Post Alley Pizza Explained

Post Alley Pizza
Logo Alt:Graphic of a feline holding a pizza, next to the text "Post Alley Pizza"
Image Alt:Photograph of the exterior of a building
Established:1997
Food-Type:Italian
Street-Address:1123 Post Avenue
City:Seattle
County:King
State:Washington
Zip:98101
Country:United States
Coordinates:47.6057°N -122.3381°W
Other-Label:-->

Post Alley Pizza is a pizzeria in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.[1] [2] The business was established by chef Doug Murray in 1997. He sold the business in 1999; since then, Post Alley Pizza has been owned by Joshua Huckaby, Marc Russell, spouses Andrew and Ruel Gregory, and Yasuaki Saito. The restaurant has garnered a positive reception for its New York–style pizza and sandwiches. Post Alley now focuses on pizza, removing sandwiches from the menu in late 2023.

Description

Post Alley Pizza is a pizzeria in the back of a parking garage at the intersection of Post Avenue and Seneca Street in the Central Waterfront district, approximately three blocks south from the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. Midland Reporter-Telegram Evan Winston has described the restaurant as a "small hole-in-the-wall joint".[3] The interior has Phish posters. Seattle Weekly has said of the clientele and staff:

Menu

Post Alley serves New York–style pizza.[4] As of 2022, ten varieties of pizza are sold by the slice or as 16- or 18-inch pies.[5] Varieties include pepperoni, as well as sausage with pistachio pesto with honey.[6] Dipping sauces include a homemade ranch and calabrian chili buffalo sauce.[7]

The menu has also included breakfast sandwiches made with English muffins; varieties include: bacon, egg and cheese (or B.E.C.); sausage; vegetarian; and one with bacon, cashew butter, roasted delicata squash, and honey.[8] [9] Other ingredients for Italian sandwiches have included sesame hoagie rolls, finocchiona salami, spicy coppa, ham, provolone, red onion, and coleslaw. "Hoagie jazz”, an anchovy spread with calabrian chiles and garlic, has been served on the side.[10]

History

Kat Richardson references Post Alley Pizza in her 2011 book Downpour: A Greywalker Novel.[11]

Ownership and operations

Post Alley was founded by chef Doug Murray in 1997. Originally from New York City, Murray arrived in Seattle earlier in the decade to work for Duke's. He sold the restaurant in 1999 and became the head chef of the Experience Music Project's in-museum restaurant.[12] [13]

Joshua Huckaby was described as a former owner in 2013.[14] Marc Russell owned the business for three years, as of 2015.[15] As of 2022, co-owners include spouses Andrew and Ruel Gregory,[16] and Yasuaki Saito.[17] [18] Andrew Gregory was named one of seven "rising stars" of the industry by Pizza Today in 2022. He told the publication, "Our small shop and corner of Seattle has been under construction since the day we took ownership four years ago. It has been confusing for everyone." On the topics of inflation and rising costs, he said:

Andrew Gregory and Saito use Post Alley's dough recipe at Tivoli, which opened in Fremont in 2023 and also offers pizza and sandwiches. In November 2023, Post Alley's sandwich offerings went on an "indefinite hiatus" because of capacity issues related to space and staffing.[19]

Collaborations and community activities

In 2020, Post Alley was among fifteen restaurants in Seattle and Portland that served fried-chicken specials to raise funds for the family of Cameron Addy, a chef who worked at Ava Gene's, Papa Haydn, St. Jack, and other restaurants, before he died of a heart attack.[20] [21] Post Alley collaborated with Ben's Bread Co. on a French bread pizza in 2021.[22] [23] The two businesses co-hosted a French-bread-pizza pop-up at the defunct restaurant The London Plane (2014–2022),[24] where Saito was also a co-owner.[25] [26] Post Alley was among sixty Seattle metropolitan area establishments that raised funds for victims of the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes.[27]

