Lots of new places to eat in Tacoma/Pierce County, and, sadly, some closures

Pierce County’s restaurant landscape is shifting this spring, with a wave of new openings spanning sushi, Salvadoran cuisine and Indian pastries, even as two well-known spots prepare to close their doors. From a cult-favorite cake shop landing on Tacoma’s waterfront to an Irish pub serving its last pint, here’s what eaters and drinkers should know.

• The Cat & Rabbitt, the cult-favorite cake shop from pastry chefs Terryn Abbitt and Julia Brown, opened a slice shop May 3 at the Museum of Glass in partnership with new deli Sliced. The Tacoma slice shop serves $12 six-layer slices in takeout boxes. This month’s flavors include Cherry Chip Birthday, Hummingbird, marionberry-grapefruit and vegan chocolate on chocolate.

• Johnny’s Dock has closed again less than a year after reopening at Thea Foss Marina, with majority property owner Roy Kissler saying the tenant fell behind on rent and “just was absolutely running the restaurant into the ground.” Owner Gurinderjit “Gary” Purewal acknowledged sales tanked after the holidays and that rent had been late, telling The News Tribune the landlords “gave us the option to just close the doors” after he invested heavily of his own money.

• Spring restaurant openings across Pierce County include Shio Sushi near the Sumner train station, BB.Q Chicken in Puyallup, a Salvadoran-Mexican spot in Lakewood and an Indian bakery and cafe from Honey and Guru Batth serving house chai and made-from-scratch sweets.

• O’Looney’s Irish Pub in Gig Harbor will close May 30 after four and a half years, with owner Joe Brockert citing tax hikes, rising expenses and razor-thin margins: “We break even every single month, and that’s without me taking anything from it.” The pub will send off regulars with live music from That Irish Guy on its final day, which Brockert described as “sort of like a small St. Patrick’s celebration” before he steps back from the restaurant business.

• Tacoma itself has seen a wave of 12 new restaurant openings and relocations this spring, including Venezuelan hot dogs, late-night wings and dumplings, with Wooden City completing its move from Pacific Avenue to Broadway.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by senior editor Adam Lynn. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.