Artisanal Pizza in Downtown Renton (DTR)

Our pizzeria is a blend of old world and new world: local and international. Our artisan pizza is made in the traditional, hand tossed method, in our brick oven.  We strive to follow tradition, but not to be bound by it as we explore current trends. Our menu includes traditional Italian recipes, as well as our own favorites.

Our passion for quality is clear, whether you choose our traditional Margherita or Roma Bianca pizzas, pear/gorgonzola/prosciutto DTR pizza, or Smoking Monkey stromboli. Our formula is simple: simple recipes, using the best ingredients. We use local ingredients wherever possible, and the best imports when local products are not available.

Locally sourced ingredients:

Mozzarella and ricotta: House made in Renton, WA

Vegetables: Whistling Train Farm, Kent, WA

Flour: milled by Shepherd's Grain, Eastern WA

Gelato: Gelatiamo, Seattle, WA

Sausage & meats: CasCioppo Brothers, Seattle, WA

Our hand-tossed crust is nearly life-changing!

We feature a Northern Italian style thin crust. We make it daily from scratch! Come taste the difference quality ingredients make. We also have a delicious gluten-free crust that is available on request.

The freshest possible salads...

Our salad greens don't sit in refrigerated warehouses for weeks before making an appearance at your table! They come from our local CSA farm, Whistling Train Farms, in Kent, WA. We combine these liberally with cheeses, nuts, house made dressings, and other tasty salad goodies to make this common side dish an uncommonly tasty treat.

Our desserts are legendary...

Smoking Monkey's own Dave Graves makes most of the tarts himself. We source the freshest possible fruit, often from the Renton Farmer's Market at the Piazza directly across the street from Smoking Monkey Pizza. From rustic tarts to made-from-scratch cakes, our pastries are always fresh and in demand. Ask your server what is on the menu today!

The story of the name "Smoking Monkey Pizza"

Dave Graves used to belong to a "dinner club": a group of friends who would meet regularly for dinner, drinks, and comraderie. At one of these dinner events, another member told the story of his childhood and a monkey vending machine. According to the story, when you drop money into the machine, a cigarette would be dispensed to a live monkey, who would smoke the cigarette. A mischievous child, the member would save his money for the weekend, and spend it all on the machine to make the monkey chain smoke. This memorable story gave way to the dinner club being renamed the "Smoking Monkey Dinner Club." When Dave Graves opened his restaurant in January 2012, he named his restaurant "Smoking Monkey Pizza" because "Smoking Monkey Dinner Club" was just a little too long.