Seattle’s Wild Ginger Enlists SkB Architects for a New Restaurant That Evokes Their First
The pan-Asian restaurant Wild Ginger has been a mainstay of the Seattle area’s dining scene for more than twenty years, with multiple locations and critical raves. When its owners decided to relocate its Bellevue spot to a more intimate space in Lincoln Square South, they approached a local firm with the idea of returning to the spirit of their very first eatery.
“We weren’t interested in creating a thematic experience,” says SkB Architects principal and co-founder Kyle Gaffney. “The challenge was how to transform the successful concept pioneered in the original, large-format restaurant downtown to meet the needs of current dining trends.”
A teak vestibule, with bold bronze door handles by Forms+Surfaces, announces the 6,000-square-foot space; towards the rear, a line of tables between rows of booths can be configured into a communal space for parties or small groups. In back, custom sliding wood doors can create a private dining room flooded with natural light.
The real action, though, is up front, where a lounge area open to the street offers leather-wrapped bench seating and rattan arm chairs. “Bellevue has a strong cocktail scene,” Gaffney says, so SkB put the teak bar in clear view, with a striking column clad in copper tubing—the perfect place to start a new happy hour tradition.