Dining Out in Tacoma
/You may have followed Sue Kidd on Dine Pierce County like my husband and me. We truly appreciated her dedication to the Tacoma dining scene and especially her support of small businesses. Whenever she reported on a delicious-sounding new restaurant in town, I would giddily text it to my husband, who undoubtedly have just read it as well. While we don’t eat out all that often — we have two young kids with the blandest of bland palettes and refusal to take a bite of anything new, not to mention the closure of restaurants for a good period due to covid — we do consider ourselves moderate foodies and enjoy a good cocktail and dinner out whenever possible.
All that said, I was saddened by the recent news of Sue Kidd’s passing. I did not know her personally, but I felt like I knew her over the years of following her restaurant reviews. However, it was heartening to see the pouring of love from the local restaurants for her online — from “Reserved for Sue” signs with a table setting to pouring her a cocktail in tribute.
My tribute to her is carrying her flag and sharing some of my favorite Tacoma restaurants. Let’s all show our support of our small businesses and restaurants just like Sue! And aren’t we all thankful to have a nice meal and gather at a table with friends and family?! Cheers, my friends!
Dines Out Tacoma: Raising Tacoma Style
Easy with Kids
MOD Pizza - We enjoy the mega crust option, making it a bit chewier. My boys love mega crust with cheese, ground beef, and bacon.
Shake Shake Shake - A kids dream really with chicken nuggets, hot dogs, hamburgers, french friends, and shakes. I love the “EAT” sign decor; super retro & fun! Oh, and parents will love it too.
Chick-a-Fil - Wesley gets “big chicken,” which are chick-n-strips, while Caleb likes the nuggets. My go-to ice the cool wrap with avocado-lime ranch dressing. Of course, with a lemonade.
Brewers Row - We enjoy this for breakfast as well as for lunch. The kids basically eat chips and maybe a quesadilla. We love the tacos and burritos.
Camp Colvos - Who doesn’t love pizza? They have daily veggie and meat pizza options and the everyday classics. But just a heads-up, the slices are HUGE.
3uilt at 7 Seas - [3uilt has sadly moved out of 7 Seas! I cannot speak to the new location] These are my favorite sandwiches in the area. The boys enjoy the Bavarian pretzel with peanut butter and grilled cheese.
Sig Brewing - More pizza! But also brunch. Great with kids and yummy!
Taco Street - Delicious food and an easy place for kids. We eat tacos and burritos, and the kids eat chips and quesadillas.
Nicer with Kids
Rhein Haus - [Closed Permanently] This is a Christmas Eve tradition of ours, actually. We come after the Christmas Eve service for dinner. But it’s great all year, especially if you add in a game of bocce ball.
Wooden City - If you go early enough, like 5pm, this is totally doable with kids for a nice meal. There is excellent wood-fired pizza but also some great dishes. The cocktails are top-notch as well.
State Street - It has a cozy, intimate atmosphere, but it is totally manageable with kids for lunch or an early dinner. Have you noticed a pizza trend here for us?
Cactus - A lovely little patio here and a fun atmosphere. Grab a margarita and enjoy some enchiladas!
Caffeine Fix
Bluebeard - I really enjoy their lattes, definitely in the top three for me.
Olympia - This is the closest coffee option for us, and they have a great order-ahead app. Their seasonal specials are fun!
Curran Coffee - New as of summer 2022! This is in the heart of Old Town Tacoma - perfect to grab and then walk along the waterfront. The interior is cute and best of all, the coffee is delicious!
Lander - This is my favorite place to have a coffee and sit down, even better if you manage a spot at the couch!
Vahalla - I really enjoy their mochas, but gosh, the wait can be forever and currently still outside, soooo we don’t go too often. But sometimes, you just get the craving for their dark roasts and mocha (which is from a local chocolatier, Tease).
Anthem - An excellent local chain that’s not Starbucks.
Manifesto - Mostly, I love their beans at home, but they make some of the best coffee around town.
Lux - If we’re in the area and it’s coffee time, we definitely stop here. It is far from home for us to frequent often, but we love their coffee.
Dancing Goat - They moved recently have have a big space with a nice patio right next door to Camp Colvos in the Brewers Blocks.
Take Out
Stadium Thai - A relatively new Thai restaurant — thanks for letting me know about it, Sue! Delicious to the max. My favorite, wait for it: Khao Kra-Prow-Kai-Khai-Dow Thai Style Basil Chicken Over Rice. Ha!
Pulgarcito - The take-out sin, we use Door Dash sometimes…yes, I know it’s not the best for restaurants, but some places we love and are a bit of a trek…like Pulgarcito. We love, love, love their food. My hubby loves the pupusas, and I always get the pollo guisado. Always. The kids don’t eat this, so it’s our little special treat.
La Ca Bar - Our go-to Vietnamese place for all things bun and pho. We also like King Pho.
Breakfast
Waffle Stop - Waffles and Syrup. Enough said. Who wouldn’t be happy? Also, bacon.
Top Pot - I appreciate how they have coffee and lattes and nice indoor seating.
Brewers Row - See above. Breakfast burritos and churros for the win.
Net Shed No 9 - You have to make the journey to Gig Harbor, but they have a great breakfast menu, and on a nice day, the patio is fantastic.
Alma Mater - I used to love Honey, but it changed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Still good, though, and the kids enjoy the outside part to wander and explore.
Further Away, but also favorites: Farm 12 (Puyallup) and Craft 19 (Sumner)
Date Night
Wooden City - We enjoy grabbing a seat at the bar and watching cocktails get mixed, and enjoying a lovely meal. Always delivers.
En Rama - Some great pasta options; personally, I love the chickpea appetizer! The patio is excellent in the summer.
1022 J - Gosh, it’s been a long time since we’ve dined here, but I imagine it’s still great for a fun dinner and drink.
Indo Street Eatery - This is one of the first restaurants we ate at when we moved here. I still love it!
Field Bar - This is the perfect spot for a romantic dinner with absurdly delicious and innovated food and the most delicious drinks.
Boom Boom Boom Room - If you love cocktail lounges, this place is for you. It’s a mid-century theme and they definitely know their cocktails. The tapas are top-notch as well.
Spice Lab - We only ate here once, but I loved it. The whole meal was just delicious especially the dessert, oh my!
