Seattle-based Sea Creatures Restaurant Group announced Thursday that it will temporarily close one of its acclaimed restaurants and the connected bar. It will also permanently close two locations of its popular doughnut and coffee chain.
The restaurant group, owned by James Beard Award-winning chef Renee Erickson and her partners, shared the news through the official social-media accounts of the respective eateries. The closures are part of what the company describes as its “footprint reimagining” strategy.
Highlights
- Sea Creatures Restaurant Group announced significant changes to several of its establishments on Thursday, June 5, 2025.
- Bateau and Boat Bar, located on Union Street in Seattle, will be closed temporarily this June and will undergo a transformation.
- General Porpoise locations in Capitol Hill and Laurelhurst will be shut down for good this month.
Bateau and Boat Bar in Seattle to Be Closed Temporarily
Bateau and the adjoining Boat Bar, located on Union Street in Seattle, are scheduled to temporarily close on June 19, 2025. The Instagram post that announced the closures said that this would not be the end of the stories of those spaces. The team “will be taking this time to reflect and refresh our concepts,” the post said.
Both restaurants are expected to remain closed “between three to six months” and plan to welcome guests once again later this year. The spaces will be transformed and reopened with “renewed focus and fresh ideas.”
Guests and staff were thanked in the post, which also wished good luck to key team members who are embarking on new opportunities. Guests were encouraged to visit the restaurants during the remaining days before the temporary closures.
Two of General Porpoise’s Locations to Close Permanently
General Porpoise, a café chain under Sea Creatures Restaurant Group, operates four locations across Seattle. In an announcement on Thursday, it said that two of those locations will be permanently shut down this June. “These decisions, while determined by different factors, were not made lightly,” the announcement said.
According to the Instagram post, General Porpoise’s original location in Capitol Hill will close for good on June 19. In addition, its Laurelhurst location, which opened in 2018, will close on June 24.
The café stated its decision to relocate staff from Laurelhurst to the two remaining locations, citing rising operational costs.
Other Restaurants and Locations to Remain Open
The other restaurants under Sea Creatures’ portfolio – The Whale Wins Larder and Café, Willmott’s Ghost, The Walrus and the Carpenter, Barnacle, Deep Dive Bar at the Spheres, Westward, and Lioness—will continue to serve their guests.
General Porpoise’s other locations at the Amazon Spheres and Pioneer Square will also remain open, serving coffee and doughnuts.
The restaurant industry in Seattle and across the country has been severely impacted by the pandemic and continues to face financial challenges. The temporary and permanent closures announced by Sea Creatures, a leading name in the Northwest’s fine-dining scene, reflect the broader struggles facing the industry.
