New restaurants: Tacos from a bus, bubble waffles, crazy milkshakes, super-hot chicken
Summer has officially ended, according to the equinox, but autumn is bringing with it an influx of new bars and restaurants, including some of the year’s most anticipated openings.
There’s a resurrected diner and Tacoma’s first dedicated hot chicken shop in University Place, a healthy bowl bar in Sumner, more burgers in Puyallup and over-the-top milkshakes in Enumclaw.
Earlier this summer, Tacoma welcomed a modern Mexican restaurant, a golf bar and a second outpost of McKinley’s favorite burger joint.
Here’s a look at recently opened restaurants in and around Tacoma.
THE PINE CONE
7912 27th St. W, University Place, 253-301-2115, thepineconeup.com
Since news broke that The Pine Cone, a beloved ‘50s-era diner in University Place, had new owners, the town has been clamoring for its return. Dana and Dave Verellen, also behind Dusty’s Hideaway in McKinley and Zodiac Supper Club in Hilltop, have brought their down-to-earth hospitality — and cocktails! — to this retro setting as of early September. The updated interior feels fresh but nostalgic, while the streamlined menu begins with bacon-and-eggs staples before moving to sweet twists of carrot cake oatmeal and stuffed French toast. Chilaquiles, a prosciutto-chimichurri Toad in the Hole, an English breakfast special and croque madame speak “brunch,” along with other sandwiches like fried fish with cheddar and pickles. Cocktails range from the house bloody to a spicy Belgian with beermosa and amaro-spiked lambrusco. They anticipate extending to dinner hours in the coming months, but for now visit Tuesday-Sunday 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
HAPPY LEMON TACOMA
2505 S. 38th St., Tacoma, 253-267-1892, instagram.com/happylemontacoma
Similar to Mochinut now with a Lakewood shop, Happy Lemon is a rapidly growing franchise — this one focused on fresh-tea boba and bubble waffles, conjured from an airy egg batter modestly sweetened with evaporated milk. Known as gai daan jai in Cantonese, this clever “egg puff” gained fame in the food carts of Hong Kong. Order a tea in the cheery lemon yellow-and-white setting and enjoy the waffle while it’s still hot. The Tacoma shop joins nearby locations in Tukwila and Bellevue, but the Taiwan-born company has expanded to some 2,000 stores in 21 countries since 2006. Look for it in the same plaza as Saigon House and Big 5 Sporting Goods off 38th and Steele streets. Open daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
ETERNAL SOUL BOWL - SUMNER
926 Main St., Sumner, 253-297-0069, eternalsoulbowls.com
Since 2019, Jewel Randolph has garnered a following for her fruit-filled acai bowls at farmers markets from Tacoma to Puyallup. She also operated a tucked-away, takeout-centric cafe in downtown Tacoma on the UWT campus, but it has since closed as she focuses on the new Sumner cafe, which opened Sept. 9. Bowls like the Trippy Hippy with strawberry, blueberry, kiwi, coconut and Nutella fill you up with a blended acai base, all topped with granola. Smoothies range from the Green Serene with pineapple, mango, lemon, apple and flax to the Beets Me! with triple-berry and ginger. There are also several savory avocado toasts. Open Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
OUT & ABOUT BURGERS - NEW LOCATION
5815 112th St. E, Puyallup, outandaboutburgers.com
One of the area’s most popular burger drive-thrus opened a second location in August. Out & About Burgers has been serving its classic patties with grilled onions, 1000 Island-esque sauce, sliced tomato and “hand-leafed” lettuce for a few years at 14212 Meridian Ave. in South Hill, just north of Meridian Habitat Park. Run by Bob LeSage and family, the new location is nearer to Tacoma but still in Puyallup, just east of the Canyon Road intersection. Grab a single cheeseburger for just $4.75 or a double for $5.75, with regular or sweet potato fries for $3.95. The shop is also respected for its milkshakes in flavors that include orange creamsicle and black raspberry. Open daily 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
THE MILKSHAKE BAR AT ESPRESSO STOP - ENUMCLAW
920 Roosevelt Ave., Enumclaw, 253-320-1905, estop.coffee
Espresso Stop has several locations around the South Sound, but the Enumclaw shop added a fun new element: decadent milkshakes! The Fruity Pebble features the colorful cereal mixed into the shake, topped with a Fruity Pebble marshmallow bar. The Wicked Waffle adds maple syrup, a crushed waffle cone topping and a housemade waffle. Or try the Peanut Butter Blast, a peanut butter shake with Reese’s Pieces and cups, peanut butter cookie dough and peanut butter chips.
