Tin Table

Tin Table was a restaurant located on the second floor of Oddfellows Hall in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Hallie Kuperman opened the restaurant in 2009, across from Century Ballroom, another Seattle business she had opened in 1997. The two venues were closely associated operationally and culturally, with Tin Table later using Century Ballroom as additional dining space during the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant was described by Eater Seattle as an upscale pub. Its setting included a lounge, a long bar, and exposed brick, giving the venue a polished but informal atmosphere. Tin Table identified as both LGBTQ-owned and woman-owned, and it became part of Capitol Hill's hospitality and nightlife ecosystem. Its location within Oddfellows Hall placed it near the Pike/Pine corridor and close to Century Ballroom's dance and event programming. Tin Table's food drew on Pacific Northwest ingredients and familiar pub formats while presenting them in a more contemporary restaurant style. Reported menu items included duck pastrami, meatloaf, ricotta gnocchi, truffle mashed potatoes, risotto, wings, bruschetta, steak frites, and the Floozy Burger, a burger served with bacon, caramelized onion, cheese, and French fries. Brunch offerings included brisket Benedicts, scrambles made with Dungeness crab, Bloody Marys, and mimosas. The bar program included cocktails such as Spritz into Spring, a wine-spritzer variation made with Chareau, vodka, and vermouth. Happy hour was also a notable part of the proposition, with discounted drinks and accessible dishes including pasta, burgers, and fries. Frank Wielgosiek was identified as a chef at Tin Table from 2012 through 2022, while Michael Seidel joined as pastry chef in 2012. Seidel also made cakes for Century Ballroom. Donna Looney and Dan Wunderlich were among the other chefs associated with the restaurant. The venue received favorable local attention for its atmosphere and late-night utility. Seattle Magazine characterized it as sleek and sexy in 2011, while Eater Seattle later included it in a reader-informed list of Seattle's best late-night dining options. Like many restaurants, Tin Table temporarily closed when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted indoor dining. It reopened in May 2020 with an updated menu and introduced a pulley-based system for delivering pickup orders while limiting contact. Century Ballroom was also adapted as a physically distanced dining area. Tin Table continued offering special takeout menus, including a Thanksgiving menu with herb-roasted turkey, buttermilk rolls, winter squash, and yams. In December 2020, Tin Table and Century Ballroom launched a GoFundMe effort intended to help the businesses remain financially viable. In 2021, Tin Table began hosting free monthly lunches for LGBTQ seniors through the DineTogether program. Tin Table was also referenced in Kevin O'Brien's novels Terrified and The Night She Disappeared, the latter presenting it as a chic, semi-bohemian Seattle eatery. The restaurant has since closed permanently and is therefore a defunct local restaurant brand rather than an active operating business.

Tin Table was established in 2009 by Hallie Kuperman in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The restaurant occupied the second floor of Oddfellows Hall and was situated across from Century Ballroom, which Kuperman had founded in 1997. The proximity of the two venues supported a connected hospitality and entertainment identity, with Tin Table serving as a restaurant and bar within a building associated with Seattle's dance, nightlife, and LGBTQ communities. The restaurant developed a reputation as an upscale pub. Its design combined a lounge, a long bar, and exposed brick, balancing a more refined atmosphere with casual service and recognizable pub formats. Its cuisine was described as Pacific Northwest-oriented and included both inventive and comforting dishes. Examples reported over the years included duck pastrami, meatloaf, ricotta gnocchi, truffle mashed potatoes, risotto, wings, bruschetta, steak frites, and the Floozy Burger. Brunch and happy hour broadened the restaurant's appeal, while the beverage program included cocktails and discounted drinks during selected service periods. Several chefs were associated with the business. Frank Wielgosiek was identified as a chef from 2012 through 2022. Michael Seidel joined as pastry chef in 2012 and also supplied cakes for Century Ballroom. Donna Looney and Dan Wunderlich were also named among Tin Table's chefs. The restaurant received positive local commentary for its service, visual character, and suitability for evening dining. It was described by Seattle Magazine as sleek and sexy, and it later appeared in an Eater Seattle list of recommended late-night dining options based on reader feedback. The COVID-19 pandemic created a major operational disruption. Tin Table temporarily closed during the initial shutdowns, then reopened in May 2020 with an updated menu and procedures designed to reduce contact. Pickup orders were delivered using a pulley system, and Century Ballroom was repurposed as additional dining space that could accommodate distancing requirements. The restaurant also offered special takeout programming, including a Thanksgiving menu featuring turkey, rolls, winter squash, and yams. In December 2020, Tin Table and Century Ballroom sought community support through a GoFundMe campaign intended to help the businesses survive the pandemic. The following year, Tin Table participated in the DineTogether program by hosting free monthly lunches for LGBTQ seniors. These initiatives reflected the businesses' broader community role in Capitol Hill as well as their effort to remain active during a period of severe pressure on restaurants and event venues. Tin Table gained a small measure of literary visibility through references in Kevin O'Brien's novels Terrified, published in 2011, and The Night She Disappeared, published in 2021. In the latter novel, the restaurant was portrayed as a chic, semi-bohemian establishment in Seattle's Pike/Pine area. Tin Table has since closed permanently. No reliable public information in the supplied material establishes its exact closing date, ownership structure, financial performance, or successor business.