Reception

In 1998, Timothy Egan of The New York Times said, "street pizza in Seattle, New York style, is not an oxymoron" at Post Alley. The business was named the "best pizza hideaway" in Seattle Weekly 2006 "best bites" overview. The newspaper said Post Alley "remains the industry standard for food, service, and ambiance. It is the one place on earth where the special is legitimately 'special.' With a different one each day... these things are so good that you don't even have to know what the day's special is before ordering it; the only trick is to get there before they run out".[28] A writer for Seattle Weekly opined in 2006: "Post Alley wears its back-to-basics style like a fine tuxedo, and at a time when Domino's and Pizza Hut can make a pie enthusiast weep, the little parlor at Post and Seneca is just enough of a good thing." In the newspaper's 2018 list of the ten best "Seattle bites" under $10, Seth Sommerfeld wrote:Jake Uitti ranked Post Alley seventh place in The Stranger 2018 "pizza pie face off", a search for Seattle's best slice.[29] In 2019, Evan Winston of the Midland Reporter-Telegram said the pizza "was well worth the wait". In 2020, Jackie Varriano included the business in The Seattle Times list of four "great spots" in the metropolitan area for a "scrumptious" breakfast sandwich .[30] Allecia Vermillion included the restaurant in Seattle Metropolitan 2022 list of 13 "exceptional" breakfast sandwiches.[31] She also selected Post Alley for the Central Waterfront in a 2022 overview of the city's best pizza by neighborhood and wrote: "A decades-old slice shop tucked behind a parking garage recently acquired serious culinary bona fides—and new owners with connections to London Plane. Post Alley didn't get fancier, exactly, but now local grains power a crust that could hold its own in the sort of restaurant with wine lists and a bread program." Portland Monthly called the pizzeria a "star newcomer" in 2023.[32] Aimee Rizzo included Post Alley in The Infatuation list of ten "great" meals in Seattle for $10.[33] She and Kayla Sager-Riley included the Italian sandwiches in 2022 and 2024 lists of the city's best sandwiches when boating.[34] She included Post Alley in overviews of Seattle's best lunch and pizza options, opining:

