Longtime Seattle restaurant Pam's Caribbean Kitchen closing Nov. 29
Seattle Caribbean restaurant closes amid financial struggles
A Wallingford staple serving up the soul of Trinidad is closing its doors. Pam's Caribbean Kitchen has dished out bold spices and warm hospitality for years, but financial struggles has brought their journey to an end.
SEATTLE - Pam's Caribbean Kitchen, a long-standing Seattle restaurant known for serving Trinidadian cuisine, is closing its doors on Nov. 29 after facing overwhelming financial pressure.
Owner Pam Jacob, who brings Trinidad's culinary traditions to the Pacific Northwest with jerk chicken and curries on North 45th Street in the Wallingford neighborhood, shared the emotional reality behind the decision.
"This restaurant is my life, it's my bread. Oh, I don't want to do this," Jacob said.
Pam Jacob becomes emotionally talking about closing her restaurant.
A dream built from the ground up
The backstory:
Jacob's journey began long before she reached Seattle. What started as an island snack shack turned into a bigger vision when she moved to the area in 1994.
"I thought if anybody could do this, it's going to be me, because I have the guts," Jacob said. "I have the hope. I have the push and I know I could cook."
She launched her first location in the University District with just $1,400 before moving to her current Wallingford location a decade ago. Over the years, the restaurant became a neighborhood anchor, catching national attention when celebrity chef Guy Fieri visited two years after her restaurant opened.
"This restaurant is a community," Jacob said.
It's been home to many live music performances and dances.
Pam's Caribbean Kitchen.
Severe financial challenges
Why you should care:
Despite years of success, post-pandemic cost increases, declining customer traffic, and mounting debt created a financial strain the business could not recover from.
"[2025] turned out to be terrible, from selling, like, $600,000 a year, we sold $127,000," Jacob said.
To keep the business running, Jacob exhausted her personal finances.
"I took loans, I refinanced my house, I used up my credit card," Jacob said. "Telling myself, 'Well, next year, it's going to pick up.'"
Falling a year behind on rent and working with thin profit margins, Jacob determined that even a GoFundMe campaign would not be enough to turn things around.
Pam's Caribbean Kitchen.
Savoring the spice one last time
What you can do:
As the final day of business approaches, Jacob is encouraging both longtime customers and newcomers to stop by before the restaurant closes permanently at the end of November.
"Come here and try this food," Jacob said. "Let them see what they have been missing out on."
She hopes to eventually restart her cooking business through catering.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter Dan Griffin.