"After 45 years of service, Arnies Restaurant will close effective September 21, 2026. Unfortunately, the current business climate does not allow us to continue." My Edmonds News reported that sign on the door of 300 Admiral Way the day after it went up. The note thanked guests for the "first dates, holidays, birthdays, proposals, and Anniversaries."
Ten months earlier the Edmonds Beacon had run a headline that said the opposite: "Arnies confirms: We're open, serving Edmonds through at least 2029." That year comes up in nearly every plan for this part of the waterfront. Construction on the hotel planned for the Arnies building is estimated to begin in 2029. So is construction on the rebuild of the Portwalk out front. Arnies just left first. That leaves Admiral Way with a stretch of years when the old waterfront is partly gone and the new one is still on paper. The first piece of real construction this winter happens next door at 336 Admiral Way, not at 300.
Why so much of the plan lands in 2029
The Landing, the building Arnies anchored, sits on land owned by the Port of Edmonds. For decades the building belonged to Catspaw LLC, which held a ground lease from the Port. According to the Port's June 2025 announcement, Catspaw managing member Peter Challman told the Port in early 2024 that the company would not extend that lease, which was set to expire at the end of 2029.
Catspaw then brought the Port a successor, 1010 Development, run by Edmonds father and son Mike and Ryan Appleby. The proposal went through 11 public commission meetings in 2024 and 2025. The Commission approved it unanimously, and a new 50-year ground lease took effect June 6, 2025. "We have roots dating back five generations in Edmonds," Ryan Appleby said in the Port's release.
The concept is a boutique hotel built within the existing building's footprint. The Port lists the planned public spaces as a full-service restaurant, a sauna and spa, a social club, event space, and a first-floor café for coffee, smoothies and grab-and-go food. The design is still preliminary. It has to go through permitting and a design review that includes public input.
When My Edmonds News covered the lease signing, it reported that The Landing held Arnies and 13 other tenants. Construction was estimated to start "sometime in 2029," and Arnies and the other tenants were to stay open until then. Construction on the hotel was always estimated to start around the time the old lease would have run out. Arnies' closure changed only the restaurant's end date, not that construction estimate.
The rest of the building has kept changing. In March 2026, My Edmonds News reported that the Snoqualmie Ice Cream scoop shop at 300 Admiral Way, Suite 102, was "finally open," with posted hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The first building to come down is the Port's own
The one waterfront building scheduled to come down this season is the Port's former administration office and maintenance garage, a cinder-block building at 336 Admiral Way. On a project page updated Oct. 30, the Port of Edmonds says engineering, design, funding and permitting for this work are complete. The work is estimated to run from November 2026 through April 2027.
This is Phase II of the North Portwalk and Seawall Reconstruction Project. Once the building is gone, the Port plans a multi-use public plaza on the site. The same phase covers electrical upgrades for electrification and site prep for the larger phase that follows. The Port estimates Phase II at $3.2 million. A $1.5 million WSDOT port electrification grant and a $500,000 RCO ALEA grant cover part of it, and Port reserves pay for the rest. The Port notes that the timeline and cost may change.
So this winter, the change on Admiral Way is a public building coming down to make room for a public plaza. The hotel next door won't show any visible progress for a while yet.
What the Portwalk turns into, eventually
Phase III is the big one, and its construction is also estimated to begin in 2029. A 2021 feasibility study found that the marina seawall needed rebuilding. That seawall holds up the wood-plank north end of the promenade, which locals call the Portwalk. The Portwalk runs from the Edmonds Public Fishing Pier down to Marina Beach Park, through the marina and the Mary Lou Block Public Plaza.
The Port's plan reinforces the steel piles and replaces the boardwalk framing and decking. The wood planks give way to a nonslip surface of concrete and glass block that lets light reach the sea life below. New railings, energy-efficient lighting and beds of native plants line the route. The Port also lists better ADA access, more seating, new signage, and a public plaza with raised seating, a performance space, art installations and new public restrooms.
The Port estimates Phase III at $32.4 million. Funding and permitting are still in progress, and the Port is seeking state and federal grants and cost-share partners. The design work is happening now, at public meetings. The Oct. 12 Port Commission agenda included the Phase III plaza restroom building. On Oct. 27 the Commission had a 30-minute information item titled "North Portwalk and Seawall Reconstruction Phase III: Site Plan and Design Review," according to My Edmonds News' agenda listing. The Port posted the presentation from that meeting.
Where to get a table by the water this winter
The Port's list of restaurants on its property has two names, and one of them is Arnies. Here's what's on or near Admiral Way for the next stretch:
- Anthony's HomePort, 456 Admiral Way. Dinner Monday through Thursday 4 to 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4 to 9 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday brunch runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and weekday happy hour is 3 to 6 p.m. in the bar, per Anthony's.
- Anthony's Beach Café, same address. Walk-in seating daily, 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., per its page.
- CommonGrounds at the Edmonds Waterfront Center. Coffee, ice cream, pastries and lunch, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a beachside service window. The center notes that it's a rental venue on weekends, so check CommonGrounds before a Saturday visit.
- Salish Sea Brewing's Boathouse Taproom, 180 W. Dayton St. Wednesday and Thursday 3 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday noon to 9 p.m., per Salish Sea.
- Snoqualmie Ice Cream, 300 Admiral Way, Suite 102. The scoop shop that opened in The Landing this spring.
If you still have an Arnies gift card, there's a deadline. In its Sept. 29 restaurant column, My Edmonds News reported that Hook & Cleaver in Mukilteo, a former Arnies location, will give $25 off a $100 purchase or $10 off a $50 purchase to diners who turn in an Arnies gift card. The column said the offer runs until Thanksgiving 2026, which is Nov. 26. The same column reported a notice of the pending dissolution of Arnie's Restaurants Northwest, Inc.
Up the hill, the restaurant openings continue
While Admiral Way waits on its timeline, the newest downtown opening is a few blocks inland. Rooster Bagel Cafe opened Saturday, Oct. 3, at 515 Main St., in the space the Loft used to occupy. The Everett Herald covered the opening under owner Niles Peacock. The opening hours were 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Director of Operations Hilary Ness told My Edmonds News the longer-term plan is "a day-to-night neighborhood café, kitchen and bar, with breakfast, lunch, dinner and evening service."
If losing a 45-year-old dining room has you thinking about the town's food history, the Edmonds Historical Museum has a timely exhibit, "From Farm to Table: The History of Farms, Markets, and Restaurants in Edmonds". It covers farming, general stores, cooking and restaurants in South Snohomish County.
The holiday season downtown starts this weekend. The 12th Annual Edmonds Holiday Market runs Saturdays Nov. 7, 14 and 21, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 5th Avenue North and Bell Street. The Edmonds Downtown Alliance's First Dibs shopping kickoff is Saturday, Nov. 21, 5 to 8 p.m., with downtown specials and wine stops. The Edmonds Tree Lighting Ceremony is Saturday, Nov. 28, 3 to 5 p.m., at Centennial Plaza. Centennial Plaza is a short walk up from the water, so you can stop by 336 Admiral Way first and see how the demolition is coming along.
The biggest waterfront projects aren't estimated to start construction until 2029, but some of the change is happening now and you can watch it up close. If you'd like to talk through how plans along Admiral Way fit into your own timing in Edmonds, Mel Parsons Homes is glad to have that calm, unhurried conversation. Let's Connect.
