Fremont Quest: Burgers & Pizza

My goal is to visit all my local eateries (Fremont neighborhood of Seattle) at least once every couple years. (Of course, some of my faves hit the top of my list a lot more often!) The one exception, if I visit anywhere twice and don’t like it either time, I don’t make myself go back. Here are my reviews for the burger and pizza restaurants I visited. See more reviews.

**** One of my faves!
*** On my regular “go to” list
** I’d go if a friend wanted to
* No thanks

**** (2017) Pagliacci Pizza  Always my “go to” pizza place. Though I rarely go to it. Delivery is my friend. (Stone Way)

(2014 review) My fave pizza place for delivery. It’s fast, it’s really good pizza, and they have a standard pizza called “Extra pepperoni”—what’s not to love?

 

*** (2017) Via Tribunali  A cozy little pizza place that I especially like on those warm days they open up the front so I can sit at the counter and feel the breeze as I watch life go by on the street …. and nibble on a zesty, spicy pizza. Mmmm…. (Upper Fremont)

(2014 review)  This may be a strange recommendation for a pizza restaurant, but this place always brings back fond memories of Germany and the authentic Italian pizza place that I went to with friends from my German language school.This is delectable, thin crust, served whole (i.e. not cut in slices) Italian pizza. There’s nothing better than a good glass of wine, their salami pizza, and sitting at the counter/bar next to their open windows in the summer and watching life on Fremont Ave. 

 

*** (2017) Frelard Pizza  It became an in place very quickly, with its large outdoor seating area and firepit. I’ve heard some call it too trendy, but hey, the pizza’s good and thin crust, New York style. That’s enough to make me happy. (Leary Way)

 

*** (2017) Tutta Bella  Sometimes, you just want a pepperoni pizza. I actually liked the atmosphere here (bustling family-friendly restaurant with quieter bar area where I sat), the friendly wait staff (that was expert at the right amount of follow up; I was never left wanting for anything but they didn’t stop by so often that it was annoying), and the refreshing summer drink (lemon/mint/fizzy). I appreciate their extensive menu (great selection of pizza and pasta) in a casual Italian-restaurant atmosphere that is missing in other places in Fremont. Salami was an acceptable, if slightly dull, substitute for pepperoni … but it just shouldn’t be so hard to find amidst the Kalamata olives and broccoli rabe pizza. I tend to forget Tutta Bella is there (as it’s closer to Wallingford, though technically within the boundary of Fremont), but it has enough pluses that I need to come here more often. (Stone Way)

(2014 review) Pizza was good, but the wine choices weren’t all that exciting. Since I have other better pizza options closer to me, this place isn’t high on my list.

 

*** (2017) U Need a Burger  I always feel virtuous about eating a big burger here because it’s an uphill walk from my house. Casual little place, but creative burgers, efficient service, and picnic tables even give you a festive picnicking atmosphere. (Upper Fremont)

(2014 review)  They’re just burgers, but really good burgers. I feel like I should branch out to other menu items, but I tend to keep falling back on the lamb burger and am always happy. Nice outdoor seating area, though the picnic table atmosphere is less inviting inside. (Upper Fremont)

 

** (2017) Big Marios Pizza  A big yum. If you’re looking for a cozy, Italian restaurant atmosphere, this isn’t the place. But if you’re looking for is a slice of pizza (they had about eight or nine varieties by the slice when I was there, from traditional pepperoni to more innovative pear and gorgonzola), and a casual, sit-at-the-bar-and-have-a-beer vibe, this is your spot. (Note: They do have a few tables in addition to bar seating.) I’d probably give it 3 stars (a go-to spot) if the atmosphere was a little more inviting. (Leary Way)

 

** (2018) Petoskeys It’s supposed to have a Midwest vibe. And I’ll admit, the Hamms beer coasters and Notre Dame game on the screen behind the bar (rather than a UW Husky game) did make me feel like I should zip up a down coat and head to an ice house when I walked out the door. A friendly bartender gave it another point for Midwest authenticity.

Their specialty is pizza, so I ordered the Mackinac pizza, carefully pronouncing it correctly—Mack-i-naw. They lost authenticity points when the server brought it out. “Here’s your Mack-i-nak pizza,” she said. The pizza was cheesy. And tomato-y. I definitely glimpsed the Canadian bacon and the pineapple and jalapenos, but tasting them amidst all that tomato and cheese was another matter. Having just eaten pizza in North Dakota a couple of weeks ago, I know the Midwest can do better than this.

Authenticity score: Maybe a real Midwesterner should make that call. Food score: Well, there are other items on the menu, so I haven’t written it off completely. (Leary Way)

 

** (2017) Blue Moon Burgers My 2-star rating here makes me sad. I’ve always loved the blue cheese burgers at Blue Moon Burger, and this has been a regular spot for me. But I can’t in good conscience frequent a business where it appears the owner has a racist heart. (He said his ugly words were a one-time slip, but you only slip and say things like that when you have hatred in your heart.) Given that the EEOC did not press charges of discrimination after their investigation, and a 1-star rating would basically equate to a boycott, I upped this to 2 stars. I am sad, but generally, this one is going to be a pass for me. There are other burgers in Fremont. (Downtown Fremont)

(2014 review) My favorite burger place in the area. Hmm, maybe my favorite burger place overall! My fave is the blue cheese burger, but they have lots of interesting combinations on the menu and you can build your own. A big, fat, juicy burger…makes my mouth water to write this. They also have an outdoor area, which I love in summer. Beer, wine—it’s not a fast food place.

* (2017) Alberona’s  Uh, no. The speculations in my last review continue to stand—if no one is ever seen here, how do they stay in business and does it involve money laundering? (Okay, I guess I didn’t write that last time, but I thought it.) But I’d had a tiring work day and my cupboards were bare, so I ordered a pizza from them online. Alas, they had a minimum charge that I had to meet, so I added an order of chicken strips, thinking they could be lunch the next day. The pizza wasn’t terrible (though not a fave), but just ugh on the chicken strips. (Leary Way)

(2014 review) It always looks empty (though there are only about three tables in there so it shouldn’t take much to fill up the place) and Yelp reviewers gave it very mixed/negative reviews. Since it seemed like more of a delivery place, I ordered pizza to be delivered. They were pretty prompt, the pizza was pretty good, and the crust was only the tiniest bit soggy from cooling off in the box on the way to my house (one of the biggest complaints on Yelp). It wasn’t so great that it would even come close to bumping my favorite pizza places out as my favorites, but I’d be willing to try them again.

 

* (2017) Giddy Up Burgers  A little onion goes a long way. But at this place, a lot of onion was apparently used to cover up the fact that my blue cheese burger had only about 5 little dots of blue cheese on it. Really? Is blue cheese really so expensive? A very underwhelming lunch experience. But if you’ve got kids who would be amused by the saddles used as chairs, could be a good stop. (Extra credit, Frelard)

 

History section:

CLOSED (* in 2014) Kylie’s Pizza  I suppose my main problem with this place is that I’m a thin-crust-pizza sort of gal and this was Chicago-style deep dish. There was TOO MUCH bready crust. Really. Where’s the sauce? Where’s the cheese? And most important, where’s the pepperoni? On a positive note, their cheaper red wine was a lot tastier than their more expensive red wine. I always like drinking wine and saving money. (Downtown Fremont)