This place has been here forever. The food court is quite diverse, with food from all over the globe at good prices. The eating area is long narrow tables in the center of all the little food shops. On either side of the food court are tiny shops with specialty items. The atmosphere is slightly touristy. Don't expect a Target here. The art gallery is one of the best in Tacoma. The crowds don't throng here, but it would be nice to see that change, as the little stores along the single long corridor are chock full of crystals and quilts and beautiful craft work. read more

I am here often, I love this place! The antique rustic setting is a great environment to just sit and read while enjoying a snack from one of the delicious restaurants housed there. This really is a hidden gem for those not familiar with the downtown area worth exploring. read more

Freighthouse Square - What a nice spot to be able to relax and take in some food and culture than the historic Freighthouse Square! - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I found this place randomly one day driving down the road when I first moved up to Tacoma. It was pretty nice, I was kind of surprised there weren't' a lot of people there because there's a ton of local businesses. I stopped off at the food court and ate at the Mediterranean place which was extemely good by the way. Baklava was delicious (when they have it). Definitely a nice little place to stop off at on the weekend and see what some of the locals have to offer. read more

This place has/had potential. Just need someone with a plan. Apparently they do not have designated parking so when the dome has any activity - people have a choice. Walk 3 blocks or pay. Hummm hard decision. They all take over parking Seems like all the spaces in front should have 1 HR parking and have it enforced. Planned a business lunch there but only found 1 spot including in garage so left. Also they use to have businesses other then food. Mostly gone or not open. read more

Cool place. BUT the entrance on The Sounder side has doors that aren't wheelchair accessible. U literly have to hold the doors with one hand and operate your wheelchair at the Same time. Accessiblty is easier for someone not in a wheelchair and it's a disgrace. read more

I've somehow always been linked to this place since childhood. Whether it was a rainy day spent walking the hallways looking at all the little curiosity shops, watching my mom help her friends in the kitchen of one of restaurants, or sitting down to enjoy some fantastic fish and chips. This place is the definition of home to me, one of the few places the isn't jaded by the up and coming renovations of downtown. You gotta get there early though....or a little late because the lunch crowd is large and hungry! My recommendation...well, theres a few, Lemon grass chicken from the Vietnamese place (Just ask, its not on the menu), the cod and shrimp combo from the fish and chip place, or the combo (chicken, beef, and shrimp skewers) from the Greek restaurant. I promise if you go once, you'll keep going back! read more

I really like this place, lots of local businesses and shops. There is a British shop that sells imported British goods (Jaffa Cakes! yum!) There is also a lego store, that looks like it would be lots of fun (they were closed the day I went there). Also lots of neat little nick nack stores as well. At the end of Freighthouse square, there is a store that sells talismans, Fairy items and pirate stuff. Its pretty neat. There is a good choice of restaurants that you can eat from. We decided to eat at the German Restaurant and it was yummy, they had rockin Spaetzle, sauerkraut and sausages. read more

I'm one of those people who pass through Freighthouse Square 5 days a week as a Sounder Commuter. Except for getting salad rolls at Wendy's I don't shop there - the shops border on the tacky side and they don't have much to offer me. Also, the place looks a little on the shabby side - which doesn't instill much confidence in the quality of the goods that can be bought there. This place would be a great place if it were a little more like Pike Place Market - with a year round farmers market with local artisans selling their creations. If that were to happen I think you'd get more foot traffic and it would become a city treasure. read more

Freighthouse Square is definitely a great spot for a person like me who can't make up their mind as to what to have for lunch. There are about 10 or so restaurants in the square and a plethora of other little shops that offer lots of unique items. My favorite restaurants would have to be RJ Burgers, the Greek restaurant, Thai and Teriyaki and the Indian restaurant. All others are average. The vendors undoubtedly compete for your business but are friendly nonetheless. They serve your food to your table and often remember you after visiting. The location is great for anyone coming from Downtown Tac, the Free :) link rail stops directly in front of the square, there is tons of parking the in garage next door and the Tacoma Dome is right there. read more

