(Image: Ananas Pizzeria)
The flavors of a classic pizzeria and Lao cuisine are set to marry in Ananas Pizzeria, a pizza dive bar reintroducing classics while putting a spin on the classic pie from Seattle restaurateur Khampaeng Panyathong.
The pizza joint on 8th Ave is a new name returning to an old spot. The location was once filled by Primo Pizza Parlor, a favorite in the neighborhood. Taurus Ox and Ananas Pizzeria chef/owner Panyathong champions staying true to the roots of the local culture. The building has over 100 years of history within its walls and a new business is incoming.
“As soon as I walked in I was able to feel this energy and see beyond the rundown nature of the building,” Panyathong said. “I was just envisioning the possibilities of what this space could become.”
Panyathong plans to open the new pizza joint this month.
Despite the Lao influence, Panyathong sees Ananas Pizzeria as a separate entity from Taurus Ox and its sibling Ox Burger. CHS reported here on the reshuffling of Taurus Ox and Ox Burger. Taurus Ox on 19th Ave E hosts a menu of traditional Lao cuisine, a mile southwest of the original Taurus Ox location, now Ox Burger. Panyathong says there are a few connections between his projects.
“I couldn’t miss this opportunity to do a Lao pizza,” Panyathong said. “We’re really close to figuring it out.”
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The Ananas menu has been in its drafting phase but appetizers like buttermilk fried calamari and beef meatballs are favored for a permanent spot. Panyathong says if the community likes the dive enough he’ll keep adding to the menu — ideas like chicken parms or chicken piccata were both floated by Panyathong.
Don’t be surprised to find combinations of chorizo sausage, black and castelvetrano olives, arugula, and manchego cheese at home on the menu. The “Ananas Pizza” is still under wraps, but look out for Canadian bacon, maybe even some pickled jalapenos and togarashi. The theme is upscale flavors for a “regular Seattle price.”
As for the name, it gives way to Panyathong’s comical (and maybe controversial) nature.
“I originally wanted to call it Pineapple Pizza,” Panyathong said. “There’s the whole debate about whether pineapple goes on pizza or not. Well, I believe pineapple goes on pizza. And you can’t walk into a place that says pineapple pizza and get mad that there’s pineapple on pizza.’
In case you were wondering, Panyathong is also a believer in ranch with pizza as well.
For Panyathong, he sees this as an opportunity to return a local haunt back to its community.
“I’ve been in the restaurant industry since I was 18 years old and I just wanted to do something for the community,” Panyathong said. “If people enjoy Taurus Ox or Ox Burger then I’m relying on them to like Ananas Pizzeria as well.”
He wanted a real bar, without the formality that a full-service or fast-casual restaurant calls for.
For entry into Ananas Pizzeria forget about your “pizza standards” — the name should be warning enough — no one is judging what you order, this is how Panyathong aims to build his new space. Just a dive bar in a vintage building, upscale yet grunge, a place old enough to break something, scratch the wall, and you don’t have to worry because it’s worn in, it’s been lived in.
“I can’t really call it a dive bar because a dive bar is supposed to be like a trash can, so we’ll call it a vintage dive,” Panyathong said.
Craft cocktails, loud music, bright red lights — here Panyathong says drinks will be a core part of the experience.
“We’re not trying to be the ‘Best Pizza in Seattle,” Panyathong said. “I’m just going to do what I do, use the best ingredients I can, and then see what happens from there.”
Ananas Pizzeria will serve all the classic dive bar pies, and yes, they will put pineapple on your pizza.
Ananas Pizzeria will open soon at 1106 8th Ave. Learn more about @ananas_pizzeria on Instagram.
Props for recognizing that pineapple is a first class topping
A Lao Stromboli could be great! Big fan of Taurus Ox and Oxburger, and am excited about this new spot
Yes for pineapple on pizza!