"Damn. Good. Pizza."
These words spanning the brick walls of downtown Spokane's newest pizza restaurant are more than a slogan.
They're a promise.
"We truly believe we have the best pizza in Spokane," says Joel Barbour, co-owner of Thunder Pie Pizza, which specializes in wood-fired artisan-style pizza, signature cocktails, beer and wine.
Barbour owns Thunder Pie with his friends Ben Poffenroth and Ramsey Pruchnic, who decided to open the restaurant to give new life to a seemingly unkillable pizza space. The confines of 816 W. Sprague Ave. previously housed Fire Artisan Pizza, Slightly Charred Wood Fired Pizza and Gozo Brick Oven Bistro.
The friends had talked about opening a pizza place one day, and they jumped when the opportunity presented itself. Typically, it's said, three's a crowd, but not in this case.
"It seemed like a good fit for us to work together," Poffenroth says. "And we found a spot that had a wood-fired oven, so it just seemed like a natural fit to do pizza."
Barbour, Poffenroth and Pruchnic all have experience running businesses in Spokane. Barbour owns The Great PNW, a Northwest-inspired clothing company, Poffenroth owns Durkin's Liquor Bar, and Pruchnic owns Hello Sugar as well as Uno Más Taco Shop.
The restaurant serves 13 types of pies ($15-$18) with toppings that range from traditional cheese to pepperoni with pineapple. But the menu features more than just pizza: salads ($9-$14) and starters like meatballs ($12), garlic knots ($8) and blistered shishito peppers ($10).
Thunder Pie also offers 14 beers on tap ($7 each) from local and regional breweries, including No-Li, Lumberbeard and Rainier.
Poffenroth developed the pizzeria's menu with various chefs that he has worked with over the years. He also created the cocktail menu, which he says is an area that sets Thunder Pie apart from other local pizza establishments.
"I wouldn't say we're re-creating the wheel," Poffenroth says. "We're just trying to do it our way, with our twist."
The restaurant has a full bar with 12 signature craft cocktails, all priced at $12 or less. Poffenroth's recommended cocktail-pizza pairing is their Aperol Spritz with a Pear & Blue Cheese pizza.
"Ben brought so many awesome cocktails that just don't exist at other restaurants," Barbour says.
The Yacht Rock ($12) cocktail features cold brew, Ramazzotti and coffee liqueur for the caffeine-obsessed, while the Beer Cocktail ($11) contains Lumberbeard's Apricot Sour.
With Barbour and his knowledge of design at the helm, the trio of owners also worked to revamp the pizzeria's interior, including adorning the restaurant's brick walls with signs consisting of bold, graffiti-esque lettering. Barbour says that their redesigned vibe is edgier while still being family-friendly.
"We wanted it to be a place where it's OK to have kids, but also where it's cool enough, it's trendy enough that you want to be there with your friends, too," Barbour says. "We're excited to have a place that we would want to frequent even if we weren't owners."
Located downtown across the street from the Historic Davenport Hotel, Thunder Pie's owners appreciate having a central location in the heart of the city.
"You're just minutes away from everything downtown, so [Thunder Pie] is really easy and accessible," Barbour says.
An important goal of Thunder Pie Pizza, according to Barbour, is to provide an intimate experience for all of their patrons. One way the owners have been able to do this is by removing all the TVs in the restaurant except for one above the bar. Barbour says that the absence of TVs will hopefully foster an environment where people can just sit and share a meal together.
The most exciting part of opening to the public, Barbour says, is being able to share the space with the community and the people who frequent downtown.
"We get to unveil something that is for the city," he says. "For me, being born and raised in Spokane, it's like we really get to give something cool and unique to the city." ♦
Thunder Pie Pizza • 816 W. Sprague Ave. • Open Tue-Sat 11:30am-9pm • Instagram: @thunderpiepizza
