The Counter Shoppe — Did Capitol Hill’s Best Jamaica Conchas Shop Just Open?

Capitol Hill’s “best doughnuts” may have just been replaced by its greatest jamaica conchas. The Counter Shoppe is opening this week on E Pike.

The walk-up counter space formerly home to Half and Half Doughnut Co. went back into motion over the weekend with a new daytime project pairing the Fogon Capitol Hill food and drink family with Seattle baker Lauren Rae Witt:

The Counter Shoppe has arrived in Capitol Hill and we’re so excited to meet our neighbors.

open Tuesday – Saturday, 7am–4pm.

featuring baked goods from @sugarandsprig, plus more goodness on the way.

CHS reported in September on the closure of Half and Half after six years of doughnuts on E Pike that included arguably the neighborhood’s best. Owner Christine Cannon told CHS that a combination of factors including city changes to the street and parking combined with soaring costs pushed her to sell. “They’re the best old fashioned doughnuts they’ve ever had,” Cannon said at the time. “I’m very proud to be have been given those assessments from our guests over time.”

Did Capitol Hill’s best doughnut shop just go out of business? — UPDATE: ‘That doughnut is going to resurface somewhere’

The Counter Shoppe marks the latest new investment in the neighborhood by Noel Cortez who started Fogon on E Pine in 2012. In 2020, the restaurant expanded onto E Pike with La Josie’s, a bar-centered approach to Fogon’s food and drink mix and a tribute to Jose Ambriz who joined with his uncle Cortez in growing Fogon into a neighborhood mainstay. Jose’s sister Amparo Ambriz joined Cortez as a partner in the new family business after Jose Ambriz’s death.

The Counter Shoppe also has another Pike/Pine hospitality veteran in the mix. Edgar Luna-Meza — formerly of Mezcaleria Oaxaca where Double O’ Burgers, Cantina del Sol, and Uncle Dom’s Italian Kitchen opened on E Pine last year — is part of The Counter Shoppe’s ownership, according to business filings.

Now Fogon is growing its daytime family in the neighborhood with a bakery and cafe space a short walk from its various Pike/Pine ventures and with just enough room for Witt to grow her baked good reputation in the city.

The new cafe is planned to be open this week with a full grand opening planned for Tuesday, February 24th.

The Counter Shoppe is now open at 516 E Pike. Learn more at thecountershoppeseattle.com.

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