Koshari, the vegetarian restaurant serving Egyptian and Lebanese street food inside Salt & Sugar will serve its last meal at that Ballard address on Saturday, Aug. 15.
The family announced the departure on Koshari's website Monday, July 21, saying the closure is temporary.
Owners Ayman and Amani Almasri plan to pause operations while they search for a new permanent location. No timeline, target neighborhood, or reopening date has been announced.
The Almasris built Koshari from a market stall into a brick-and-mortar restaurant over a two-year span. Ayman Almasri is Palestinian with family in Egypt; Amani spent part of her life between Lebanon and Egypt.
Their signature dish layers rice, lentils, macaroni, and garbanzo beans under fried onions. The menu expanded into a fully vegetarian lineup drawing on both Egyptian and Lebanese family recipes.
"My grandmother had an encyclopedia of vegetarian, vegan recipes," Ayman Almasri told FOX 13 Seattle in a June 1 interview about the restaurant's culinary roots.
The couple opened inside Salt & Sugar in September 2024 after building a following at fairs and farmers markets around Puget Sound.
At the time, Almasri told My Ballard that partnering with the café gave the family a chance to establish a permanent home without shouldering the full cost of a standalone lease.
The arrangement also let them work while caring for their daughter, who has multiple disabilities.
As recently as June 1, the family was expanding: FOX 13 reported the couple planned to serve dishes at Seattle Center during 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
The announcement did not explain why the family is leaving Salt & Sugar. The owners' posted message thanked customers and the café for their support but offered no details on whether the exit stems from a lease expiration, a rent increase, or a mutual decision.
City programs available to businesses searching for space
The Seattle Office of Economic Development runs a Commercial Space Consulting Program that offers eligible businesses 10 free hours of consultation for locating commercial space and negotiating with landlords.
The city's Seattle Restored program matches small business owners with vacant storefronts for pop-up placements and subsidized long-term leases. Both programs are available to immigrant-owned small businesses seeking commercial space.
