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Visit Seattle’s 2024 small biz partnerships

Here are the highlights on the 12 BIPOC-, Woman-, and LGBTQIA-owned small businesses selected for Visit Seattle’s partnership program.

Red patio tables with bistro seats and umbrellas are scattered throughout Pioneer Square, flanked on the sides by old brick buildings and tall trees.

Pioneer Square’s late-1800s Romanesque Revival buildings are filled with art galleries, bars, boutiques, and more.

Photo by SEAtoday staff

Helping host 38 million guests a year sounds... a little daunting to say the least. This is why Visit Seattle and Seattle Bank created their Community Partnership Program — to help grow tourism activity for minority-owned businesses in undervisited neighborhoods.

As the program enters its third year, Visit Seattle and Seattle Bank have joined forces with Intentionalist + Alliance for Pioneer Square to select 12 small businesses run by BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ Seattleites to be in this year’s cohort.

The Pioneer Square businesses were chosen due to their proximity to Lumen Field — which will host six FIFA World Cup matches in 2026 — to help get them ready for all that party headed our way.

Allow us to introduce you to the names and ideas behind some of Pioneer Squares restaurant and shops:

ʔálʔal Café | Owned and operated by Chief Seattle Club, this cafe reclaims and reintroduces traditional Indigenous foods in a modern setting — it also uses 100% of its net profit to support unhoused Native relatives.

The interior of Golden Roosters sports a yellow service counter, above which hangs a large projector screen streaming a polo game. Tables are spaced throughout the restaurant on flooring mimicking a basketball court. Extra TVs are mounted on the wall to the left, which are also streaming various sports channels.

An inconspicuous wooden door transports you into Golden Roosters’ lively interior, bustling with screens streaming various sports channels + the smell of freshly fried chicken during peak hours.

Photo by SEAtoday staff

Golden Roosters | Soccer fanatic Sean Yoon runs this sports bar + Korean fried chicken joint with a 180-inch projector.

Lune Cafe | Owners Hamed + Karrar dreamed up this biz during their days at UW where they recognized a need for non-alcoholic, late night hang outs. The cafe creates savory and sweet eats until 10-11 p.m.

Nirmal’s | The restaurant’s core philosophy is to showcase the full diversity of Indian cuisine, representing various regions’ influences on popular South Asian dishes.

Drunken Pizza & Pocha | This Asian- and Woman-owned restaurant serves up Korean street-inspired dishes and artisanal pizzas — plus soju, beers, cocktails, and more.

A plastic travel cup of matcha sits next to a slice of baklava on a white marble table, with menus and a pink neon sign reading "glow" in the background.

We tried Lune Cafe’s Purple Glow latte with a slice of baklava (take our advice and order at least two slices of the baklava it was too good).

Photo by SEAtoday

Foggy Tea Shop | The Japanese-, Native-, and woman-owned shop brews a variety of teas + hosts regular community events with artists, musicians, and more.

Intrigue Chocolate Co. | Partners Aaron + Karl founded this artisanal chocolate company that operates as a one-stop-shop for all things chocolate.

More Pioneer Square businesses to put on your radar:

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