After six years serving King County via a successful mobile operation, In Pizza We Crust, a local foodie family, has opened its first permanent restaurant location in Admiral at 3207 California Ave SW, in the former Swinery location near Hanford Street.

The Tran family, passionate about pizza and the community, began their journey with a wood-fired pizza food truck in Bellevue in February 2019.

The leap into business was sparked by consistent encouragement from their inner circle. Owner Stephanie Tran explained that the idea was completely community-driven: “Friends and family drove the idea after years of perfecting our dough and sauce. Every time they would have our pizza they would suggest it so we decided to start a food truck”.

While the food truck still exists, it is currently on “pause to get the restaurant up and going. We’ll likely resume again in the spring”.

The Road Less Traveled: A Food Truck Anecdote

Operating a food truck for years led to plenty of unique challenges, including one particularly memorable instance involving catering a wedding in Seattle. Stephanie recalled a difficult day navigating the truck and trailer:

“We were hired to cater a wedding at a park in Seattle and had no idea the road to the park had a low overpass. It was a windy two lane road which brought us to a halt when we came to. It took us 45 minutes to turn the truck and trailer around as the space was very tight. Traffic was not able to go through until we turned around. Luckily there was another route and we were able to get to the location and do the event”.

A Philosophy of Perfection

The heart of In Pizza We Crust lies in its dedication to a consistent, high-quality product. The Tran family took over two years to perfect the dough to achieve a crust that is both chewy and crunchy. This signature crust is paired with a hearty, scratch-made red sauce, though the menu also features creative bases like hot chili oil, pesto, or BBQ sauce, and occasionally "off the grid options" such as curries.

This focus on consistency is part of the Tran's core business philosophy: “Every pizza needs to be perfect with ingredients evenly distributed to look uniform to represent the brand”.

The creative spirit of the family is also evident in the menu. All pizzas are named starting with "I'm" and represent different "statuses". Stephanie elaborated on how these names came about: “I’m Basic is pepperoni, I’m Boring is cheese, and I’m Taboo is pepperoni and pineapple, because pineapple on pizza is controversial”.

With 9 traditional red sauce pizzas, 4 specialty pizzas, 2 cheese breads, and 1 dessert pizza, the menu utilizes 22 different toppings. For those curious about the source's own taste, Stephanie said, “My favorite pizza is I’m Chillin with hot chili oil base, mozzarella, pepperoni, grape tomatoes, ricotta cheese and fresh basil”.

It Takes a Village

In Pizza We Crust is truly a family affair, with every member playing a crucial daily role. Even the restaurant’s name was a group effort; Stephanie revealed that son Tyler “came up with the name as we brainstormed together”.

Describing the daily operation, she provided a comprehensive look at who does what:

“In a nutshell, we are all involved. My husband Stan helps open everyday and makes the dough. My sons, Tyler and Tristan help daily with building and cooking the pizzas, menu creation, operations, etc. My 3rd son, Travis works part time after he finishes his day job helping with the busy dinner rush. I’m there from open to close everyday making the sauce, baking brookies (brownie/cookie bars), making salads, etc. When we aren’t busy I do the books, order ingredients etc. My mom gets involved from time to time to help with the curry sauce, brookies and whatever needs to be done. Tyler’s girlfriend Sam is going to be doing social media work in the near future. It takes a village but we make it happen”.

Dining at the Admiral Location

The new location offers both indoor and outdoor seating. The interior features a small dining space with five tables. The showpiece is the covered outdoor courtyard, which is where the wood-fired pizza oven is located. The oven, which took about two months to build, was constructed by the "very talented masonry duo" Johnny and Kevin of Lafayette Masonry.

In addition to 10″ and 14″ pizzas, the restaurant serves unique cheesy bread sticks, fresh salads, homemade desserts (like brookies), beer, wine, and soft drinks. Customers can currently call ahead for pick up or dine in. Catering is also available via the food truck or drop-off service. The business plans to introduce online ordering through its website soon, which will include a delivery option.

In Pizza We Crust is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 am to 9 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm, and Sunday from 12 pm to 8 pm, remaining closed on Mondays.

Call them at 206-708-6923 to order.