New restaurants: Wood-fired pizza truck, self-serve taproom, big burgers and more
The first month of 2023 brought more fresh eats and drinks in and around Tacoma, including a food truck serving wood-fired pizza and a self-serve taproom.
Popular sushi chain Trapper’s has expanded again, this time to Enumclaw, and Stacks Burgers opened an outpost in Parkland.
These debuts follow a healthy handful of end-of-year ones: pasties inside 7 Seas Brewing, pupusas in Central Tacoma, pizza off to a hot start downtown and a wonderful new Mexican restaurant.
Here’s a look at recently opened restaurants around Pierce County and, in this edition, South King.
ITALY PAOLA PIZZA NAPOLETANA
▪ 3124 N. 26th St., Tacoma, 253-257-0772, facebook.com/italypaolapizza
The North End lost a well-liked Mexican food truck at the corner of 26th and Alder, but in its stead, a wood-fired pizza truck has fired up at this 76 gas station. Italy Paola Pizza Napoletana serves — you guessed it — Neapolitan-style pizzas, starting at $11.99 for a simple cheese with tomato sauce and shredded mozz. Upgrade to the margherita for fresh mozz with a dusting of parmesan for $15.99. Other options include the Diavola Bianca, a white-sauce pie with mushrooms, red peppers and sausage, and a leopard-spotted calzone packed with prosciutto, ricotta and double cheese. You can add toppings for $2.99 to any pie, but don’t get crazy — this style benefits from simplicity. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. or sellout.
THE LIVING TAPROOM
▪ 2101 S. C St., Tacoma, 253-331-3399, thelivingtaproom.com
The Brewery Blocks is already home to two great taprooms in Incline Cider House and Camp Colvos, where New York-style pies and slices bring the heat. The newest addition offers a different experience thanks to the self-serve tap wall, from which you can pour — by the ounce — a host of beer as well as cider, wine, seltzer, hard kombucha and nonalcoholic drinks, currently a craft root beer. Owners Andria and Colin Wunder wanted to create a community space that was flexible and minimalist, where you can just as easily pop in for a midday nitro coffee as you can for a weeknight catch-up with coworkers. Read more and catch a peek in our full opening story from TNT Diner. Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 2 p.m., Friday-Sunday at noon.
SALAMONE’S PIZZA & PASTA - UNIVERSITY PLACE
▪ 2122 Mildred St. W, University Place, 253-565-9367, salamonespizzeria.com
Perhaps bittersweet for some, Ale House Pub in UP is now, largely, a relic. As of Feb. 1, the restaurant has officially become Salamone’s Pizza & Pasta, the second outpost of the popular New York-style pizzeria in Tacoma’s Stadium District. The transition will be gradual, owner Steven Salamone told TNT Diner last month, but for your purposes, it means you can now get his 18-inch pies and slices here. In the coming weeks, the menu will change to be more Italian American, with pastas, salads, sandwiches and homemade cannoli. Online ordering to come, but currently it’s easiest to order by phone or in-person. Open daily at 11:30 a.m.
STACKS BURGERS - PARKLAND
▪ 14906 Pacific Ave. S, Parkland, 253-302-4622, stacksburgers.com
Stacks Burgers, already with a foothold in the Tacoma area with its Point Ruston restaurant and busy food truck, has opened a quick-service spot in Parkland. It replaces Parkland Place Bakery & Bistro, a short-lived shop that served deli sandwiches and various baked goods. Get your quarter-pound burgers with various fixings, like maple bacon aioli on the 3 Little Pigs, crispy onions and pulled pork on the Bigfoot BBQ, and jalapenos and pepperjack on the Spicy Cryfecta. Simple LTO burgers, small versions for kids, a Beyond plant-based choice and chicken tenders round out the menu. Online ordering available through Street Food Finder. Open Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. for dine-in, takeout and delivery.
SEOUL TOFU HOUSE - FEDERAL WAY
▪ 31406 Pacific Highway S, Federal Way, 206-429-2345
This Federal Way plaza was already home to several great Asian restaurants, including a destination for ramen. Welcome Seoul Tofu House, where you’ll find a full menu of Korean specialties in a bright, modern dining room. Start with soft tofu soup and move to japchae and bibimbap. Favorite meats include short ribs, beef and pork bulgogi, and various combos. Most dishes run $16.99 to $30.99 for the biggest platters. The bar serves domestic and imported beer, wine, sake and soju. You can also choose your spice level. Open every day but Wednesday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
TRAPPER’S SUSHI - ENUMCLAW
1537 Cole St., Enumclaw, 253-236-8712, trapperssushi.com/enumclaw
In the heart of downtown Enumclaw, Trapper’s Sushi opened its 11th restaurant in Washington state. It’s a bit of a homecoming, as the chain began in nearby Bonney Lake almost 20 years ago. Find the same menu that made Trapper’s popular in the first place: affordable sushi, most of in the form of over-the-top maki rolls for $15-$17, plus simple ones like spicy tuna for $12. Sashimi and nigiri platters start at $25, while apps — tempura shrimp and veggies — hit around $8. Like the others, it also offers a full bar and the famous all-you-can eat lunch deal ($26.95 for a wide range of choices from the sushi bar, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. dine-in only). Open daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
ANTOJO MEXICAN GRILL - WEST END
6104 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-565-0505, antojomexicangrill.com
A reliable choice for full-service Mexican in the area, Antojo Mexican Grill added this second restaurant last fall. Fans of the one on Orchard and 56th, where Tacoma meets UP, will appreciate having this option in the West End. The menu is vast, from guacamole and queso served in molcajetes to several nachos, burritos and combos with sopes, tacos and flautas. Start with the esquite ribs, sliced cobs of corn cut to resemble the real thing, and dig into a shareable platter of juicy cochinita pibil prepared in the Yucatan style with orange and pickled red onions. Margaritas are a must, but the bar also whips up refreshing nonalcoholic frozen daiquiris and pina coladas. Open daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (10 a.m. Sunday).
OTHER TACOMA RESTAURANT NEWS
▪ One of the city’s go-to diners, Hob Nob spruced itself up in January for the first time in a long while. It might look a little different on your next visit.
▪ After 15 years as an anchor of Pacific Avenue and the retail corridor of University of Washington Tacoma and the Museum District, Hello, Cupcake closed early last month. Owner Allix Weber spoke with TNT Diner about the decision, citing several reasons ranging from doubled costs to decreased foot traffic and perhaps a sense of it just being the right time.
▪ At the end of 2022, 3uilt closed at 1101 Tacoma Ave. S. It had only opened about a year prior, with hopes of becoming a destination for weekday brunch and after-work cocktails. The space will gain a new restaurant from an existing ownership group in the coming months, TNT Diner has learned.
▪ El Borracho Tacoma has closed at 2717 6th Ave, less than a year after reopening as a plant-based Mexican concept. Owners Kittie Davidovich and Adam Pomerleau, who as of 2021 also own the building according to property records, have not responded to requests for comment. A “for lease” sign in the window describes the space as 2,000 square feet with “some equipment included.” The original El Borracho in Ballard also closed last year; the Pike Place location is still open with a vegan menu.
This story was originally published February 6, 2023 at 5:00 AM.