The 9 best new restaurants in Tacoma gave us bun bo hue, biscuits and bison
Restaurants in and around Tacoma trickled open in 2022 as they hobbled past seemingly incessant hurdles. The most enticing among them showed persistence and have answered a specific call in the city’s dining scene.
This year’s list, in alphabetical order, is shorter than the last, in part because we combined 2020 and 2021. It runs from a quiet stretch near downtown to an underappreciated section of waterfront, from an Eastside corner south to Lakewood and north to University Place. It also focuses on restaurants that have been serving for at least a few months, which means bright newcomers might be considered in 2023.
In a sign that Tacoma has turned a (completely subjective) culinary corner, one of the selections is not a brick-and-mortar. The savvy move is to pre-order after noon on weekends when the next-door taproom starts pouring. Another also began as a takeout-only operation.
If I have one lesson for you all from compiling this collection, I ask that we not be complacent. Last December, my starry-eyed self wondered at the possibility of longevity despite a beguiling blip in time. Today I fear I have grown weary of the all-too-regular sight of excellent eateries devoid of the crowds necessary to sustain them. Some of the below will be just fine. Others need to be nurtured, and, in my humble opinion, deserve to be.
For more delicious inspiration, check out our favorite dishes of the year from around the South Sound.
ALMA Lounge
▪ 1322 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253-368-6509, almatacoma.com/alma-lounge
While the physical incarnation of ALMA has not changed, the contents of it have in compelling ways through a renewed mission to spotlight indigenous creators and foodways. The Lounge, which reopened in early 2022 after nearly two years of solitude, also slings some of the city’s finest cocktails, heralding rare-around-these-parts spirits like génépy, an Alpine liqueur, and sotol, a Chihuahuan desert mescal. The Gold Dust Woman enhances the old-fashioned with a brown butter wash that hits your nose like chocolate chip cookies mid-bake. Match with the aptly titled Tear and Share, in which you sink warm pita into a sumptuous braise of wild boar, white cheddar and bitter greens. Burgers here are made of bison, and duck plays an outsized role — in tacos, over rice and tossed in pasta mornay. The plush yet minimalist setting should beckon us for quiet drinks with friends, but the food should earn your reservation.
The Blind Pig at Millhouse
▪ 2515 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, 253-301-2994, millhouseproctor.com/blindpig
The Blind Pig is just what 2022 needed: a boozy pizza den. The menu mirrors that of its connected neighbor Millhouse, with thin-crust pies topped with umami-packed wild mushrooms and lemon zest, burrata and chorizo, mozzarella and blue cheese. After several years perfecting their wood-fired pies at Millville in Gig Harbor, the Ross family brings a similar crust to Proctor — along with their delicious panuozzo, an Italian street sandwich made with a pizza-dough bread waiting for your next lunch date. Shareable salads and week-day deals also entice a visit to the cocktail bar, where part-owner Riley Haizlip’s classic leanings translate to ice-cold martinis, whisky sours properly poured with egg whites and mezcal margaritas.
El Parche Colombiano
▪ 6324 E. McKinley Ave., Tacoma, 253-507-8517, elparchecolombiano.com
Overflowing plates of chicharron, arepas, morcilla and skirt steak emerge from the kitchen at El Parche Colombiano, a colorful addition to Tacoma’s Eastside. The cheery restaurant, with paneled walls of the bright red, yellow and royal blue of the Colombian flag, offers live music on the regular to accompany freshly muddled aguardiente mojitos and goblets of guanabana juice. After finding success in Seattle’s Pinehurst neighborhood, owners Maria and Mario Medina chose Tacoma for similar reason: There are lots of taquerias but little in the way of Colombian food. Visit in the morning for bandeja paisa, a national dish of big stewed beans, rice and a fried egg, several meats and plantains two ways. Then return with friends for some of the nearly 1,000 empanadas they make by hand every week.
Incalmo by The Table
▪ Museum of Glass, 1801 Dock St., Tacoma, 253-284-4747, thetabletacoma.com
Let us shout it from the top of the cone: Incalmo is not a “museum cafe.” Though it shares walls with the 20-year-old Museum of Glass, chef Derek Bray and sommelier Trevor Hamilton’s follow to The Table on Sixth Avenue is a full-blown restaurant with a sophisticated menu and wine list. A late-fall bucatini glistening with creamy chanterelles and shallots was a study in simplicity; a summer octopus special, supple and served atop warm chickpeas with arugula and shaved fennel, signified a kitchen willing to take risks on the sometimes eerily quiet Thea Foss Waterway. Pop by for a cornmeal cod sandwich with pickled peppers, or share a Roman-style pizza — the crust with both a crunch and satisfying chew — topped by high-quality meats and fresh mozzarella. The breezy nature of the necessary counter-service setup belies just how good the food really is.
