The Saint Bread and Post Alley Pizza Owners Are Opening a New Fremont Pizzeria

Lower Fremont, already home to more than its fair share of culinary heavy hitters, is about to get a new neighborhood Italian joint, courtesy two of the city’s most vaunted purveyors of carbs. Yasuaki Saito, formerly of London Plane and currently co-owner of ascendant U District bakery Saint Bread, told Eater Seattle that he and Post Alley Pizza’s Andrew Gregory are going for a “boisterous,” “rustic Italian American-ish” vibe at their new spot, which they anticipate will open the first week of August, barring any major snags.

Tivoli is running ticketed pop-up dinners this Saturday, July 22, and next Saturday, July 29, 7-9 p.m., with an optional pre-dinner aperitivo at 6 p.m. The dinners grant a glimpse of what the menu at Tivoli will look like in its final form, with mortadella, caesar salad, and an assortment of pizzas on July 22 and braised lamb spotlighted on July 29. On Sunday, July 23, they will be selling pizza by the slice starting at 11 a.m., and the next Sunday, July 30, will see leftover lamb from the pop-up dinner reincarnated as lunch sandwiches, also starting at 11.

Those who are familiar with Post Alley’s perfect specimens of the East Coast slice variety (and those who are not should rectify that ASAP) will be pleased to hear that Tivoli’s smaller, 16-inch pies will be made with the same dough.

That dough, which yields a crispy, slightly chewy crust, is the brainchild of Michael Sanders, who did all things bread at London Plane for 10 years before helping Saito open his U District bakery. He will be the baker at Tivoli, presiding over both a wood-fired and deck oven. The dual oven setup, says Saito, will allow the crew at Tivoli to experiment with pizza styles, and they’ve already been putting the wood oven to work on roasted vegetable, braised meat, and baked bean side dishes.

Tivoli will also be making use of the approximately 30 taps the Masonry left behind; about half of them will be devoted to beer and cider, while half will go to wine, draft cocktails, and non-alcoholic options. Saito and Gregory are bringing in Ed Villareal, who oversaw beverages at the Woodsman Tavern in Portland where the three met, to manage drinks. Although the details of the beverage menu are still in flux, Saito says they’re going for a lighter, lower-alcohol approach, including spritzes and “reverse cocktails, things like Manhattans but with more vermouth than whiskey.” They won’t have an espresso machine, preferring to refer customers to Milstead & Co. next door.

Saito says they’re hoping to be open Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. starting the first week of August. But anyone who has been watching the second season of Hulu’s The Bear (so, everyone and their mother) probably has a new appreciation for the many trials and bureaucratic tribulations of opening a new restaurant, so don’t be surprised if the opening timeline shifts. But rest assured that Fremont will be getting a new pizza place, and soon.

In Other Carbohydrate News:

Ben’s Bread Co., a longstanding and dearly beloved local pop-up, officially opens its brick-and-mortar in Phinney Ridge today. Owners Ben and Megan Campbell say that Roman-style pizza will be on the seasonally-rotating menu at the bakery, along with dirt cups that are crafted with house-made pudding and gummy worms.

Andrew Rubinstein, the noted local bagel maker who founded burgeoning chain Rubinstein Bagels, sold his shares in the shop back in May and is launching a new pop-up project this Saturday at Salish Lodge.

There’s a new pizza and cocktails place in the old Central Pizza space.