If you’ve lived in Seattle long enough, you start measuring time in landmarks.
A corner booth that’s seen breakups, makeups, job interviews, and hangover confessions under dim lights surrounded by drunks and loud music. A bar with a door that swings like it’s still 1997. A neighborhood joint where the food is real, the conversations are louder than they should be, and nobody’s asking you to “curate your vibe.”
My name is David Meinert, and most of what I do comes back to the same obsession: keeping iconic, working-class neighborhood spots alive. Not as museums. Not as Instagram dioramas. As actual living places, where regulars still argue about sports, servers still know your order when you walk in, and the is sol old it helps season the food.
This post is the simple version of who I am, what I do, and where you can find the restaurants I’m proud to be part of.
Who is David Meinert?
I’m David Meinert (sometimes “Dave Meinert” online), a Seattle-area restaurant owner and longtime local entrepreneur. I’ve been part of the Seattle restaurant, music, and nightlife community since the 1980s, and over the years I’ve worked on everything from music festivals and arts projects to hospitality and neighborhood revitalization.
But the clearest through-line is hospitality: helping keep places feeling like the community they are in, not like an airport.
Today, I’m focused on three restaurants that mean a lot to a lot of people:
- The 5 Point Cafe (Belltown, Seattle)
- Mecca Cafe (Lower Queen Anne, Seattle)
- Huckleberry Square (Burien, Washington)
If you’re here because you searched “David Meinert” or “David Meinert Seattle”, you’re probably looking for one of those places, something I wrote, or the broader story behind why these restaurants matter. So let’s make it easy.
The 5 Point Cafe (Belltown, Seattle)
The 5 Point Cafe has been feeding Seattle since 1929. It’s one of those places that doesn’t try to be a “concept” because it was here before concepts were invented.
The 5 Point is a classic Seattle combination: a diner and a dive that feels like a warm, slightly chaotic living room for the city. Real food. Stiff drinks. A crowd that’s never all the same kind of person, and that’s the point.
I became the owner of The 5 Point Cafe in 2009, and I’ve tried to keep the spirit intact while doing the unglamorous work that keeps a restaurant functioning: systems, staffing, maintenance, and the kind of behind-the-scenes upgrades nobody applauds but everybody benefits from.
If you’re looking for David Meinert 5 Point Cafe, yes, that’s me. And yes, the place is meant to feel like a Seattle institution because it is one.
Find The 5 Point Cafe in Belltown near Tilikum Place Park and you’ll understand in about five minutes why people get sentimental about a barstool. And if you want to know more about Tilikum Place, it’s history, and the famous statue of Chief Seattle, which has a long relationship with the 5 Point, check out Tilikum’s facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/tilikumplace
Mecca Cafe (Lower Queen Anne, Seattle)
Mecca Cafe has been serving Queen Anne since 1930, and it has its own kind of legend. It’s part diner, part dive bar, part neighborhood time capsule. Big plates, classic comfort food, and a bar that feels like it’s heard everything.
In 2019, I became the owner of Mecca Cafe, and one of my goals was to treat it like what it is: a neighborhood landmark. That means preserving the character while modernizing the operations enough to keep it strong in a world where “easy” is getting rarer by the year.
People find this page by searching “David Meinert Mecca Cafe” all the time, and I get it. Mecca is the kind of place where memories stick. If you had a Seattle chapter of your life, there’s a decent chance Mecca was in the background of it somewhere. If you’re looking for a place near Climate Pledge Arena that offers late night food and has great prices, this is it. Friendly, warm and local.
Huckleberry Square (Burien, WA)
Huckleberry Square is a Burien classic. For decades it’s been the kind of restaurant that serves generations, not trends. It’s known for huckleberry pies and pancakes, and it’s the sort of place where families become regulars before they even realize it.
I own Huckleberry Square in Burien, and what I love about it is how genuinely community-rooted it is. Burien is not trying to be anyone else. It’s its own place with its own heartbeat. Huckleberry Square fits that.
One of the things I care about most, especially in Burien, is practical community support. Not performative stuff. Real help that lands. That’s why I’ve been involved in efforts like the Giving Wall, where guests can pre-pay meals for neighbors who need one. It’s quiet, direct, and it works.
If your search was “David Meinert Burien” or “David Meinert Huckleberry Square”, this is probably what you were looking for.
Why I focus on old-school places
Seattle is a city that changes fast. Sometimes that’s exciting. Sometimes it’s like watching a friend get a new personality every six months.
The older places, the real neighborhood institutions, carry something you can’t copy and paste: history, patina, personality, and a sense of belonging that doesn’t require a password.
My job isn’t to freeze these places in amber. My job is to make sure the lights stay on, the food stays good, the teams are supported, and the restaurant still feels like a place you can walk into on a rough day and leave a little better than you arrived.
Hospitality isn’t a slogan. It’s the daily grind of paying attention.
What I’m doing now (and what I write about)
On davidmeinert.com, I share thoughts on business, restaurants, music, and politics, because those worlds overlap more than people admit.
Restaurants don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re affected by neighborhood safety, regulations, wages, construction, housing costs, staffing pipelines, and the weird little cultural weather system that decides what a city “feels like” year to year.
If you’re here because you’re researching me, welcome. If you’re here because you’re a restaurant operator, I probably speak your language. If you’re here because you just want to know where to eat a proper diner breakfast in Seattle, I can help with that too.
Quick FAQ (these match common Google searches)
Is David Meinert the owner of The 5 Point Cafe?
Yes. David Meinert has been the owner of The 5 Point Cafe since 2009.
Is David Meinert the owner of Mecca Cafe?
Yes. David Meinert became the owner of Mecca Cafe in 2019.
What restaurants does David Meinert own?
The 5 Point Cafe (Seattle), Mecca Cafe (Seattle), and Huckleberry Square (Burien, WA).
Where is Huckleberry Square?
Burien, Washington. Huckleberry Square is known for its huckleberry pies and classic diner comfort food.
Who is Dave Meinert?
“Dave Meinert” is a common name variation people use online when they’re searching for David Meinert.
If you’re looking for the official links
- David Meinert (official site): davidmeinert.com
- The 5 Point Cafe: the5pointcafe.com
- Mecca Cafe: mecca-cafe.com
- Huckleberry Square (Burien): huckleberrysquare.com
One last thing
If you’re a local, the easiest way to understand what I’m about is simple: walk into one of these places at a normal hour, order something you actually want, look around, and notice how many different kinds of people are sharing the same room.
That’s the point.
And that’s what I’m trying to protect.
David Meinert
Seattle and Burien, Washington
