Bush Garden
Karaoke bar · International District ·
Karaoke bar with 80s vibe, friendly atmosphere, stiff drinks
Karaoke bar with 80s vibe, friendly atmosphere, stiff drinks
"A beloved Chinatown–International District karaoke haunt, this spot is on the verge of reopening after closing in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown era. Owner Karen Sakata has been working for two years to revive it, but progress has been delayed by contracting issues, funding challenges, and other obstacles, and there is still no exact reopening date set." - Harry Cheadle
"Bush Garden, Seattle’s oldest and most famous karaoke bar, is set to return to the Chinatown–International District in spring 2024. Originally opened in 1953 as a Japanese restaurant, it became a renowned karaoke bar, hosting politicians and community activists. It closed in 2021 due to the pandemic but plans to reopen in a new affordable housing development called Uncle Bob’s Place." - Harry Cheadle
"I learned that Bush Garden, established in 1953 in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, was the nation’s first restaurant karaoke bar and Washington state's second Japanese restaurant; over decades it became a vital meeting place for activists like “Uncle” Bob Santos who fought gentrification. I recall its popular happy-hour fare — gyoza, onion rings, and shareable yakisoba, pork kimchi, or steak dishes — and a generous pour at the bar that helped make it an ideal community hub. After the historic building was bought by a developer called Vibrant Cities in 2017 the community rallied to save it, but the restaurant ultimately had to close during the pandemic; its furnishings and memorabilia are now stashed in storage under current owner Karen Akada Sakata. The documentary about Bush Garden presents the spot as culturally important and a symbol of hopeful resistance against displacement." - Eater
"Bush Garden doesn’t serve any food. But you’re not here to eat, anyway. You’re here to drink beer with your friends while singing like a fool at the best karaoke bar in the city. This is the kind of karaoke bar where every table and chair faces the stage, where the entire room sings along with passion, and where the owner will pick up a tambourine and sing harmonies with you if you’re nervous. After your performance, don’t be surprised if random people hug you or scream, “You’re so good at singing!”" - Aimee Rizzo
"Set to be resurrected inside the new development on the current Four Seas Restaurant and Bar site, this Chinatown-International District Japanese restaurant is closing to make way for the project but will return in the new building. It was the first restaurant in the country to have a karaoke bar, became a Seattle institution over the decades, and is one of the neighborhood’s oldest restaurants; it was also a beloved haunt of Chinatown-International District activist and icon “Uncle” Bob Santos, who died in 2016." - Megan Hill
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