Smoking Monkey Pizza, an award-winning restaurant founded in Renton, Washington, has expanded to the Inland Northwest with the opening of its third location — this one across from The Davenport Hotel.

“Smoking Monkey is flavorful,” says owner Tushar Batra, who goes by Tom. “It’s not an order-your-pizza place. It’s a vibe.”

The Spokane location opened Aug. 16 and serves a wide variety of wood-fired pizzas, handcrafted calzones, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, and desserts. Batra says Smoking Monkey sold more than 400 meatballs from its appetizer menu in the first week alone.

Located at 816 W. Sprague, Smoking Monkey Pizza occupies a 2,400-square-foot, ground-level space with seating for 60. The location was formerly occupied by Thunder Pie Pizza.

Of the 40 total employees across three locations, the Spokane restaurant employs 15. The other Smoking Monkey locations are in Renton and Seattle, the latter of which Batra opened in 2024.

The restaurant is open year-round, including holidays, Batra says.

Spokane hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight. Extended weekend hours are coming soon, he says.

Batra says his most popular pizza — out of more than 30 options — is the Monkey King’s Feast, made with marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, salami, and Parmesan cheese.

Salads include the Monkey Caprese Salad, Buffalo Chicken Bowl, and Smoking Monkey’s most popular option: the Pear Salad, made with Gorgonzola, cashews, basil, sliced pear, and lemon vinaigrette.

Batra says all menu items are made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients.

“You just can’t make a good pie with simple ingredients,” he says.

Smoking Monkey Pizza uses Shepherd’s Grain flour, sourced from Washington state, and California plum tomatoes. All desserts — including tiramisu, Nutella pizza, and cheesecake — are made in-house.

The restaurant also offers a gluten-free crust for a small additional fee.

The restaurant’s vibrant walls are covered in colorful artwork featuring monkeys puffing on cigars, Gonzaga’s bulldog mascot, and a large selfie area. The playful imagery draws in both adults and kids, Batra says.

“It’s fun, it’s attractive, and we have parties every day,” he says. “We do baby showers, birthday parties, anniversaries, and cake cuttings.”

During holidays, the restaurant gets festive with themed menu items.

“We do Valentine’s pies; Halloween pies; and red, white, and blue Fourth of July pies,” he says.

Smoking Monkey runs a happy hour from 3-6 p.m., featuring $10 eight-inch pizzas, $5 house wines, $4 draft beers, and $7 signature cocktails. There's also a "roll-the-dice" promotion, through which if customers roll a six, their meal is free.

In addition, the restaurant offers 10% off dine-in orders on Friday and Saturday.

Guests can reserve a decorated party space with a $50 refundable deposit, Batra adds.

Smoking Monkey Pizza was voted Renton’s Best Pizza in 2024, continuing a long list of awards earned over the past ten years, Batra says.

Batra says he chose Spokane because of his love for Gonzaga basketball and a strong interest in downtown locations.

“Spokane is a growing city right now,” he says. “There are large events going on and a lot of offices downtown.”

Batra says he has big plans for expansion.

A golden gorilla statue sits inside each location, symbolizing his long-term vision.

“That gorilla is my inspiration, my motivation,” he says. “I bought 36 of them. My goal is to open 36 stores.”

Small Bites

Play It Again Sports, a resale sporting goods franchise, has opened in Spokane Valley at 15412 E. Sprague. The 4,000-square-foot store sells new and used gear for sports ranging from baseball and softball to golf and skiing. The local franchise is owned by Jessie and Heather Willmon.

Play It Again Sports is owned by Minneapolis-based Winmark Corp., which operates over 300 locations nationwide. Winmark also owns Plato’s Closet, Once Upon A Child, Style Encore, and Music Go Round.

Wings Pan, a Cheney-based restaurant, is opening a second location, this one on Spokane's North Side, at 7115 N. Division, next to Golden Corral.

According to its Facebook page, Wings Pan recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its Cheney location at 401 First Street. The restaurant offers buffalo wings, Korean fried chicken, Korean barbecue bowls, and a variety of entrees.