Post Alley was also included in The Infatuation's 2023 list of chef and food writer J. Kenji López-Alt's recommendations for lunch in Seattle under $10. López-Alt complimented the pizza and the Italian sandwich.[35] He also included the restaurant in his 2024 "Let's Eat Seattle Guide", in which he said Post Alley "makes quite possibly the best slices in town".[36] Post Alley was included in Eater Seattle 2021 overview of the city's best breakfast sandwiches. In 2022–2023, the website's Jade Yamazaki Stewart included the business in an overview of Seattle's "exceptional" pizza,[37] as well as lists of "great" restaurants near Pike Place Market.[38] [39] In a 2023 list of fourteen establishments serving "perfect" pizza, Stewart and Meg van Huygen wrote, "This low-lit pizza den near the gum wall is easy to overlook... But after a recent menu revamp and ownership change, with improved doughs and higher quality ingredients has made this low-key Seattle standby one of the best pizzerias in town." Eater Seattle's Sophie Grossman said Post Alley has "perfect specimens of the East Coast slice variety" in 2023.[40]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: What Happened to Post Alley Pizza? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230111234436/https://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/2021/10/how-post-alley-came-to-make-some-of-the-best-pizza-in-seattle . 2023-01-11 . 2022-11-10 . . en-US . 1931-2792.
  2. Web site: 2022-08-22 . Post Alley Pizza . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221110020929/https://www.theinfatuation.com/seattle/reviews/post-alley-pizza . 2022-11-10 . 2022-11-10 . The Infatuation.
  3. Web site: Winston . Evan . 2019-11-26 . The Emerald City . 2023-07-07 . . Hearst Communications . en-US . 2020-12-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201203063738/https://www.mrt.com/midland_magazine/getaway/article/The-Emerald-City-14863985.php . live .
  4. News: Egan . Timothy . Timothy Egan . May 10, 1998 . What's Doing in Seattle . . 1645522 . Street pizza in Seattle, New York style, is not an oxymoron at Post Alley Pizza, ... about three blocks south of the Pike Place Market. Thin-crust slices are about $2. . July 7, 2023 . June 27, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210627224839/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/travel/whatsdoing/wd980510.html . live .
  5. Web site: Seattle's Best Pizza is Nearby . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220924125108/https://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/seattle-s-best-pizza-from-thick-crust-to-thin . 2022-09-24 . 2023-07-05 . Seattle Metropolitan . en-US.
  6. Web site: Stewart . Jade Yamazaki . 2015-07-24 . 14 Seattle Spots Serving Perfect Pizza . 2023-07-21 . Eater Seattle . en.
  7. Web site: 2022-06-13 . The Downtown Lunch Guide . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221107004302/https://www.theinfatuation.com/seattle/guides/best-lunch-downtown-seattle . 2022-11-07 . 2023-07-07 . The Infatuation . en.
  8. The Seattle Times
    • News: As Washington's restaurants reopen from pandemic-mode, here are some neighborhood eats you should revisit! . June 23, 2021 . Jackie . Varriano . The Seattle Times . July 7, 2023 . May 24, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220524192119/https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/as-seattle-restaurants-reopen-from-pandemic-mode-we-look-back-at-some-of-the-best-neighborhood-eats-you-should-revisit/ . live .
    • News: Varriano . Jackie . June 25, 2021 . Spots you should revisit as restaurants reopen from pandemic mode . C5 . The Seattle Times.
  9. Web site: 2020-10-19 . Breakfast Sandwiches in Seattle Worth Waking Up Early to Get . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221009211527/https://seattle.eater.com/maps/best-breakfast-sandwiches-in-seattle . 2022-10-09 . 2022-11-10 . . . en.
  10. Web site: 2022-06-09 . Seattle's Best Sandwiches to Take on a Boat . 2023-06-30 . . en . 2023-02-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230201132845/https://www.theinfatuation.com/seattle/guides/best-sandwiches-seattle-summer . live .
  11. Book: Richardson, Kat . Downpour: A Greywalker Novel . 2012-07-03 . Penguin . 978-0-451-46426-2 . en.
  12. News: Roberts . Gregory . September 8, 2000 . EMP's cool Turntable spins out hits with its easy-eating meals . 4 . . Murray, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in his native New York, came to Seattle in the early 1990s as corporate chef for Duke's restaurants, then left to open Post Alley Pizza in '97. He sold that last year and teamed with food guru Kathy Casey to plan the menu at Turntable for its opening, with the museum, in June..
  13. News: Roberts . Gregory . June 21, 2000 . The epicurean experiences at the funky EMP . . Murray, 47, is the former owner of Post Alley Pizza downtown and before that was a chef for Duke's restaurants. A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in upstate New York, he designed the menu in consultation with local food guru Kathy Casey..
  14. Web site: SLIDESHOW: Redline WS hopes to fill the sports/family niche with pizza, wings and sliders Westside Seattle . 2023-07-21 . Westside Seattle.
  15. Web site: Seattle minimum wage law challenges small restaurants, pizzerias . 2023-06-30 . PMQ Pizza Magazine . 31 March 2015 . 2023-02-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230202140330/https://www.pmq.com/seattle-minimum-wage-law-challenges-small-restaurants-pizzerias/ . live .
  16. News: Talbott . Chris . September 23, 2020 . Will Halloween in Seattle be canceled by COVID-19? Not exactly. But here's how the holiday will be different . The Seattle Times . Ruel Gregory has three kids in the Halloween hot zone and anxiety is high in her household as October approaches... In the end, Gregory and her husband, Andrew, who own Post Alley Pizza, are going to follow the advice of public health officials. They've told their kids they need to be realistic and have backup plans . July 5, 2023 . May 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220527195314/https://www.seattletimes.com/life/will-halloween-in-seattle-be-canceled-by-covid-19-not-exactly-but-heres-how-the-holiday-will-be-different/ . live .
  17. Web site: Luna . Ruby de . 2022-02-02 . The brave Seattle foodies who opened restaurants during Covid — and flourished . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230323201636/https://www.kuow.org/stories/as-the-pandemic-drags-on-restaurants-open-despite-uncertain-times . 2023-03-23 . 2023-06-30 . . en.
