206 Burger Company is preparing to open its third Seattle location at 602 19th Ave E, in the storefront next to Capitol Hill sports bar Pitch the Baby. The space became available after Mexican restaurant Rocket Taco moved across the street.
The planned expansion was first reported by CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News. Suren Shretha, the owner of 206 Burger Company, told CHS that the restaurant plans to occupy the space next door to Pitch the Baby and that more information about the arrangement would be available later.
Pitch the Baby was open during the week of September 14. The bar was created by Monica Dimas, Anais Custer, and Kimfer Flanery-Rye and debuted in late summer 2025, according to BAR BULLETIN. Dimas previously ran Neon Taco and Westman's Bagel and Coffee before launching the sports bar concept.
A Building With a Layered Past
The building at 600–602 19th Ave E has housed several food-and-drink concepts. Kingfish Cafe, the soul food restaurant run by twin sisters Laurie and Leslie Coaston, closed in January 2015 after 18 years, according to earlier CHS reporting. Rocket Taco later operated in the space before moving across the street.
The address after Kingfish
The 600–602 19th Ave E property was slated for another restaurant-and-bar concept soon after Kingfish closed: CHS reported in 2015 that an Italian restaurant and bar was planned for the space. Eater Seattle reported that Kingfish had opened in April 1997 and was scheduled to close on January 25, 2015. The reporting cited here does not specify what permit or liquor-license structure will govern 206 Burger's use of 602 19th Ave E, or how that use will relate administratively to Pitch the Baby. The operators have not yet announced those details.
That move opened the door for Pitch the Baby to expand into the second half of the old Kingfish footprint. The plan at the time paired the sports bar with Tortas Condesa, a Monica Dimas-backed venture serving tortas alongside the bar's drinks and sports programming. But per CHS, Tortas Condesa was consolidated into the main bar space, and Pitch the Baby appeared to downsize back to its original footprint before 206 Burger announced plans to move into the adjoining space.
Sports-Themed Menu Meets Sports Bar
The planned 206 Burger location would place the burger company in an adjoining storefront beside Pitch the Baby. The businesses have not publicly detailed how their operations will connect.
206 Burger's Capitol Hill footprint expanded in 2024. In 2024, the chain took over the former 8 Oz. Burger Bar space at Broadway and Union, according to CHS's reporting at the time. With the new 19th Ave E location, 206 Burger will have three locations total.
What's Still Unclear
The businesses have not publicly explained whether 206 Burger will operate as a separate food-service operation for bar patrons or use another arrangement. A shared food-service license has not been publicly confirmed.
The 19th Avenue changes come amid broader challenges for Seattle's restaurant industry. Hoodline reported on Sam's Tavern closing its original Pike/Pine location after 13 years in May. Separately, Eater Seattle cited rising food and labor costs as factors in reduced hours and some restaurant and bar closures in 2024, while The Seattle Times reported that rising costs and lost or more expensive lease renewals were associated with some 2025 shutdowns. Those reports do not establish that any of those factors caused 206 Burger's expansion.
Pitch the Baby is a sports bar. No opening timeline for the new 206 Burger space has been announced yet.
