Most visitors who come to Pullman, Washington, come from the west side of the state and are usually here to visit Washington State University (WSU). However, once you pass the “Welcome to Pullman” sign, you are going to find another great place before you get to WSU. This place is the Lumberyard Food Hall, and you will see it before you come to the first traffic light on Pullman’s Grand Avenue.
The Lumberyard Food Hall is a Quonset hut that has been around since the 1950s, and it used to be a literal lumberyard with a hardware store inside. Since 2018, it has now a different type of Lumberyard with its grand wooden interior which serves as a multi-cuisine eating and meeting place.
The Lumberyard Food Hall was founded by DJ Goldfinger and Molly Golden, and they have been helping to build thriving businesses in the Palouse for more than 15 years. Together, they created an atmosphere for eating, not to mention a great gathering space for adults, families, and children.
In fact, the Lumberyard Food Hall can be reserved for private events made for family reunions, business meetings, anniversaries, birthdays, corporate events, and all other sorts of get-togethers. There is space available for 350 people, and there is an outdoor patio where you can eat outdoors. The Lumberyard also has a game room with video games and other fun as well like a children’s corner.
Of course, most of those features can be found in any given restaurant, but what makes the Lumberyard different from most restaurants is that the Lumberyard Food Hall is actually four restaurants in one.
The Bowl is made for those who want something healthy and vegetarian. You can choose from an available selection of salads or just build your own with a lot of fresh ingredients. This is in the form of a Salad Bar and a Mac and Cheese Bar, and you can find a wide variety of coffee here as well.
Island Grill has some Island Comfort Food with some great Entrees with rice, as well as rice bowls with your choice of meat. Also on the menu are some great sandwiches like pulled pork and Katsu chicken. There are also some very unusual dishes like Loco Moco, a classic Hawaiian comfort food with a hamburger patty covered in gravy and topped with a fried egg. It may be unusual, but it is delicious.
Tin Tan Tacos was originally founded very close to Washington State University, but now has a location in the Lumberyard. The specialty is late-night tacos and other Mexican foods, such as burritos, with other terrific entrees with several choices of meats. There are also daily specials including a Taco Tuesday and six others for each day of the week.
Timber is another restaurant that was originally founded outside of Lumberyard, formerly known as Stubblefields. Timber’s menu includes a lot of terrific food like wings, hot sandwiches, and burgers, as well as a wide selection of appetizers.
Once you get a good meal at one of these four establishments, you should head over to the bar and get yourself something good to drink. After that, find a place to see the many places, such as the booths, the long tables, or even outdoors on the patio. After you are finished eating, stay for a while and enjoy your company, and get a refill on your drinks. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to leave the Lumberyard Food Hall.
After Lumberyard closes at 9 p.m., this is where the nightlife begins. Lumberyard becomes a whole new world as Timber has its Night Life, complete with a lot of lights, which lasts until 2 AM. The Lumberyard has a place to meet on the second story called the Top Shelf Bar, which is a great place for a lot of people to party.
So whatever you are planning to do in Pullman, plan to do it at the Lumberyard Food Hall. It guarantees to be a casual fun communal experience, and the food is equally great. The Lumberyard Food Hall is not only a great place to meet in Pullman, but it really represents the city community as well as the spirit of WSU as well.