Shakey's Pizza Parlor — Restaurant in Washington

tl;dr - The nostalgia is real. The pizza is very good. If you haven't been to Shakey's since 1982, you owe yourself a visit.

The pizza at the Renton Shakey's is pretty darned good, as long as you set your expectations properly. This is not gourmet. This is not trendy. This is the last Washington location of a national pizza chain that was founded about 70 years ago and has been in decline since the 1980's. So think of this place as a predecessor to the current national chains and set your expectations accordingly.

The cool thing is that they seem to have stayed reasonably true to their old-school menus and, as far as I can tell, the food seems to be just about the same as what I last had 40 years ago. So if you've ever wondered what kind of pizza west coast kids were eating during the disco era, you can try this for a pretty close approximation. Shakey's pizza features a very dense and crispy crust, tangy tomato sauce with a minimum of seasoning, and (according to their box), whole milk mozzarella for a classic stringy cheese pull. My pizza's meat toppings were pedestrian but flavorful and satisfying. I didn't get the potatoes or chicken, but, frankly, I seldom got them in the past either.

The dining area, however, had been nicely updated in the intervening years, although the video games, subdued lighting, and prominent salad bar were subtle nods to a prior era. And, unlike older Shakey's locations, there was no seating around a central fireplace. I didn't expect it, but it would have been kind of cool.

Counter service was super-friendly and my pizza was ready before the time promised. A-plus. I paid about $30 for my large pizza, which means that Shakey's isn't going into a regular dinner rotation, but as an occasional memory lane treat, I was happy to pony up the cash.

On my personal scale, based on the Portnoy Rules (which everybody knows) and my personal taste, Shakey's is...

This restaurant doesn't deserve your business. Unfortunately, you can find better pizza and service elsewhere. "Sage", one of the main young ladies at the counter of Shakey's really put a damper on our experience. My group, of about 20, came to Shakey's to reminisce, as the location we are from no longer exists. There seemed to be a lack of menu's, or rather, an understanding of how my large party was supposed to order as there seemed to be no formal menu. Someone in my party saw a menu on the counter and thought it was their menu booklette, we began to use it to make our decisions when "Sage" takes the menu quite abruptly with a "Can I have this?". Understood, we took the wrong menu. No harm, no foul, we had a misunderstanding, but we still needed a menu. I follow Sage up to the counter to inquire her name and ask for a menu. The way she retracted the menu was unnecessary. While waiting to take pictures of the menu, an older gentleman goes to the counter to inquire about more plates for their salad bar as he his table did not receive their plates. She grabs a handful of plates and hands him 1. He says "The rest of my table also needs their plates" and her response was "Did you pay for them?" he responds "Yes". I found this exchange disturbing, and the tone she took with him was quite condescending. Upon receiving plates for our pizza, they were wet with pools of water in them. :( I tried to keep a hopeful attitude towards everything. Maybe this is just a reflection of the server and not the whole restaurant itself, until someone in my party found cardboard pieces in their food (picture provided) and one of the childrens pizzas never...

I have loved Shakey's Pizza since I was a kid 30+ years ago and still remember when they had multiple locations and Karaoke on Friday night. It's truly a loss for the community when a beloved restaurant closes its doors after 70 years.

I made sure to show up way before they opened yesterday at 2pm and was still 20th in line. If this doesn't prove the need for places like this - I don't know what else will. I doubt it will happen, but I hope someone chasing that nostalgia can figure a way of franchising a new Shakey's that can last another 70 years.

The pizza is great and made with real toppings and cheese - not fake ingredients mass produced for cost cutting. The Mojo's are incredible and I still can't help but to burn my mouth every single time I buy them - because I'm that excited to take a bite of delicious food and nostalgia.

The mini arcade and quarter machines perfectly occupy the kids while waiting for the food to arrive all while being able to relax and enjoy a casual dinner with family and friends. I have attended more birthdays and sports functions here than I can count and every time I drive by notice the sign congratulating someone on a birthday or accomplishment.

The community will miss Shakey's - but unlike most places closing doors these days - this Shakey's left with their integrity and fans intact. That's why people will remember this restaurant. Thank you guys for all the sports teams you have sponsored over the years also!

Hard not to be a little emotional about losing a great place but I doubt I'm the only one that feels this way. Enjoy retirement and thank you for all you...