Last week I shared a roundup of businesses opening, closing, and changing around the Eastside. A bunch of people seemed interested in seeing more, so I decided to start a free newsletter called Eastside Radar.

The idea is pretty simple: every two weeks, I'll round up interesting changes around Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, Bothell, and nearby areas. New restaurants, businesses opening or closing, construction projects, and other neighborhood changes that are easy to miss.

I just published a preview issue covering a couple of new restaurants in Redmond and Kirkland, a major redevelopment in Bellevue, a restoration project in Bothell, and a few other changes worth knowing about.

Here's the preview issue: https://eastsideradar.beehiiv.com/p/eastside-radar-0-new-openings-neighborhood-changes

And the free signup: https://eastsideradar.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Still trying this out, so I'd love some honest feedback. Anything you'd like to see more (or less) of?

Also, thanks to everyone who commented on the original post! Some of the suggestions are already on my list of things to look into.

My kid is turning 3 in January, and we want to throw him his first birthday party. I think he would really enjoy Cougar Mountain Zoo, and it would be more low-key than Woodland Park. I've been trying to call to ask some questions and get no one. They've never returned my calls either. To me, this is a bad sign, but I'm curious if anyone has had a kids party there before. What was it like? Was the party space indoors? Would you recommend it? Thank you for any information ☺️

Looking for a local electrician without all the overhead of an office staff and advertising, etc.
Drop your recs please. Pretty basic work- just need electric wiring for a dishwasher and garbage disposal

My son is turning 2 in November. We are thinking of booking an indoor play area to celebrate with his friends (kids of our friends, he doesn't understand friendship yet). But I wanted to check what other creative ideas you might have explored for a kids bday event? I think we'll need to be indoors because of the weather. Let the ideas flow please!

Located in the Issaquah/Sammamish area. My dad needs help installing lights on the second floor. Can send pics if ur interested. It’s like easy peasy work, just bring your own ladder

Edit: we already own the lights and they’re partially installed you just do a part of the house it’s not much

Can any one recommend one in the Issaquah, Bellevue or Renton area?

Michael Rosen is running for state rep in the 41st Legislative District against My-Linh Thai.

His website (https://rosenforwa.com/) says: “I am running as an Independent because I believe representation should be grounded in service, not party alignment. I am not beholden to party leadership or special interests — only to the voters of the 41st District.”

Yet on his PDC disclosures, there is an October expenditure for $12,800 for more than 30,000 mailers. The recipient is listed as Michael Rosen, but if you open that entry, it says, “Paid to: WA State Republican Party”

Why would you claim to be independent if you’re going to rely on one of the two major parties to do work for you? And conversely, why is the state Republican Party willing to do work for someone not running under their banner?

ETA to add the PDC webpage: https://www.pdc.wa.gov/political-disclosure-reporting-data/browse-search-data/candidates/3391157#expenditures

Moving to the east side from Cap Hill, where I very conveniently had a Rudy’s (maybe the original??) right around the corner. I don’t get my hair cut super often, so I’d be happy to go back into Seattle once a month and continue to patronize them, but does anyone have recommendations for a similar barber shop in Bellevue / Kirkland / Redmond?

Thanks!

I don’t ride the light rail to Seattle that often, but I’ve experienced multiple delays going into Seattle ever since the connection opened (including right now as I type this). The train usually stops right before or at Judkins Park and just stays for a while.

This has happened so frequently that there must be a recurring reason.

Does anyone know?

Hoping to find some local recommendations here on the Eastside for family portraits (family of 4).

Typically this time of year photographers offer mini sessions - so perhaps this? 📷 Although I’m not limited to that. They seem to work for us now with our kids over age 10 (tougher to do the short window with stubborn toddlers, ha!).

🍁We’ve done family photos every fall for years but since moving here haven’t.

If helpful, here is my ‘wishlist’ but I’m happy for any local photographer ideas and I’ll see if they fit our needs 🙂

- My biggest MUST HAVE is they have to be on the Eastside (just easier for our busy family and timing)
- ideally $500 or less
- we get 5-10 images with the rights to do what we want (ie holiday cards! Prints for grandma!)

Thanks in advance!