• 2021

  DineTogether lunches began

  [1]Tin Tableen.wikipedia.org

  Tin Table began hosting free monthly lunches for LGBTQ seniors through the DineTogether program.

• 2020

  Pandemic reopening and service adaptation

  [1]Tin Tableen.wikipedia.org

  Tin Table reopened in May with a revised menu, pulley-assisted pickup delivery, and distanced dining arrangements using Century Ballroom.

• 2012

  Michael Seidel joined as pastry chef

  [1]Tin Tableen.wikipedia.org

  Michael Seidel joined Tin Table as pastry chef and also became the cake maker for Century Ballroom.

• 2009

  Tin Table opened in Oddfellows Hall

  [1]Tin Tableen.wikipedia.org

  Hallie Kuperman launched Tin Table on the second floor of Oddfellows Hall in Capitol Hill, Seattle.

• 1997

  Century Ballroom opened

  [1]Tin Tableen.wikipedia.org

  Hallie Kuperman opened Century Ballroom, the nearby venue that later operated in close association with Tin Table.

An upscale, neighborhood-oriented Seattle pub combining Pacific Northwest cuisine, approachable comfort food, brunch, cocktails, and late-night dining in an LGBTQ- and woman-owned hospitality setting.

• Main menu · 2009

  Pacific Northwest pub-style cuisine

  Tin Table's main menu combined Pacific Northwest ingredients and restaurant cooking with familiar pub formats. Reported dishes included duck pastrami, meatloaf, ricotta gnocchi, truffle mashed potatoes, risotto, wings, bruschetta, steak frites, and the Floozy Burger with bacon, caramelized onion, cheese, and fries.

• Brunch menu

  Brunch

  The brunch menu extended the restaurant's neighborhood positioning with substantial, regionally influenced dishes. Reported offerings included brisket Benedicts, scrambles made with Dungeness crab, Bloody Marys, and mimosas.

• Promotional dining service

  Happy hour

  Happy hour provided a more accessible entry point to Tin Table through discounted drinks and a focused selection of pastas, burgers, and fries. It supported the restaurant's role as both a full-service dining venue and an evening social destination.

• Cocktail

  Spritz into Spring

  Spritz into Spring was a Tin Table drink described as a variation on a classic wine spritzer. Its reported ingredients included Chareau, vodka, and vermouth, reflecting the restaurant's broader cocktail-oriented bar program.

• Seasonal takeout · 2020

  Thanksgiving takeout menu

  For Thanksgiving 2020, Tin Table offered a takeout menu centered on herb-roasted turkey with buttermilk rolls, winter squash, and yams. The menu formed part of the restaurant's pandemic-era effort to maintain service outside conventional indoor dining.

• 2021DineTogether LGBTQ senior lunches

  Seattle, Washington, United States

  Tin Table began hosting free monthly lunch meetups for LGBTQ seniors as part of the DineTogether program.

  Source
• 2020Tin Table and Century Ballroom pandemic fundraising campaign

  Seattle, Washington, United States

  In December 2020, Tin Table and Century Ballroom launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking community support as the pandemic placed sustained pressure on restaurants and event venues.

  Source

• 2020

  Adapting restaurant operations during COVID-19Strategy

  Background

  The pandemic forced Tin Table to temporarily suspend normal restaurant operations and created social-distancing requirements for any reopening.

  Action taken

  Tin Table reopened with an updated menu, used a pulley system to deliver pickup orders, and used Century Ballroom as additional distanced dining space.

  Aftermath

  The business continued takeout and community-oriented programming, including a Thanksgiving menu and free LGBTQ senior lunches, before eventually closing permanently.

  Source

1. 1Tin Tableen.wikipedia.org