The good news: Pizza Pi, which seemed in danger of closing a few months ago, is still in business. New owners officially took over December 1. The menu features old favorites such as the Phoni-Pepperoni pizza and the Sausage, Grilled Onions, and Spinach calzone plus new additions such as green salad. Located at 5500 University Way NE in the U District, Pizza Pi is Seattle’s only all-vegan pizza place. (As of this writing, their Web site is down. The Boyfriend (TB) and I have talked with the new owners a couple of times; they’re working to get the site back up.)
The bad news: The Globe Cafe & Bakery (1531 14th Ave.) closes forever on December 31. This 99.9%* vegan restaurant has been around for at least 17 years. The soon-to-be-former owner has worked there all that time and owned it for the past five years. The Globe owner told TB and me that the building owner blocked a potential sale to someone who would have kept the place vegan. Instead, it will become an “all meat” Italian restaurant. The Globe owner didn’t say why he decided to close. I suspect The Globe is a casualty of the gentrification and homogenization of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Parking in the area has always been sparse. With all the new condos that have sprung up in the past few years, the parking situation has gotten worse. Not only is it difficult to find free parking, the area has lost some pay parking lots. And while Capitol Hill used to be a bastion of “alternative” lifestyles, that seems to be changing. I think the Hill still has an active, vibrant gay community. However, the neighborhood just doesn’t feel as unique and funky as it used to. For example, the former Broadway Market had a variety of great little shops, carts, and kiosks plus a movie theater. It’s now a huge QFC grocery store.
Sad. Very sad.
* Dairy milk and butter options. Not that it matters for much longer.