After serving Burien for a little over a year, Ables Steakhouse on SW 148th Street has announced on Saturday, Aug. 2 that it has served its last sirloin and has permanently closed.
The decision comes with gratitude from owner Ryan Ables and his team, who shared the news in a Facebook post.
“This isn’t an easy message to write, but after a lot of thought, we’ve made the tough decision to close Ables Steakhouse,” the message read. “It’s been an honor to serve you, laugh with you, and get to know so many of you by name.”
On July 17, the restaurant – located at 717 SW 148th Street – temporarily closed its doors after a heat-related refrigerator failure disrupted operations. A social media post at the time explained that “it’s too hot for our big fridge.” It is not known if this failure is related at all to the recent closing announcement.
Ables – who also owns Humble Vine in Olde Burien – said it has been an honor to be part of customers’ lives, from birthdays and anniversaries to casual weeknight dinners, and he credited his staff for making the restaurant feel like home.
“This isn’t goodbye forever, just the end of this chapter,” Ables said. “We’ll still be around, and we hope to see you out and about in the neighborhood.”
He also thanked his staff.
“To our incredible team: thank you for showing up with heart and hustle every single day. You’re what made this place feel like home.”
Prior to housing Ables, from 2008–2023, that location was home to Side Street Kitchen & Bar, a longtime neighborhood favorite owned by Burien restaurateur Dan Davis.
We know that successfully running a restaurant in 2025 is more challenging than ever, with owners having to navigate rising food and labor costs, staffing issues, unexpected repairs, and the lingering effects of supply chain disruptions.
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That’s unfortunate for the Burien dining scene, I feel the a’ la carte menu didn’t help with the price point either in today’s competitive market.
The new minimum wage law, whose campaign council candidate Sam Mendez was directly involved with, claims its first victim.
Hope this isn’t the first of many empty storefronts in Burien, especially The Humble Vine!
I doubt that the minimum wage law, which Burien currently isn’t enforcing and is actively trying to defeat, is the cause of Able’s closing. More likely is the fact that steak prices have shot up 12% this year alone. Couple that with people complaining how expensive it was (I guess everything should be free?) and you get a restaurant that closes. Most of them do after a year, but I had real hopes that Able’s would make it. I’ve been there several times and always had superb food and excellent service. They will be missed!
I hope Sam Mendez is happy that his minimum wage increase has now caused a whole group of folks at one of the best restaurants by far in Burien to lose their livelihoods. I had Little Chicken Burger the other day and it cost $28 for a burger/fries/drink and tip. He and people like him are going to completely ruin this community. And yet people like August keep voting for them.