Spokane's Logan Neighborhood is perhaps best known as the home of Gonzaga University. It's bordered on its south end by the undulating Spokane River, Napa and Crestline to the east, and busy Division Street along the west flank, as well as bisected by the equally busy Hamilton Street arterial from north to south. That's where we found the following three new food options, plus one more in the works, Frugals, a burger joint moving into the former home of Wolffy's Grill.
TANTUNI MEDITERRANEAN
2024 N. Hamilton St., facebook.com/
Tantuni.Restaurant0, 509-242-3680
Falafel reminds Mujtaba Altameemi of family. The young Iraq-born restaurateur opened Tantuni Mediterranean Restaurant in November 2021.
"Of course, there are many different dishes that are famous in Iraq, but falafel is different," says Altameemi, who moved to the U.S. in time to attend and graduate from Ferris High School in 2018. Falafel, made from chickpeas, is crunchy outside, spongy on the inside and 100 percent vegan, Altameemi says.
Falafel is also affordable.
"One sandwich is less than $1 [in Iraq], so rich and poor people can afford the price, and they both like to eat it," Altameemi says. "You can find it in any neighborhood in Iraq."
At Tantuni, diners can enjoy falafel in many forms: as a wrap ($8), with eggplant, fries and a salad ($13), as part of the appetizer plate ($12) with hummus and eggplant, or in a fattoush salad ($12) with chopped greens, cucumber, tomato and pita chips.
The menu at Tantuni is mostly Iraqi, Altameemi says, but it also reflects his time living in Turkey, where he learned the language and how to cook. In addition to the name of the restaurant, tantuni is a Turkish street food that pairs finely chopped beef or chicken with parsley, onion, tomato and spices. The restaurant serves its tantuni in a wrap ($10), a mixed plate ($13) or with rice-based biryani ($14), the latter of which isn't Turkish, but rather typically found in Indian, Pakistani and other Southeast Asian cuisines.
Altameemi's head chef is Fadhaa Almayyahi, a fellow Iraqi and veteran of Feast World Kitchen. The two met while working in a local restaurant. Altameemi reported to Almayyahi at the time, boldly claiming he'd open his own place someday. Not long after, the 24-year-old Altameemi did just that.
Altameemi's favorite dish to cook is an ubiquitous Middle Eastern dish called shawarma ($10/wrap, $14/mixed plate): marinated meat, slow-cooked on a rotisserie. Balancing the taste of the spices is the one rule of shawarma, says Altameemi, who aspires to make the best one among all the Mediterranean restaurants in the area.
ROOTS COFFEE KITCHEN
1307 N. Hamilton St., rootscoffeekitchen.com, 509-359-0042
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" is a still-prescient pearl of wisdom from Hippocrates, a 400 B.C. Greek physician who wisely noted that the food we put into our bodies is all-important. The enduring phrase is also the guiding principle for Roots Coffee Kitchen founders Amanda Baxter and Nick Byrd, whose motto is "let food be medicine for life."
The couple opened Roots in October 2021, offering a plethora of plant-based foods in liquid and solid form.
Smoothies, for example, are a large part of the menu, ranging from thick shakes ($9.50) to smoothie bowls, blended ingredients with textural toppings like homemade granola or fruit ($12). Try the Liberated smoothie with peanut butter, banana, dates, cocoa and choice of milk (coconut, hemp, almond, oat, soy or dairy).
Several menu items are named for "mindful messages" that Roots' owners live by daily. Baxter has a background in social work. Other dishes are named for the couple's five children and family pets.
In addition to smoothies, Roots offers salads ($14.50) with scratch-made dressings and soup du jour ($6). Loaded toast ($11) is made with locally baked Ultra Vita bread, like the Mindful with avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and tangy capers.
Boots Bakery cookies, Boba Proper's plant-based boba tea and Seattle-based Caffé Vita coffee are also featured at Roots. When the weather warms, Roots plans to utilize farmers markets for local produce, Baxter says.
The decor is eclectic: assorted chairs, an overstuffed couch, and an existing mural left over from prior businesses, which has included Next Door Deli & Coffee Lounge and Righteous Rags and Records. The vibe reflects the owners' upbeat attitude.
"We are so blessed to bring our passion for health and wellness to our community," Baxter says.
Check Roots' Facebook page for special events, including live music and yoga.
ZEEKS PIZZA
1414 N. Hamilton St., zeekspizza.com, 509-401-8646
The newest Logan neighborhood eatery is Zeeks Pizza, a Seattle-based chain with its first franchise east of the Cascades. The Spokane Zeeks is locally owned by Edie Stotts and her husband, Mike, who went to high school with Zeeks' president, Dan Black.
Although the Stotts' are longtime business owners, this is their first foray into the food industry, and one they felt more comfortable doing because of Zeeks' record of accountability and integrity, Edie says.
"It's a perfect fit for what Spokane needs," she says.
Zeeks' space previously housed Cascadia Public House's short-lived second location (its original spot at 6314 N. Ash St. is still open) and before that, Geno's from 2011 to 2020.
The restaurant offers 15 meat-forward pies like the Buffalo Soldier ($12.50/$22/$28) with buffalo chicken and ranch, and the Thai One On ($12.50/$21.50/$29) with chicken, broccoli, red onion, pickled carrot, daikon radish, fresh cilantro and peanut sauce, and the option to customize the spice level. There are eight vegetarian pies, like the Quentin Florentino ($12.50/$22/$28) with artichoke, sundried tomato, spinach and goat cheese. All pizzas are available gluten-free for an upcharge.
Try one of the salads and snackables like breadsticks ($12), which are actually flatbreads.
The point-of-sale system is slick for all orders, whether in-house, to-go or delivery. Customize by adding or removing items, for example, so that your Legion of Shroom pie includes shiitake and oyster mushrooms, but no button mushrooms.
Can you imagine pizza without beer? Neither can we. Zeeks' parent company's west side beer collaborations are also on tap in Spokane, including Urban Family Brewing's Zeek & Destroy Hazy IPA, plus ciders and beer from nearby places like Whistle Punk Brewing and Liberty Ciderworks.
Growlers ($10-$16), as well as wine, cocktails, and bottled or canned beer, can be ordered to-go with any food order. ♦
