The last day at The Independent Pizzeria sold out a day early. MyNorthwest reported that on Thursday, October 15, the restaurant said its final service was gone before 7:30 a.m., famous tiramisu included, and none would be restocked for Friday's final shift. On October 16, the pizzeria at 4235 E Madison St served its last pies after nearly 17 years.
Tom Siegel and Tora Hennessey have said they're handing the space directly to a new owner, and that they're excited about her. That changes what this fall means for the block. Madison Park isn't waiting to see whether the space gets filled. It's waiting to hear who is taking it over, and the owners have given a date. They plan to share more on November 1, the morning after Halloween trick-or-treating moves through the business district.
A handoff, not a vacancy
Siegel taught himself to make pizza and worked out the restaurant's dough in his home oven. He and Hennessey opened the pizzeria in April 2010, according to MyNorthwest. They gave a simple reason for closing. Siegel is ready to retire.
The part that matters for the block came in Hennessey's October 8 Instagram announcement, which MyNorthwest quoted:
"In the meantime, we're going to be working on handing the space off to the new owner. We're really excited about her. You guys are going to love her, and we just think this next chapter is going to be a great, beautiful addition to this community."
Since then, the restaurant's website has replaced its menu with a farewell. It says the owners are "very excited about the next restaurant moving into this location" and will share more on Instagram on November 1. WhatNow Seattle's coverage describes the incoming owner the same way, without a name. As of this week, nobody has publicly said who she is or what she'll cook. What the departing owners have said is that the next restaurant will be a welcome addition to this neighborhood.
The farewell on theindiepizzeria.com is worth reading in full for its tone. Tom plans to meditate, cook dinner and eventually care for two future dogs already named Lady Beefstix and Lady Bortus. Tora plans to get back to her oil paintings. The couple signed the page with "Remember to be kind. It costs nothing."
Where Tuesday night goes in the meantime
The Independent was the village's casual pizza table. Until the new restaurant opens, the nearest options for an easy dinner are all within a short walk of the dark storefront:
- Cactus, 4220 E Madison St. Southwestern and Mexican-inspired cooking. It posts daily hours and weekend brunch, and Friends of Madison Park notes its long run in the neighborhood.
- McGilvra's Bar & Restaurant, 4234 E Madison St. Irish pub and American fare on the same stretch of E Madison. Its website says families are welcome and lists daily hours.
- Bamboo Thai Cuisine, 1841 42nd Ave E. Its website calls it a relaxed, family-style restaurant and lists daily lunch and dinner hours.
- Madison Kitchen, 4122 E Madison St. A casual cafe open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily with online ordering. That makes it a daytime stop rather than a dinner one.
For a glass of wine before or after, Parlour Wines is on the ground floor at 1803 42nd Ave E. It's a wine bar and bottle shop, open Wednesday through Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m. It comes up again below, because it also hosts the neighborhood's monthly book club.
Hours change with the season. Check each restaurant's own website before you walk over.
The countdown runs through the business district
The weeks around the November 1 update are some of the busiest on the Madison Park calendar, and most of it happens in the same business district as 4235 E Madison. Here are the dates from the Friends of Madison Park events calendar, in order:
- Wednesday, October 28. Mad Book Club at Parlour Wines. The October meeting covered Han Kang's We Do Not Part. Parlour's own site says it hosts the Madison Park Books book club each month.
- Saturday, October 31, 4 to 7 p.m. Trick or Treat in Madison Park. Shops across the business district hand out candy. The Costumed Pup Parade meets by the tennis courts at 4 p.m., the Madison Park Preschool Co-op runs a photo booth in Triangle Park, and a live DJ plays. One part of the listing calls it Friday, but October 31 falls on a Saturday this year, which matches the calendar date.
- Sunday, November 1. The Independent's update. The owners plan to share more about the next restaurant on their Instagram account, @independentpizzeria.
- Thursday, November 5. Martha E. Harris Flowers & Gifts Holiday Open House. The event header says 1 to 6 p.m. and the description says 1 to 5 p.m., so plan for the afternoon.
- Tuesday, November 10. Friends of Madison Park community meeting. Moved from October, the meeting will show architects' schematic designs for the Bathhouse Renovation and Shoreline Restoration project.
- Saturday, November 14. Fall cleanup. Volunteers check in near the Bank of America parking lot.
- Wednesday, November 25. Mad Book Club at Parlour Wines. The November pick is Italo Calvino's If On a Winter's Night a Traveler.
Halloween afternoon overlaps most closely with the closing. Trick-or-treating goes shop to shop through the same storefront district where the pizzeria stood, and the owners' update is due the next day.
The other building with a design on the table
The November 10 meeting picks up a thread from earlier this fall. We covered how a ten-year preschool lease shaped the future of the Madison Park bathhouse and how neighborhood fundraising became part of paying for its renovation. The schematic designs on the agenda are the first look at what that renovation and the shoreline restoration might be.
The Independent and the bathhouse have something in common this season. In both cases, the people closest to the space are shaping what happens to it next. At the pizzeria, the departing owners are handing the space to a new owner. At the beach, a long-term tenant and community fundraising are shaping the plans. Both updates are scheduled within ten days of each other.
What to watch on November 1
When the Instagram post goes up, three details will tell the neighborhood the most. The first is what kind of food the new owner plans to serve. The Independent's stated goal was affordable food and drinks in a cozy, relaxed room, and the village's casual dinner options are a short list. The second is timing. The owners have said only that they are working to hand over the space, so an opening date would be the first real schedule anyone has shared. The third is whether she's new to Madison Park. So far, the owners have said only that the next restaurant will be "a beautiful addition" to the community.
Until then, the storefront at 4235 E Madison stays dark, though its owners say a new owner is already on the way.
Changes like this one shape how a block feels to the people who live on it, and to anyone deciding whether to join them. Melissa Boucher follows Madison Park closely, and if you'd like to talk about what's changing near your home or what it could mean for a future move, Let's Connect.