New restaurants: Oyster po’boys, massive mariscos, a swanky pop-up, boba and more
We are off to a roaring start with new restaurants in the Tacoma area this year.
In recent weeks, Lakewood welcomed a new southern spot in Hot Fish House and Browns Point gained a pop-up from the talented team behind a quietly awesome Gig Harbor destination.
Tacoma’s best cider bar is back, and the long-awaited North End on Pearl has turned on the amplifiers for live music and karaoke, plus a full bar and pub-food menu.
They join the likes of Yoked Farmhouse adding a kitchen, a matcha bar brewing in downtown Tacoma and more openings reported by TNT Diner in early March.
Here’s a look at recently opened restaurants in and around Tacoma.
HOT FISH HOUSE - LAKEWOOD
▪ 3926 100th St. SW, Lakewood, hotfishhouse.com
What started as a barbecue trailer has expanded into a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Lakewood. Chef and owner Quentin Gethers cooks recipes inspired by his maternal grandmother, who he says was one of the first Black women to acquire a liquor license in her home state of South Carolina. The menu features platters of fried catfish, cod, oysters and shrimp served with fries, hush puppies and slaw ($18), each available grilled by request. Beyond those classics, dig into shrimp and grits with chive-specked cheesy grits, BBQ shrimp with chicken sausage and crab boils with two snow crab clusters ($45). An oyster po’boy and sides of collards, Carolina red rice and mac and cheese round it out. Look for the square red building with black trim where 40th Avenue meets 100th. Open Wednesday-Saturday at 11 a.m.
NAOMI JOE COFFEE
▪ 2101 Jefferson Ave. (inside 7 Seas Brewing), Tacoma, naomijoecoffee.com
Kyle Willingham has been roasting coffee somewhat clandestinely for a couple of years, but now you can try it freshly brewed at his nano-roastery and shop inside 7 Seas’ Tacoma taproom. With a focus on sourcing and a roasting technique that highlights the nuances of the beans, the coffee shines in a simple cortado or long black — a similarly sized (read: short) espresso pulled over hot water, popular in New Zealand and Australia. Beyond whole milk, options include oat milk and vegan caramel and chocolate syrups. Drinks range from $3 for drip to $5.50 for specialty lattes (and up for iced). Chat with Willingham for a few minutes and you’re likely to leave with a bag for home, too. Open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
CIDER & CEDAR
▪ 744 Market St., Tacoma, ciderandcedar.com
More than a year after closing a few blocks north on Tacoma Avenue, Cider & Cedar has reopened in bigger, brighter digs at The Bridge on Market Street. From uncovering original floors to opening up the space to accommodate more Olympic wood tables and red-hued vintage rugs, owners Mia and Sterling Paradiso have quadruple the room to share their passion for Pacific Northwest cider. Explore selections on tap from small, local producers, largely from Washington with some from Oregon and the occasional French or Spanish bottle. On the docket come spring and summer: a kitchen slinging street-food bao and a patio, where you can rest your glass on hunks of old-growth cedar. Open Wednesday-Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.
LA PERLA DEL MAR VIP
▪ 6812 Tacoma Mall Blvd., Tacoma, 253-267-0087, laperladelmarvip.com
The team behind La Perla del Mar on Pacific Avenue in the South End and on Steele Street in Parkland added a third restaurant to its mariscos empire at the start of this year. Previously Culichitown, a California-based chain of Sinaloan-style seafood and sushi, which drew mixed reviews, the Tacoma Mall location brings live music and a full menu of aguachile, molcajetes packed with shrimp, octopus and more. Go all out on family-style specials like the Mariscos Big Daddy, a giant bowl of shellfish for $200, or stick with tacos — they have it all, accompanied often by mariachi. Open daily at 10 a.m. and on Friday and Saturday until 1 a.m.
GLOW TEA - TACOMA MALL
▪ Tacoma Mall, northeast entrance (near Total Wine & More and JCPenney), glowteainc.com
Are there too many boba shops? Maybe, but there aren’t many where said tea is served in a reusable light bulb cup. At Glow Tea, which also has a shop at The Outlet Collection in Auburn and one in Covington, order boba in flavors like classic milk, “pink drink” a.k.a. Strawberry, mango, taro and Oreo. Fruit tea choices make a refreshing option as well. Then carry your cool new drinking vessel around as you shop. Business owner Weidi Shen has shared the concept at festivals around the area, including the Washington State Fair.
SIETE BROWNS POINT
▪ 1100 Town Center NE, Tacoma, 253-720-6005, sietetacoma.com
The ever-evolving team behind Gig Harbor’s Animarum has sauntered over to Browns Point for a temporary adventure. Led by chef Elise Tuley, the team transformed an old gas station and drive-thru coffee shop into a fine-dining restaurant serving small plate dinners on Thursday and Friday, 5-9 p.m.: crab bisque, hamachi crudo, tapenade and bone marrow with some of the area’s best wine and cocktails. On Saturday and Saturday, it’s brunch only from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations are recommended — required really, considering the tiny territory. While the property developer determines the site’s future, you should get to Siete soon.
NORTH END ON PEARL
▪ 5037 N. Pearl St., Tacoma, facebook.com/northendonpearl
This one was several years in the making. North End Tavern found this Pearl Street location shortly after closing in the Proctor District in 2018. Owner Ron Kerns and his team were stymied by various construction delays and then pandemic woes, but North End on Pearl finally swung open the doors in early March. Live music and karaoke is on the menu, along with bar classics like potato skins, calamari and quesadillas; an array of paninis, burgers and wraps; soup, salad and a few entrees including spaghetti bolognese and fish and chips. The restaurant serves breakfast, too: steak and eggs, scrambles, burritos and bennies. Open Monday-Tuesday at 10 a.m. and Wednesday-Sunday at 8 a.m.
O’LOONEY’S IRISH PUB
▪ 3222 56th St., Gig Harbor, 253-313-0106, olooneysirishpub.com
If the notion of an Irish pub at this address sounds eerily familiar, you’re right: Dunagan Brewing moved here from Tacoma in 2021. One of the owners, Joe Brockert, took over in January, rebranding the restaurant as O’Looney’s Irish Pub with a green-and-black owl logo. Same atmosphere and setup, with that cozy stone fireplace still anchoring the dining room. The menu is also similar for the time being, with favorites like shepherd’s pie and Scotch eggs, house-cut chips and, of course, fish and chips. Visit at happy hour, 3-5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, for $2 off draft beer (minus Guinness) and appetizers, plus a taste of their “Irish poutine.” Open Tuesday-Thursday at 3 p.m and Friday-Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
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