Kids now welcome at year-old Tacoma taproom, now with pizza and a patio

When Narrows Brewing revealed its chill Proctor taproom last summer, it had all the trappings of a new neighborhood hangout, save for one youthful detail: no kids.

That all changed last weekend, when the brewery announced that, as of July 3, minors are welcome. An in-house kitchen is now also slinging pizzas, in addition to the existing build-your-own charcuterie boards, and there’s a new patio in the back. The flagship taproom at Narrows Marina will remain 21-and-up, confirmed owners Parker and Lauren Rush, who bought the brewery in 2020.

They teased the news in playful Instagram videos showing young parents carrying their infants and pushing strollers through the front door of 2620 N. Proctor St. The comments were swift — and seesawing.

“What’s the saying? ‘You can choose to be child free but you can’t choose a child free world?’” noted one local. “Also. It’s PROCTOR. It’s literally located next to a toy store.”

“Bravo!!! You’re filling a huge need in the north end and will be seeing lots of business,” said another.

Not everyone was stoked, though.

“Stop bringing children to breweries please! Thank you.”

“I never comment on IG, but can the waterfront location remain child-free?” asked a concerned citizen. “There are few local breweries that are 21+ — it’s one of the reasons we frequent Narrows.”

In responses online and in an email to TNT Diner, Lauren repeated that the waterfront location, where a vast, open-air venue often hosts weddings and private parties, would remain 21-and-up.

When Narrows Proctor opened, it admittedly seemed strange that they would limit their clientele on purpose: The neighborhood already has a great adults-only beer bar, Peaks & Pints. But as for a casual place for families that’s not a full-fledged restaurant, the options are basically null.

It turns out that Narrows’ initial no-kids policy was less of a choice than an immediate business necessity.

“We had actually wanted to make the Proctor taproom family-friendly from the beginning,” said Lauren on Monday. “When we first opened, we used an extension of our existing liquor license so we could open as quickly as possible, and that license was limited to guests 21+. As you guessed, changing the license was a process, and part of that meant adding food to our menu. Since we needed to offer food to welcome all ages, we thought pizza was the perfect fit.”

They decided on a fluffy Sicilian-style, rectangular pie, cut into eight squares ($22). Options include a four-cheese or simple pepperoni, a margherita with cherry tomatoes and a roasted veggie with artichokes, mushrooms, red peppers and cherry tomatoes. Each starts with a tomato-sauce base and ends with a sprinkle of herbs and sea salt.

Why no kids at some WA breweries, taprooms?

It’s not unusual to see comments on local brewery or taproom posts lamenting a no-kids policy. Sometimes it is indeed a personal choice.

As breweries proliferated in the 2010s, millennials were in their 20-something drinking prime, and they fell hard for craft breweries. Then they started having kids. Some breweries have embraced the family notion, adding play areas and toys and highchairs. Then the horseshoe happened: Breweries began making headlines for instituting no-kids policies after certain hours, or just cutting out kids entirely. Some adults cried foul, highlighting the community nature of the often spacious, industrial settings in towns big and small, while others applauded the decisions in the name of peace, quiet and a cold beer.

In a New York Times story tracking the change-of-heart trend last summer, owners mentioned unruly children throwing gravel, climbing trees, running around and causing servers to trip, all while parents looked the other way.

Whether the Tacoma area has too many breweries that allow kids or too few depends on whom you ask. In reality, the city and surrounding area doesn’t have all that many breweries in general — about two dozen in Pierce County compared to 120-some in greater Seattle and an astonishing 80 around Bellingham. If you add non-brewery-affiliated taprooms, the total increases, but those hangouts are almost always 21-and-up. Why? Liquor laws, baby.

The Washington State Liquor & Cannabis Board offers a multitude of license types, and on top of those licenses, businesses can add endorsements — little extras like take-home growlers or receiving direct shipments from wineries and breweries, which can self-distribute directly to retailers, bars and restaurants. Craft breweries require a production license (microbrewery), which allows them to pour their own beers and a limited number of other alcoholic beverages, including cider and wine, at an on-site taproom. These license holders can allow minors if they wish.

It’s kind of complicated, and things get even trickier when it comes to secondary taprooms, where no beer is brewed on-site.

Narrows makes all of its beer at 9007 S. 19th St. The Rushes took over the former Viva Restaurant space in Proctor in May 2025 and revealed the taproom in July — pretty darn quickly for a full remodel. They opted for a tavern license connected to their brewery license, which allowed them to sell all the same drinks but with the caveat of no kids.

Perhaps the quirkiest bit of Washington’s liquor laws is that to allow kids, you basically have to be a restaurant. Really, you have to offer a certain number of “complete meals” consisting of an entree and at least one side dish. As of a few years ago, breweries can subcontract with a third-party to fulfill the food requirement — as in hosting a permanent food trailer, as seen at 7 Seas in Gig Harbor with The Galley from the owners of Millville Pizza Co., or hiring another operator to manage an on-site kitchen, such as The Canteen by Camp Colvos at 7 Seas in Tacoma.

So Narrows added pizza. And kids. And a patio with picnic tables. It feels like a win for Tacoma, or at the very least, for Proctor. Now if only someone would open a brewery with a taproom in the South End …

For a comprehensive look at breweries around Pierce County, with notes on age restrictions and outside vs. on-site-only food, check out our brewery guide.

Narrows Brewing - Proctor

• 2620 N. Proctor St., Tacoma, 253-327-1500, narrowsbrewing.com/taprooms/on-proctor
• Sunday-Thursday noon-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday noon-10 p.m.
• Details: taproom now all ages with new square pizza and patio