11 dishes, drinks and moments that kept TNT Diner going in 2025

Those who know me well or catch me in candor know that I can slip into Tacoma malaise.

I wallow at 7 p.m. when I haven’t yet decided where to eat dinner and remember that everywhere I want to go closes in an hour. The posh part of me laments the scarcity of chic spaces where I can sit at the bar, maybe have a martini while nibbling on thoughtful fare that isn’t fried from a freezer bag or that won’t consume an uncomfortable chunk of my budget. Then, on a dreary Saturday night, I drive again to the culinary wonderland that is Lakewood’s South Tacoma Way to fill my cup, so to speak, with hot soup and cold Korean lager. Only after sitting down in the buzzing, bright dining room do I realize Cho Dang Tofu doesn’t have a liquor license. That’s not a reason to leave, so we order. The banchan arrives, with the bonus of a little fried croaker. Then the server rolls over with sizzling sundubu, bibimbap, kalbi and rice. No beer? No big. Regret? Never.

It’s in these moments — and in the many conversations (planned and spontaneous) I am so privileged to have every day with the people (owners, workers, patrons) who bring them to life — that I sigh in satisfaction.

This list is by no means comprehensive, but might it present as a snapshot of the dishes and places that inspired me when I felt down in 2025, that kept me coming back or otherwise haunted my thoughts — from salads to fries, beef tongue to a glass bottle of local milk. I hope it might inspire you, too.

Saeuji at Burger Seoul

1701 Division Ave., Tacoma, instagram.com/BURGERSEOUL

Owner Young La leveled up with his new storefront on the cusp of Sixth Ave and Hilltop, where a bigger, brand-new kitchen has translated to more winners from the now-iconic Korean fusion restaurant. Especially if you can share a burger with a friend, get this panko-breaded shrimp patty, literally jam-packed with fresh shrimp — a better decision than downing a whole platter of cocktail shrimp. With crisp lettuce, tangy tartar and toasted buns, it’s another Seoul signature.

Sushi, katsu & more at Kamei Sushi

10435 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma, 253-301-2484, kameisushi.com

I have implored anyone who would listen this year that they should be going to Parkland for their sushi and katsu. The family behind Kamei operated a popular restaurant in West Seattle for two decades but were uprooted (with several years’ notice) by new development. As their daughter had already relocated to Tacoma, so did the patriarch and matriarch, who have quietly been continuing their traditions on Pacific Highway just north of Route 512. Their presentation and execution — of nigiri, sashimi and maki, as well as starters like the crispy-skin salmon salad and grilled hamachi kama — elucidates that they once served a different audience.

Empanadas, arepas, frijoles at Welcome Restaurant

5105 N. Pearl St., Ruston, 253-375-4049, welcomerestaurantandbarwa.com

The restaurant name foretells the sweet hospitality at this Ruston restaurant, but the brothy, beefy frijoles will also bring you back. As will the homemade arepas, stuffed like a pita pocket with juicy birria, crunchy chicharron or chicken in an unexpected cream sauce, and the handmade empanadas fresh from the fryer. Whether you snack on the patacones or not, request a side of the slightly warm, textural hogao to dip whatever’s on your plate. Owner Paty Pinedo with her husband German Espitia and friend, Juan Aguedelo, also offer an impressive lineup of Latin American brews, from Colombia to Costa Rica, and a delightfully tart mojito.

Everything at Proof

2312 N. 30th St., Tacoma, prooftacoma.com

Chris Keil might be the only person in the Tacoma area who could pull off a cocktail bar inside of an Anthem Coffee. Five nights a week, that’s precisely what he and his team do in Old Town, and the results handily deliver my favorite new haunt. Where most boulevardiers leave you breathless for the negroni you didn’t order, Proof’s defies the odds with chocolate-washed bourbon, a coffee-infused bitter red and the spiced fruit of Punt e Mes. I love that the menu splits intoxicating sippers with session options, as in the ultra-cold 50/50 freezer martini with Japanese gin, blanc vermouth (instead of dry) and Topo Chico. With a teeny kitchen, chef Meghan McLean works wonders into house focaccia, a BLT, flaky Hot Pockets and confident roughage that says, “Yes, you can make friends with salad.”

Yemeni coffee & Adeni chai at Sana’a Cafe

2505 S. 38th St., Tacoma, 253-625-7499, instagram.com/sanaacafe.tacoma

Let Sana’a Cafe defeat your qualms about traversing the frustrating traffic havoc that is South 38th Street at I-5. While standard espresso drinks are also brewed here, stay in-house for a signature Yemeni coffee or Adeni chai, laced with cardamom and other spices eased by evaporated milk — request less if you prefer lightly sweet — served in traditional glassware on a decorative metal tray. Owner Adam Saleh worked with a California-based company to bring this Yemeni cafe concept to Tacoma, and it has quickly become a haven for many in the local Muslim community as well as a diverse crowd of caffeine seekers. I accidentally consumed several sugar-drenched sweets and a whole pot of coffee alone one day and was, gleefully, hyped.

