On July 24, after eight years serving as one of N Killingsworth’s premier bottle shops and one of the city’s greatest patios, the Hop & Vine closed its doors for good. Long-time tipplers came for the canopy of strung lights and rows of picnic tables somewhere between Kinfolk and a German biergarten. For a time, star bar man Jacob Grier made Hop & Vine the home of the beer cocktail. 

Now, the women of Hop & Vine, Danielle Healey (former General Manager), Latima Chambers (former chef) and Emory Brun (former chef, currently the sous chef at Besaw's) are taking things into their own hands. The trio will tentatively open Backyard Social sometime in August. 

“We were completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our neighborhood in response to Hop & Vine's closure,” says Chambers. “None of us wanted to see it go.”

Chambers promises that little will change in regards to the back patio and dining space. Neighborhood devotees can still expect a “killer” tap list, creative cocktail and wine programs, and a Northwest-inspired menu of small plates (complete with a backyard grill burger). The bottle shop no longer exists, but the new owners hope to retain a small grab-and-go beer and wine selection. 

The biggest changes are mostly aesthetic. They’ll add “The Wild and Free Room” (from the famous Henry David Thoreau quote)—a private event space and overflow dining area—and additional seating out front, set to roll out next year. Meanwhile, a pavilion is being constructed in the back patio, hopefully in time for the winter months.

If all goes well, Backyard Social’s verdant lawn should be back in action just in time for the final dog days of summer.