Whatever happened to the Starbucks at 116 Lake Street? It closed on a Saturday in late September 2025. That same month, the burger counter at the foot of Kirkland Avenue went dark too. Most of the changes on the waterfront blocks over the past twelve months trace back to those two closures. The new places are filling space that someone else left, often within sight of each other.
Here is the year at four addresses, all within a short walk of Marina Park.
| Address | Before | Now | Status as of early October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 116 Lake St | Starbucks, Downtown Kirkland | Le Croissant Bar | In soft opening |
| 115 Park Ln | Feast | Von's 1000Spirits | Opened June 10, 2026 |
| 80 Kirkland Ave | The Slip, prior owner | The Slip, under Ricky Eng | Open |
| 128 Lake St S | Never occupied | Bamboo Sushi | Listed as coming soon |
September 2025 emptied two corners at once
The Slip's prior owner shut the restaurant in September 2025 and cited health matters. Local coverage did not give an exact closing day. That ended a long run. The Slip had been "slinging fresh, creative burgers since 1996" at the spot where Kirkland Avenue meets Marina Park and the public docks.
The Starbucks closure came from much farther away. On September 26, 2025, My Edmonds News passed along a Seattle Times report that 17 local Starbucks stores would close the next day. The closures were part of a $1 billion restructuring plan announced by CEO Brian Niccol, which also cut 900 nonretail jobs. The list included "Downtown Kirkland: 116 Lake St., Kirkland." So the last day for that location was Saturday, September 27, 2025.
These two closures had very different causes. One was a local owner stepping back after nearly three decades. The other was a corporate decision made for hundreds of stores. Together they left two well-known waterfront spots empty heading into the off-season. That made the rest of the year a refill.
116 Lake Street went from a chain to a single owner
The old Starbucks space is now Le Croissant Bar. WhatNow previewed it in April 2026 as a place for croissants, champagne, and coffee. The person behind it is Monica Kuchman. In 2020 she started BraveHeart Mountain Coffee as a social enterprise to support wounded veterans. The business began with pallets of roasted beans at a Veterans Day event hosted by Costco Wholesale. It later added gift boxes on Costco.com, a drive-thru stand, and booths at farmers markets and trade shows around the Pacific Northwest.
The croissants started as something to go with the coffee. Kuchman calls them "whimsical, bold, and unapologetically extravagant," made with fresh fruit and creams. She writes that customers kept asking, "Where's your storefront?" Her answer is 116 Lake Street. The menu also has a wine, sparkling wine, and champagne program. That is a different offering from the counter that used to be there.
The shop is still settling in. Kuchman writes that she is 90 days into the soft opening and has brought in a new baker to develop fresh items. Posted hours are Tuesday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Mondays. For anyone whose morning route used to include the Lake Street Starbucks, that covers most of the same early window, six days a week.
115 Park Lane opened on a World Cup clock
A block away, the former home of Feast became Von's 1000Spirits. The Puget Sound Business Journal first reported the move, and WhatNow followed in December 2025. The plan called for about 3,300 square feet, construction starting in January, and a late-April opening. The company said it wanted to open before the FIFA World Cup in June, which was expected to bring more activity across the region.
It came close. Sip Magazine announced in May that Von's would open on Park Lane on June 10, 2026. That date was about six weeks after the original target but still ahead of the tournament.
Von's is not new to the Eastside. The name dates to 1974 on Pine Street in Seattle. The restaurant moved to 1225 First Avenue across from the Seattle Art Museum in 2013 and opened at Northwest Wine Village in Woodinville in 2022. Kirkland is its third location and its second east of the lake. The menu centers on scratch sourdough pizzas, handmade pastas, and the Scratch Martini.
Its hours change the evening picture on Park Lane. Von's lists Kirkland as open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until midnight. It takes reservations Monday through Thursday and seats walk-ins Friday through Sunday. On a weekend night, that means arriving and waiting for a table.
80 Kirkland Avenue came back under a familiar name
The Slip took the longest to return, and it kept its name. In April 2026, WhatNow reported that it would reopen under Ricky and Maria Eng. The restaurant's own site now says "A new chapter has arrived to the waterfront at Marina Beach Park!" and confirms The Slip is open under Ricky Eng, who also owns BeachHouse Bar & Grill.
According to its site, the menu brings back "longtime favorites" alongside burgers, salads, and pub-style dishes. Weekend brunch is listed as coming soon. Gift cards are coming too, both online and at the restaurant.
The location carries more history than the restaurant. The Slip's site recounts that in the early 1900s, ferries ran from Marina Park's city dock to Seattle 18 hours a day. That service lasted until the Lake Washington Floating Bridge opened in 1940. The restaurant arrived decades later, and the burgers have been part of that corner since 1996.
The one space with no previous tenant is the one still waiting
The fourth address is different from the other three. 128 Lake Street South is the planned home of Bamboo Sushi. City of Kirkland permit plans describe it as a 3,286-square-foot space that was unimproved and had never been occupied.
WhatNow reported the Kirkland location on July 29, 2026, and said no exact opening date had been announced. As of early October, Bamboo Sushi's Kirkland page still says "Coming Soon" and shows the location as closed all seven days.
This fits the pattern of the year. The three addresses that opened all moved into finished restaurant or cafe space. The Slip kept its name and building, Von's took over a former restaurant, and Le Croissant Bar moved into a former coffee shop. The only storefront that started as unimproved space has not opened yet. Until Bamboo Sushi posts a date, 128 Lake St S is the one address of the four that is still listed as coming soon.
Around the corner this month
The storefronts are only part of what is changing downtown this fall. Here are the dates nearby:
- Cross Kirkland Corridor closure. Starting as early as September 8, 2026, King County is closing the trail between NE 52nd Street and 108th Avenue NE. Crews will repair a damaged culvert under the County's Eastside Interceptor Section 14 sewer pipe, build a retaining wall, and stabilize the nearby stream. The City of Kirkland says the work will last three months and that a detour route will be available.
- Día de los Muertos, Saturday, October 24, 2 to 4 p.m. This free, all-ages City event at Peter Kirk Community Center, 352 Kirkland Avenue, includes traditional activities, food, and music. Cafecito Mexican Bakery is the sponsor.
- Village Halloween Celebration, Saturday, October 24, noon to 2 p.m. The Village at Totem Lake will have costumed characters, a performance, and crafts. The organizer notes it is not a trick-or-treat event.
- Co-Working and Business Advising Day, October 14, November 11, and December 9. The City hosts these free sessions for business owners and founders from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kirkland City Hall, 123 5th Ave.
The Kirkland Wednesday Market at Marina Park ended its season on September 30. The Kirkland Downtown Association has not yet posted dates for the holiday ice rink. Its page still shows last season, November 26, 2025, through January 11, 2026, at Lee Johnson Field. The association's event calendar currently lists no upcoming events.
New tenants on Lake Street and Park Lane also change the area a home's listing describes, and that description is worth keeping current. If you own near downtown and want to know how your home compares this fall, Brian Hawkins & Cyrus O'Bryant can walk you through it in a calm, unhurried conversation. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