Been coming to Freighthouse for years. Excellent food in several places. LAST NIGHT WAS A NIGHT MARE! Harassed for having a small poodle with us that is daughters service animal. She was sitting quietly, holding dog, not bothering anyone. We just came to get food to go, minding our own business, got photographed, filmed, repeatedly harassed. Yes, technically we were in an eating space but it's not like Freighthouse is fine dining! Plus we were not staying to eat. Just trying to get takeout and go. When I told the man to leave us alone, he told me to F off! Then went and got another man whose mother jumped out of her ice cream booth and started yelling at me to get the h out of there, that she was going to kick my ass! UNBELIEVABLE....I should have called the police. Witnesses everywhere, asking us why? No wonder Freighthouse doesn't do that well. Not to mention my 6 year old granddaughter had to witness all this read more

So, after hearing everyone talk so highly about the cool shops and restaurants here, I was pretty disappointed with my visit. Many of the shops and a few of the restaurants weren't open and the construction outside was a nightmare. If "Freighthouse Square" is open for business, the shops should be required to keep reliable hours as well. I MIGHT go back for the food, but that's about it, which is sad because I saw several items I would have loved to at least look at and check prices. read more

A local cool weird haunted historic space that has been around Tacoma forever. Now its home to the best food court in town (really) and a bunch of locally owned little businesses. You can get all kinds of weird stuff in that place. There is a blacksmith downstairs next to the guy that builds huge lego displays. there is a lego store upstairs, as well as a guy that sells 3d art with American eagles and wolves (badass kitsch), a store that does fantasy dress up photography, a collectible coin shop, a seahawks/antiques store, POISON APPLE (the coolest store in Tacoma. ask your teens), and all KINDS of other stuff. its a nice way to kill an afternoon and you will eat well. The best part of the whole thing is its all small local businesses and the people helping you are the owners. read more

I agree that Freighthouse Square has an odd vibe, but any vibe is worth it for the food court. I generally prefer to be left alone, but for some reason enjoy the welcome from the owners and staff at the various places in the food court. Read the reviews of the individual spots and you'll see that it's a common theme (in addition to how much people like the food). I don't know how they've managed to get such a great group of owners of places that serve such diverse types of food together in one place, but I'm glad they do. I hope that developers don't discover this place and turn it into a hipster haven and price troublemaking riff raff (like me?) out of it, as the 9-13-17 reviewer suggested. Apparently the restauranteurs are making a living, as some have been there for years. Why mess with success? A more vibrant retail side would be nice, of course, but the food court alone makes this place a winner, and a unique one, at that. And I'm glad someone is drawing a line on "service animals" (review dated 7-9-17). A small poodle in someone's lap is exceedingly unlikely to be a real service animal, and the fact that the reviewer defends it by saying, "Yes, technically we were in an eating space but it's not like Freighthouse is fine dining!" is revealing. If it's a real service animal, it doesn't matter if it's a grocery store, McDonald's, or the fanciest restaurant in the world--a real service animal, trained to perform a task for a person with a disability, is allowed, period. I can't really picture a blind person with a guide dog defending the dog's presence by saying it's not a fancy establishment, which tells me something about outrage of the person defending the small poodle in someone's lap. The food court at Freighthouse Square is a jewel. So many different types of food, and it's always a treat to watch the restaurant owners and staff interact with their customers. A truly unique place. read more

