It’s been a long and fruitful career of sandwich making for Kristy Reopelle, but it’s the end of the line for her Quiznos sandwich shop in South Hill. She’ll close her sandwich shop on Sunday (August 30). For 20 years, the franchise owner has operated Quiznos shops, which are known for their oven-baked toasty subs […]
Why do menus look different right now? Restaurant owners explain why
So many diners have commented to me in the last few weeks that they don’t understand why restaurants have scaled back their menus. Apparently they missed the memo, but restaurants are struggling mightily right now due to Covid-19. The shutdowns and dining restrictions are one thing, but there’s a lot more going on than just […]
Gilman House now open in Tacoma’s Stadium neighborhood with must-eat brunch and epic cocktails
Step 1: Clear your schedule for Sunday brunch. Step 2: Secure a designated driver. Step 3: Reach into the back of your closet for your Thanksgiving pants. Step 4: Head to Gilman House, Tacoma’s newest restaurant with a three-part focus on dinner, high-end gin cocktails and outstanding Sunday brunch. The Stadium neighborhood restaurant officially opened […]
New Korean fried chicken restaurant is open. Here’s a first look (spoiler: it’s awesome)
Two months earlier, Mija Chang stood in the half-assembled dining room of BB.Q Olive Chicken in Lakewood and worried about the final details of opening her Korean fried chicken restaurant with her sister Mi Young Kang. There was nothing to worry about except serving the rush of customers who checked out the first day of […]
Louie G’s, the pizza restaurant and live music venue, is closing
Louie G’s, the pizzeria and live music venue in Fife, is permanently closing. Its last day of business will be August 29. It’s a restaurant I adore for its stalwart brick-oven pizza that churns out solid pies and terrific calzones, which made my top calzones list in 2018. In 2016, I took a deep dive […]
Two years after a fire, downtown Tacoma restaurant finally opens
Today was a triumphant day for restaurant owner Tim Bartz. More than two years after a fire took out his popular downtown eatery Happy Teriyaki #4, he reopened the doors (August 3, 2020). “As of now we won’t have sushi, but everything else will be the same. We’re very excited to offer another dining option […]
This Tacoma treasure is turning into a burger palace (temporarily)
In this era of constantly evolving regulations about which businesses can operate (or can’t), locals are doing what we all should strive to do: Turn into scrappy fighters in the face of adversity. Here’s one more amazing survival story of a local business doing a complete turn-around of its business plan. Enter: Tacoma Burger Co. […]
North End Tavern is getting a new life – in Ruston
Two years after he started work on the new home for his North End Tavern, Ron Kerns is still at it. The name is now North End on Pearl and when it’s done, it’ll be at least three times larger than its original perch in the Proctor neighborhood. The transformation has been remarkable at 5037 […]
BBQ Pete’s is still opening in Lakewood. Here’s an update
In January, I wrote about BBQ Pete’s expanding to Lakewood. At the time, an opening was estimated for the spring. And then the pandemic hit. That slowed progress, but BBQ Pete’s fans will be happy to hear they’ll likely be able to enjoy the return of BBQ Pete’s ribs sometime later this summer, if all […]