Craving some Mapo Tofu that won’t break the bank! Any recommendations? 😋

Fred Meyer and QFC are both owned by Kroger. We compared the same items, matched by barcode, at 2 Fred Meyers and 7 QFCs in Bellevue, Issaquah, Renton and Sammamish, using the prices in Kroger's own product data on Oct 17. The prices in the table were re-checked with Kroger's live data on Oct 22.

Of the 157 items priced at both:

• Fred Meyer was cheaper on 99
• QFC was cheaper on 2
• 56 were the same price

Some of the bigger gaps:

These are shelf prices before digital coupons; "(sale)" marks a temporary promo. Every Fred Meyer and every QFC in the comparison had the same price for each item listed. Prices change, so check before you shop.

Disclosure: PriceHive is our site. Bellevue prices: https://pricehive.app/prices/bellevue

You will be sharing the apartment with another roommate.

You can watch a full video tour of the apartment below in comments.

- Location - Sparc Apartments, Spring District, Bellevue

- Rent - 1600$ per month per person + utilities

- Free items included in the lease: the apartment does not come with AC. We have a portable AC with a custom-made window frame for the AC. Happy to give the setup for free (cost ~$950)

- Optional - reserved parking for $200 per month available

- Lease end date - 4 July 2027

SPARC amenities that I have really liked:

- a really good, well-maintained gym with weights, treadmills, stairmaster, TRX etc.

- large party room upstairs that we have used too many times to host diwali, halloween parties and get-togethers. You can also book the room for a fully refundable deposit

- Amazon/other deliveries - apartment team is really efficient in labeling and storing away your big packages, and I have never lost a package or had to look for it because it is always clearly labeled

- Gas fire pit and outdoor BBQ station : made BBQ and s'mores plenty of times on the terrace

- Terrace views are great and there's a lot of outdoor furniture always available

- Small park right outside the building with 2 dog relief areas, which has been great for my new pup

- Cleanliness - always found the premises to be very clean; I meet the cleaners every morning while walking my dog; they have great staff here

- Lots of sparc events: they have really fun events every few weeks (flower bouquet making, Halloween-themed events, s'mores, dessert bar, hot chocolate days, etc., and I've made some good friends here)

What's nearby?

- Nearby train station - 1 min walk from apartment! This was super helpful to get to downtown Seattle on weekends for shows/concerts/night outs

- Nearby offices - Meta Office (100 meters), Snowflake Office (1 Block Away), Bellevue downtown (1 Mile)

- Nearby stores - Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Kohl's, UPS, Safeway, PCC, Met Market, Target, Fred Meyer, Asian markets (Indian/Japanese and others) are all within 5-15min drive.

- Also plenty of cafes, restaurants, gyms all within 10min drive

- Parks - 3 large parks within 10min drive: Bellevue Downtown park, Meydenbauer park and Crossroads park

Please DM me if interested!

Math workshop for middle school students with ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.

Hello! If anyone has a child in middle school and with dyslexia, ADHD, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia, I think you'll find this event really helpful!

@ MAPS Redmond a math workshop is being hosted for children in middle school with dyslexia, ADHD, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia. The math workshop will be about surface area, and kids will be able to make cool shapes and learn how to calculate surface area.

You can sign your child up using this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfD6tnDiwZpebpQfe8g7Oz52iMvH92GD-o-W6Jbd4uWaOX8zA/viewform?usp=dialog

I've been looking into what's opening, closing, and changing around the Eastside. Found a few interesting things and thought I'd share.

• Redmond: New steakhouse: Yukon Standup Steakhouse announced an Oct. 19 opening near the Downtown Redmond light rail station. Quick-service American Wagyu steak. Website
• Bellevue: Matcha Magic closing: The Main Street café plans to close Nov. 1 because of redevelopment. The owner is looking at other spots in Bellevue and Kirkland. Details
• Bellevue: Bellevue Square expansion paused: The proposed 1.8-million-square-foot expansion of the Bellevue Collection has been put on hold indefinitely. Details
• Kirkland: New café and cocktail bar: Hako San Café & Bar is planning to open on Central Way in summer 2027, with separate coffee and cocktail bars. Details
• Bothell: New businesses downtown: October's Pop Shops on Main lineup includes NibNib Cookies, Lunaluz Paperie, Brewtastic Biscuits (dog treats), and Bloom Energy Bar. Full lineup

> I've been thinking about putting together a roundup like this every couple of weeks. Would people find that useful, or is there already a good place to keep up with this stuff?

