Beloved Seattle pizzeria to close after more than 16 years

The Independent Pizzeria in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood will close permanently Friday, Oct. 16, after more than 16 years serving the community.

Owner Tom Siegel is ready to retire, the family-owned restaurant announced.

Siegel, a New York native, taught himself to make pizza and developed the restaurant’s signature dough in his home oven before opening the pizzeria with his wife, Tora B. Hennessey, in April 2010.

Seattle pizzeria prepares to hand space over to new owner

After years of living and traveling in Europe, Siegel dreamed of opening his own pizzeria. The couple launched The Independent Pizzeria with a simple goal to serve affordable, delicious food and drinks in a cozy, relaxed setting.

The restaurant said it is working to hand the space over to a new owner it believes will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. More details will be shared once the transition is finalized.

Demand for the final day of service has been high. The pizzeria announced Thursday that it had sold out before 7:30 a.m., including its famous tiramisu, which will not be restocked for the final shift on Friday.

Several customers reacted to the closing on social media.

“Grilled bread will forever be in my heart,” one patron said. “Thanks for all the delicious meals over the years!”

Another said, “Man, I’m going to miss this pizza. Thank you for all the years and best of luck in retirement! Cheers!!!”

One of the owners, Tora, announced Oct. 8 on Instagram that they’d be closing their doors:

“We are closing the Inde. Tom is ready to retire. He’s in his early 60s. Yeah, so it’s time. 17 years. In the meantime, we’re going to be working on handing the space off to the new owner. We’re really excited about her. You guys are going to love her, and we just think this next chapter is going to be a great, beautiful addition to this community,” owner Hennessey announced on Instagram. “Thank you so much for your support over these years. You guys have been amazing. We’re really lucky. This has been a pretty beautiful journey for us. So, thank you.”

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