Pizza Pop-up Sensation Blotto Opens Its New Capitol Hill Restaurant and Market

One roving pizza purveyor is setting down more permanent roots. On Thursday, June 17, former pop-up Blotto officially opened its first fixed location, slinging its much-coveted naturally leavened sourdough pies in a cozy spot that also serves a specialty grocery market (it’s in the former Chungee’s space). With sell-outs over the weekend, it appears the neighborhood is welcoming it with open arms.

Blotto launched in July 2020 as a small operation working out of Broadway Alley and quickly gained a following for its thin crust New York and Neapolitan-style pizza that often sold out within hours. Co-founders Jordan Koplowitz and Cal Hoffmann tout the use of ingredients from local producers, including sausage from Olsen Farms, cheese from Cascadia Creamery, and grains from Skagit Valley. While offerings will rotate often, the current menu features a fennel sausage pie and one topped with pickled leeks, lemon cream, and chili oil.

But the corner market aspect of the restaurant shouldn’t be overlooked. Koplowitz and Hoffmann have thoughtfully curated retail items for sale from both local purveyors and some out-of-town producers who have never sold their wares in Washington state before. Among the highlights are corn tortillas from West Seattle-based Milpa Masa, Ethiopian coffee from local roaster Avole, miso from Seattle’s one-of-a-kind Yoka Miso, and stir fry sauce from Woon Kitchen, a popular LA noodle shop. On the boozy side are plenty of PNW beers (including selections from Structures Brewing in Bellingham and one-off bottlings from Beacon Hill’s Perihelion), as well as some natural wine.

“We want people to find something new every time they come into the shop, whether it’s seasonal items or things we just started stocking,” Hoffmann tells Eater Seattle. “It should feel kind of like a fun treasure hunt.”

Blotto is open Wednesdays from noon to 5 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.. It accepts walk-ins and phone orders only, and has counter service with very limited onsite seating.

Kyle Johnson

Kyle Johnson

• Blotto [Official]
• Popular Pizza Pop-up Blotto Plans New Capitol Hill Location and Corner Store [ESEA]
• For Pop-up Pizza — and a Recipe Zine — Get Blotto on Broadway [Capitol Hill Seattle]