Le Grand Bistro Américain served its last night at 2220 Carillon Point in early October 2026. It had been open since a public debut planned for December 28, 2010. Over the same months, downtown Kirkland added a Seattle institution on Park Lane and a Portland-based sushi brand on Lake Street, and a Bengali restaurant opened on NE 119th Way. Put those together and Kirkland's dinner map has a different shape than it did in the spring. The waterfront still has good tables. Most of what's new, though, sits in the downtown core, and it came from somewhere else first.
In a roundup of October restaurant news, Seattle Met called Le Grand a "Kirkland staple" and wrote that it "raised its final glass last week." The roundup didn't give an exact last day, a reason for closing, or any word on what goes into the space next.
Nearly sixteen years at Carillon Point
When The Seattle Times covered the opening in December 2010, it named restaurateur Ted Furst as owner and Scott Emerick as the chef helping launch the kitchen. Counting from that debut to this month comes to about fifteen years and nine months.
Some listings haven't caught up. Carillon Point's own dining directory still includes Le Grand at 2220 Carillon Point. If you're planning an anniversary dinner or a visit with out-of-town guests from an old bookmark, call ahead before you go.
What Carillon Point still serves after dark
The Woodmark Hotel's dining page lists three options at Carillon Point, and the hours show how the day there now runs.
- Carillon Kitchen handles breakfast and lunch, open daily 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., with Fonte coffee and Beecher's Handmade Cheese on the menu. The Woodmark says it's open for takeout plus indoor and outdoor dining, and it has already posted a Thanksgiving To Go 2026 menu.
- COMO focuses on the cuisine of Lombardy around Lake Como, with handmade pasta, and opens daily at 5 p.m.
- el Encanto serves Chef Gabriel's Mexican menu of family recipes. It opens at 4 p.m. on weekdays and adds brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Woodmark recommends booking ahead at COMO and el Encanto. On the waterfront you can still get Italian, Mexican, and a lakeside breakfast. With Le Grand gone, nobody at Carillon Point is serving a French bistro dinner.
Downtown's additions came with track records
Downtown's 2026 openings are expansions of restaurants that already had a following somewhere else.
| Restaurant | Address | Home base | Hours posted as of October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Von's 1000Spirits | 115 Park Lane | Downtown Seattle, since 1987 | 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Sun–Thu; 11 a.m.–midnight Fri–Sat |
| Bamboo Sushi | 128 Lake St S | Portland-based; first Washington location at University Village | Wed–Fri 5–9 p.m.; Sat–Sun 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m.; closed Mon–Tue |
Von's brought its 75-year-old starter across the lake
Sip Magazine announced in May that Von's would open in Kirkland on June 10, 2026. That was the planned date. The restaurant's site now lists the Kirkland location as open. Downtown Seattle has had a Von's since 1987, and Woodinville got the second location in 2022, so Kirkland makes three.
The menu sticks to what built the name: scratch sourdough pizza and pasta made from a 75-year-old starter, craft cocktails, and the Scratch Martini. Sip Magazine's launch coverage also mentioned the spirits list of more than 1,000 bottles and the Wagering Wheel. Owner Merrisa Claridge runs a family hospitality business that goes back to her great-grandfather.
Two details matter for a weeknight plan. Happy hour runs daily from 2 to 6 p.m., and the posted closing time is 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Von's also shares a block of Park Lane with Cactus, which lists its Kirkland address as 121 Park Lane.
Bamboo Sushi picked Lake Street for its second Washington location
What Now Seattle reported in late July that Bamboo Sushi was preparing to open at 128 Lake St. Kirkland is its second Washington location, after University Village. SoHi Brands owns the company, which has been sourcing for sustainability since 2008 and calls itself the world's first certified sustainable sushi restaurant. A share of sales from the Green Machine Roll and the Sushi Boards, 1%, goes to environmental nonprofits. By October, Seattle Met reported the Kirkland location open. Neither outlet gave an exact opening day.
The posted hours shape when you can go. Bamboo is closed Monday and Tuesday and serves dinner only on Wednesday through Friday. On weekends it opens at 11:30 a.m., which makes it one of the few new downtown options for a Saturday lunch near the water. The location page links a happy hour menu but doesn't list the happy hour window, so check before you go.
The opening with the least advance notice
Kankana is the newcomer that didn't arrive with a familiar name. It's a Bengali restaurant at 9749 NE 119th Way, north of downtown. Seattle Met noted it's the third Bengali restaurant to open in the region in a year. On October 7, 2026, The Infatuation put it on its radar with mutton biryani, tangra chilli chicken, and bhapa ilish on the menu. That was an early notice, and the writer hadn't eaten there yet. None of the coverage so far names the operator or an exact opening day.
Of this year's three openings, Kankana is the one with no Seattle or Portland track record to lean on. It's also the only one with a menu nobody else in Kirkland offers.
One more address is already on the calendar
Downtown's next opening is a year out. What Now Seattle reported on October 9 that Hako San Café & Bar is headed for 177 Central Way. Owner Alen Fikic told the outlet he hopes to open in mid- to late summer 2027. That adds Central Way to the Park Lane and Lake Street cluster, and it means the downtown core is likely to stay the busier half of the map through next summer.
The waterfront's big nights are still ahead
The Carillon Point calendar for the rest of the year shows the waterfront is still where Kirkland's seasonal events happen. The Woodmark Hotel lists these dates:
- November 28, 2026: Christmas Ship at Carillon Point
- December 13, 2026: Santa Brunch at The Woodmark Hotel
- December 17, 2026: the annual Spa-La-La at Still Spa, 4 to 7 p.m.
The Christmas Ship falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Woodmark recommends reservations at both COMO and el Encanto, which matters for a night with an event already on the Carillon Point calendar. Downtown, Von's posts a midnight closing time on Fridays and Saturdays, and Bamboo's weekend hours run from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Restaurant hours change often. All of the times above are what each restaurant posted as of October 2026.
If you'd like to talk through how Kirkland's downtown core and waterfront are changing, Nick Loveless Real Estate is glad to have that conversation. Work With Nick.
