Kōbo Pizza
| Kōbo Pizza | |
|---|---|
Exterior of the Pike Motorworks building with signage for Redhook Brewlab and Kōbo Pizza in 2023 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | September 10, 2022 |
| Closed | October 31, 2024 |
| Owner(s) | Shota Nakajima |
| Street address | 714 East Pike Street |
| City | Seattle |
| County | King |
| State | Washington |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 98122 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 47°36′51″N 122°19′22″W / 47.6143°N 122.3227°W |
Kōbo Pizza was a pizzeria in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.[1][2][3] Owner Shota Nakajima opened the restaurant in the Pike Motorworks building on Capitol Hill in September 2022. It closed permanently in October 2024.
Description
Kōbo Pizza operated at Redhook Brewlab, in the Pike Motorworks building on East Pike Street on Seattle's Capitol Hill, serving square-shaped[4] Detroit-style pizza. "Kōbo" means "yeast" in Japanese. Pizza dough was made with milk, buttermilk, and clarified butter to resemble Japanese milk bread.[5]
Pizza varieties included The Flat-Earther, a variant of the Pizza Margherita with mozzarella and basil on a red sauce,[6] and The Hot Neighbor, which had fried chicken from the neighboring restaurant Taku, as well as Monterey Jack, cilantro, and koji hot sauce. The Dodger, which was named after the owner's dog, had teriyaki brisket, cheddar cheese, tonkatsu, and Kewpie mayonnaise.[5][6] The Ginny had pepperoni, cheese, and garlic honey.[7] Some pizzas, including The Dodger,[6] also had shredded cabbage.[5]
In addition to pizzas, the restaurant served small corn dogs, tater tots with chili jam ketchup, small pretzels with miso beer cheese, and deep-fried broccoli with chili sauce.[5] The Hill-D Cheese was a grilled cheese on sourdough, served with a blend of four cheeses and a bowl of tomato soup. The Hot Leg was a chicken leg with koji hot sauce, seaweed ranch, and pickled celery.[6]
History
Shota Nakajima opened Kōbo Pizza on September 10, 2022, next to his restaurant Taku.[5][8][9] Kōbo was his second restaurant in the city.[10] It replaced the food menu previously served by Redhook Brewlab.[11]
As a New Year's Eve special, the restaurant served East Coast–inspired pizzas from December 28 to 31. On New Year's Day in 2023, Kōbo served brunch with banana and miso cinnamon rolls, Japanese pancakes with coconut-infused maple syrup, and pork katsu with eggs and kimchi hollandaise sauce. The brunch also included cocktails made by Redhook Brewlab.[12]
In October 2024, Nakajima announced plans to close Kōbo permanently on October 31. He wrote in a closing announcement, "We got to make some seriously dope pizza and connect with all of you in the community. A huge thank you to each and every one of you who stopped by, supported us, and shared in the love of good food."[13][14][15] Bethany Jean Clement, a food writer for The Seattle Times, said Nakajima "retroactively [branded]" the business as a pop-up in the announcement.[16] The restaurant's final special pizza was the Wandering Forager.[13]
Reception
Hayley Hamilton Cogill included Kōbo in Tasting Table's 2023 list of the 20 best restaurants from Top Chef contestants.[17]
See also
References
- ^ "3 new Seattle-area pizza places — including one from a local food celeb". The Seattle Times. 2022-12-28. Archived from the original on 2024-08-02. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "CHEF SHOTA NAKAJIMA PARTNERS WITH REDHOOK BREWLAB TO BRING NEW PIZZA CONCEPT TO CAPITOL HILL". Sip Magazine. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ Burnstead, Brandon (2023-01-10). "Chef Shota creates Japanese-fusion, Detroit-style pizza at Kobo". Seattle Refined. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "Pizza Anarchy in Seattle: One City's Fierce Debate Over Regional Pizza Styles and Authenticity". Seattle Metropolitan. Archived from the original on 2024-05-08. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ a b c d e Stewart, Jade Yamazaki (2022-09-08). "Shota Nakajima Is Opening a Chaotic Japanese Detroit-Style Pizza Shop in Capitol Hill". Eater Seattle. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ a b c d "Pizza and beer pair perfectly at Redhook Brewlab and Kobo Pizza on Capitol Hill". king5.com. 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ "New pairing at Capitol Hill's Redhook Brewlab as Chef Shota brings Kōbo and its Detroit+Osaka pizzas to E Pike". Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ Thompson, Joey (September 9, 2022). "Rising star chef to open Detroit-style pizza shop inside Capitol Hill's Redhook Brewlab". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ "New Seattle Restaurants in September 2022: Pizza, Turkish Food, Korean". Seattle Metropolitan. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "Chef Shota Nakajima's 'stubborness and grit' led to success in the kitchen". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "Kōbo Pizza - Review - Capitol Hill - Seattle". The Infatuation. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "Where to Have New Year's Eve Dinner (and Brunch) around Seattle | 2022". Seattle Metropolitan. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ a b "Chef Shota's Capitol Hill pizza pop-up Kōbo ending two-year run on E Pike". Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. 2024-10-10. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "This Week's Food News from Ho Ho, Kobo, and the Wedgwood Broiler". Seattle Metropolitan. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "Seattle 'Top Chef' closes pizza spot — and 17 more restaurant shutdowns". The Seattle Times. 2024-11-29. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ "Toasting Seattle restaurants we'll miss after closing in 2024". The Seattle Times. 2024-12-25. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
- ^ Cogill, Hayley Hamilton (2023-04-25). "The 20 Best Restaurants From Top Chef Contestants". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2025-06-09.