I reviewed Freighthouse in 2006 and gave it five stars for its charm as a cool home for some neat local merchants. Unfortunately, since my original review, Freighthouse Square seems to have all but died, and now appears to exist almost entirely as a food court for Sounder commuters who run through and perhaps grab a bite on their way to and from their trains. A large number of the stores that originally inhabited this space have left, including Crescent Moon Gifts, which formerly anchored the west end of Freighthouse but has now moved to a new home on trendier Sixth. The shop that sold food and clothes from India halved its store size and stopped selling grocery items a few months back, and when I passed by a week or so ago, they'd closed up entirely. Numerous other businesses have done the same and, sadly, in most cases, replacements have not arrived. It's depressing to walk through this place and see how many empty shops there now are. The food court does still have a reasonable variety of offerings. Hungry commuters might also want to take a short walk down the western hall to Cyber Pasta Café, which offers delicious pasta, great service and decent prices (as well as a respectable lunchtime buffet as of this writing). However, beyond the dining options, I'm sad to say that I can't really recommend Freighthouse as a destination spot anymore because there's very little to merit making the journey. If you're in the area anyway and hungry, Freighthouse is worth a stop. Otherwise, I really wouldn't bother -- and it breaks my heart to say that because I really love the idea of this place. Dropping from five to two stars. Update 12/30/09: Cyber Pasta is now closed as well. :( read more

Not bad. I have to say I didnt expect this much from Tacoma, but realistically I had never been to Tacoma before. I came to the Tacoma Dome for a job fair and thought I was left with limited options for lunch, but I was wrong. The Freighthouse I a block away and has a fun little diverse food court. I had lumpia and garlic rice..mmmmmmm.....and then a horchata. I was happy to go home after that. read more

This place has about every type of food you could want and everything we tried is amazing. It's casual, convenient & easy and great for times when everyone feels like differenty types of food. Loved it! read more

Yesterday was my first trip to Freighthouse Square and I have to say I saw a great place with so much potential. The food court has so many good options and almost every restaurant had great reviews from the store owners that I asked. I ended up choosing the Mediterranean Palace and had a great gryo there with waffle fries and feta. The building has a wonderful feel to it, with some classic wood flooring in parts of it. There appear to be about 15 different little boutique stores throughout the building. Apparently there has been a change in ownership recently and things have been improving from whatever it was like before. I had two stand-out stores that I visited. The first was The Giving Place with so many cute art pieces. The owner was very friendly and apparently he has been there a long time. The other store was Pip & Lola's Everything Homemade. Apparently this store is all handmade items made by artists from the area. They have an impressive amount of soap they make there in the shop. The owner here is also very friendly and she gave me a free sample of one of their soaps. I will definitely be coming back to this cute little mall to see how it changes over the next while. New stores are supposedly on their way and so it should grow into something very interesting. Maybe I'll be able to move up to 5 stars. read more

I was so excited when I drove by this on the way to the Best Western because it looked like there would be a lot of cool eateries and shops inside. In reality, it was more like a half-assed swap meet. We came in one end of the mall and kept looking around for the shops. All there was when we first walked in were some private businesses that were closed. Eventually, we made it to the food court and there were a number of different cuisines. I gotta say these places would make me nervous to eat there. They looked a little grimy. We kept walking in hopes of reaching some shops and what we encountered were hodge-podge shops that half were closed (at 11:30am on a Monday). Half of the spaces were empty with signs beckoning you to add your business there and the other half were shops. When you consider that half of the shops were closed, there weren't much to choose from. I still can't figure out where the 50 shops were that were advertised. We went downstairs and turned back a quarter of the way through, we were over it. I was very disappointed...this place has amazing potential. Hopefully, they get some more businesses inside that consist more than the random gift shop or cheesy art store. read more

... reminds me of Christmas! I loved the good ol days when The Crystal Voyage was still inside, rather than up the street. Still worth a visit for the eclectic shops, and Wendy's Vietnamese! read more

