<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0M7UfH_1Gy2bJuF00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0M7UfH_1Gy2bJuF00" width="758" height="504" ></figure><p>Photo credit to Doris</p><p><i>From the hospitality veterans behind some of Seattle’s most recognizable restaurant and gathering spaces, DORIS is an intimate, design-forward destination where classic cocktails, thoughtful food, and meaningful connections take center stage.</i></p><p>Seattle’s Pioneer Square has no shortage of history, but its latest addition is giving the neighborhood something distinctly different. Tucked inside an 800-square-foot space at 309 Third Avenue South, DORIS is a stylish, cocktail-forward restaurant that feels more like a private gathering room in New York or Paris than a traditional Seattle bar. With just 20 seats, the intimate setting brings together timeless design, beautifully executed food, and a social atmosphere that encourages guests to stay a little longer.</p><p>Opened in June 2026, DORIS occupies the former home of Salumi, the legendary Italian sandwich shop founded by Armandino Batali. The restaurant is the latest venture from hospitality veteran Angela Dunleavy, alongside creative lead Emma Stimson and Chef Neil Duncanson. Together, they’ve created a space that balances the sophistication of an upscale cocktail lounge with the warmth of a neighborhood restaurant. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4R6s6g_1Gy2bJuF00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4R6s6g_1Gy2bJuF00" width="1024" height="679" ></figure><h2>The Hospitality Veterans Behind DORIS</h2><p>While DORIS may be a new name in Seattle’s restaurant scene, the people behind it are anything but newcomers. Angela Dunleavy has spent more than two decades helping shape the city’s hospitality industry, including leadership roles with Ethan Stowell Restaurants, where she helped build one of Seattle’s best-known restaurant groups. Her career also includes serving as CEO of the nonprofit culinary organization FareStart and leading Seattle-based catering company Gourmondo.</p><p>In 2024, Dunleavy founded Rally, a hospitality, venue management, and experiential events company whose portfolio has included Rooftop at RailSpur in Pioneer Square, Studio Forma in South Lake Union, and West Canal Yards. DORIS represents a more intimate expression of that experience: instead of producing large gatherings, the team is focusing on the magic that can happen in a single room. </p><p>The culinary side is equally compelling. Executive Chef Neil Duncanson previously worked at some of Seattle’s most respected neighborhood restaurants, including Homer, Delancey, and Cafe Suliman. That background helps explain DORIS’s food philosophy: familiar dishes elevated through confident technique, thoughtful sourcing, and unexpected details. </p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0MAv9z_1Gy2bJuF00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0MAv9z_1Gy2bJuF00" width="1024" height="677" ></figure><h2>An Intimate Space Designed for Connection</h2><p>Stepping into DORIS feels like discovering a hidden gem. The narrow dining room features soft green walls, white marble tabletops, delicate floral arrangements, and warm lighting that gives the space an understated elegance. Inspired by the work of pioneering modernist designer Eileen Gray, Emma Stimson brought together influences from the Bauhaus and Art Deco movements to create a room that feels both nostalgic and contemporary.</p><p>The limited seating is intentional. Tables sit close enough for conversations to naturally unfold, making DORIS particularly appealing for intimate date nights, after-work cocktails, or catching up with a close friend. Despite its sophisticated aesthetic, the restaurant isn’t interested in being exclusive. Its inspiration comes from women’s social clubs of another era, reimagined as a welcoming gathering place for everyone.</p><p>Even the name carries a personal connection. DORIS is named after Dunleavy’s great-grandmother, who lived to be 101 and helped raise multiple generations of her family. Her legacy of generosity, warmth, and bringing people together serves as the emotional foundation of the restaurant.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0LYvcY_1Gy2bJuF00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0LYvcY_1Gy2bJuF00" width="934" height="1416" ></figure><h2>What to Eat and Drink at DORIS</h2><p>DORIS is the kind of restaurant where stopping in for one cocktail can easily turn into dinner. The food menu draws inspiration from mid-century dinner parties and continental classics, with an emphasis on shareable dishes and approachable indulgence.</p><p>Start with the French fries, served with preserved Meyer lemon mayonnaise, alongside a cold martini. For something playful, the DORIS Snack Mix combines oyster crackers, Goldfish, and Fritos, while the caramelized shallot dip arrives with potato chips and seasonal vegetables. Those looking to splurge can order Osetra caviar served with crème fraîche, chives, and, unexpectedly, Pringles.</p><p>For a more substantial meal, Chef Duncanson’s buttermilk-fried pork loin comes with seasonal greens, green goddess dressing, and piparra peppers. Other notable options include 21-day dry-aged smoked beef with horseradish and pickled mustard seeds, and Penn Cove mussels in an aromatic white wine and vadouvan curry broth. It’s a menu that doesn’t take itself too seriously while still delivering the kind of detail expected from an experienced Seattle chef.</p><p>Cocktails are central to the experience. Rather than chasing elaborate trends, DORIS focuses on polished classics and inventive variations. Expect a lineup of martinis, a House Black Manhattan featuring amaro and hazelnut, and a Sakura Old Fashioned built around Japanese single malt whisky, ginger-honey, and yuzu. There’s also a selection of miniature cocktails for guests who want to explore different spirits without committing to a full-sized drink.</p><p>Beyond the food and drinks, one of the more interesting aspects of DORIS is its potential as a gathering space. The restaurant offers a nightly large-party table for six to ten guests, private buyouts, and programming that includes cocktail parties and guest-chef dinners. These experiences reinforce the founders’ larger vision of creating a neighborhood destination built around community rather than simply another place to eat and drink.</p><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2O96Dc_1Gy2bJuF00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2O96Dc_1Gy2bJuF00" width="936" height="1406" ></figure><h2>Why DORIS Should Be on Your Radar</h2><p>Seattle continues to welcome ambitious new restaurants and cocktail bars, but DORIS stands out for its restraint. It isn’t trying to become the biggest or loudest destination in the city. Instead, the team has invested in the details that make a night out memorable: lighting that sets the mood, cocktails worth savoring, food designed to be shared, and a room that makes conversation feel effortless.</p><p>For anyone looking for a new date-night destination, an elevated cocktail experience, or simply somewhere to meet friends before an evening downtown, DORIS deserves a place on the list. And with a hospitality team whose collective experience spans Ethan Stowell Restaurants, FareStart, Rally, Homer, and Delancey, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about what’s next.</p><p>Sometimes the best nights out happen in the smallest rooms. DORIS is making a case for exactly that.</p></div></body>

Block Source: eatinseattle.com

Misinformation

Clickbait

Old or repetitive news

Explicit content

Location not relevant

From the hospitality veterans behind some of Seattle’s most recognizable restaurant and gathering spaces, DORIS is an intimate, design-forward destination where classic cocktails, thoughtful food, and meaningful connections take center stage. Seattle’s Pioneer Square has no shortage of history, but its latest addition is giving the neighborhood something distinctly...

Why DORIS Should Be on Your Seattle Cocktail Radar

NewsBreak

From the hospitality veterans behind some of Seattle’s most recognizable restaurant and gathering spaces, DORIS is an intimate, design-forward destination 

Why DORIS Should Be on Your Seattle Cocktail Radar

Comments