Indian food, Cajun steakhouse, wine-drenched ‘social club’ among new local restaurants
As the holiday season nears, new restaurants serving Indian classics, Ukrainian pastries and Texas barbecue have opened in and around Tacoma.
Puyallup welcomed another destination for biryani and Sumner a wine bar serving shareable plates in a stylish setting.
In Lakewood, a new seafood-boil spot doubles as a stone-grill steakhouse, and in Central Tacoma, two sisters have unveiled their boba, tea and coffee shop in a familiar cafe location.
If you’ve scoured the pastry case at Emish Market in Fife, you’ll be pleased to stumble into the Waterfront Market at Ruston to find new vendor Zaya Cafe, with piroshki and layered Ukrainian cakes.
These debuts follow the return of a University Place diner and a second location for Out & About Burgers.
Here’s a look at recently opened restaurants in and around Tacoma.
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ZAYA CAFE - TACOMA
▪ Waterfront Market, 5101 Yacht Club Road, Ruston, instagram.com/zaya.cafe
From the ownership team behind the bakery at Emish Market in Fife and Paradise Village in Ashford, Zaya Cafe opened in August inside Waterfront Market in Ruston. (The space was originally built as a Dancing Goats Coffee Bar, which pulled the plug on that spot last year.) Dive into a plate of pierogies ($14.99) filled with potato, chicken, cabbage or slightly sweet farmers cheese, and try a piroshki ($5.49), traditional Ukrainian yeasted buns. Also on the menu are sweet and savory crepes, waffles and a variety of tarts, truffles, cookies, meringues and cakes ($1.50-$4.99). Cool off with select iced coffee drinks or a spiced tea. Open daily at 10 a.m., order online for quick pickup.
ZESTY CAJUN GRILL - LAKEWOOD
▪ 9905 Bridgeport Way SW, Lakewood, 253-300-7968, zestycajungrill.com
Part steakhouse, part seafood boil, Zesty Cajun Grill debuted this fall with a massive menu, but the core hinges on the by-the-pound seafood. Customize your order with sauce (garlic butter, lemon pepper, zesty special), heat level (“none” to extra hot), and add-ons such as sausage, more corn on the cob and hard-boiled eggs. Pre-selected combos start at $24.95. From the “stone grill” section, steaks arrive on a super-hot, seasoned stone along with two sides, including broccoli, mashed potatoes, fried rice and shrimp salad. Lunch specials start at $8.55 for a half-pound of mussels or crawfish to $14.95 for a 5-ounce steak and one side. Happy hour — with $4 domestic drafts and $7 cocktails — runs weekdays 3-6 p.m. and again 8 p.m.-close plus after noon on Sundays. Open Monday-Saturday at noon and 10 a.m. Sunday.
JACK’S BBQ - LAKEWOOD
▪ 12115 Pacific Highway SW, Lakewood, 253-625-7580, jacksbbq.com
The sixth outpost of Jack’s BBQ is now open in Lakewood. Since introducing his brand of Central Texas-style barbecue to South Seattle in 2014, owner Jack Timmons has been slowly expanding his reach. Near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the newest restaurant will smoke its meats — sourced near Okanagan, Washington — at the Algona outpost, which opened in 2020. Expect the same juicy brisket, rubbed classically with salt and pepper, hard-to-find beef ribs, Texas caviar (black-eyed pea salad) and a full bar. Also: breakfast tacos!
Texas brisket and BBQ breakfast tacos now smokin’ at new Lakewood restaurant
JADE LOUNGE - TACOMA
▪ 2421 S. Union Ave., Tacoma, instagram.com/thejadelounge_
Two sisters have brought bubble tea, matcha and Vietnamese coffee to Tacoma Central, replacing the longtime home of Bertolino’s. Jade Lounge debuted in September with more than just boba. Milk tea favorites — choose your sweetness level — include flavors like honeydew, oolong, Earl Grey and “King Brûlée,” while fruit teas include the Princess Peach and matchas can be classic or laced with ube or red bean. Brewed teas and traditional ca phe complete the cafe stylings at this new shop with comfortable seating options and photo-ready backdrops. Open daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and an hour later on weekends.
