6th Ave bar, site of fatal shooting, has reopened with similar food, updated interior
The Backyard Bar & Grill has opened at 2708 6th Ave. in Tacoma, replacing what was known as The Alleycat Patio & Lounge.
The Alleycat operated from late 2019 through November 2023, when a customer near the pool table is alleged to have pulled a gun out of his fanny pack and opened fire, killing two people and injuring three others. It had been closed since Nov. 5.
The resurgence of the bar as The Backyard first appeared on Instagram Feb. 18 with a photo of the renovated space taken from the back corner looking toward the door. “What a clean vibe,” it said. Subsequent posts showed the patio and some of the food, which includes a brisket burger, gyros, a Greek salad, wings, hummus and waffle fries loaded with melted gouda. Most dishes top out around $15, and beers are around the usual $7, plus a full back bar.
The Instagram profile lists the hours as daily, 11 a.m.-midnight.
In addition to the name, the pool table is the most notable omission from its former self. A short banquette with a few high-top tables that lined the wall near the entrance has been replaced with booth seating. Meanwhile, the bar was extended, adding eight stools to the back half of the space along with tables in front of a decorative fireplace. There are a handful of televisions, and the bathrooms were updated.
Through the back door, the semi-covered patio, which seems to have inspired both monikers, remains. So does some of the original menu of bar food with a Mediterranean bent.
The ownership has not changed, according to state business filings. The new name was added Feb. 6 to the list of registered trade names with the state Department of Revenue.
Robert Norris and Ammar Mannaa opened The Alleycat in October 2019. Norris also owns the building at 2706-2708 6th Ave., property records show. He is also the proprietor of Half Pint Pizza Pub, located across the alley at 2710 6th Ave., which he opened in 2014.
Multiple attempts by The News Tribune to contact Norris for comment were unsuccessful.
The shooting unfolded around 1 a.m. on Nov. 5, 2023, allegedly stemming from an argument between the 28-year-old suspected shooter and other customers. Alante Bryan Peterson was arrested two days later on multiple murder charges and assault, The News Tribune previously reported. Peterson has pleaded not guilty and remains held in the Pierce County Jail on $4 million bail.
James Reha, 35, and Monic Swan, 34, were killed in the shooting. One of the three surviving victims, who was shot in the leg, sued The Alleycat in February, alleging that illicit and sometimes violent behavior in and around the business was not unusual. The Alleycat has denied wrongdoing and is seeking to have the complaint dismissed, court records show.
The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board confirmed that its agents had not observed policy violations during site visits since the bar opened in 2019, nor have they fielded complaints of alleged violence. An LCB officer who contacted the bar following the shooting learned that the “incident occurred rapidly and appeared to outside the control of the licensee and bar staff,” communications director Brian Smith told The News Tribune this week. The shooter had only been served one drink, he added, and was not known to the staff.
On a high-traffic street in Central Tacoma — known for its nightlife which includes some of the city’s best bars and restaurants as well as a longstanding music venue — The Alleycat was one of the few open past 1 a.m.
THE BACKYARD BAR & GRILL
▪ 2708 6th Ave., Tacoma, instagram.com/backyardbar2024
▪ Daily 11 a.m.-midnight
The News Tribune’s Shea Johnson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 17, 2024 at 11:00 AM.