TACOMA, Wash. — When Gurwinder "Gary" Purewal, the man who resurrected Johnny's Dock Seafood & Grill,  talks about the location of his Tacoma restaurant on Thea Foss Waterway, he can get downright poetic.

"The subtle waves of the backwaters, the waterfront, the view of the boats, it just softens out to the upmost bliss and one relaxes here by the moments," he said. 

The restaurant was named for its original owner Johnny Meaker, the man behind the ubiquitous Johnny's Seasoning. Meaker opened his Johnny's in 1954 with classic Northwest fare. The pandemic forced its closure in 2020.

"We walked in and saw nothing but opportunities here," Purewal said. 

The restaurant will offer some of the same traditional Northwest fare people expect, as well as menu items with an Eastern twist.

"There's Chicken with butter masala flavor," Purewal said. "It  has traveled all around the world and goes well with the Indian side of the cuisine."

Purewal says customers have been enthusiastic so far.

"They're very, very happy to see and enjoy the meals here," he said. "And they're also trying some of the Indian food, which we've added."

When looking for a dockside restaurant in Tacoma, Purewal hopes you'll return to the restaurant opposite The Museum of Glass on the Thea Foss Waterway.

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