written by Lauren Kramer | photography by Woven Seafood & Chophouse

If you want to send your taste buds into complete rapture, pull up a chair at Woven Seafood & Chophouse in Tacoma, and order the misoyaki-glazed cod or the slow-cooked beef short ribs. These two dishes alone represent executive chef Dexter Mina’s incredible culinary talent and his ability to effortlessly blend Hawaiian influences into Pacific Northwest cuisine, adding his favorite Filipino flavors along the way.

Woven, a partnership between the Puyallup Tribe of Indians and celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi, opened on Tacoma’s beautiful Ruston Way in July 2024. The large restaurant is a gallery of exquisite Indigenous art: Dan Friday’s glass salmon swim on one wall, while Ty Juvinel’s painted paddles adorn another. Tables overlook the ocean, and the menu, a tapestry of fusion cuisines, includes a soul-satisfying smoked salmon dip with bannock, phð-inspired pork ribs, seafood paella and ube cheesecake.

“Our goal was to create a dining experience that is woven together as one ohana,” Mina said. “Our open-flame, cherrywood grill is both a culinary centerpiece and a symbolic gathering point, anchoring the restaurant as a place where people naturally come together to connect and create memories over food.”

At Woven, those culinary memories will be superb. The tribal influence is strong and proud in this restaurant, and Mina is an exceptional, Yamaguchi-trained chef with a broad culinary repertoire. So, forget the fish and chips and burger eateries that dot the Tacoma waterfront. Weave your way into Woven instead.

3017 RUSTON WAY
TACOMA
www.eatwoven.com