If my restaurant can inspire people to encounter their lives with a new perspective—even in the tiniest way—then I feel gratified.”
—jackie roberts, owner
Since 1981, The Pink Door has become a way of life that pairs good food with a sense of community, culture, and generosity of spirit. The historic space at 1919 Post Alley that once housed a violin shop became the dream realized for Jackie. She filled it with artistic touches and ephemera, staffed it with heart, sought out the most alluring and compelling entertainers she could line up, and created a menu that spoke to her roots and was free of pretense. On the Post Alley exterior, she crowned her establishment with a perfect shade of milky pink inspired by the tiles in The Duomo in Firenze.
Inspired by her Italian-American upbringing in upstate New York, her father maintained a huge garden, her uncles raised goats and pigs and her grandfather grew grapes. These agrarian roots helped to shape her appreciation of using small-to-medium local farms and in-season produce. Jackie is still an avid gardener today who has an urban farm with her partner, Steve, in North Seattle.
Jackie ignores trends while staying true to her own food affinities, such as her enduring love of anchovies (even when all others eschewed them!). She also insists, like her ancestors, that bread is an indispensable tool while eating, and as such The Pink Door will never charge for it. From its opening day to more than three decades later, this perennially beloved Italian restaurant keeps things simple, fresh and seasonal. And generations keep coming back for more.
Jackie Roberts and Raffaele
