Dumplings, cocktails, beer, Southern fried chicken top South Sound new restaurants, bars
An anticipated Sixth Avenue wine and cocktail bar introduced its full-service restaurant last month, a new brewery took over a familiar locale, and another Crumbl has landed in the South Sound.
There’s also a new fried chicken chain in town — but because it’s on-base, only some of us can pay a visit.
Tacoma has one more place for homemade ice cream, too.
Oh, and let there be dumplings!
Prior openings have included a Korean hot dog destination, a Thai restaurant also serving breakfast, and an Irish brewpub. You’ll also find new street tacos with pink horchata, Mediterranean with homemade hummus, a new Chinese restaurant in Gig Harbor and fully plant-based smoothie and coffee shop in Lakewood.
Here are a few more new places to eat and drink in Pierce County as fall continues.
MOTHER FERN BREWING
610 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-319-8818, motherfernbrewing.com
Recognize this address? For many years it housed Pacific Brewing & Malting, which closed in 2019. A former brewer there, Bethany Carlsen, returned to the same location to open Mother Fern Brewing with Greer Hubbard, who worked in production for Odd Otter down the street and Northwest Brewing, with beers available at Pint & Pie. The owner of that brewery, Greg Steed, is a partner in the new enterprise. The tap list will rotate but started with the likes of a Hazy IPA, a Schwarzbier and a dry-hopped pilsner. To nosh, there’s a small menu of mac and cheese with various add-ins. The brewers will visit Peaks & Pints Oct. 7 for tastes and conversation. Open Monday-Thursday 3-8 p.m. and Friday until 10 p.m., Saturday noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Minors permitted and outdoor seating available.
FIELD BAR & BOTTLE SHOP
2614 6th Ave., Tacoma, fieldtacoma.com
This Sixth Ave storefront operated as a bottle shop for a year, selling an impressive array of natural wine, wine aperitifs, bitters and cocktail accoutrements. Owner Brian Hibbard and his team of industry veterans finally opened the seasonal, shared-plate restaurant in late September. There, you can sip on some of the region’s best cocktails built from a beautiful back bar with many amaro, and learn your way around natural wine — one of the only places nearby to dig into this funky, enticing side of fermented grapes. A short but thoughtful menu offers small and large plates like roasted beets with blackberries and whey-brined pork belly. Reservations recommended via Tock; $10 per person deposit that goes toward your bill. Open for dinner Wednesday-Saturday.
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
2521 N Proctor St., Tacoma, 253-327-1803, icecreamsocialtacoma.com
Tacoma favorite Ice Cream Social has been on the move, and the full picture has finally reached fruition. Layla Isaac and co. last weekend opened their third shop, this one in the Proctor District in the former home of Culpepper Books. (The company closed its original Sixth Ave. location earlier this year, and it’s now home to Komadre Kombucha.) You can also find scoops and pints of seasonal flavors like snickerdoodle, lavender, gingerbread and raspberry white chocolate swirl at Point Ruston (5107 Main St.) and in Hilltop (1110 Martin Luther King Jr. Way). The latter is mainly a production space but offers a walk-up window Friday-Sunday. Visit the new Proctor location daily, 12-9 p.m.
MYUNGIN DUMPLINGS
33310 Pacific Highway S., Federal Way, 253-838-1180
Dumpling fans, this new Federal Way restaurant might become your second home. MyungIn opened in August and recently secured its liquor license with soju service. Dumpling soup, pan-fried dumplings, steam dumplings with shrimp, pork, veggies and kimchi are all on the part-Korean, part-Chinese menu here, along with a few styles of fried chicken and buchimgae, the Korean scallion pancake. It’s the first Washington state outpost of a Los Angeles favorite for wang mandu, those beautifully massive steamed dumplings with kimchi and pork. Open Wednesday-Monday (closed Tuesdays), 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
SLIM CHICKENS
Lewis Main Food Court, Bldg #5820, 41st Division Dr., JBLM, slimchickens.com
Located on-base, Slim Chickens joins fellow first-time-in-Washington chain Texas Roadhouse, which also opened a location here earlier this year. The Arkansas-based chain started in 2003 with a single restaurant and started growing 10 years ago, now spreading to 25 states, the United Kingdom and Kuwait. Known for Southern sides like fried okra, pickles and potato salad, people come for the chicken tender meals and Cayenne Ranch fried chicken sandwich. The chain also has restaurants on-base at Fort Hood, Fort Leonard Wood and Fort Sam Houston. Open daily 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
CRUMBL COOKIES - BONNEY LAKE
20411 98th St. E., Bonney Lake, 253-321-5796, crumblcookies.com/wabonneylake
What started in 2018 as a single cookie shop in Logan, Utah, has rapidly grown to more than 200 stores in 32 states, including seven in Washington. Following a Puyallup opening in late 2020, find Crumbl in Bonney Lake now, too, with the same open-bakery setup for customers to see their cookies being rolled, baked and iced — even late into the evening. Flavors rotate, but chocolate chip seems to be a staple. Open Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday until midnight.
This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.