Patxi's Pizza

Ballard's new neighborhood restaurant

Patxi's (pronounced PAH-cheese) is full of variety: it brings Chicago-style deep dish pizza and Italian-style thin crust pizza to us via San Francisco. It offers whole wheat, white flour, and naturally vegan crusts, as well as gluten-free crusts (although the gluten-free crust is made in the kitchen where wheat flour is present, so it's not a 100% guarantee). They also have a cornmeal pan crust that is a slightly-lighter pan pizza, and a vegan mozzarella.

It all started in 2004 when two friends, Bill Freeman (entrepreneur and pizza lover) and Francisco "Patxi" Azpiroz (pizza maker) decided to get into the hospitality industry. In June 2014, they celebrated 10 years with 12 locations and two more on the way (Santa Barbara and Ballard). According to Bill, "We started in San Francisco since that's where Patxi and I live, and have naturally grown to nine stores around the Bay Area. We chose Denver as our second city in part because it has a similar vibe and lifestyle to San Francisco and in part because we love going there! Our thinking was the same for Seattle-a very laid back and outdoorsy town with a thriving food scene. We're really excited to add Settle to our list of cities we get to visit all the time." There are now three stores in Denver.

Patxi Azpiroz

Their concept is based on using the freshest ingredients: homemade sauce and dough, naturally cured artisan meats, and an eye toward caring for the environment. "My passion is pizza and it's an honor to bring Patxi's Pizza to a new community in Seattle," says Patxi. "You won't find any stovetops, deep fryers or freezers at Patxi's. Instead we prepare all of our dishes using fresh ingredients, sourced locally when possible." Restaurants are designed to be full-service, welcoming places, with beer, wine ($9 corkage fee), and cocktails, appetizers and salads in addition to the pizza. "We're really proud of our gluten-free thin crust and are excited to offer it in both the 10" and 14" thin crust sizes. We also try to accommodate other dietary restrictions," says Bill.

Seattle has been on their radar for awhile. "We've been thinking about it for five years now, and began the process of making it happen in 2012. We love the Ballard neighborhood for its historic charm and authenticity. We also felt there was a need for a pizza restaurant with a more upscale atmosphere-we love that at Patxi's you can come for great tasting pizza made with quality ingredients and have a nice, modern full-service experience," explains Bill.

Bill Freeman

They'll be located in Ballard's historic Sanborn Building, originally built in 1901. Inside there are exposed brick walls, reclaimed hardwood floors, tall ceilings, a central island bar and lots of natural light.

Delivery will be offered: Ship Canal and Salmon Bay to the south, Puget Sound to the west, NW 80^th Street to the north, and Highway 99 to the east. But then you'd miss the fun of hanging around the neighborhood's newest spot. Patxi's is planning an early August 2014 opening.

Connie Adams/July 2014

Patxi's Pizza
5323 Ballad Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
www.patxispizza.com