If you follow Spokane food news the way most people do, from a press release or a hotel's social media feed, you'd think the biggest story of the season is happening at the Davenport Grand. And in a sense it is. As KXLY reported, Lilac & Pine opened this year inside the hotel, taking over the space that used to be Table 13, with a menu built around cedar roasted King Salmon, pine-smoked steaks, Dungeness crab rolls, and black garlic flatbreads. KXLY quoted chef Rudy Velasquez talking about wanting the food to be "giving it that Northwest feel, while still appealing to the average traveler," and reported that the restaurant is open nightly from 4 to 10 p.m.
That's a real opening. It's also one part of Spokane's food and retail growth. About three miles north, a handful of much smaller operators are betting on a second or third location instead of a first.
North of Downtown: A Pattern of Expansion
Start with HoneySpell Cafe. According to the Spokane Journal, Emily Peterson, who's also one of the recognizable faces at Page 42 Bookstore on Crestline, is putting the finishing touches on a fantasy-themed cafe in North Spokane expected to open this September. The business model leans on coffee and community events, built from lessons she picked up running the bookstore. That's not a chain testing a new market. That's a local owner drawing on experience from one small business to open a second.
The Spokane Journal reported that Mark Twigg and his wife Maureen Torphy are finishing the soft opening of Twiggy's Fish & Chips in West Central, bringing authentic British fare to a neighborhood that hasn't had much of it. And over on North Post Street, The Inlander reported on two food businesses that opened expansion locations inside the Wonder Building food hall:
- Soulful Soups & Spirits opened a second location inside the food hall, with a menu that leans harder into sandwiches than the original.
- The Blvd Coffee Co. opened its third location in the space, serving coffee alongside pastries and breakfast sandwiches.
These are not debut concepts: the businesses are adding locations north of downtown after operating elsewhere in Spokane.
Two Corridors, Different Kinds of Activity
This isn't a one-building story. It's happening in at least two established corridors at the same time, which is the part that should change how you read the season.
North Monroe has spent the last several years turning into what locals already treat as an alternative to downtown for a night out: Bellwether Brewing Company (which now has a second location in the Hillyard district), Ladder Coffee, 1889 Salvage Co., Vintage Print and Neon, Kingsley & Scout, and Elliot's, known for American cuisine and craft cocktails in a relaxed setting. None of that is new this month, but it provides context for North Monroe's established business base and walkable district infrastructure.
The KXLY report on the Kendall Yards Night Market says the market returned for its 2026 season and runs every Wednesday from 5 to 8:30 p.m. through the end of September, drawing up to 6,000 people a week and more than 100 vendors to Summit Parkway. This year the market added two new live music locations, My Fresh Basket and New Love Coffee, alongside the existing stage at The Nest, specifically so foot traffic would spread across the neighborhood's businesses instead of pooling at one anchor.
| Corridor | Anchor businesses | What's new in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| North Monroe | Bellwether Brewing, Ladder Coffee, 1889 Salvage Co., Elliot's | Established base drawing newer operators north |
| Wonder Building / North Post | Soulful Soups & Spirits, The Blvd Coffee Co. | Both added expansion locations inside the food hall |
| Kendall Yards | The Nest, My Fresh Basket, New Love Coffee | Night Market added two music venues to spread crowds across the district |
| Downtown (Davenport Grand) | Lilac & Pine | New concept in a recycled hotel restaurant space |
The table shows different kinds of activity: an established base along North Monroe, expansion locations at the Wonder Building, additional Night Market music venues in Kendall Yards, and a new concept at the Davenport Grand. Together, the examples show new and expanding food activity across Spokane.
The Calendar Is Already Pointing You There
You don't need a special reason to notice this. The next six weeks put you in these same corridors anyway. The Spokane County Interstate Fair runs its concert series September 15 through 17, with Gretchen Wilson and The Band Perry on the 15th, Daughtry on the 16th, and Nate Smith closing it out on the 17th. The Kendall Yards Night Market has a few Wednesdays left before it wraps for the season at the end of September. And once October arrives, Riverfront Park adds its own texture: the Spokane Marathon winds along the river into downtown on October 11, and local historian Chet Caskey leads walking tours through the park on four separate dates that month for anyone who wants the slightly eerie version of Spokane history with their fall air.
None of those events are about restaurants. But they're the reason you'll already be walking past HoneySpell's build-out, past the Wonder Building's expanded food hall, past Bellwether's taps, sometime in the next month, whether you planned to or not.
A Season of Food Openings Across Spokane
This season's openings include a hotel restaurant, a bookstore owner's cafe, a fish and chips shop in West Central, and expansion locations at the Wonder Building food hall. Together, they show a mix of new and expanding food businesses across Spokane.
For residents following Spokane's food scene, these examples highlight activity along corridors north of downtown that has been building for longer than one season.
If you ever find yourself wondering what a house near one of these corridors is actually worth, or whether it's time to trade your current spot for something closer to the parts of Spokane where all this is happening, Inland Empire Home Team knows these neighborhoods block by block and is always glad to talk through what you're seeing on the ground.