Harbor City
▪ 4816 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-503-3398, harborcitytacoma.com
It was huge news when Harbor City, a modern stalwart of Seattle’s International District, announced its impending arrival in Tacoma. The restaurant feels barren — little has changed from its former Mexican restaurant countenance — and online-only ordering, even when dining in, renders the experience dismally transactional. Let it go. We’re here at all times of day for the salty string beans, saucy Mongolian beef, hot tea and especially the dim sum: soft bites of steamed pork dumplings with earthy mushrooms, pan-fried discs of shrimp and chive with a sesame-seed topcoat, sweet-and-savory daikon cakes and extra-large jiandui (hollow rice-flour doughnuts with a pop of lotus paste).
Lunar’s Pho
▪ 757 S. 38th St., Tacoma, 253-472-6153, lunarspho.com
From scarlet bowls of bún bò Hue to sweet and funky salted duck egg shrimp, Lunar’s Pho has carved an essential niche in an ocean of Vietnamese restaurants. The brother and sister duo of Du and Khanh Dang, with service from her daughter Priscilla Truong, focus on the little things often overlooked, from sweet service in the pastel-painted space to housemade soy milk and rotating specials over a massive menu. The namesake broth simmers at all hours with bones and onions, and the bánh mì are perhaps the best in town, with generous grilled pork and pickled daikon. Come also for the pho, and stay for the matriarch’s blissful desserts of cassava cake with candied pineapple and banana cake with a swirl of coconut cream and sprig of Thai basil.
The Pine Cone
▪ 7912 27th St. W, University Place, 253-301-2115, thepineconeup.com
Diner after diner has fallen, so what a relief it was when Dana and Dave Verellen (of Zodiac Supper Club and Dusty’s Hideaway) rescued The Pine Cone from demise. Wood paneling and the recognizable forest-green booths remain; Sasquatch wallpaper brings modern kitsch to the old lunch counter-turned-bar, from which you can request a Moon Glow morning cocktail with amaro, blackberry liqueur and lambrusco, a Mai Tai or house bloody. Genial service, endless cups of Bluebeard Coffee paired with a throwback toad in a hole — thick Texas toast nesting a runny egg, surrounded by grilled peaches, ricotta and minty chimichurri that sounds strange but somehow works — or trio of pancakes with an almost-fried exterior (ask for the sweet sauces on the side) remind us why these kinds of restaurants can be not only relevant but also indispensable. Cheers to another 60-plus years.
Side Piece Kitchen
▪ Preorder + pickup only at Edison Square, 5415 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253-289-1800, sidepiecekitchen.com
Does the combination of biscuits and cheesecake make sense? It does when in the deft hands of chef Hailey Hernandez, whose buttery brunch gained fame at Sig Brewing Co. This year she transported her creativity to a modest shared kitchen in South Tacoma with the debut of her and husband Dante’s first solo venture. The Croque Ma’Damnnnn layers Virginia ham and gruyère between a bechamel-lathered biscuit that holds together shockingly well — it must be their oversized stature — and the Loud Pack’s prosciutto and goat cheese decadently drips with pepper aioli. Her fans are so enraptured they order just biscuits with house lavender butter and spicy tomato jam. Cheesecake flavors run from coquito to animal cracker, strawberry shortcake to pistachio, and you must follow on Instagram for the weekly drop because they sell out in a snap. One day Hernandez took a chocolate cake and made it 31 layers large because why not? Tacoma’s food scene needed this energy. We’ll probably get a sit-down someday soon; regardless, Side Piece and kitchen mates Buddy’s Chicken and Waffles are proof-of-concept for pickup-only in Tacoma.
Tacoma Pie Company
▪ 4417 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-320-8734, tacomapie.com
Dean Shivers kicked the bartending can in 2020 and started making pizza — Detroit-style squares, to be precise, which reheat painlessly in a home oven. After amassing a loyal following of weekend-only pickup, they have only improved with time and practice and, importantly, are now available five days a week from a brick-and-mortar restaurant, replete with an open kitchen, full bar, family dining room and courtyard-plus-bocce court. Tangy red sauce hides under a generous bed of mozz, and you should definitely add Daddy Dino’s peppers, but it’s the crunchy base and lacey edges of burnt cheese that will have you begging for another corner piece. These are dense, satiating pies that take 30 minutes to bake. Call ahead or just be patient with beer in hand and a wedge salad for the table. Yet another reason why Tacoma’s pizza scene is weird but also wonderful.
Honorable Mention: Myungin Dumplings was on the list, but the humble Korean fried chicken and handmade dumpling destination inside H-Mart is temporarily closed. Stay tuned for news of what I hope is a holiday break because it was a delight.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 5:00 AM.