Capitol Hill pizzeria abandons location, leaves behind $100K in unpaid rent

Fat Tomato Pizza — an eatery in Capitol Hill that developed a unique reputation over the last three years — has shuttered its doors, leaving behind thousands of dollars in unpaid rent.

Court records obtained by Capitol Hill Seattle Blog revealed that Equity Residential Management, the owners of the restaurant space, is suing the restaurant’s ownership regarding nine months of unpaid rent, equalling $96,815 as of September.

Multiple court filings and notices have been posted at the now-shuttered restaurant located on 12th and Pine, across the street from the Capitol Hill police precinct that became home to CHOP in 2020.

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The business’ mysterious ways fascinated the residents of Capitol Hill before its closure, so much so that multiple Reddit threads were posted by (mostly) one-time customers pondering the inner workings of the establishment. That includes one person speculating that it might have been a front for some criminal activity despite its location being across from police headquarters.

“Weird hours (not open Saturday or Sunday night), horrible Google reviews, always empty and fairly prime real estate,” a Reddit user asked in the recently-created thread: Is Fat Tomato Pizza in Capitol Hill a money laundering business? “What’s the story here, does anyone know?”

“I think about this every time I walk by the place,” another Reddit user responded. “It’s open rarely and irregularly, most of the time completely closed, even during hours listed as open. The rent has to be insane on 12th and Pine in the same building as Eltana. I’m always puzzled.”

MyNorthwest has not independently confirmed that Fat Tomato Pizza was conducting any illegal activities ahead of its closing.

There were multiple mentions that this establishment was a cashless business.

Looking at the restaurant’s menu on Toast, it shows a moderately robust offering of selections, including specialty pizzas, pizza by the slice, build-your-own pizza customization, appetizers including fish and chips, salads, pasta and Tai tea beverages.

The reviews, however, left a lot to be desired. According to Google Reviews, Fat Tomato Pizza averaged 2.4 stars out of five.

“This is obviously a front,” one 1-star Google review for Fat Tomato Pizza read. “This is the worst pizza I have ever had by far. The food tasted like it was 3D printed. Always empty. Do not waste your time or money on this horrific ‘pizza’ place.”

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“Should have known it would be bad because it was empty on a Thursday night at 8 p.m.,” another 1-star Google review read. “Ordered garlic knots, which were somehow both burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. Friend got a slice of mushroom olive sausage pizza and the mushrooms were not cooked. Her pizza was also somehow raw. We’re both suffering from stomach aches now. Save your money.”

Whether it was merely a floundering business struggling to stay afloat, or a front for something much more sinister, the location’s management is now searching for a new tenant once everything is cleaned out.

The restaurant space was previously home to Gnocchi Bar and D’Ambrosio Gelateria Artigianale before that. The spot’s first tenant, Italian lounge concept Varro, flamed out after owing thousands in rent after only a few months of business on 12th Avenue, according to the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.