I could save a heckuva lot of time here, and just copy & paste Gerry C's review, but I won't! ;-) I had to go down to Tacoma yesterday, from West Seattle. Because of that, I took the opportunity to visit Freighthouse for the first time in over two years. For the previous several, it would be a stop for me on my way to a yearly potluck gathering, down in Tacoma, a ways away from Freighthouse. I just would always make it a point to get down there early (by bus, no car) to meet my ride to our event. Therefore, I would have time to cruise the shops and all, but not to eat. That would come on other occasions I'd visit Freighthouse, but those are very few and far between. So, anyway, yesterday I was able to have lunch there, for the first time in I can't remember how long, and of course it was Wendy's. I had the House Lo Mein, which was great, and "Combo'd" it for $1.75 more getting a beverage, and egg roll. OMG the egg roll! Coulda eaten a dozen! So many of the other places are very tempting as well, but I always seem to end up at Wendy's, what with those scarce visits. I did a quick cruise through that entire level of Freighthouse, before having to catch the bus back home. As I passed back through the food court area, the guy at the Fish-n-Chips place tried to talk me into a meal. I had to apologetically tell him I'd just eaten. Fish-n-Chips is another of my favs, so it was tough to say no, even with a full belly. Can't remember if I've ever tried that particular one though. If my budget allowed, I'd probably hop a bus down to there at least once a week, until I tried all of the food joints, well, except for Subway. I have one of those practically next door, and actually go there extremely rarely. Just no a huge fan of corporate chains. Well, except for Wendy's. (The burger joint). But, I suppose Subway is a good anchor, that helps Freighthouse survive, and that I appreciate. Just as long as it doesn't get ruined by additional chains moving in, as what happened to the Food Circus (Center House) at the Seattle Center. Another option, I suppose, again budget permitting, would be to pay a single visit to Freighthouse, and just pig out at two or three places, and then, well, die form gorging myself! ;-) And to those that think Freighthouse is tacky? Get over yourselves. It's called character, and even charm. Much better IMHO, than all of the ugly, and/or sterile buildings that have gone up in the Puget Sound area the last couple of decades or so, and are filled with corporate chains. As others have alluded to, it has history, The Freighthouse building is a remnant of what the Puget Sound area used to be. A working region. So much of the area has been overrun by such buildings as I mention above, destroying the character, and uniqueness, of our area, and turned it into a homogenized, cookie cutter replica of many other cities and regions of the U.S. I know, "progress", but meh.... read more

I have been coming here for years I got a chance to introduce my kids to something I loved so much. So excited :)

Randomly found this place when looking for the hawaiian bbq place that was (and has moved so the Yelp address is not correct) our Yelp choice. HOWEVER, There is something for everyone. If you can't come to common ground on a single place then come to this varity one pit stop. read more

I LOVE the Freighthouse!!! Old world charm with unique stores and shops. Food from around the world through the whole square. What more could you ask for? We stop in every month to see what is new and fresh. One of our favorite shops is Colorful Impressions. They have the cutest hand-made window clings and faux stained glass treatments. They also carry counrty decor. I just love PIGS!! Did I mention they have T-shirts? They are located across from B & B BBQ. They have the best Texas BBQ you have ever tasted. You have got to try the Idaho Pig. It's a HUGE baked potatoe with pulled pork or chilli. Yum!! So give the Freighthouse a look see when your in town or by the Tacoma Dome. read more

COCKROACH IN MY FOOD! :( I have been going to freighthouse square since i was a little girl really, and my favorite resturant was Wendys veitnmease, unfortunatley i was there yesterday and bought my usual sa di chicken with egg roll, i had about 4 bites & just as i was about to take my next bite of food i see somthing that about gives me chills, i about threw up! It was a huge cockroach sateayed in my food. it was absolutley discusting! my mother brought the plate back to them and got our money back, they were very apoligestic but the problem is still there, we were sitting up in the upper level of the mexacan resteraunt & before we left i notice a bug crawling on the ceiling, show my mother and father and relize its another cockroach! this was just yesterday! i was so ready to leave. im sadend because i have always loved coming here, love the differnt shops, resteraunts ext... but they need to do somthing esspesually since they have cocroaches! i know they have had them before cause i had seen one in the womans restroom along time ago aboy 7 yeras back but i had assumed they had an exsterminator spray the place because i had never seen one since until yesterday. i am writing this reveiw in hopes that they can spay again and take care of the problem so i myself can bring my daughter and nephew back and enjoy everything frieghthouse square as my parents brought my sister and i when we were children growing up. I am going to do the best I can to get this taken seriously and have somthing done because it is not right & absolutley discusting. pest control needs to be brought in and shops, resteraunts need to be shut down and action needs to be taken! read more

