One of Tacoma’s most popular bars has new owner. Will it retain hipster-trucker charm?

When it opened in 2007, Top of Tacoma quickly achieved status as one of the city’s most popular bars, a come-as-you-are kind of place where McKinley neighbors brushed elbows with artists and musicians, many guzzling tallboys of Rainier .

Its creators, Jaime Kay and Jason Jones, sold the business after a decade of success in a neighborhood that still feels stuck between the past and the future. The second owner, Eric Contreras, took over in 2018 and this month passed it along once again.

Sammy Singh has bought the McKinley Hill property at 3529 McKinley Ave. for $1.05 million, according to a property-tax filing. Previously a truck driver, he said with a laugh, he purchased Steilacoom Pub and Grill in 2019, fixing up that 1930s-era haunt — experience he hopes to bring to McKinley.

The sale process began in May and was finalized this week, but he applied for a liquor license last month.

Most of the staff will remain, said Singh on Friday, and hours will continue without interruption.

Singh also owned a Lakewood gas station for several years, the sale of which helped fund his effort to buy The Top, as it’s known by regulars.

The News Tribune’s attempts to reach Contreras were unsuccessful.

According to recent liquor-license applications, the Joneses are working on a new venture in Hilltop with former Top manager Greg Rodriguez. The Huckleberry Bar will replace Broken Spoke, a barber shop/beer bar that quietly closed this spring at 1014 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

TOP OF TACOMA A MCKINLEY FAVORITE

At The Top, Singh doesn’t have plans for any major changes, but he anticipates some necessary building upgrades down the line. Overall, he said, he wants to ensure it remains a popular neighborhood bar while attracting new customers.

The food became something of an attraction during Jones’ tenure. In those early days, sandwiches and salads ran around $7 , according to The News Tribune archives. The small kitchen, then in the “cafe” next door to the bar, grew to accommodate a menu that now includes an array of tacos, quesadillas, nachos and a house burger. Prices have increased with the times — a sandwich, sizable but sans side, lands around $16.

Over the years, the bar has shepherded several local chefs who went on to lead their own kitchens or own their own restaurants, including Roger Weatherhead (currently at Asado) and Nicole de la Paz (The Church Cantina). The Joneses also opened the chef-channeling Marrow on Sixth Avenue in 2011 and 3uilt at 7 Seas Brewing in 2016, selling both restaurants, although both later closed.

The Top has continued to fill up with an eclectic crowd, especially for the twice-daily happy hour (2-6 p.m. and 10 p.m.-midnight), when well drinks are just $6 and select dishes are $2 off. That will continue, said Singh. Every day offers a discount or weekly special, including $5 tallboys on Tuesdays and the if-you-know-you-know fried chicken on Wednesdays. Leisurely weekend brunch has also been a hit, thanks to hangover-heavy fare plus $6 mimosas and bloody marys.

It’s also garnered a reputation for consistent vegetarian and vegan options, like a peanut-curry tofu wrap and Field Roast deli sandwich.

Since The Top’s debut more than 15 years ago, other small business owners have invested in neighboring old buildings that line this street, including Lux Perpetua Coffee, Dusty’s Hideaway and Parky’s Pizza Bar .

TOP OF TACOMA

▪ 3529 McKinley Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-1502, thetopoftacoma.com

▪ Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-2 a.m.

▪ Daily happy hour, 2-6 p.m. and 10 p.m.-midnight