Recommended by: When doing some research on Kamonegi I noted that it was named one of the Top 50 New Restaurants in Bon Appetit Magazine in July. Another Seattle restaurant on this list was Junebaby. Not only that but Chef Owner of Junebaby won two James Beard Awards for Best Chef : Northwest, but also Best New Restaurant. This was not Best New Restaurant in Seattle, but in the entire US!
Description on the Junebaby website: Food with Roots – Southern food’s humble beginnings embarked when West Africans were taken from their home and were forced across the middle passage to North America. The term soul food originated during American slavery to not only describe a type of cuisine but also a period of time of oppression and overcoming hardships. It is traditionally cooked and eaten by African Americans of the Southern United States and merges influences from West Africa, Western Europe, and North America. As a result, America’s culinary history was built on corn, rice, peas, and the hog; many of the ingredients associated with Southern food.
Neighborhood/Type: Ravenna
Address: 2122 NE 65th Street, Seattle, WA 98115
What we ate/drank: Chicken Gizzards & buttermilk dressing $9, Pulled Pork with pikliz, Carolina vinegar sauce & aioli $12, Fried Catfish with pickled onion & tartar sauce $12, Chitlins & rice -$7.
Comments: This post should have been written probably a year and a half ago. That’s when the Edouardo Jordan hype was in full effect. Chef Jordan is the owner chef of Junebaby. Salare, his other restaurant had been open since 2015 in a rather odd place, the Ravenna neighborhood which will never be confused with the restaurant-centric neighborhoods of Capitol Hill, SLU or Ballard. Salare had received much acclaim, so when news got out that Chef Jordan was opening another restaurant on the same street, the anticipation was built up.
As soon as Junebaby opened accolades and four star food critic reviews from all over the country started piling up. From the very beginning, lines formed daily.
We don’t really need to go on about the food being good, do we?
Here are some of the reasons that make Junebaby special:
A couple more details about Junebaby
Wednesdays – Turkey Leg
Thursdays – Mac n’ Cheese with Newsom’s Ham
Fridays – Brisket Dinner
Saturdays – BBQ Dinner
Sundays – JuneBaby’s Fried Chicken
2021 Updates: Take out from June Baby
Ratings
Atmosphere: 4.75
Service: 5.00
Food/Drinks: 4.75
Bang for the Buck: 5.00
Overall: 4.85
Locals Only Factor: “Locals Only” grading-We’ll assign a grading as to how “local” a place is.
Servers recommendations to visit in the future: Waiter talked about going to a restaurant that was $1000 but it was his dream and he saved up to do it.
Related Articles: