James Beard-nominated chef will open a pizzeria in Walla Walla

Celebrated chef Mike Easton and his wife Erin Easton, whose restaurant Bar Bacetto was nominated in January for Best New Restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation, will open a pizzeria in Walla Walla this summer.

Mike Easton, the former Seattle resident behind the restaurants Il Nido and Il Corvo, confirmed Tuesday that he closed a deal to take over an old restaurant space in the north end of Walla Walla. There he will open Bacetto’s Detroit Style, a cocktail bar with a menu of pan pizzas at 1619 E. Isaacs Ave.

Unlike their 20-seat Bar Bacetto in Waitsburg, at which it was difficult to score a reservation even before the national accolades, the Eastons’ offshoot 20 miles southwest in Walla Walla will be more accessible, with a takeout window planned for to-go orders and slices available in the bar for quicker service.

Easton hinted that customers who trek to Eastern Washington for this much-anticipated opening may see a dark rock ‘n’ roll vibe similar to the West Seattle dive Supreme, which was one of Easton’s favorite Emerald City hangouts before he moved east.

“That was one of our favorite go-to spots when we were living in Seattle,” Easton said last week, “so we are trying to re-create it in Walla Walla.”

In 2011, Easton opened a seminal Seattle restaurant, Il Corvo, milling his own flour to make pasta at Pike Place Market. That lauded pasta spot moved to Pioneer Square two years later and eventually closed during the pandemic as Easton focused on his then-new high-end restaurant near Alki Beach, Il Nido. Easton sold Il Nido in 2022 to his employees so he could move east to open Bar Bacetto, which he said is the old Il Corvo going by a different name.

And for Seattleites who are jonesing for Easton’s pie but don’t want to make the four-plus-hour drive east, check out Fremont’s great Detroit-style pizza pop-up, My Friend Derek’s. Easton is a big fan of this pizza shop, which plans to open a brick-and-mortar location this year.