New restaurants: Deep-dish pizza, brioche breakfast sandwiches, savory hand pies and more

There seems to always be a flurry of openings (and, sigh, some closings) as the end of year nears.

Tacoma has a few things to get excited about, including a fresh face inside 7 Seas Brewing and the long-awaited Chicago-themed restaurant in Spanaway.

In Lakewood, check out a new quick-service choice for breakfast sandwiches.

A few restaurants from Tacoma to Gig Harbor have welcomed new owners, too. In East Pierce County, find out what The Squirrel’s Den has to offer, among other late-fall openings.

Here’s a look at recently opened restaurants in and around Tacoma.

CHI TOWN PIZZA - SPANAWAY

▪ 15619 Pacific Ave. S, Tacoma, facebook.com

The highly anticipated Chi Town Pizza in Spanaway has at last turned on the ovens and brought out the cheese. Owner Donald Miller enlisted expat-Midwesterner Larry Stein, who has consulted with dozens of businesses across the country on making deep-dish pies, to help build the menu and train staff. The menu centers on 15 specialty pizzas, each packed with toppings — remember, they’re tucked under a layer of sauce and cheese, and take 20-plus minutes to cook. You also can build your own. Sandwiches include the famed Italian beef and a cold-cut Italian, and the Chicago dog features all the proper fixings. Soup, salad and two pastas round it out along with a full bar, plus a family-friendly dining room. Open daily at 11 a.m. as of Nov. 30.

CAMP COLVOS CANTEEN AT 7 SEAS BREWING

▪ Inside 7 Seas Brewing, Tacoma, 253-572-7770, campcolvos.com

When 3uilt vacated the kitchen inside 7 Seas’ Tacoma taproom, we all wondered what would fill the void. Thankfully the beers have found an excellent pairing in the team behind Camp Colvos Brewing, which already slings New York-style pizza up the street at Brewery Blocks. If you’ve ever visited the original Vashon taproom, you’ll recognize the hand pies at The Canteen. Also on the menu: sandwiches, clams in garlic-white wine broth, pretzels and salad featuring greens from a partner farm on the island. Open daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

EGGHOLE - LAKEWOOD

▪ 7502 Custer Road W, Lakewood, myegghole.com

This breakfast sandwich mecca has attracted a loyal following at its original location in Kent, with specials like the Walk of Shame with soft-scrambled eggs, caramelized onions and sriracha mayo on brioche and the Friends with Benedicts of bacon, sunny egg and house hollandaise. The menu includes a classic sausage or bacon, egg and cheese as well as four burgers, like the Bacon Bacon Burger, a quarter-pounder with American cheese, pickles, dijonaise and ketchup. Side it up with fries or a salad. Previously Beeyond Smoothie, the building was painted robin’s egg blue but now is simply black and white; that history means you can also get protein-infused coffee, smoothies and energy drinks. Order online or in-person, also at drive-thru. Open weekdays at 6 a.m. and weekends at 7 a.m.

GRAVITY COFFEE - EASTSIDE

▪ 1424 72nd Ave. E, Tacoma, gravitycoffee.com

This mostly drive-thru coffee chain is expanding in the South Sound, and its most recent store opened on Tacoma’s Eastside at 72nd and Portland Avenue E. Signature coffee drinks range from blended mochas to iced white lattes, but tea drinkers will find several choices here. The brand is also known for its colorful energy drinks, like the turquoise Down to Earth with raspberry and green apple flavorings and the pink High Voltage with pineapple and peach. Another Tacoma store will open soon at 1510 Union Ave.

COCO GRILL

▪ 409 E 26th St., Tacoma, 253-267-0666, cocogrillrestaurantlounge.com

So long, Sluggo’s. The Mediterranean restaurant near Tacoma Dome changed hands this fall, but the menu is similar (on paper, anyhow) to its predecessor: Greek waffle fries and dolmades, gyros served with a side of herbed rice and mini salad, tabouli and kabob platters. There are also burgers, chicken tenders and fish and chips. Open daily at 11 a.m.

FARRELLI’S PIZZA - YELM

▪ 813 W Yelm Ave., Yelm, 360-245-9247, farrellispizza.com

Farrelli’s Pizza expanded to Kitsap County earlier this year with a new restaurant in Silverdale. The family-owned restaurant group now also has fresh digs in Yelm. Formerly a Chinese restaurant, the space has been updated to reflect the brand’s contemporary sports bar style, with a full bar and lounge, family-friendly dining room and covered patio seating. Expect the same menu of custom and BYO pies, lunch specials and the popular oven-baked wings and spicy breadsticks. Open daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m., until midnight Friday-Saturday.

OTHER TACOMA RESTAURANT NEWS

▪ Glow Tea, a boba shop where you have the option to buy your drink in a light bulb cup, will open a shop at Tacoma Mall, hopefully by January, said owner Weidi Shen. He also operates a location at the outlet mall in Auburn and made waves at the Washington State Fair in September.

▪ IC Poke in the Lakewood Town Center is under new ownership. The menu features a variety of signature poke bowls, but you can also build your own. Try a poke burrito for a lighter on-the-go meal.

▪ In Gig Harbor’s Point Fosdick Square, Lunchbox Laboratory has new owners. The updated menu brings several Korean dishes to the mix, including hot-stone bibimbap, sweet and spicy fried chicken with rice, a chicken katsu sandwich and the “Super Burger” with an intriguing pile of roasted garlic and pickled jalapenos.

▪ The Living Room, a U-Pour It bar and lounge, is nearing its opening date at Brewery Blocks. Owners Colin and Andria Wunder hope to provide an all-day space, with everything from beer and wine to kombucha and coffee from the self-serve tap wall. Look for it perhaps by year’s end.

CLOSURES

▪ Bliss Ice Cream will close its Proctor District shop at the end of the year. Owned by two sisters, the company had a two-year agreement to operate a “scoop window” inside Top Pot Doughnuts. They recently expanded elsewhere with full-service shops in DuPont and Snohomish. Look for pop-ups at special events, they said, and follow their social media to track their ice cream truck.

▪ After many years at the corner of Division Avenue and J Street, Tacoma Java Company will close — but it’s not the end. The coffee shop will move to a full-service cafe setting in the former House of Tattoo space at 2703 6th Ave., in between Crown Bar and Primo Grill. The owners said on social media that “another coffee company” offered their landlord “three times” their current lease. “Feeling crushed is an understatement, as this is where our family dream began,” they wrote Nov. 14. “We are excited for this opportunity to open another shop in a neighborhood we have always desired.”

This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 7:05 AM.