Hand-cut fries at Lucky Silver Tavern

2605 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253-472-0360, theluckysilver.com

Lucky Silver has operated in the bend of South Tacoma Way since 1966, but in 2023 new owners breathed fresh, modern life into the space — without yielding its dive-bar appeal. The food (and the bar itself) might be the best-kept secret in Tacoma. I’ve become addicted, in a sense, to the hand-cut fries: a sturdy, starched jacket dusted generously with Taekyung chili spice and furikake, enveloping a pillowy interior potato. Order a whole basket or pair with your chicken katsu sando and, of course, cold beer and perhaps a game of pool. Ample screens also make this tavern a prime choice for the next game.

Double smashburger at The Valley

1206 Puyallup Ave., Tacoma, 253-248-4265, thevalleytacoma.com

Despite my adventure to every burger shack in the county, there was one bar burger that has kept a hold on me. The Valley, with Peterson Bros. affiliation, might be known for its sandwiches, but chef Mike Parker and his team have leaned into smashburgers. The classic double is a pristine specimen: diced white onion, chopped lettuce, house sauce, so very melted cheddar, two still-wet patties on a brioche bun. This thing stays together like a little burger baby. I don’t know what that means, but it sounds right.

Cocktails & plate lunch at Da Tiki Hut

4427 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-625-7690, datikihut.com

The fast-food counter situation that greets you at Da Tiki Hut belies the world on the other side of the door: a decked-out tiki getaway with dark walkways and bright booths, which leads to another little room with the actual bar. The drinks are serious — and seriously affordable for the way they’ll knock you out. Sip a tall, bright yellow Three Dots and a Dash, a perfect painkiller or the Halekulani (served up) with bourbon. Refuel with paper plates dripping with Kalua pork, chicken katsu, lumpia and mac salad. Repeat. Relax. You’re on island time.

Milk, cream & soft-serve at Mt. Rainier Creamery

287 Route 410, Buckley, mountrainiercreamery.com

Will travel for … milk? Haylee and Ryan Mensonides operate a dairy farm in Enumclaw, but in an honorable effort to bring us all closer to our food sources, their drive-thru Buckley market sells their products alongside other farmers’ meat and eggs. I don’t think I knew what milk was until pouring a glass from their glass bottle (returnable deposit required, or continue swapping for more milk) — and I have never in my non-baby life been a milk drinker. I usually only put a teaspoon in my coffee, but consider me a convert. And the cream! It’s otherworldly, but physically from just down the road. The shop also slings coffee and silky soft-serve year-round.

Plat de charcuterie at Not Bad

1102 A St. (Courthouse Square basement), Tacoma, 253-327-1905, notbadtacoma.com

Chef Dave Cooper is the real deal — not only for his obvious talent and formidable resume in kitchens from Chicago to Seattle but also for his genuine, down-home desire to run a Parisian sandwich shop. I and my fellow offal friends (who do exist in Tacoma, it turns out) found utter plaisir in the house charcuterie plate at Not Bad, from the decadent chicken liver mousse and delicate pork rillette to the beef-tongue cold-cut. I have envisioned this basement space at Courthouse Square, next to the Post Office loading dock, as befitting of a wine-bar by night, and so, to find myself slathering high-fat French butter and organ meat on a baguette while “passively watching a film” (monthly-ish, on Saturdays) made at least some parts of 2025 feel, well, pretty good.

Kalbi, bibimbap & sundubu at Cho Dang Tofu

9701 South Tacoma Way, 253-682-1968, chodangtofu.menu11.com

I have been partial to Ho Soon Yi in Lakewood’s wonderland of outstanding Korean restaurants, but Cho Dang Tofu might have stolen my heart this year. I still wish I could wash it down with a cold Cass, but my partner and I basically stopped talking when the bubbling bowl of tofu soup arrived — spicy, rejuvenating, soul-searching stuff. Scraping rice off the iron-hot bottom of the other dolsot, dressed with lightly sauteed mushrooms, mung beans and seaweed salad, in between toothsome tears of deeply flavored kalbi, we gladly drank hot tea. Bellies full, we capped our evening off with an iced black-sesame Einspanner (espresso with whipped cream foam) from neighbor and fellow Lakewood treasure, One Day Cafe.

This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.