A new location in Rainier Valley has since opened along with a brand-new outpost in the Central District.  

8. Andy's Diner

Housed in a collection of historic railroad cars, the diner was a familiar sight for many years on Fourth Avenue South. It opened in 1949 and quickly became a hot lunch spot for Boeing executives who came for char-broiled steaks. The rail cars at Andy's Diner included one that President Franklin Roosevelt reportedly traveled in during his 1944 reelection campaign. The South Seattle landmark closed its doors in 2008.

9. The Dog House

When the 24-hour Dog House restaurant and bar closed in 1994, it was a passing of an era. KCTS broadcast its last day live, and Seattle P-I columnist Jon Hahn wrote it was "an epoch of Seattle history, a virtually non-stop, open 24-hours run of food, booze, music and fellowship."

10. The Frontier Room

In the early ’90s, the Frontier Room was a favorite seedy haunt for musicians who came for the potent, $1.50 highballs. It opened in 1954. The "old" Frontier Room, with cheap, strong drinks, closed in 2001. The newer incarnation was put up for lease on Mar. 24, 2014.

11. Alki Tavern

For more than three decades, the Alki Tavern was West Seattle’s most famous dive bar with a view. But the Taco Thursdays and biker regulars bid farewell in March of 2013, when the bar closed to make way for condos.

12. Big Top

Located at Northgate Mall, this circus-themed restaurant was part of an empire owned by Walter Clark, an industry giant who also owned Twin Teepees.

13. Old Spaghetti Factory

After 46 years of brick-building-wrapped spaghetti and lasagna dinner fun, Seattle's Old Spaghetti Factory on Elliott Avenue closed in 2016.

14. Kingfish Cafe

The soul food cafe closed in 2015 after almost 20 years of serving up hush puppies on Capitol Hill's 19th Avenue. Owner Laurie Coaston said that her restaurant tapped into that delicious secret ingredient called "passion."

15. Piecora's Pizza

Piecora's on Capitol Hill had big booths, hot pizza, cold pitchers and friendly service. After more than 30 years in the neighborhood, the Piecora family called it quits in April of 2014 after selling its property to a huge apartment developer.

16. Le Gourmand

Seattle foodies died a little in 2012 when Le Gourmand in Ballard closed its doors. Owned by Bruce Naftaly, its fresh, seasonal, French-Northwest cuisine had made diners swoon.

17. Bakeman's

This busy, no-frills lunch spot on Cherry Street was beloved for its quintessential oven-roasted turkey sandwiches. It closed in 2018 after 47 years of serving downtown.

18. Ernie Steele's

The namesake bar of a UW football star was known for its walls of hunting trophies and booths of hard-drinking old-timers. It lasted 46 years, until it became Ileen's Sports Bar in the early '90s. That bar also closed and the space is now home to Julia's, known for its drag brunch.

19. Trader Vic's

The Polynesian-themed restaurant was in Seattle's Washington Plaza Hotel (now the Westin) and capitalized on the tiki-fad of the 1950s and 1960s. The spot was known for serving Mai Tais and closed in 1991.

20. Labuznik

The Czech restaurant opened on First Avenue in the '70s, long before the neighborhood became trendy Belltown. After almost 30 years serving delicious Tournedos Rossini, the restaurant closed in 1998.

21. The Brasserie Pittsbourg

Before Maximilien in the Pike Place Market, there was Brasserie Pittsbourg in Pioneer Square in 1969 serving up French cuisine. French chef Francois Kissel opened both restaurants. The "table for ladies" sign referred to tables reserved for "proper" ladies who wanted to dine alone without giving off the appearance of being a prostitute, a prevailing notion about single female diners.

22. Randy's Restaurant

Open for nearly 40 years, Randy's Restaurant, the 24-hour diner in Tukwila, closed on Nov. 15, 2020. The restaurant, which featured all things aeronautical, was a living relic of Seattle in its "Jet City" days. Diners would stop by the restaurant on their way to Museum of Flight for an all-American brunch of steak and eggs, a stack of pancakes or a classic burger and to gawk at the walls of aviation memorabilia and hanging model planes.