Tacoma’s Paesan closes its doors permanently

The Foss Waterway pizza restaurant Paesan has closed.

The restaurant known for its artisan pizzas, excellent calzones and salads was opened in 2013 by Philip Panagos.

Paesan was the sibling restaurant to neighboring Social Bar & Grill, also owned by Panagos. Employees of Paesan will be moved to Social and Shakabrah, the Sixth Avenue restaurant Panagos purchased in 2017.

Panagos described the decision to close as grueling.

“It’s been a hard decision and a difficult road,” he noted. “The journey of this business has been amazing, and I am so very grateful for all the staff and guests that have come through our doors.”

The closure is a combination of many factors, he said. Business was down, and the lease was up.

“With rising costs and declining sales, we had the option to renew the lease and opted not to,” said Panagos. “I’m still in great standing with the landlord. We did renew the lease for Social.”

They’ll move equipment out of the restaurant to make way for a new tenant, Panagos said.

As for the other restaurants, he said they’ll continue to focus on refining the cocktails and the nighttime business at Shakabrah, a restaurant known for its hubcap-sized pancakes and menu of diner classics.