One hundred thousand dollars in unpaid rent left behind by Capitol Hill pizzeria

Fat Tomato Pizza — a Capitol Hill eatery that has built a unique reputation over the past three years — has closed 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 owner for nine months of unpaid rent, which equaled $96,815 in September.

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

More news about local entrepreneurs: Shoreline closes cafe for operating ‘cabaret for adults’ outside office hours

The company’s mysterious workings fascinated Capitol Hill residents before its closure, so much so that there were several Reddit threads were posted by (mostly) one-time customers reflecting on the inner workings of the establishment. This includes one person speculating that it may have been a front for criminal activity, despite the location being across the street from police headquarters.

“Strange hours (not open on Saturday or Sunday nights), terrible Google reviews, always empty, and pretty prime real estate,” one Reddit user asked in the recently created thread: Is Fat Tomato Pizza in Capitol Hill a money laundering company? “What’s the story here, does anyone know?”

“I think about this every time I walk by,” another Reddit user commented. “It is opened infrequently and irregularly, usually completely closed, even during the hours listed as open. The rent must be crazy at 12th and Pine in the same building as Eltana. I’m always amazed.”

MyNorthwest has not independently confirmed that Fat Tomato Pizza was conducting any illegal activities prior to its closure.

There were multiple mentions of this establishment being a cashless business.

Looking at the restaurant menu Toastit shows a fairly robust range of selections including specialty pizzas, pizza by the slice, homemade pizza customization, appetizers including fish and chips, salads, pasta and Tai tea drinks.

However, the reviews left a lot to be desired. According to Google Reviews, Fat Tomato Pizza received an average of 2.4 out of five stars.

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

More WA news: Lawsuits accusing WA hotels of facilitating sex trafficking

“I should have known it would be bad because it was empty at 8pm on a Thursday night,” another Google review with 1 star 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 undercooked. Her pizza was somehow raw too. We are now both suffering from stomach aches. Save your money.”

Whether it was just a floundering business struggling to stay afloat, or a front for something much more sinister, the venue’s management is now looking for a new tenant once everything is cleared up.

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

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