In surprise move, downtown Tacoma pizzeria has changed its name, concept

Late Saturday night, Michael Goronkin, the local owner of Zeeks Pizza in downtown Tacoma, removed the existing signage and replaced it with a sign of his own.

Though the decor hasn’t much changed, and the pizza oven remains a core element of the kitchen, Mikey’s Public House and Frog Bar officially debuted at 1702 Pacific Ave. on Sunday, Feb. 1.

The rebrand means that the Seattle-based chain has, at least for now, ended its run in Pierce County. Founded by Tom Vial and Doug McClure after a Pizza Hut-infused Montana ski trip, Zeeks started as a single Queen Anne restaurant in 1993. The company’s website lists 17 other locations in Puget Sound.

Goronkin described the breakup as amicable.

“I love those guys — nothing but respect and admiration,” he told The News Tribune late last week as he was preparing for the surprise shakeup.

The longtime restaurant professional had been developing the new, independent concept in the background for some time, he explained.

“I think everything’s changed as far as restaurants go,” he said, referring to the aftermath of a global pandemic, shifting economic prospects and a rapidly evolving region. “I think you have to figure out what’s gonna work for your space and your guests. That’s what led me to this.”

He brought his staff along for the transition, with several of his longtime employees and a few new ones.

“They’re excited, kinda, for new adventures,” continued Goronkin, who goes by his full name but a close friend encouraged him to lean into “Mikey” for the new business. “I have a really close-knit team as it is. A good handful of leaders, students, parents — they all support each other and it’s been a great journey. They’re really, really excited to be part of something new.”

The triangular unit with a back patio at Pacific and South 17th anchors the University of Washington Tacoma campus and sits directly across from the Museum District. When it opened in 2018, Zeeks — which replaced a wood-fired pizzeria called Elemental — positioned itself as a delivery mainstay with a wide radius that reached almost every corner of Tacoma. Since then, the pizza game has assuredly changed, especially downtown where three breweries serve differing styles of pie (New York at Camp Colvos, wood-fired at E9, stone-oven at Sig).

New brand, new menu at Mikey’s Public House

Mikey’s Public House has retained the deck ovens, but Goronkin has simplified the offerings to a curated list of 10 pies, all on housemade dough ($20-$30 for 8-slice, 12-inch medium, $30-$42 for 12-slice, 18-inch large). In addition to classic cheese and pepperoni, they include a Hawaiian with fresh pineapple; a white version with wild mushrooms, ricotta and hot honey; a lemony round with roasted peppers, prosciutto and arugula; and a BBQ brisket with bread-and-butter pickles. The house special is loaded with sausage, pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, black olives, red onion and peppers.

All pies feature homemade sauce, grande mozz and Mikey’s Brooklyn Green Drizzle, “truly a finishing sauce” of olive oil and a dash of vinegar, fresh garlic, herbs and a touch of spice. It’s drizzled as the pizza emerges from the oven, which allows it to “cook” a little into the hot pie, said Goronkin.

For lunch only (10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.), grab a slice of cheese, pepperoni and Hawaiian, or rotating meat and veggie weekday specials. These are extra-large slices: The large, 18-inch pies are cut into six pieces ($6 per slice or $10 for two).

Goronkin also pointed to wings — available as bone-in/non-breaded or boneless/breaded — as a highlight of the new menu. Seven sauces range from classic Buffalo and BBQ to honey mustard, mango habanero, sriracha and a Vietnamese-inspired version with tamarind, garlic and fish sauce. Dry-rub options include lemon-pepper, salt-and-vinegar and Chinese five-spice. A basket starts at $10 for six, up to $35 for 32 pieces. Add a side of fries for $5.

Appetizers ($8-$15) follow the pizza-pub theme with a contemporary twist.

Cheese curds are flash-fried with jalapenos and finished with crushed red pepper and hot honey. Jalapeno poppers are wrapped in prosciutto and a huckleberry reduction. Garlic breadsticks are also topped with the oil-and-vinegar pizza sauce. Six salads ($10-$20 in lunch portion to entree/share size) include a Greek, Caesar, wedge and steakhouse chop chop with brisket, grilled onions and a roasted jalapeno vinaigrette.

Wrap with desserts of cannoli and warm cookies à la mode.

Goronkin also hopes to take advantage of the mezzanine bar area, still serving beer, wine and cocktails. He’s calling it Frog Bar, where guests will find 10-inch “pub pizzas” and happy-hour specials available only in the lounge.

“It’s always been in my heart to do something like this,” said Goronkin. “In the back of my mind, I’ve been working on it for quite a while. It became possible, and so I’m running with it.”

As Zeeks, they had hosted live music, karaoke and trivia nights but somewhat sporadically. As Mikey’s Public House, the bar will have more of those public events on the calendar.

For Super Bowl Sunday, snag a 20% discount on all takeout orders over $200 — anything from the menu counts. Look also for a grand opening party on Feb. 13 with specials and giveaways.

Mikey’s Public House & Frog Bar

• 1702 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, instagram.com/mikeys_public_house_tacoma
• Details: former Zeeks Pizza rebrands to new, independent concept under same owner; menu of pizza, wings, salads and apps, plus bar-only specials
• Online ordering to come; follow Instagram for updates