Restaurateur Marcus Lalario and chef Brady Williams are teaming up on a new food hall headed for Bellevue’s Auto Row in the Wilburton neighborhood, with a target opening in summer 2026. The project is billed as a multi-vendor hall with curated programming and a bar-forward setup that will act as an early-stage placemaking move in a larger redevelopment of the corridor. Specific design details are still under wraps while plans move through architects and city reviewers.
As first reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal, Lalario’s hospitality collective, Sugar Shack Unlimited, is slated to handle branding, design, marketing, day-to-day operations, and event activations for the hall. The Sugar Shack Unlimited site highlights the group’s experience with multi-concept restaurant and event venues and notes the team is aiming for a summer 2026 debut.
Where It Will Land
The food hall is planned for a portion of a KG Investment Properties assemblage along 116th Avenue NE that the company has been repositioning for mixed use. KG Investment Properties describes renovation of the former Cadillac building as a “Phase 0” interim use that could feature a food hall, bar, and outdoor, family-focused gathering space while longer range projects line up.
City permit records show a “Wilburton Phase 0” application that would partially convert the existing auto dealership at 600 116th Ave NE into what is described as a destination food hall. The filing identifies the work as a Level 1 alteration with site improvements tied to the food hall buildout, essentially a tactical makeover while the broader site plan works through the system.
Who Is Behind It
Marcus Lalario’s Sugar Shack Unlimited is the group behind Li’l Woody’s, Ciudad and other Seattle concepts, along with a history of collaborative restaurant and event programming around the city. Chef Brady Williams is best known for his tenure at Canlis and a James Beard Award, followed by independent projects that have kept him on the Puget Sound dining radar. Eater Seattle has detailed Williams’s background and award history, which helps explain why Bellevue is betting on him to draw early crowds.
Why It Matters
The project arrives as Bellevue’s Wilburton district continues its planned evolution from a row of car dealerships into a transit oriented, mixed use neighborhood under the city’s Wilburton Vision and updated land use code. Materials from the City of Bellevue and local reporting on KGIP’s master plan outline how interim uses such as a food hall can spark activity while larger developments move through SEPA review and design approvals. If the summer 2026 timeline holds, this hall is poised to be one of the first high profile retail and hospitality bets on the Eastside that year.
Tenant lineups and a detailed opening schedule have not yet been released, and both the developers and Sugar Shack say vendors and programming will be announced as permits clear and design work wraps up. We will be watching filings and public notices for the next round of specifics, from stall names to opening dates.