I went over there to look at a potential vendors spot for this upcoming Pagan Festival. I was really excited to think that I was going to be able to serve one of my favorite concessions for three days and make some extra money. The housekeeper open the door to my vendors space, it was dirty, had holes in the walls and most of all a very large big rat looks at us and wobbles down the wall and into the hole in the wall! Than a friend tells me there's mice on the other end of the station where the Art Galleries are at! Imagine the party the rats and mice have at night when the place closes! I would not even have the nerve to sell anything out of that place knowing those rodents are running around underneath me. The smell can make one sick, let alone them running all over products at night!!!! ewww! Health department needs to inspect! the rats and mice have been living there for years! ewww! I will never go back again and so glad that I have never ate there ever! read more

I loved Freighthouse when it opened years ago. Now it is just an arm pit. It is dirty. There are few restaurants or interesting retail places. It is more office space than anything. read more

LOVE....LOVE...LOVE the atmosphere ...lots of international food choices, several shops to find a unique gifts. A great girls day out...start at freighthouse then take the link to downtown shops. read more

Hands down the best Indian food in Tacoma. Sure its in a train station, but dont let that fool you. I have tried every place in town, and this little tiny shop has the best Naan and Tikka Massela in town, hands down. Tell the cook that a giant, bald tattooed guy sent you in for the "hook up"! read more

Freighthouse Square is a hidden treasure in Tacoma. I grew up in Tacoma, and haven't been to Freighthouse in many years, but I have fond memories. There was a Mexican restaurant owned by a local family (who also had one near Pearl) that was fabulous. If your there try it out its great. read more

Wendys Wendys Wendys Vietnamese.. Try the Won Ton & an eggroll. You will be hooked. wendys has been the anchor for freighthouse for years. All the shops have great food. I feel sorry for the Snobs turning up there noses at the shops.(It an old Train stop for *@$((0- sake!) There are some real gems to be found -- Love this place read more

The major issue with FHS is that its target market consists of commuters who do not hang around for meals or shopping, AMTRAK passengers (effective December 18th) who likewise do not linger, and Tacoma Dome event attendees. The next worst issue is that neither the owners of FHS, nor AMTRAK nor Sound Transit have nearly enough parking. The latter is part of the reason why interstate and intercity rail passengers don't linger long enough to eat or shop. "Ken" has a small convenience store on the E. D Street end of FHS, and he has been patiently waiting for the new AMTRAK station to open. The latter will have almost direct access to Ken's place on one end. Unfortunately, when AMTRAK built its new station, it confiscated all of the head-in parking spaces in front of Ken's place, to include reserved disabled spaces. All that is left now is taxi parking for AMTRAK. An apartment building is planned for across the street from Ken's place. Unfortunately, the developers are seeking a waiver for basement parking. The bottom line is that the existing parking garages cannot accommodate all of the cars that frequent the neighborhood, which leaves a massive overflow that seeks on street parking that literally "clogs" the entire area, especially when there are Tacoma Dome events. The third and final worst issue is that FHS's owners have simply let the building's maintenance & repair (M&R) go downhill to the extent that the overall appearance of the building looks really bad. We are engineers who have been observing the decline of FHS's physical plant and appearance for 10 years now. We've watched small businesses come and go on a frequent basis. There was a point in time at which FHS's owners raised the rents to unrealistic heights, thereby running off the small business entrepreneurs who attempted to make a go of it there. It seems that FHS's owners simply don't understand that 75% of America's economic might is made up of small business entrepreneurs (primarily sole proprietors) who file their federal income taxes on Schedule C. You know, like "Ken". He is a shining example of America's economic might which finances America's military might which in turn ensures America's survival. Mention the foregoing "big picture" to FHS's owners and all you will probably get is an empty look staring back at you. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. We SINCERELY hope that FHS's owners are reading this, as well as those with the deep pockets to afford adequate parking, i.e., Sound Transit and AMTRAK. read more