New restaurants: Detroit-style pizza, Europa’s replacement, two wine bars and ice cream
Tacoma’s first Detroit-style pizza pro finally opened his brick-and-mortar, and one of Gig Harbor’s favorite pizzerias has landed in the Proctor District.
It’s a grand time for wine lovers, as the city has gained two new wine bars — one an expansion of a longtime Stadium destination. On Sixth Avenue, Field Bar has extended its hours, opening at noon Tuesday-Saturday for retail sales of its stellar natural wine collection, with dinner service starting at 4 p.m.
Across the bridge, Gig Harbor has another option for Thai food.
Here’s a look at recently opened restaurants in Tacoma and Pierce County for fresh springtime eats.
TACOMA WINE MERCHANTS - OLD TOWN
2112 North 30th St., Tacoma, tacomawinemerchants.com
Rob and Kelly Richards have unveiled their second wine bar and retail shop. Incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated, the couple will happily guide you to the best bottle for any occasion at any price point. Coming into full glow as summer spins around is, naturally, rosé — and what they have on the shelves here will surely beat anything you’ll find at the grocery store. Starting in June, they anticipate adding charcuterie boards, cheese plates and wine-friendly conservas, high-quality tinned fish popular in Spain and Portugal that have in recent years found a U.S. niche. The original Stadium District shop at 23A North Tacoma Ave. is temporarily closed while they reorganize and the new store finds its rhythm. Old Town is open for bottle sales, on-site sips and occasional winemaker tastings Tuesday-Saturday noon-8 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m. Follow instagram.com/tacomawinemerchants for updates.
TACOMA PIE
4417 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-320-8734, tacomapie.com
Dean Shivers, a veteran of the hospitality industry, introduced his unique style of pan pizza to Tacoma in 2020. Fashioned after the square pies of Detroit, the grandma pies attributed to Long Island home cooks, and the Sicilian slices reminiscent of focaccia, Tacoma Pie starts with a three-day fermented dough, profferring flavor and crunch. Look for the quintessential frico on the outer edge of these hefty 8-slice pizzas. After serving takeout-only from The Gourmet Niche commissary kitchen up the street, Shivers has opened his own storefront next to Da Tiki Hut. A liquor license and patio seating are on the way, but for now, enjoy the city’s only squares on-site or order takeout online and by phone. Family-friendly, open Wednesday-Saturday 5-9 p.m.
TAQUERIA Doña CHOLE
4540 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-733-8142, instagram.com/taqueriadonachole
Find this new taqueria in a food truck parked in the lot of Lola’s Tires at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and 46th Street in Tacoma. Street-style tacos on corn tortillas include a few specialties such as the smoked pork chop taco, lengua and the Malibu of grilled pork and cheese with pastor salsa. The ‘gringas’ menu tops flour tortillas with your choice of meat, cheese, onions, cilantro and salsa, and, yes, there are burritos. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. (open half hour later on Wednesdays).
HARBOR CITY TACOMA
4816 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-503-3398, harborcitytacoma.com
First announced in 2020, one of Seattle’s most popular dim sum destinations has finally opened its Tacoma restaurant. The building at 48th and Pacific retains much of its former flair as Josefina’s Mexican Restaurant, with two dining areas. The wide-ranging menu features plenty of dumplings but also many staples of Chinese American cooking: cashew chicken, string beans with pork, seafood noodles and Peking duck. Open for takeout and on-site dining (digital menus only), Wednesday-Monday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (closed Tuesdays).
MILLHOUSE TACOMA
2515 N Proctor St., Tacoma, 253-301-2994, millhouseproctor.com
The family behind Gig Harbor’s popular Millville Pizza Co. opens its Tacoma restaurant on May 10. Millhouse & The Blind Pig replaces Europa Bistro, which John and Alyssa Ross bought earlier this year. They have updated the space and converted one side of it into a family-friendly pizzeria and sandwich shop (Millhouse) and the other to a cocktail lounge (The Blind Pig), with thoughtful wine selections, beer on tap and classic cocktails. The food menu features a dozen signature pizzas available in 8- or 12-inch sizes, five house salads, a trio of pastas — including two with homemade spaghetti — and nine sandwiches, including a veggie on house focaccia and an Italian with prosciutto and manchego. Online ordering to come, but for now, dine-in or call for takeout, daily 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Bar open 3-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and until midnight Friday-Saturday.
GIG HARBOR THAI CUISINE
8825 N Harborview Dr., Gig Harbor, 253-432-4211, gigharborthaicuisine.com
A new Thai restaurant in Gig Harbor has replaced The Marketplace Grill on Harborview Drive. The menu starts with standards such as spring rolls and potstickers and moves to yum woon sen (seafood and chicken with glass noodles), spicy som tum (papaya salad), phad Thai and fried rice with your choice of six proteins. House specialties include braised lamb in red curry, kao mun kai (galangal and ginger-laced chicken), and panang curry with grilled salmon and crispy eggplant. Finish with coconut cake or gauy thod (fried bananas with ice cream). Open daily for takeout and in-house dining, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (until 8:30 Friday-Saturday).
507 TAPROOM & FILLING STATION
608 Yelm Ave. E., Yelm, 507taproomandfillingstation.com
This Yelm company now has two taprooms in town. The first (West side) continues to serve beer, wine and cider at 106 Prairie Park St. and is now available for day-use rentals, according to Nisqually Valley News. About a mile up the road, the second location (east side) — an old bank branch — began pouring from double the taps at the end of April. Both spaces offer plenty of bar and communal seating, indoors and out with occasional food truck visits. West open Monday-Thursday 4-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 2-11 p.m., Sunday noon-7 p.m. East open Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
COMING SOON
▪ Dahlman Cellars should soon open its wine shop and tasting room at 113 N Tacoma Ave., next to Art House Cafe. Owners Jim and Andrea Dahlman source grapes from smaller family-owned vineyards with a focus on Eastern Washington, bottled at Woodinville Custom Wines.
▪ Farrelli’s Pizza has two new locations on the way. The first of the pair will open next month in Silverdale at 2222 NW Bucklin Hill Road. The second, at 813 W Yelm Ave., is expected to open by August. The additions will make 10 total Farrelli’s outposts for this family-owned company based in DuPont, also home to its Irish pub, McNamara’s.
▪ Bliss Small Batch Creamery has a fourth shop on the way, this one in DuPont. In 2018, sisters Theresa Fouquette and Stacie Leaf opened their first outpost in University Place. They followed with a scoop shop inside Top Pot Doughnuts and an outpost in Snohomish, their hometown, in 2020. After serving at the DuPont Farmers Market last summer from their ice cream truck, they discovered “the perfect location,” said Fouquette, and now are “super excited to be a permanent part of the DuPont community and surrounding JBLM.”
CLOSINGS
▪ Poor Dave’s Market, a specialty food store in Bonney Lake, has closed at 20616 WA-410. The Brown family had opened the store last fall to fill a void for local produce, meat and more. After launching subscription boxes, similar to a community-supported agriculture model, the family decided to close the store for personal reasons.
▪ Verone’s Italian Kitchen & Sausage Co. has closed both its retail storefront at 604 Regents Blvd. in Fircrest and its wholesale operation. A Tacoma fixture for a century, the family reached the point of retirement. The market had replaced Viafore’s Italian Delicatessen at the end of 2020; now there remains a void for Italian American meatball sandwiches.
This story was originally published May 10, 2022 at 5:00 AM.