EL CHARRITO - TACOMA (formerly Anahuac)
▪ 9002 S, Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253-537-4443
The Ramirez family closed their Anahuac Mexican Restaurant in Fern Hill in July, headed to retirement. In its stead, El Charrito has moved its Tacoma location from just north of Route 512 on Pacific Avenue one mile north. The Rosas family also operates taquerias inside the B&I Marketplace in Lakewood and in Spanaway. From hefty burritos to staple plates of sopes, flautas and enchiladas, the menu includes several styles of chicken — en mole among them — and a few egg dishes with tocino (bacon) or machaca (shredded, spiced and dried beef). Try a house agua fresca of pineapple or the lesser-seen cantaloupe.
VALLEY SOCIAL - SUMNER
909 Main St., Sumner, instagram.com/valleysocialwine
Tucked behind one of Sumner’s many Main Street shops, Melinda Jobst and Shawn Harris opened Valley Social Wine Bar & Tasting Room in October. Flights ($22-$24) include three pours, ranging from the “light and lively” of pinot, chianti and cabernet franc to the “dark, bold and moody” of an aglianico, a malbec and a cab. For whites, choices can be “elegant, rich and rounded” or “offbeat and unexpected,” the latter featuring an albarino, a Sardinian selection and a Washington sauvignon blanc. Pours start at $10 and bottles at $26. Snack on small plates ($5-$9) of olives, crostinis and grazing boards ($20-$22), and wrap with a scoop of gelato in flavors like apricot, sea salt caramel and rosemary with activated charcoal. Open Wednesday-Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m.
TANDOORI GRILL - PUYALLUP
▪ 4423 S. Meridian, Puyallup, 253-268-0216, tandoorigrillwa.com
With only a handful of Indian restaurants in the area, any new choice is worthy of a closer look. Tandoori Grill opened next to the South Hill Grocery Outlet in September for takeout only; the dining room will follow, pending staffing. The menu has all the favorites, from naan and paratha to biryani and tandoori, with standout sections of seafood and vegetarian dishes (most $11.95-$16.95), including saag paneer, shrimp korma and dal. There are several vegan specialties, too, as well as goat curry and karahi. Open Tuesday-Friday at 11 a.m., Saturday-Sunday at noon.
OTHER TACOMA RESTAURANT NEWS
▪ Hong’s, a Chinese American restaurant in Lakewood that opened in March 2020, has closed. It was one of the few options for late-night dining in the area, serving until about 1:30 a.m. Mother and daughter Hong and Windy Huynh wrote on Instagram mid-October that they decided to close in part for health reasons. “It won’t be the last that you see of us,” they said.
▪ South End mainstay Spud’s Pizza Parlor has a new owner. A few things have been updated — notably the thin-crust pies, which are now crispier and, frankly, better — and Tracie Paul’s family history in restaurants bodes well for this old Tacoma haunt.
Longtime Tacoma pizza parlor has a new owner. Here are 4 things that (sort of) changed
▪ One of the county’s best Korean restaurants nears its one-year anniversary. From the delightfully sticky, crunchy fried chicken to the handmade mandu — steamed wonders filled with pork and kimchi — Myungin Dumplings will have you dreaming about your return to a certain Lakewood grocery store.
Head to this hidden Lakewood gem for giant dumplings and crispy Korean fried chicken
▪ Did you know Komadre Kombucha, Tacoma’s only taproom dedicated to the fermented nonalcoholic tea, now also creates soft-serve — and it’s vegan? In addition to vanilla, chocolate and twist, featured flavors range from pumpkin spice to mango and key lime. Owner Julie Davidson recently partnered with local vegan treats maker Hunnybun Bakery, which supplies toppings and her famed vegan Pop-Tarts, for ice cream sundaes every second Sunday of the month. The taproom is open Wednesday-Saturday at 2 p.m., Sundays at 11 a.m., and you can also find drafts and bottles at select shops and events around town.
