The Wallingford Pizza House, “Seattle’s Only Classic Chicago-Style Pizza House”, has served its last deep dish pie. Their number doesn’t seem to be in service anymore, and there’s no other contact info on their web site, so that’s pretty much all we know.
In its place, you may soon find the Octopus Bar, which, according to their web site:
will be a neighborhood Seattle bar synonymous with a deep-sea search for a new experience, combining the familiar with the soon-to-be. We have designed a bar/gastropub serving sensational small plates with sustainability and quality in mind.
But don’t grab your coat quite yet. The Octopus, three years in the making, is still raising a last bit of cash to make it over the finish line by their December 2013 target launch date.
As of yesterday, they launched a Kickstarter campaign:
All of the money raised from this Kickstarter campaign will go directly towards finishing materials to develop the vision of The Octopus Bar. Remember, with Kickstarter, it’s all or nothing. We will be collecting mostly salvaged materials as well as recycled materials, and re-purposing unique finds… this all takes time and money… Your support will go a very long way to put the finishing touches on this treasure hunt…
Our concept reaches deep into Seattle’s origins as a port city developed by courageous individuals with strong work ethic and Seattle has always exhibited a spirit of optimism, enterprise and self-promotion.
Eclectically and beautifully outfitted, The Octopus Bar location in Wallingford, a cozy neighborhood tucked on the northern tip of Lake Union, will present endless architectural details and nooks to weave onlookers gaze. Above, a scattering of wood planks rest to visually separate the allusion of upper decks, boat bottoms and salvaged ship sides. Recycled crab cages and netting full of treasures such as Japanese fishing floats, bottles with SOS letters, ocean aged and discarded catches will be hung as if they had just been hauled onto the deck. Hung by ropes and pulleys, wood planks support various lighting solutions.
Distinctive lighting will showcase and sell our thoughtfully planned brews, signature beverages and richly flavored dishes produced by our chefs. Pair the food with an Octopus specialty cocktail and good company to set sail for an ineffably perfect voyage.
With all of this in mind, our vision is to draw a variety of patrons that are all in search of the same thing:
- A unique, hideaway serving high-quality food and beverages during lunch, afternoons, dinner, and late evenings
- A local bar that introduces new friends and endless conversations
- A safe and welcoming atmosphere that many could call their second “home”
The campaign page also has a quick rundown on the “Captain’s of the Ship”: Taryn, Liza Danger and Trevor, pictured below, as well as an attractive interior rendering (also below).
Launched yesterday, the Kickstarter campaign has raised almost $2,700 out of its goal of $12,500. Good luck, guys!
My two favorite Wallingford restaurants closed in one week. What a shame.
That’s a whole lot o vision for a pretty limited space. A little concerned that there’s lot going here regarding the interior, but not a lot about the food or drink. Obviously as supporters of our hood we’ll give it a try, but I was a strong supporter of that deep dish pizza….
Yeah, I like a good gastropub, but this sucks.
Much luck to this new endeavor, but I wish I had known my last slice of that deep dish was gonna be the end. (sad face) Having said that, I’m looking forward to having a new bar to try in my ‘hood. (And.. for a new deep dish place, if anybody has a recommendation!)
Mike who owned Wallingford Pizza House is a great guy as were the staff particularly Chris who always gave us great service. We knew the business had been struggling for a while. We wish him and his staff the best of luck.
“There number”???? Their, their, now.
As a customer/patron of the bars that these folks already work at, I couldn’t be more excited to see this finally come to life. They are very passionate about good service, and on top of that, this bar is going to be memorable.
I loved the Wallingford Pizza House (I went there for prom dinner.. it was weird but good) but my understanding is the owner was excited to retire and was relieved to have these folks move in. Just my two cents.
I just hope they can open sooner than later!
More good bar options within walking distance of home. Great!
“Weird, but good” is an apt description of Wallingford Pizza House. A couple of times I’ve been in there recently, it sort of seemed that they were just going through the motions. Perhaps it was time to move on. I’m glad to hear it was the owner’s choice.
Meanwhile, I’ve been longing for a Latona Pub-type joint in our neighborhood: casual with good beer and food. Hopefully the Octopus fits the bill!
