The award-winning Cafe Juanita has been moved to Seattle temporarily as the building undergoes a significant makeover, with plans to reopen again in July.

The renovations come after the cafe’s owner, Holly Smith, purchased the property, which she said will allow her to make better use of space that she couldn’t alter as a renter.

During the nearly 15 years since she opened Cafe Juanita, both Smith and the restaurant have been recognized nationally. Smith was given the James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest in 2008, competed on the Food Network show The Next Iron Chef in 2009, and in 2013 the cafe was voted one of the top 100 restaurants in America by OpenTable.com. It also was a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant three years ago and voted Outstanding Chef in 2011 and 2012 and Outstanding Service in 2013.

Originally built as a home, Smith said the building was converted into a restaurant 35 years ago, but little has been updated since then. Now that she owns it outright, she is eager to update not just the aesthetics but the electrical wiring and plumbing, too.

“It did well for 34 years, but it definitely needed some love,” she said. “You operate a restaurant for that long, some things need some love and repair and it feels good to be able to do that.

“It’s a place I do obviously love.”

Among the changes are a new parking lot, roofline, an updated entryway with a coat closet and the addition of a new dining room. The seats will also be replaced.

“I knew everything that needed to be done the moment I pursued buying it,” she said.

Fortunately for those who enjoy the cafe, they can still dine there, albeit they will have to drive a bit farther to Seattle, where Smith managed to find a space on 12th Avenue when the previous tenant moved out but still maintained the lease, which she now pays. The cafe opened there in December and so far Smith said it has been well received.

“The stars aligned on this one,” she said. “I needed to keep my staff employed for sure. People have mortgages and kids and bills to pay.”

When they return to their Juanita location in July, she hopes customers worried about the changes will be put at ease once they get inside.

“It’s my same staff, my same food, our same hospitality,” she said. “My hope is that people will walk in and go wow, it looks pretty, then sit down and forget about it again and enjoy their food and their wine.”

Cafe Juanita will still be located at 9702 NE 120th Place in Kirkland when it reopens.