New restaurants: Inspired indigenous cooking, Spice Lab is back, plus po’boys, acai bowls
Halfway through the second month of 2022, the South Sound restaurant industry is looking forward to a brighter year.
Spice Lab, a pop-up restaurant tucked inside the vast Harmon Pac Ave space, had been offering occasional weekend dinners for most of 2021 but recently announced it would serve every Friday and Saturday moving forward.
Down the street, a healthy eats cafe also returned after a lengthy break, and in the Dome District, a new soul food restaurant has po’boys and fried snapper.
Questions surrounding what might happen with the former Matriarch Lounge and Honey Cafe space at ALMA on Fawcett are now partially answered: The Lounge portion has reopened with a refreshed (and absolutely wonderful) concept four nights a week.
Off the heels of last month’s additions, including Mill Haus Cider, El Parche Colombiano and Lunar’s Pho, here’s a look at recent restaurant and bar openings in Tacoma and Gig Harbor.
ETERNAL SOUL BOWL
2106 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-391-7873, eternalsoulbowls.com
This health-focused cafe entered the Tacoma scene via farmers markets in 2019, later adding a cafe at the corner of Pacific Avenue and 21st Street. It recently reopened after a prolonged pandemic hiatus. Pick up an avocado toast or an acai bowl — packed with fruit and power ingredients like hemp and chia seeds — for breakfast or lunch before heading to a museum or a stroll on Thea Foss. Smoothies likewise make for a refreshing morning or midday snack. Meanwhile, construction just began for a second Eternal Soul Bowl in downtown Sumner, expected to open later this year. Order pickup online; parking available on Commerce Street behind the building. Open Tuesday-Friday 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
DND SOUL CUISINE
308 E. 26th St., Tacoma, 253-625-5373, dnd-soul-cuisine.business.site
The Dome District lost Collard Greens & Other Things last fall but gained a new soul spot. DND Soul Cuisine has been quietly cooking here since October but considered its grand opening in February, said owner Marie Johns-Davis. For your cornmeal crusted fish meal with two sides (pork-laden collards and freshly fried okra), choose among catfish, cod or the lesser-seen snapper. Pork chops and chicken wings are also on the menu along with five po’boys, including the house special of lightly battered shrimp. Order by phone or in-person for takeout or dine-in at one of six or so tables. Open Tuesday-Saturday noon-8 p.m.
ALMA LOUNGE
1322 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253-368-6509, almatacoma.com/alma-lounge
Wait no more for the return of ALMA’s well-appointed lounge. The space formerly home to Matriarch Lounge reopened in January with a brand-new menu focused on the multifaceted venue’s renewed vision, which centers itself on indigenous ingredients and cooking led by chef Ramon Shiloh. Mushroom toast with herb-speckled whipped ricotta presents a knife-and-fork adventure compliments of Adam’s Mushrooms; spaghetti squash pasta sings with its crispy duck leg, oranges and pickled mustard seeds; airy fry bread drizzled with honey and lemon zest ties it all together. It’s an inspiring resurgence and one worth experiencing soon, thanks also to beverage director Megan Henson, whose cocktails have remained steadfastly delicious. Open Wednesday-Saturday 4-9 p.m. Per ALMA’ s COVID-19 policy for indoor spaces, proof of vaccination or a recent negative test is required for on-site dining.
THE SPICE LAB AT HARMON
1938 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-383-2739 (Harmon), spicelabtacoma.com
After an on-again, off-again 2021, Blake Lord-Wittig’s pop-up restaurant inside Harmon Pac Ave (where he has also upgraded the pub menu and recently launched happy hour specials) is back in regular business. Every Friday and Saturday, the former De La Terre chef weaves global flavors into dishes like squid ink tempura, salt cod fritters, grilled whole trout with escabache and braised white beans, and the Portugese Francesinha — a fork-and-knife sandwich of steak, jamon and chorizo served here in a beer sauce with beef-fat fries. If the listed piri piri chicken is at all like Lord-Wittig’s delightful Peruvian pollo a la brasa, we’re ready for it. Reservations recommended, Friday-Saturday 5:30-8:30 p.m.
EL BORRACHO TACOMA
2717 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-314-5286, elborracho.co
Late-night tacos and margaritas return to Sixth Avenue, only you won’t find pork or beef this go-around. El Borracho Tacoma has reopened with a fully plant-based menu. Think jackfruit al pastor, seitan barbacoa, patatas bravas and of course plenty of beans, avocados and veggie-packed salsas. The Seattle-based restaurant group introduced the vegan concept at its Ballard and Pike Place Market locations last year and promised a beta Tacoma version, too. Expect hours to expand this spring. Currently open Wednesday-Saturday 4 p.m.-midnight.
LOCUST CIDER - GIG HARBOR
3207 57th St. Ct, Gig Harbor, 253-313-0310, locustcider.com
Previously headquartered in Woodinville, Locust Cider moved its large-volume production to Pierce County across the Narrows. The space next to The Inn at Gig Harbor was home to Heritage Distilling Co. for many years. With taprooms in Seattle, Olympia and Tacoma, plus Colorado and Texas, the newest sipping spot also offers a glimpse behind the scenes and will add food and an “expansive outdoor patio” this spring. Brothers Jason and Patrick Spears launched the company in 2015, helping to grow the public’s appreciation for cider through flavors like honey pear, hibiscus and peach ginger. Open Wednesday-Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday at 1 p.m.
This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 5:00 AM.