Tacoma brewery to open another taproom with snacks and frequent chef collabs
Narrows Brewing will expand beyond its prime waterfront real estate this summer with a second taproom, which will serve food and host pop-ups, in another coveted location.
Owners Parker and Lauren Rush have purchased the former Viva Tacoma building at 2620 N. Proctor St. for $1.7 million, according to Pierce County property records. That vegan restaurant closed in March when co-owner Nancy Parkison confirmed the sale and its pub future.
The couple sought to expand in part to “boost brand awareness” but also to “better serve the Proctor neighborhood while maintaining the laidback, community-driven vibe that defines” the flagship, according to a news release.
“We’ve been working hard to find a space where we can add to an already vibrant area,” they said.
The Proctor neighborhood is already home to beer bar and sandwich shop Peaks and Pints, contemporary French restaurant Corbeau and Cactus Mexican Restaurant; daytime favorites including Knapp’s, Waffle Stop and Toast Mi; as well as Olympia Coffee, Ice Cream Social and the just-opened Fondi Pizzeria. The Snug Pub, an Irish-themed family restaurant, is under construction up the street.
The second Narrows outpost has pitched itself as more than just a beer bar, though.
The taps will pour 12 Narrows beers — all made at the original location at Narrows Marina but a different lineup. Since its advent in 2013, the brewery has released a brand-new beer every Wednesday, which surely helps that cause. When the Rushes bought the business in 2020, they continued the tradition while greatly expanding production into another room at the spacious former lumber mill. Some one-offs, including the Pilota Pilsner, fashioned after the Italian style, have found a regular slot in the rotation. They’ve also released a few iterations of a high-alcohol player for large-format cans (19.2 ounces), often seen in retail coolers and ballparks.
“We try to make beer-flavored beer,” Parker, who is also a third-generation commercial fisherman, told The News Tribune in a 2023 interview. “A lot of popular styles lean toward sweetness that none of us are big fans of here, so we try to make dry and drinkable beer.”
Under Parker, who honed his chops in part at Lowercase Brewing in Seattle, the brewing team also has edged into cidermaking. The Proctor taproom will dedicate at least four taps to homegrown cider. Look also for “an expanded selection of wines.”
The existing kitchen space will be used primarily for snack-y foods like charcuterie boards, but food options will extend into frequent collaborations with local chefs and food trucks, they said. One already on the books is Field to Fire from chef Mike Miller, who recently moved to the area with his family from St. Louis. At one pop-up at the original Narrows taproom, the menu featured a hatch chile and cheddar dip, a chicken tinga torta and a cheddar-corn and pork tamale. (Check them out also at the Gig Harbor Waterfront Farmers Market.)
They hope to “create a space that feels familiar yet new,” said Lauren in a press release, and that “fits right into the neighborhood.”
After getting into the space last month, they anticipate opening in June, following mostly aesthetic updates to match the Narrows brand, Parker added in a message to The News Tribune.
Like the waterfront taproom, the Proctor bar’s tavern license means it will be 21-and-up.
NARROWS BREWING PROCTOR
▪ 2620 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, narrowsbrewing.com
▪ Anticipated hours: daily, noon-9 p.m.
▪ Details: second taproom from Tacoma brewery plus on-site food and pop-ups; target opening June 2025
This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 5:15 AM.