| ʔálʔal Café | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The restaurant's exterior, 2022 | |
 Interactive map of ʔálʔal Café | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | November 29, 2022 (2022-11-29) |
| Closed | July 24, 2024 (2024-07-24) |
| Owner | Chief Seattle Club |
| Food type | Indigenous |
| Location | 122 2nd Avenue S,Seattle, King, Washington, 98104, United States |
| Coordinates | 47°36′05″N122°19′53″W / 47.6013°N 122.3314°W /47.6013; -122.3314 |
| Website | alalcafe |
Theʔálʔal Café (ALL-all) was a restaurant inPioneer Square,Seattle, in theU.S. state ofWashington. It operated from 2022[1][2] to 2024.
The name ʔalʔal (stylized as "ʔálʔal") means "home" inLushootseed. The café operated on the ground floor of a Chief Seattle Club housing complex forpeople of Native descent.[3] The interior featuredNative artworks, including a mural depicting the transition from thepre-Columbian era to modern society.[4] The restaurant had high ceilings and "rustic" tree-trunk tables. It used dark blue mugs stamped with the cafe's name.[5] According toKSTW, the business aimed to "[reclaim] and [reintroduce]"Indigenous cuisine of the Americas "in a modern café setting". The menu includedblue corn mush with wojape, wild rice bowls with berryvinaigrette,braisedbisontacos withpickled onions, Northwestsalmon,cornbread,[5] andcoffee.[6][7] Many ingredients were sourced from Native producers.[8][9]
ʔálʔal Café opened on November 29, 2022.[1][4] The business was owned and operated by the nonprofit organization Chief Seattle Club, which provides services for Indigenous people living in urban areas. Profits from the café supported the organization.[8] ʔálʔal Café closed permanently on July 24, 2024. Chief Seattle Club's executive director said, "Unfortunately, the Café was not profitable, and to continue operating, we would have had to divert resources essential for providing housing to our community. Although we are saddened by the Café's closing, we will continue to provide housing at the ʔálʔal facility and transform the café into a space for expanded cultural programming for our members and community.”[10]
InEater Seattle's 2023 overview of the city's ideal eateries forremote work, Harry Cheadle called ʔálʔal a "gem" and a "beautiful" space.[5] Following the restaurant's closure, the website's Harry Cheadle wrote, "ʔálʔal will be missed not just because it was a demonstration of what Native food could be. It was a genuinely cool place to hang out or work remotely."[10]
