Seattle’s iconic Bush Garden, a staple of the Chinatown-International District since 1953, is set for a comeback with a reopening this year.
Owned by Karen Akada Sakata, the revitalized Bush Garden will reopen inside Uncle Bob’s Place at 417 8th Ave.
Sakata bought Bush Garden in 1996 after the original owners, the Sekos, retired.
“It was an institution in Seattle. It was a gathering place for a lot of people. People when they had their first drink going out at 21–they would come down. People would come down after meetings, funerals, weddings. We’ve seen people through it all,” Sakata told What Now Seattle.
The restaurant became known for introducing karaoke to the neighborhood, a feature returning in the new location. In 2018, developers purchased the building, but their redevelopment plans didn’t align, and after 64 years, Bush Garden closed its doors.
“When we were asked if we wanted to reopen the space in the new Uncle Bob’s Place–that was an inspiration all by itself. It’s a very unique opportunity to connect pieces of our neighborhood all together in one spot,” Sakata said.
She continued, “Uncle Bob [Bob Santos] was such an icon. The mayor of CID [Chinatown-International District] is what we used to call him. He really fought hard for the neighborhood when social services were not available.”
Although the new space will be smaller, seating around 100, Bush Garden’s spirit will remain.
“We definitely are bringing things from the old space so that people will feel that the space reminds them of the old Bush,” she said.
Sakata is eager to bring the restaurant aspect back.
“We had to close the restaurant in 2016. We were asked to keep the bar open, so it was operating more as a bar than it was a restaurant toward the end,” she said. “We’re hoping to bring that back with some traditional Japanese food. We’ll have some of the old things that used to be on the menu plus an eye for something new.”
The new space will also feature programs designed to strengthen connections between elders and young people in the neighborhood.
“We’ve been talking about the possibilities of what types of programming and we have a lot of ideas that we’re looking forward to implementing once we get open. From that sense, just expanding what we used to do, broadening it,” Sakata said.
Sakata looks forward to leading Bush Garden into its next chapter.
“It’s not going to be the exact same place—times have changed, people’s interests and needs have changed, but being a part of the community is still strong. I think it’s something that the Chinatown-International District doesn’t want to lose,” she said.
Sakata plans to debut Bush Garden early this year, though she has not announced an official opening date. For updates, visit the website and follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