TENTACION TACOS & TEQUILA - LAKEWOOD
9124 Veterans Dr. SW, Lakewood, 253-302-5710, latentaciontacosandtequila.com
The Gonzalez family opened their first restaurant in Federal Way almost 10 years ago, in the same plaza as the beloved Traditional Korean Beef Soup and Pho Trang. Their second debuted in Lakewood, around the corner from the revamped Lake City Pub, in early September. Start with the namesake tacos of carnitas on housemade tortillas with pico de gallo, tamales, or tortilla soup. At lunch, the $15 wet burrito goes for $10. Drinks include a michelada de camaron (five shrimp!), Mexican brews and aguas frescas. Open daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
TONY’S TACOS - PUYALLUP
17519 Canyon Road E, Puyallup, 253-878-1241, facebook.com/tonystacos.pnw
Taking a card from Tacoma’s El Super Taco Bus IV playbook, these tacos are also cooked in a retrofitted bus, parked in the 76 gas station parking lot at 176th and Canyon Rd. in Frederickson. Top sellers so far include the seemingly ubiquitous quesabirria tacos served with consomé and Tony’s version of a “pizzadilla” (see: pizzacoa at Los Tamales). For the more traditional onion and cilantro, taco plates with homemade tortillas come with with rice and beans (five for $15) and your mix-and-match choice of pollo, pastor, birria or asada. Burritos include the standard and a breakfast roll with potato, eggs and cheese. Find a counter seat in the bus itself or at one of a couple picnic tables in a semi-covered setup. Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
AL’S HOT CHICKEN - TACOMA
2102 Mildred St. W, University Place, 253-327-1783, hotchickenllc.com
Though it’s only been a few months of anticipation for Al’s Hot Chicken, a Los Angeles company beginning a franchise journey with its first expansion right here in Tacoma, it’s palpable: The local Instagram page has nabbed more than 8,000 followers, all awaiting the Oct. 1 opening. Franchise owner Burhan Saleh and Kasey Gano took over an old Wendy’s in University Place and have been training staff in recent weeks. Get ready for six levels of spice, from gently hot (or mild) to L.A’s hottest. It’s the area’s first restaurant dedicated to the style made famous by iconic Nashville joints like Prince’s and more recently Hattie B’s. Open daily at 10 a.m., with late-night service until midnight anticipated.
SIDE PIECE KITCHEN / BUDDY’S CHICKEN & WAFFLES
5415 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, sidepiecekitchen.com, buddyschickenandwaffles.com
Former Sig Brewing chef Hailey Hernandez and her husband Dante have been killing it with the biscuits for a few months now, but the pickup-only restaurant recently moved to a new shared kitchen space — still in South Tacoma. Buddy’s Chicken & Waffles is also cooking in this new location. When ordering from either business, you’ll pick up at Edison Square, a multipurpose venue that has also played host to the monthly Black Night Market.
OTHER TACOMA RESTAURANT NEWS
▪ Downtown Tacoma will gain another destination for pizza later this year when APIZZA Little Italy opens at 921 Pacific Ave. Look for the Italian flag on the outside of the building, in which a custom clay oven will churn out owner Marshall Jett’s unique style of Neapolitan-meets-East Coast-meets-Pacific Northwest pies, as well as Sicilians and scoops of gelato.
▪ Quietly humming for about a year now following a facelift, Park Avenue Tavern, 7215 Park Ave. S, still boasts a welcoming neighborhood vibe, with a touch of outdoor seating. It’s a chill place to catch a game or make a new friend in the South End.
▪ After a decade of chocolate-making, seven with a retail store in the Stadium District, Tacoma’s Tease Chocolates is closing. Owners Julie and Topher Farrell said their lease was up and that business had become increasingly challenging to sustain.
▪ In Lakewood Towne Center, La Palma Mexican Restaurant closed mid-August after 41 years. “It is with a sad heart that we announce that we are downsizing the La Palma restaurant family,” the Perez family wrote on their website. They continue to operate a Seattle outpost in Interbay.
▪ On the positive side in Lakewood, local franchise owner Sebastian Brost opened a Crumbl Cookies at 5605 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd SW in February. In August, he said he was en route to open a second store in Sammamish this year and a third in Olympia.
This story was originally published September 25, 2022 at 7:05 AM.