What's New in Everett This Fall: Restaurant Row, the Marina Rebuild, and the Events Ahead

Everett keeps moving, and whether you already live here or are weighing a move, it helps to know what is actually changing. Here is the useful stuff from the last year and what is coming up this fall, pulled from the Port of Everett, the city's own pages, and the businesses themselves.

The waterfront got its Restaurant Row

The biggest dining story in years is playing out at the Port of Everett's Waterfront Place, where a string of new spots opened through late 2025 and 2026:

• Rustic Cork Wine Bar opened on December 2, 2025 as the first of the new waterfront spots, with wine and small plates steps from the marina.
• The Net Shed Fish Market & Kitchen, a seafood market and kitchen at 1500 Seiner Drive, held its ribbon-cutting on December 16, 2025. See thenetshed.com.
• Tapped Public House opened in March 2026, the fourth location for the Mill Creek-based craft beer spot.
• Menchie's frozen yogurt held its grand opening at the marina on March 13, 2026.
• Marina Azul Cocina & Cantina, a family-owned modern Mexican restaurant, opened on June 25, 2026, its fourth location. See marinaazul.net.

That cluster of restaurants right on the water is the clearest sign yet that the marina is becoming a real dining destination, not just a boat basin.

Downtown kept adding too

• Quan Ong Sau, an authentic Vietnamese restaurant, cafe and lounge at 2821 Pacific Avenue, opened in January 2026 after a two-year build-out. See quanongsau.com.
• Sobar, a coffee and gift shop from the Banya day-spa family, opened at 2820 Colby Avenue in February 2025.
• El Sid, an upscale cocktail bar and cafe in the APEX complex, opened in August 2025.
• Revive Bowls and Smoothies moved from a food truck into a permanent downtown spot in June 2025.

The marina got a fresh foundation

Underneath all that new foot traffic, the Port finished a big piece of infrastructure work. The Central Marina bulkhead replacement, a $6.75 million project, was completed and celebrated on July 9, 2026. It replaced a section of bulkhead near Port Gardner Wharf between the Grand Avenue Bridge and Restaurant Row, funded with Port revenues plus federal and state money.

Parks are getting real upgrades

• Forest Park is getting the city's first multi-court outdoor pickleball facility, three dedicated courts plus a three-court shared multi-sport court, built in the upland open space.
• Garfield Park's playground is being renovated with new slides and climbers, a separate area for ages 2 to 5, shade sails, and inclusive features. The city council approved about $940,000 toward it in December 2025, with construction through 2026.
• Eclipse Mill Park, on the Snohomish River, is moving into phase one of a riverfront build-out that adds a large viewing deck, a gang plank, and a kayak and canoe launch. The in-water work is timed to the August-to-October fish window.

City hall news that touches small businesses

In October the city council approved the Everett Forward business support and reinvestment package, the first broad overhaul of the city's business-and-occupation tax since 2002. The headline: the B&O exemption threshold rises from $20,000 to $250,000 in annual gross revenue, which takes about 6,500 small businesses, roughly 70% of the businesses operating in the city, off the tax entirely. Retailers and restaurants also get a 25% cut in their B&O rate, and business license renewal fees go away for businesses under $45,000 in revenue. The package is projected to generate about $3.5 million a year for economic investment, and it is good news for anyone thinking about opening or growing a business here. Five city charter amendments also make the November 2026 ballot.

Fall and winter to put on the calendar

• Haunted Harbor returns to the Port of Everett waterfront on Friday, October 23, 4 to 7 p.m. at Pacific Rim Plaza: free, family-friendly Halloween fun with trick-or-treating, games and crafts.
• Wintertide, Everett's holiday celebration, kicks off with the tree lighting downtown at Colby and Hewitt on Friday, November 27, with bazaars, live music and Santa through December.
• Holiday on the Bay, the 19th annual, lands Saturday, December 5, noon to 6 p.m. at Waterfront Place: food trucks, kids' crafts, touch-a-truck, a waterfront tree lighting, Santa by boat, and a lighted boat parade.

Bottom line

New restaurants on the water, a rebuilt marina bulkhead, park improvements, and a business-tax package designed to help small operators. That is the current Everett story, and it is a good one to watch if you are thinking about buying here. If you want the market numbers to go with it, the fall update has those too.