Considered one of the most underrated cities in Washington when it comes to its food landscape, it’s always a good idea to do your research when looking for the best dining spots in town.
If you can’t control your “hangriness” any longer, try your luck and visit en Rama or Lobster Shop! These two restaurants are absolute must-tries in the city.
So, here are the top Tacoma restaurants that deserve your attention:
🍕 Are you a foodie? Check out these top-rated Seattle food tours!
1. en Rama
With a menu featuring house-made pasta, Spanish small plates, sherry on tap, and a lot of signature cocktails, en Rama is a must-visit place for foodies.
This Italian gastropub has a warm and cozy environment, and the large, well-lit patio makes a perfect location for a date night.
The Pimento Cheese small plate comes with grilled bread and pickled vegetables.
While the creamy, tangy, and spicy cheese tastes great on its own, try adding their berried onion compote to pair with the cheese, and await a taste sensation!
If you love your seafood, I highly recommend their Mussels. Blanketed in white wine butter sauce, the mussels taste so good with a slight tanginess from the white wine, richness from the butter, and sweetness from the shallots.
Pasta with yummy mushrooms? The Mushroom Bucatini is your best bet. This sought-after pasta dish is like a party in your mouth with every bite. The buttery sauce is especially amazing!
What to order: Pimento Cheese, Mussels, Mushroom Bucatini
Address: 1102 A St Suite 220, Tacoma, WA 98402
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2. Lobster Shop
Established in 1977, Lobster Shop offers some of the best and everyone’s favorite seafood dishes in the Pacific Northwest.
The outdoor dining space of this waterfront restaurant is extremely coveted, as it offers breathtaking views of the Olympic Mountain Range and Mount Rainier.
Lobster Shop’s Lobster Bisque has a huge fan following (me included!). The soup is rich and creamy, filled with fresh lobster flavor, and is a hearty dish.
From the House Specialties menu, the Vegan Scallops will never disappoint you. These are proof that plant-based cuisine can be just as exciting and flavorful as any other dish on the menu!
Get the most out of your stay with their Flourless Chocolate Cake! The drizzle of chocolate and caramel sauce makes the dish sing. Incredibly rich and moist, this dessert is the perfect ending to your meal.
What to order: Lobster Bisque, Vegan Scallops, Flourless Chocolate Cake
Address: 4015 Ruston Way, Tacoma, WA 98402
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3. El Gaucho Tacoma
El Gaucho is a highly popular steakhouse known for its high-end classics, including tableside caesars and Angus beef.
The restaurant’s open exhibition-style kitchen attracts diners from near and far, and the dining experience you get at this elegant steakhouse is like no other.
How can you visit a famous steakhouse and not have one of their mouthwatering steak offerings?!
The Steak El Gaucho is a popular choice here. Bearing the restaurant’s name, it must be good, right? It is!
The custom-aged steak has a distinct dry-aged flavor to it, and it has a superb smokiness from its charcoal grill cooking.
The lobster medallions on the side are, of course, delicious, and the béarnaise sauce is a luscious herby addition that ties everything together.
The Dungeness Crab Cakes appetizer is to die for! You can taste the freshness of the crab – moist and sweet, and the herb aioli is just AMAZING!
Perhaps the most popular dessert here is Bananas Foster. This is a tableside dessert, which means you get to watch the bananas being flambéed in front of you, which makes you eager to try it.
What to order: Steal El Gaucho, Dungeness Crab Cakes, Wicked Shrimp, Bananas Foster
Address: 2119 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402
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4. Over the Moon Cafe
Located in the Historic Passages Building in the heart of St. Helen’s area, Over the Moon Cafe is a small boutique-style fine-dining restaurant and scratch kitchen.
The menu here is seasonal, with rotating customer favorites, and features both Italian and French dishes.
With bold colors and brick walls, the setting is ideal for date nights and casual dinners.
Start your meal here with their Crab Bisque; you won’t regret it! You get a bowl full of deliciousness with a generous amount of crab, and a creamy and flavorful base.