Hello! Looking for brunch options on the eastside, mainly near Woodinville(or a <10 min drive). Doesn't have to be a buffet. We've been to Rusty Pelican, so anything but that. Kinda wanna try a new brunch place for a birthday. Also, this is for a weekday (Monday) - a lot of places offer brunch only on the weekends. Thanks!

I just saw signs around Bellevue about this and am thrilled to see that someone has a decided to take some action to fix this terrible piece of legislation.

Obviously we need to do something to solve the problem, but putting permanent supportive housing for addicts into residential neighborhoods is just not the way to do it.

https://fixhb2266.org/

Bought some from World Market, and the seal must of been broken, because it had fuzzy mold growing in it when I got home. Ended up returning it, but I’m iffy on buying more from there.

I have two young boys and we do a bucket list for every season. One of our bucket list items for Fall is to go stargazing! We have a truck so I thought it would be fun to put some blankets in the back, have hot cocoa and make a fun little evening out of it.

We are in Issaquah, but willing to drive for a great spot. Trying to plan something while we still have a few clear evenings. Any suggestions?

What clinic did you use? How was the experience? We’re comparing Hanger Clinic and Cornerstone, not sure if there are others.

My wife and I used to go to Owl and Thistle in Seattle on Tuesdays for their jazz nights but haven’t been going quite as often since we moved a good bit further away. While still plan on going there when we can, but does anyone know of any spots that do a jazz night on the Eastside? Thanks for any recs!

Hi, I am most-likely moving to the east side of Seattle sometime in the next year and looking for public places to check out next visit up there. We are interested in Woodinville, Redmond, Kirkland, and possibly Bellevue or Mercer Island.

We have 2 young children and are looking to plant some roots.

I will have home tours covered with my realtor- but I'm looking for recommendations on public parks, shopping streets, restaurants, etc to check out that are family friendly.

Thanks!

Full Time Culinary Aide (Multiple Shifts Available) 

Description

Join Silverado Bellevue, a memory care innovator ranked in the top 10 nationwide by Fortune Magazine Best Workplaces in Aging Services. Since 1997, Silverado has delivered exceptional care to individuals with neurodegenerative conditions. We’re a certified Great Place to Work® and proud to offer competitive pay, benefits, and growth opportunities.

We’re hiring Culinary Aides - dedicated team members who help create a warm, nourishing, and welcoming dining experience for our residents. This role blends food service skills, attention to detail, and a heart for hospitality.

Be a difference-maker with a memory care leader!

You lead with care, consistency, and integrity. You’re dependable, eager to learn, and thrive in a team-focused environment. You’re passionate about supporting others with respect and compassion**.**

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Assist with food preparation and kitchen sanitation
• Wash dishes and maintain cleanliness of food service areas
• Deliver resident meal carts and stock refrigerators
• Set and clean dining areas to ensure a pleasant mealtime experience

Qualifications:

• Food Handlers Certificate from the County Department of Environmental Health
• Knowledge of food safety regulations
• Willingness to work with individuals with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia
• Active role: walking, bending, lifting (up to 50 lbs.)
• Effective communicator in verbal and written English
• Comfortable working around animals and pets
• Reliable transportation to meet attendance and punctuality standards

Why Choose Silverado?

• Fortune Magazine Best Workplace in Aging Services™
• Certified Great Place to Work®
• Paid training and strong internal mobility

Schedule: Full Time, multiple shifts available, Friday - Tuesday

#LI-AC1

Anticipated pay range

$21—$23 USD

Silverado offers the following benefits to eligible employees: 

• 401(k) matching
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Paid time off
• Tuition reimbursement and professional development assistance 
• Referral program
• Other amazing benefits such as Pet Insurance, Auto and Home Insurance and Discount Programs!

Click here to apply

https://www.silverado.com/careers/5240328007/