There's a particular kind of energy on Belltown Art Walk night. The sidewalks along 1st Avenue fill up, shop doors stay propped open, and strangers end up chatting over shared plates of something delicious. This month, we got to be part of that energy — sampling bottles of R's KOSO shots inside one of our favorite retail partners, Mixed Pantry.
If you weren't able to make it out, here's what you missed (and why you might want to circle the next one on your calendar).
What is Belltown Art Walk?
Belltown Art Walk is a monthly community event in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, where local shops open their doors for an evening of art, food, and connection. It's one of those events that turns a normal Friday into something worth dressing up for — local artists showing their work, small businesses welcoming in new faces, and a genuine neighborhood feel that's hard to find elsewhere.
Getting to Know Mixed Pantry
If you haven't been to Mixed Pantry yet, it's worth the trip. Located right at the corner of 1st and Bell, Mixed Pantry is an Asian specialty grocery founded by Tak Kunimune, built around the idea of sharing thoughtfully curated ingredients — sauces, spices, snacks, and pantry staples — from AAPI makers across the country.
Walking in, the first thing I noticed was just how stylish the space feels — almost like a beautifully curated gift shop rather than a typical grocery store. The shelves are full of Japanese and other Asian ingredients you don't often find outside Asia, each one packaged so thoughtfully that half the fun is just browsing. And behind the counter, Tak himself was a highlight of the evening — warm, endlessly friendly, and in conversation with customers with a smile the entire night. The whole store has this relaxed, at-home kind of energy that's rare to find, even here in Seattle.
What makes Mixed Pantry special isn't just the shelves (though the chili crisp selection alone is worth a visit). It's the way the store is run. Genuine conversations about where products come from, and a real sense of community built one tasting at a time. It's a regular host of Belltown Art Walk, which made it the perfect place for us to set up.
An Evening of Sampling R's KOSO
We spent the evening sharing small shots of R's KOSO for anyone curious enough to stop and try — and by the end of the night, more than 100 people had come through to give it a taste. The table stayed busy for hours, with folks wandering in from the art walk crowd to see what the fuss was about.
The feedback was so lovely to hear. Some of my favorites: many customers said it "tastes great," another mentioned it reminded them of plum wine they love, and a few told us they'd "learned a lot" just from stopping by. Of course, taste is always a personal thing, and everyone's palate is different — but it was genuinely lovely to watch people's expressions shift from curiosity to surprise with that first sip, especially for anyone trying a fermented plant-based drink for the first time.
What stayed with me most, though, was just how warm, curious, and friendly everyone who stopped by was. Conversations ranged from "what's actually in this?" to "how do you make something like this?" — and I loved getting to explain the process: over 100 kinds of whole food ingredients, fermented together for more than a year, the traditional Japanese way.
Find R's KOSO at Mixed Pantry Anytime
The best part is, you don't have to wait for an art walk to try it. Mixed Pantry now carries both our original R's KOSO bottles and our single-serve shot bottles, right in the store. So whether you want to stock up for your daily routine or just grab a shot on your way through Belltown, it's there waiting for you.
