New restaurants: U-Pour It pub, New York pizza and a Midwestern tavern
On either side of the Fourth of July holiday, Tacoma has gained a few new spots to eat and drink, including the city’s first self-serve beer bar and a Mexican restaurant specializing in Sinaloan sushi.
MECONI’S PUB REOPENS
In downtown Tacoma, Meconi’s Pub reopened June 30 at 709 Pacific Ave. The bar closed when the pandemic hit in March 2020; owners spent the year remodeling.
“The floors have been refinished, the walls have been painted, new (old) memorabilia has been added to our collection, even the kitchen has been given a make-over,” the restaurant posted on social media last week. “Best of all — most of our same friendly staff is back to serve you.”
Manager Heaven Jirak said they were excited to welcome Tacoma back to “The Bodega Bar,” as it was originally known way back in 1889.
CAMP COLVOS TACOMA SERVING PIZZA BY THE SLICE
On the other side of downtown, Vashon’s Camp Colvos Brewing joined Incline Cider House at the Brewery Blocks development. Owner Matt Lawrence has equipped the bar with 18 taps, all featuring house brews, and New York-style pizza available by the pie and by the slice. The bar opened last week, filling the first of three commercial vacancies in the building on C Street and Commerce at 21st Street.
THE REDD DOG OPEN ON 6TH AVE
Tacoma’s first U-Pour bar is now open in the Sixth Avenue business district.
The Redd Dog welcomed guests for a soft opening last week and officially opens to the public today, July 6, at 2805 6th Ave. The space previously housed The Pizza Press, which closed in 2019.
The family friendly bar features a tap wall with two dozen handles, each equipped with a tablet that explains the beer and calculates the price. Guests open a tab with their credit card and receive an RFID card to pour their own beer, cider or wine. The experience is “interactive,” explained owner Lane Scelzi, allowing for tastes or full pints, paid for by the ounce.
His hospitality company Ministro Management Group also operates The Melting Pot restaurants in downtown Tacoma and Bellevue. The Redd Dog also serves a menu of hot sandwiches, flatbread pizzas and appetizers, with a few vegetarian and vegan options.
TRAPPER’S SUSHI RETURNS TO TACOMA
On the ground floor of the Sixth & Alder apartment building, Trapper’s Sushi opened in June, four years after closing at the same address as the new mixed-use development was under construction.
CULICHI TOWN TACOMA OPEN WITH LIVE MUSIC
Culichitown, a California-based franchise, opened its first Washington state location near the Tacoma Mall last week. The restaurant focuses on coastal cuisine from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, which borders the seafood-heavy regions of Baja and Nayarit. In addition to aguachile and ceviche, the menu features Sinaloan-style sushi inspired by Japanese rolls but with Mexican ingredients.
Chef Misael Guerrero in 2011 opened the first Culichitown in Rialto. His cousin’s family operates the new Tacoma location as well as the Las Vegas restaurant. Guests will also be greeted by live music.
WALLY’S WISCONSIN TAVERN
Inside Rhein Haus Tacoma, you can now experience Wally’s Wisconsin Tavern, a Midwestern-themed bar and restaurant with cheese curds on the menu and Hamm’s beer on special every day.
The new concept shares an entrance, roof and kitchen with Rhein Haus, and the space still flows from one side to the other. Where Rhein Haus has the patio overlooking Wright Park, Wally’s boasts a roll-up garage door where the putt-putt course once stood. Bocce remains.
This story was originally published July 6, 2021 at 12:00 AM.