Vito's Seattle

It’s time to say goodbye and thank you all very much for the opportunity to resurrect an iconic seattle institution and share the magic that Vito Santoro brought to life in 1953. We took the task of restoring and managing the club very seriously and brought together an incredible family of staff, musicians, patrons and politicians. It was a steep climb, but we reached a cruising altitude that was incredibly special and we thought, would carry us into our golden years.

Unfortunately, that golden hue was fire from a candle, quickly followed by flood, a long series of theft and vandalism, and this New Years Day, another fire that we consider our Viking funeral. The amazing people and boundless good times greatly eclipse the heartbreak of announcing our permanent closure, and there are simply too many thank you’s and names to give proper credit to.

If you have a favorite story, or lasting memory, or a special night at the club, we would love this last post to be filled with the times that defined the magic of Vito’s rather than end this chapter with sadness.

Thanks for all the good times and making our 11 years so very memorable.

Please if anyone sees a stuffed cougar for sale anywhere, let me know. This is devastating to our Vito’s family 😣

$1,000.00 REWARD

This weekend thieves broke into Vito’s and among other things, smashed the glass and STOLE our beloved cougar in the COUGAR ROOM. The photos are much too depressing to post, but we suspect these idiots will try and sell, or at least brag about the theft of this antique, large and beautiful mountain lion.

We are offering a $1,000.00 cash reward, no questions asked, for the safe return of Barbara (yes, she has a name). And we are offering a $2,000.00 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the responsible thieves that stole her and other belongs from Vito’s.

The club has already been devastated by water damage from a June fire, and the building has been boarded up and not accessible due to structural damage. We are doing everything we can to usher the return of Vito’s, but this is a defeating and depressing setback. We hope our community can keep their eyes open for anyone trying to sell, or talking about this beautiful lion.

Thank you.

$1,000.00 REWARD

This weekend thieves broke into Vito’s and among other things, smashed the glass and STOLE our beloved cougar in the COUGAR ROOM. The photos are much too depressing to post, but we suspect these idiots will try and sell, or at least brag about the theft of this antique, large and beautiful mountain lion.

We are offering a $1,000.00 cash reward, no questions asked, for the safe return of Barbara (yes, she has a name). And we are offering a $2,000.00 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the responsible thieves that stole her and other belongs from Vito’s.

The club has already been devastated by water damage from a June fire, and the building has been boarded up and not accessible due to structural damage. We are doing everything we can to usher the return of Vito’s, but this is a defeating and depressing setback. We hope our community can keep their eyes open for anyone trying to sell, or talking about this beautiful lion.

Thank you.

As most of you know, the building that houses Vito's fell victim to fire a couple of months back. While Vito's itself was spared from the flames, the water that was used to douse the fire crashed through the ceiling and wreaked havoc throughout the restaurant. It was a devastating event for everyone in the building, but we've all been working diligently since then to put the pieces back together again. Yesterday, because of circumstances beyond our control, that work was brought to a grinding halt and gut wrenchingly, there is nothing we can do about it. We were informed that we won't be able to start work on the reconstruction for at least a year. It destroys me to write it, but Vito's is closed for the foreseeable future.
Our hearts are broken for our employees, some who have worked at Vito's for over a decade and who we consider our family. For our neighbors and friends that live above us who are being forced out of their homes. For the musicians who lose yet another venue in an industry that was decimated by the pandemic. It's an event that affected so many that it's impossible to list them all here. Little to say, everyone affected is crushed.
I can't tell you what is going to happen next with Vito's as we honestly don't know. There are paths that will reveal themselves in the coming months, decisions that will be made and we'll let you all know as soon as we make them.
For now though, we'd like to thank everyone who has stepped through those doors. Employee's, artists, suppliers, partners, our unbelievable customers and Vito Santoro himself who opened the doors in 1953 and created a space unique unto itself. It has been an honor to further his legacy and we hope to continue to do so in the future.
Time will tell.
Thank you again and remember......Vito's Loves you.

Sincerely,
Jeff, Greg and the entire Vito's crew.

Restoration work is under way here at Vito's! The work crew has unfortunately lengthened our expected finish date due to the scope of the project and we are now expected to be closed through August. However, we miss you all and have planned a night of fun and a little fundraising this coming Monday, July 18!

Join us from 6pm-midnight at just up the street for a night of live jazz, cocktails, art and a silent auction - proceeds will support our front and back of house employees so they can weather living expenses during this uncertain situation.

Entry is $25, but if you've already donated to our GoFundMe your name is on the guest list 🙂 we will have complimentary snacks and some drinks as well as a cocktail bar open for purchases (martinis, anyone?) We're excited to see you!

Hello from 9th and Madison! We are hard at work restoring Vito's and navigating the many moving parts of this fire recovery. Unfortunately, the timeline keeps moving back due to the scope of the project and while the work gets done, our wonderful front and back of house staff is out of work and anxiously awaiting our reopening. If you're able to and would like to support them, we've started a GoFundMe to help them in this difficult interim time; you can find the link to do so in our bio. Thank you for being part of such a lively, creative and supportive community over the years, and we look forward to reopening as soon as we're able ❤️

Our hearts hurt to say this, but the water damage from the fire above Vito's is going to take longer to safely and effectively clean than we hoped. We're currently closed through June 26 and taking it week by week as we work with our contractor. Vito's will reopen as soon as we're able, and we'll keep you posted on our status here. It's also very sad news for the many displaced tenants upstairs as Seattle is already at a critical shortage of affordable housing, which this building has provided for many years.

We will miss you all during this closure, and we look forward to reopening with some extra shiny new equipment and textiles. Thank you for your support ✨
📸

Last night, a three alarm fire broke out in the fourth floor of the apartment building above Vito's. We are grateful to report that everyone is safe, and the fire was nowhere near our area, but due to the gravity of the incident we'll be closed for a few days to clean. Thank you to everyone who's reached out - we hope to see you soon ❤️

We're beyond delighted to welcome this beautiful new (to us!) Yamaha grand piano to the stage at Vito's! We thank the departing Young Chang piano for its twelve years of service to us and have sent it out into the world for its next chapter of life. Thanks to the team at Classic Pianos for helping us make this happen!

Our first performance is this Thursday with Jacqueline Tabor singing and Marina Albero on the keys. We hope you'll all come to see the inaugural show on this beautiful instrument! As always there is at Vito's. We appreciate your support for live music and local business, and look forward to many more years with this beauty front and center. 🎹

Join us tonight for another Sunday full of live music with Jerry Zimmerman and the Ron Weinstein trio! Vito's will be closed Monday 5/30 and re-open on Tuesday.

The weekends special is Veal Scallopini! Scallopini translated from Italian means “jumps in my mouth”. This is our interpretation of this venerable checkered tablecloth classic. Come get it while it’s here! 🍝