  18. Web site: 2022-05-02 . Post Alley Pizza says they have 'probably' the best slices in town . 2022-11-10 . Seattle Refined . en . 2022-11-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221110020934/https://seattlerefined.com/eat-drink/post-alley-pizza-claims-to-have-probably-the-best-slices-in-town . live .
  19. Web site: Cheadle . Harry . 2023-11-03 . Downtown Seattle Just Lost One of Its Top Sandwiches . 2023-11-04 . Eater Seattle . en . 2023-11-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231104044523/https://seattle.eater.com/2023/11/3/23945782/post-alley-pizza-no-longer-making-hoagies-pike-place-market . live .
  20. Web site: Russell . Michael . 2020-08-19 . Portland restaurants serve up fried-chicken specials in memory of chef Cameron Addy . 2023-07-05 . . en . 2020-08-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200822025732/https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2020/08/portland-restaurants-serve-fried-chicken-specials-in-memory-of-chef-cameron-addy.html . live . . 8750-1317.
  21. News: Russell . Michael . August 26, 2020 . Fried-chicken specials pop up in memory of Addy . 022 . The Oregonian . July 21, 2023 . August 22, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200822025732/https://www.oregonlive.com/dining/2020/08/portland-restaurants-serve-fried-chicken-specials-in-memory-of-chef-cameron-addy.html . live .
  22. Web site: Guarente . Gabe . 2021-06-22 . Phinney Ridge Will Get a New Bakery This Fall from a Celebrated Breadmaker . 2022-11-10 . Eater Seattle . en . 2022-11-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221110022434/https://seattle.eater.com/2021/6/22/22545827/bens-bread-plans-phinney-ridge-bakery-fall-2021 . live .
  23. Web site: Ben's Bread Will Bring Its Loaves and Cookies to Phinney Ridge . 2023-07-05 . Seattle Metropolitan . en-US . 2023-05-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230510042105/https://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/2021/07/bens-bread-opening-phinney-ridge-seattle . live .
  24. Web site: 2021-08-29 . Comfort-food favorite French bread pizza is back — and the one you make can be the best ever . 2023-07-05 . The Seattle Times . en-US . 2022-10-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221007003413/https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/comfort-food-favorite-french-bread-pizza-is-back-and-the-one-you-make-can-be-the-best-ever/ . live .
  25. Web site: Regan . Holly . Many of Seattle's Successful Indie Food Businesses are Closing as Landlords Opt for Chains and Established Names . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230418111941/https://www.thestranger.com/food-and-drink/2023/03/29/78922914/food-fighters . 2023-04-18 . 2023-06-30 . . en . 1935-9004 . Yasuaki Saito was co-owner of the London Plane in Pioneer Square, which closed in December. Saito still owns Saint Bread and Post Alley Pizza..
  26. Web site: Saint Bread, a New Destination Bakery, Alights on Portage Bay . 2023-06-30 . . en-US . It’s the brainchild of Yasuaki Saito, an owner in both London Plane and Post Alley Pizza. . 2023-05-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230510042105/https://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/2021/04/saint-bread-bakery-opens-on-portage-bay-seattle . live .
  27. News: Vinh . Tan . February 17, 2023 . Dozens of Seattle-area restaurants join together for quake relief . A12 . The Seattle Times.
  28. Web site: 2006-10-09 . Best Bites . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230630025110/https://www.seattleweekly.com/news/best-bites/ . 2023-06-30 . 2023-06-30 . Seattle Weekly . en-US.
  29. Web site: Uitti . Jake . Pizza Pie Face Off: Searching for the Best Slice in Seattle . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220814101704/https://www.thestranger.com/food-and-drink/2018/01/26/25754930/pizza-pie-face-off-searching-for-the-best-slice-in-seattle . 2022-08-14 . 2022-11-10 . The Stranger . en.
  30. Web site: 2020-12-31 . 4 great spots to grab a scrumptious breakfast sandwich in the Seattle area . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221110020931/https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/4-great-spots-to-grab-a-scrumptious-breakfast-sandwich-in-the-seattle-area/ . 2022-11-10 . 2022-11-10 . . . en-US . 0745-9696 . 9198928.
  31. Web site: Seattle's Best Breakfast Sandwiches . 2022-11-10 . Seattle Metropolitan . en-US . 2022-10-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221007151955/https://www.seattlemet.com/eat-and-drink/the-best-breakfast-sandwiches-in-seattle . live .
  32. Web site: 7 Last-Minute Spring Break Destinations for Sun-Deprived Portlanders . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406120724/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/travel-and-outdoors/last-minute-spring-break-destinations . 2023-04-06 . 2023-06-30 . . en-US . 1546-2765.
  33. Web site: 2020-09-29 . 10 Great Meals for $10 in Seattle . 2023-06-30 . . en . 2023-03-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230321141729/https://www.theinfatuation.com/seattle/guides/seattle-ten-dollar-meals-takeout . live .
  34. Web site: 2022-06-09 . The Seattle Boat Sandwich Guide . 2024-04-12 . The Infatuation . en . 2023-02-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230201132845/https://www.theinfatuation.com/seattle/guides/best-sandwiches-seattle-summer . live .
  35. Web site: 2023-08-28 . J. Kenji López-Alt's Favorite Seattle Lunches for Under $10 . 2023-09-21 . The Infatuation . en . 2023-10-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231001151755/https://www.theinfatuation.com/seattle/guides/j-kenji-lopez-alt-seattle-restaurants . live .
  36. News: Clarridge . Christine . January 24, 2024 . Celebrity foodie J. Kenji López-Alt's Seattle restaurant guide . Axios Seattle.
  37. Web site: Stewart . Jade Yamazaki . 2015-07-24 . Where to Find Exceptional Pizza in Seattle . 2022-11-10 . Eater Seattle . en.
  38. Web site: 2017-06-13 . 20 Great Restaurants Near Pike Place Market . 2022-11-10 . Eater Seattle . en . 2022-10-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221019140027/https://seattle.eater.com/maps/pike-place-market-where-to-eat-seattle . live .
  39. Web site: 2017-06-13 . 19 Great Restaurants Near Pike Place Market . 2023-07-21 . Eater Seattle . en . 2022-10-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221019140027/https://seattle.eater.com/maps/pike-place-market-where-to-eat-seattle . live .
  40. Web site: Grossman . Sophie . 2023-07-20 . The Saint Bread and Post Alley Pizza Owners Are Opening a New Fremont Pizzeria . 2023-07-21 . Eater Seattle . en.

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