SEATTLE — A new rooftop restaurant is opening its doors in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, bringing sweeping views, hundreds of seats and a major investment.
Solette Rooftop officially opens Tuesday, September 15, atop the Level Hotel, occupying 6,500 square feet on the building’s 13th floor. The restaurant features views of the Space Needle, Lake Union, and Puget Sound and offers seating for approximately 225 guests.
The Seattle location is the company’s second, following the success of its Chicago restaurant.
“We’re really serving as a place not only for residents but people visiting Seattle. Also serving the tech community that we have surrounding us,” said Phia McDonnel, Food and Beverage Manager at Solette Rooftop.
The upscale-casual menu includes steak, sushi, pasta, burgers and salads. Restaurant leaders say they designed the space to attract both locals and visitors looking for a destination experience in the city.
McDonnel said Seattle was a natural fit for the company’s expansion plans, hoping to draw lots of foot traffic.
“Our programming is really a key component. We’re gonna have DJs Friday and Saturday night, we’re gonna do wellness programming near the pool and pool bar as well as have Wine Wednesdays,” she said.
The opening comes as Seattle’s hospitality industry continues its uneven recovery from the pandemic.
According to the Downtown Seattle Association, 63 new street-level businesses opened downtown in 2025, with restaurants accounting for nearly half of those openings.
At the same time, many businesses continue to face rising labor costs, inflation, and lingering impacts from office vacancies. Some restaurants have closed despite signs of increasing foot traffic. Nearby rooftop venue mbar, for example, closed in fall 2025.
Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO Jon Scholes said some businesses have seen revenue rebound, but profitability remains a challenge.
“There’s some that have come out of the pandemic strong when it comes to their top line,” Scholes said. “But the bottom line is still suffering. The hotel industry is a great example of that. In downtown Seattle, our hotel occupancy is generally back to pre-pandemic levels, certainly in the summer, but their costs are 30 or 40% more than they were pre-pandemic.”
Scholes said investors and business owners are looking for confidence and stability when deciding where to spend their money.
“There’s a lot of assets here that other places don’t have that’s taken us a long time to build,” Scholes said. “But you can squander those by lack of predictability and being not competitive on cost and not being welcoming to those that are making decisions on where they want to invest and locate and grow.”
Despite the challenges, Solette’s leadership believes Seattle remains a strong market for hospitality and entertainment.
“Whether you’re coming for a birthday party to celebrate or just need a place to relax after a long day at work, we wanna be that for everyone,” said McDonnell.
The restaurant will be open to both hotel guests and the public.
Its opening represents another vote of confidence in Seattle’s urban core, as business leaders continue to track whether new investments, returning workers and increased tourism can help sustain downtown’s recovery in the years ahead.
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