Tacoma residents have at least seven new places to eat and drink after a wave of openings filled storefronts across downtown, the Eastside, Northeast Tacoma, and the Tacoma Mall area between spring and late July.

Three of the new spots landed within a half-mile of each other in the city's core. Jewel Rudolph, who runs Eternal Soul Bowl in Sumner, opened a sister café at 767 Market St. in July, serving açaí bowls ($13.99), smoothies loaded with ashwagandha and maca powder, avocado toasts, and espresso using beans from Sumner's Vinyl Coffee Roasters. The café is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with weekend and evening hours under consideration.

A block south on Broadway, cousins Esteban Regla and Juan Pablo opened Cafeto 21 at 1127 Broadway in early June, filling a storefront that had briefly housed another dessert shop.

The menu features sweet and savory crepes alongside signature drinks honoring the owners' Mexican heritage, including a horchata latte and spiced mocha. Hours are daily, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Fawcett Avenue, the Scelzi family replaced the former Black Fleet Brewing space with Redd Dog Brewing Co., which opened June 17 at 2302 Fawcett Ave. Chef Silver Moren runs the kitchen, turning out mix-and-match tacos, elotes, esquites, and chips and guac.

House beers lean toward easy-drinking styles: a Kölsch, a pilsner, and a Mexican lager, with an Oktoberfest in development. The family is constructing a beer garden with a goal of opening it in late summer. The taproom opens daily at 11:30 a.m.

At Tacoma Mall, Supreme Dumplings opened in June at 4502 S. Steele St., giving Pierce County one of the few dedicated xiao long bao restaurants in the area. The owner, who also founded Kizuki Ramen's Tacoma location in 2019, said he grew confident the mall was ready for another niche Asian restaurant concept, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.

The menu centers on housemade soup dumplings in pork, wagyu beef, shrimp, spicy, and chicken varieties, plus tan tan noodles and mushroom fried rice. Open daily at 11 a.m.

Beyond the city center, Browns Point Saffron Grill opened in early July at 1000 Town Center NE in Northeast Tacoma, replacing a teriyaki restaurant with Indian fare including tandoori specialties and biryani.

Most appetizers run $4 to $14 and mains $14 to $20. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

On the Eastside, La Sazon de mi Suegra opened at 6324 E. McKinley Ave., transitioning from the former El Parche Colombiano. The Colombian and Venezuelan menu features empanadas, bandeja paisa, churrasco, and arepas, with most mains priced $13 to $23. Hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with late-night service Friday and Saturday.

Sai's Kitchen Thai Cuisine rounded out the openings at 4916 Center St. in Center Street Plaza near Fircrest, replacing Song's Teriyaki earlier this spring. The menu includes pad Thai, khao soi, and khao man kai. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Separately, Deputy Mayor Joe Bushnell is soliciting feedback from business owners and unions on a proposed $20 minimum wage for Tacoma, according to a July 14 Tacoma News Tribune report.

If approved by Tuesday, August 4, the measure could head to the November ballot.