Braised Short Rib Ragu Rigatoni is the ultimate Italian comfort food you can ask for. You can tell that the short rib has been slowly braised to make it fall-apart tender, and the sauce is bold and complex yet hearty.
If it’s your first time here, I personally recommend their Jumbo Shrimp. This appetizer is so good that it will be your go-to starter at the cafe during all your future visits.
What to order: Crab Bisque, Braised Short Rib Ragu Rigatoni, Jumbo Shrimp
Address: 709 Opera Valley, Tacoma, WA 98402
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5. Wooden City Tacoma
Wooden City Tacoma is the place you can confidently head to whenever you need some comforting American food.
From pizzas to toast to pasta to snacks and house specialty drinks, this place scores strong, and a part of its score is contributed by the cool industrial-chic setting.
Lamb Bolognese is from their House Favorites menu (and it’s my favorite, too!). The pasta used is house-made tagliatelle, which comes cooked perfectly; the sauce has great depth of flavor in it, and the lamb is just right, with no gamey smell or taste.
The Smoked Salmon Toast is all sorts of delish, with zingy beet relish, tangy and sweet pickled red onions, creamy egg mousse, fresh and citrusy dill, and of course, melt-in-the-mouth smoked salmon.
When in doubt, Wooden City’s Blistered Hungarian Peppers is always a good choice. This is one dish that will make you want to come back just to have it one more time… or more.
What to order: Lamb Bolognese, Smoked Salmon Toast, Blistered Hungarian Peppers, Apple Crisp
Address: 714 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402
6. Indo Asian Street Eatery
Located in Tacoma’s historic Stadium District, Indo is the best place to quench your cravings for Southeast Asian food.
With curries, dumplings, noodles, Asian sandwiches, and more, their comprehensive menu has it all. The interior is hip and rustic, and the place is perfect for a relaxed dinner.
When you visit Indo Asian Street Eatery, don’t miss out on starting your meal with their Fresh Spring Rolls.
You can choose between grilled chicken, pork, tofu, or shrimp for your filling, which will be rolled inside thin rice noodles along with fresh and crisp veggies.
The Pad Thai Chicken is a well-rounded fusion of sweet and savory flavors, which makes it an absolute treat.
If you like curry and noodles, you should try Khao Soi Chicken for the best of both worlds!
In the bowl, you get thick egg noodles in a rich and aromatic coconut curry broth, with lots of tender chicken pieces.
What to order: Fresh Spring Rolls, Chinese Egg Rolls, Pad Thai Chicken, Khao Soi Chicken
Address: 110 N Tacoma Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98403
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7. Asado
If Asado had to be described in a phrase, it would be “Sizzle and Smoke”. This is an Argentine-themed steakhouse featuring a flavor-forward menu, in which most of the dishes are prepared over a mesquite grill.
This rustic urban place makes for a great gathering spot for friends and family.
If this is your first visit, the Garron de Cordero (Braised Lamb Shank) is the way to go! The lamb comes so well-cooked that it literally falls off the bone, and is packed with flavor.
Craving some steak? The Espalda Asado (Flat Iron Steak) comes perfectly cooked to your preference, and is deliciously tender.
Asado’s Beef and Lamb Empanadas have a fan base of their own! Combining braised lamb and beef with chopped dates, pine nuts, green olives, and a flavorful ancho puree, you get a rich and succulent filling.
What to order: Braised Lamb Shank, Flat Iron Steak, Beef and Lamb Empanadas
Address: 2810 6th Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98406
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8. Pomodoro Italian Restaurant & Bar
Pomodoro is Tacoma’s favorite Italian restaurant offering quality food at reasonable prices and exceptional service.
The atmosphere here is casual and comfortable, with an open concept kitchen, and sidewalk seating, and the food is hearty and delicious.
