Dig into pupusas, sushi, Indian pastries at new restaurants around Pierce County

From sushi in Sumner to a beloved regional chain in Gig Harbor, Pierce County cities have welcomed a handful of new restaurants this spring.

There’s a new Korean fried chicken chain in Puyallup, Indian chai with creative housemade baked goods in Lakewood and pizza on the Key Peninsula.

Bouncing off our recent list of new eats in Tacoma, here’s a look at recently opened restaurants elsewhere in the region.

Shio Sushi - Sumner

• 813 Academy St., Sumner, 253-750-5136, shiosushiwa.com

Shio Sushi opened in May near the Sumner train station, in the former home of a secondary outpost of Tacoma’s Dirty Oscar’s Annex. Sushi reigns, from a $34 deluxe sushi platter (10 pieces of nigiri and one spicy tuna roll) to the $80 combo (24 pieces) or $120 small boat (24 pieces of sashimi, 10 pieces of nigiri, three rolls), plus classic to specialty rolls (most $9-$19). Hot dishes include teriyaki with rice and salad, bento boxes, udon and six styles of ramen. Swing by for weekday lunch specials under $25, like an 11-piece sashimi plate with miso soup or hwe dup bap — sashimi over rice and veggies. Open daily 11 a.m.-9:15 p.m.

BB.Q Chicken - Puyallup

• 3850 S. Meridian, Puyallup, 253-693-9312, bbqchicken.com

This Korean franchise has opened its second Pierce County location, following the first in Lakewood, which debuted a few years ago. BB.Q chicken specializes in crispy fried chicken in various sauces — many of them spicy, including the Gangham style with black pepper, the Gang-Jeong with soy and a whisper of cinnamon, and the flagship Secret Sauce with “sweet and tangy” flair. Some flavors are just sold as wings, but what makes this place special is the whole-chicken options. Tack on a bowl of ddeok-bokki, rice and pickled radish. Order pickup or delivery online. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Pupuseria Tacos don Ricky

• 8013 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, 425-517-7551, pupuseriatacosdonricky.com

Find Salvadoran and Mexican dishes at this new restaurant in Lakewood. Start with fish or shrimp empanisados ($12.50, breaded and fried, ready to dip) and pupusas ($5 each), made by hand and served with the traditional curtido and tomato salsa. Salvadoran specialties also include yuca con merienda (cassava in a savory pork broth), banana-leaf-steamed chicken tamales and pollo a la crema. Most dishes are $10-$20, served with rice, beans and salad. Mexican plates range from enchiladas to burritos, milanesa to mole. Try a mashup of the two cultures in the form of a quesabirria pupusa, and wrap with a trio of pastelitos (fried pastries with sweet plantains and custard). Order pickup online or by phone. Open Tuesday-Sunday at 10 a.m.

Kyoto Japanese Restaurant

• 8722 South Tacoma Way, Lakewood, 253-581-7229, kyotoinlakewood.com

A longstanding sushi spot in Lakewood has new owners for the second time in about a year. It’s one of the only such restaurants in the region with traditional tatami rooms — private spaces where you must remove your shoes and slip into a sunken table. The menu continues to highlight fish with some updates, as in the seared “sizzles” and carpaccio of hamachi or tuna. Let the sushi chefs cover the omakase, starting at $50 for 12 pieces and up to $180 for 32. Rolls run from simple maki (most 12-$15) to loaded specialties (most $19-$22). Bentos and three styles of ramen round out the menu alongside Japanese beer, sake and Korean soju. Order pickup online or by phone, delivery via DoorDash. Open daily at 11 a.m.

Chai Pyala - Bakery & Cafe

• 3810 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, instagram.com/chai.pyala

After years of selling chai and traditional Indian sweets at farmers markets, Honey and Guru Batth opened a brick-and-mortar bakery and cafe in Lakewood earlier this year. Sip on the house chai, sweetened to your liking, or dabble in the lovely lattes inspired by desserts of gulab jamun and ras malai. Stock up on sweets — all made in-house by Honey herself — that blend the couple’s Indian heritage with favorites of their adopted home, including “deep-dish” cookies, baked doughnuts, fruit-filled mulai, Black Forest cake and the favorite orange-cardamom bun. Open Tuesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

El Pulgarcito 5

• 14911 Union Ave. SW, Lakewood, 253-377-0165, elpulgarcitorestaurant.com

The family behind this restaurant has shared their Salvadoran staples in Lacey for nearly two decades and Lakewood for one. Welcome to another outpost in Tillicum, nearer to Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Find handmade pupusas with a dangerously spicy salsa ($4.99 each or $18.99 for four); traditional soups; a variety of chicken, beef and seafood dishes (most $18.99-$25.99); plus tacos and burritos. Breakfast plates ($9.75-$16.95) prominently feature sofrito black beans. Pair with a cup of atole de elote, beer or wine. Open daily 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Puget Sound Pizza - Lakebay

• 9023 Key Peninsula Highway, Lakebay, 253-303-0020, pugetsoundpizza.com

Puget Sound Pizza, which started in Tacoma in the early 2010s and expanded to Lakewood a few years ago, replaced Figaro’s Pizza in Lakebay in early May. This location will differ from the others in that it’s takeout-only — no dining room — but the menu is the same. House pies (10-inch and 16-inch, $16.99-$38.99) range from the alfredo-sauced Chicken Bacon Ranch and El Fuego with hot sauce and jalapenos to the tomato-based Hipster with artichoke hearts, feta and chicken. You can also build your own, of course. Calzones, cheesy bread, wings, a few pastas and salads round out the menu. Order online or by phone. Open daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Ivar’s Seafood Bar - Gig Harbor

• 4901 Point Fosdick Dr., Gig Harbor, 253-432-4714, ivars.com

More than 25 years after closing an outpost in Silverdale, Ivar’s Seafood has returned to the region west of the Narrows Bridge with a new counter-service restaurant in Gig Harbor. The seafood bar, which replaced Lunchbox Laboratory in Point Fosdick Square, opened in early April with its go-to menu of fish and chips, fish sandwiches (or chicken, if you must) and clam or salmon chowder. With room to spare, the kitchen also serves Kidd Valley burgers, which Ivar’s also owns. The dining room accommodates around 80 customers inside and another 30 on the patio. Open daily at 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on weekday nights and 10 p.m. on weekends.

Rainier Valley Coffee Co. - University Place

• 5915 Hannah Pierce Road W., University Place, rvccoffee.com

This local coffee shop chain has five drive-thrus in the South Sound with the opening of its UP location this spring. Owner Amanda Faille will also add her first full-service cafe, located in downtown Puyallup, in mid-May. Classic espresso drinks join signature flavors named after regional trails such as the Skyline (dark chocolate and raspberry), White Pass (white coffee beans with white chocolate and salted caramel) and Wonderland (toffee and caramel). Energy drinks abound, as do smoothies, teas, matcha and ready-to-go pastries, breakfast sandwiches and burritos. Open at 4 a.m. weekdays, 5 a.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. on Sunday.