Old Pacific Grill space in downtown Tacoma has another taker. Will it stick?
Miró Tapas, a new restaurant from longtime Tacoma restaurateur Robert Stocker, plans to open this month at 1502 Pacific Ave.
The address is best known as the 15-year home of Pacific Grill, which closed in 2020 after shepherding many chefs, bartenders and servers who have pursued their own businesses in Tacoma. It was replaced by Stanford’s Steak in late 2021, a short-lived concept from Bellevue-based Ascend Hospitality Group that abruptly shuttered two years later.
At the time, Mark Hollander, CEO of Hollander Hospitality which owns the building that includes the Courtyard at Marriott Downtown Tacoma, said he didn’t expect the unit to “remain vacant for long.”
In an email last week, David Vis, a manager at Hollander, said that when Stocker approached them with the artsy tapas concept, the leadership team appreciated his commitment to Tacoma and respect for the history of the space.
Stocker, who is also behind Shake Shake Shake in the Stadium District and The Boom Boom Room on Sixth Avenue, first teased the project on Instagram in late May. His first post showed the distinctive facade of the Waddell Building with red-and-white striped paper in the bottom half of the windows.
“Looks like something’s happening in the old PG building,” he wrote.
Ensuing photos shared peeks of the art and design, inspired by Catalan-Spanish surrealist Joan Miró, with splashes of blues, reds and oranges on the host stand and on a mural behind the bar.
Most of the artwork, including striking 4-by-8-foot Miró-inspired illustrations that line the brick walls, was created by Gina Spadoni, also a manager of the restaurant. Similar shapes and colors are resin-ed into the tables.
The kitchen will be led by chef Daniel Tschida, who in recent years has worked in corporate private dining in Seattle and cooked for sports and other celebrities, according to a press release. Chef de cuisine Maria Hunt also brings a wealth of pastry experience, which means housemade breads including focaccia and borana, a soft-on-the-middle, crusty on the outside bread ideal for absorbing sauces.
Stocker envisions a lively experience where small plates ($8, $12 or $14 each) will emerge on different colored plates, matching their section on the menu, and guests motion to take what they want.
The menu at Miró Tapas
“Cold” tapas will range from escalivada (marinated and grilled veggies with Catalan spices) and the classic pan con tomates and boquerones, to cured salmon with fig gastrique or pickled sardines with hummus, goat cheese and pita. Also: ceviche de camaron, coffee and paprika-rubbed beef tenderloin with bread and manchego, and Dungeness crab with poached eggs.
On the hot side, picture borana (Spanish-style cornbread with jamon), a traditional Spanish tortilla, chorizo-stuffed dates and albondigas; shoestring potatoes with shaved, cured pork; grilled octopus with rice and slow-roasted pork ribs with a honey glaze.
Outside of the tapas, the menu also features gazpacho and seafood chowder, a few salads and raw, baked or grilled oysters. Mains ($23-$65) include steak with Dungeness crab, scallops in romesco with rice and greens, garlic-saffron chicken thighs and skirt steak with chimichurri and beans.
A highlight, according to Stocker, is the trio of paellas: fish plus scallops, fish and sirloin, and a vegetarian option.
For dessert, think buñuelos, churros with chocolate and dense cheesecake. The restaurant also will have a children’s menu with $8 dishes, from a quesadilla to crispy popcorn chicken.
Stocker anticipates having a wine cart ferried around the dining room for tableside pours of mostly Spanish selections but also some from Washington and Oregon, as well as “lots of craft cocktails.”
Miró isn’t the first attempt at a modern tapas concept in downtown Tacoma. Amor Wine and Tapas opened in 2023 on the north side of Pac Ave near Thai Pepper and the always bustling Wooden City and Matador. The proprietor wanted to offer a similar “tapas is always available” service style, but it morphed into a combination of standard ordering off the menu as well as a “all the tapas” option. It never found its stride and closed in June.
The tapas idea has been on Stocker’s mind for about a decade, he explained.
“Exactly 10 years ago, I went to this restaurant in Barcelona,” he said, referring to La Taperia at El Nacional. “It was one of the funnest restaurant experiences I’ve ever had.”
He said last week that he has hired staff and is awaiting final approval on health and liquor licenses. The restaurant could open as soon as mid-October, and Sunday brunch should start a few weeks later. That menu is slated to feature some tapas and dishes like the tortilla alongside patatas bravas, Iberico steak and eggs, a croissant benedict with serrano ham, “fried toast melada,” plus ham, egg and manchego on a baguette.
Miró Tapas
- 1502 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, mirotapas.com
- Anticipated hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (potentially later Friday-Saturday), Sunday 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
- Details: new Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant with small plates, paella, wine and cocktails
- Grand opening: October 16 — happy hour 3:30-5 p.m., dinner service begins at 6 p.m.; follow instagram.com/mirotapas for updates
This story was originally published October 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.