The Prawns Milano is an iconic pasta dish at Pomodoro. The pasta used is linguine, which is topped with sautéed jumbo prawns, mushrooms, and veggies, and a creamy marsala sauce makes the whole dish stand out with its strong earthy and umami flavor.
My top pick? Their Smoked Salmon Penne is all sorts of delish! You can taste the smokiness in the salmon, and their special garlic cream sauce is rich, velvety, and wonderfully tasty.
What to order: Prawns Milano, Smoked Salmon Penne, Seafood Medley
Address: 3819 N 26th Street, Tacoma, WA 98407
9. Loak Toung Thai
Loak Toung Thai is a family-owned and operated restaurant that serves regional Thai cuisine, including several classic dishes.
With photos covering the walls, the restaurant gives you a family-friendly, casual, and relaxed vibe to enjoy your meals.
Their Red Curry is the go-to dish for many regulars of the restaurant. This coconut milk-based curry screams flavor in every spoonful, which tastes heavenly with rice.
You can choose the spice level of your curry, which begins at level 2 (I personally recommend level 4 spice if you can handle it!). You also get fresh or fried spring rolls with your order.
The Panang Curry— a rich and delicious veggie curry has complex flavors to excite your palate and has an enjoyable texture as well. Don’t forget to add chicken or tofu for a more filling meal!
What to order: Red Curry, Panang Curry, Spicy Chicken Wings
Address: 3807 South Center Street, Tacoma, WA 98409
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10. Mandolin
Tacoma’s famous teppanyaki and sushi place, Mandolin offers not just incredible food but a memorable experience and entertainment.
With a classy and snazzy interior, this would be a prime hang out spot for friends and coworkers.
Mandolin is widely popular for its Hibachi Dinner. It’s not just the chef’s entertainment skills that can be rated high but even the food scores high on our board.
You have a myriad of options to choose from the Hibachi Dinner menu, from seafood to chicken to steak; no matter what you choose, your tummy will be happy.
The Spicy California Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll are my all-time favorite options from the restaurant’s sushi menu.
These two are definitely not for the faint of heart but it’s worth the fiery experience that leaves a lasting impression. Just make sure to pay attention to your water intake from time to time!
What to order: Hibachi Dinner, Spicy California Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Mongolian Beef
Address: 3923 South 12th Street, Tacoma, WA 98405
11. Quickie Too
A fun vegan restaurant that has been serving Tacoma a wide variety of plant-based foods, everything made with the best ingredients, and more importantly, with love.
Their menu includes an assortment of burgers, wraps, sandwiches, pizza, salads, and plenty more, everything served in a homely setting.
Quickie Too’s version of mac & cheese, Mac & Yease, gives the traditional version a run for its money.
Not only is it creamy and delicious but it’s available in three distinct styles: Classic, Buffalo Mac & Yease with Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce, and Chili Mac & Yease.
I recommend the Buffalo Mac & Yease if you’re feeling adventurous!
The Crazy Jamaican Burger has tofu for the patty, seasoned with the restaurant’s homemade spicy jerk flavor. Get this and thank me later.
What to order: Mac & Yease, Crazy Jamaican Burger, Sweet Jamaican Wrap
Address: 1324 ML King Jr Way, Tacoma, WA 98405
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With Seattle close by, you’d really wish to “dig into” what the city has to offer in terms of food. Honestly, there are many restaurants that are totally worth a long wait for a reservation, and many internationally-inspired options as well.
Visit our best Seattle restaurants page to survey your options.
How We Create Our “Best” Lists
All Noms Magazine’s “best” lists are created using multiple factors and signals to help readers find the best restaurants, things to do, and places to stay at. Some of these factors and signs include personal experiences, correspondence with locals, and compiling experiences from review sites.
Each list is also created to be balanced (in terms of price, cuisine type, ambiance, and more) as possible. This means that the lists are not specifically created in ranking order. You should be comfortable picking from any of the spots on the list and generally have a good time. But of course, YMMV (your mileage may vary) and everyone may have different experiences/palates.