@6 Barry. Oops, I fixed it. Its right now.
‘sigh’ how is this place different than the Sea Monster? I wish it was like the Madrona pub where you could bring kids in before a certain time.
Kylies in Fremont is chicago style and pretty good.
@Doug! I love the Latona pub! I actually see one of the Octopus folks there quite a bit. Great bar and beer!
I have noticed that bars rarely have all of the following: good beer, good food, child-friendly. I don’t even dare hope for good vegetarian food on top of that.
I agree that this sounds a lot like the Sea Monster, but you have to admit that sketch is pretty cool. Child-friendly bars suck you guys. Go to the Montlake Ale House if you want to toss your little ones in a kid pit while you drink.
@11. Jen. Seamonster is more of a music venue / bar: no food and draws a large crowd because of its music. Sounds like Octupus will be a gastropub focusing on high quality food and drinks.
Hey @evon. Chris is a friend of mine. She was definitely sad to see the era of The Pizza House end, and she had as many great things to say about her customers as you’ve said about her. 🙂
Hey Mike T., my kids are a well behaved 12 and 14. I’m just looking for a place we can all go in Wallingford to get something to eat that isn’t Asian food or Julia’s. Though, I will have to admit, when they were little, I loved the Montlake toddler pit.
I like Tutta Bella in that it’s clearly kid-friendly while also offering a quieter space in the glassed-in bar, and, in my view, a menu with a lot of variety. Hurrah for happy hour!
I like the bar they just added at Tutta Bella that is clearly not kid friendly.
Oh! If anyone has the Wallingford Pizza owners contact information- they had great photos of a train station in my hometown in Illinois and I’d love to buy it from them!!
I was calling and calling for a deep dish pie just last weekend without success. Sorry to see Mike go. We definitely need a cosy bar in Wallingford, my mind turns to Oliver’s on Phinney (and with apologies to Andrew (Sea Monster) and Kate (Kate’s). But launching a restaurant on Kickstarter, I’ll donate but it strikes me as the wrong business model for the gnarly food biz.
Olympic is great for families, and much more of a family business than tutta bella. They have tzatziki on the dinner salad! Tutta bella belongs at uvillage imho, although I realize I’m in the old school minority.
@22 i was thinking the same thing re: kickstarter. if you need crowdfunding to get your restaurant biz up and running that seems like it has problems all over it.
No more deep dish and no more brunch in the same day! Boo! I am going to miss both the Rusty and the WPH but am excited for a new small business to come in that ISN’T another pharmacy or pho or high rise development. I am ecstatic for these business owners and Kickstarter is a great way to involve community prior to getting your business up and running. I was fortunate to be able to fund a successful Kickstarter two years ago and I am open, successful and am planning a second Kickstarter in the next couple of month. The Octopus Bar has a great story. I pledged. Good luck Octopus! (Will you have pizza?)
Um, good luck I guess.
It could be cool. I will support it with dollars and appetite if it opens.
+1 with 22 and 24 on kickstarter. Not clear what happens if they don’t meet their goal (do they still open?), etc… And if crowdsourcing is their path, why kickstarter and not indiegogo where you keep what you get even if it doesn’t meet your goal?
Their page (http://theoctopusbar.com/about/) lists “The swinery” as their food purveyor, which is really nice.
Can’t wait for them to open, will support them by being a patron.
If only CVS were reduced to holding a Kickstarter drive to fund their Wallingford venture!
Re: kickstarter. Knowing the founders, these funds are only to help complete the bar to their vision as they’ve dreamed it for 3+ years now. They have put a lot of work into planning this and it would have happened and/or will happen even if they don’t hit their funding goal. Think the extra $$ will just help make it even better.
Wallingford Pizza House was always a treat for my boyfriend and I so we always tried to go on special occasions (or when we craved the deep dish and homemade salad dressings). On a hungover morning, we decided it was time to pay a visit to WPH. As we walked up we realized it was closed…then realized it was closed forever. We both just about cried. I wish I would have known so I could have at least had a final delicious meal there. Does anyone have the email or other contact info of the owner? I cannot imagine not at least having some of that blue cheese dressing again!!! I am so sad to see this place go, it was definitely a go to spot.