Counter Culture: Sourdough Willy’s
This Kingston pizzeria with a 129-year-old sourdough starter has earned a spot on the world stage.
By Brandon Ferguson November 20, 2025
Sourdough Willy’s in Kingston isn’t just a great local pizza joint anymore—it’s officially home to one of the best pizzas on the planet. Seattle magazine first highlighted this unassuming spot last year as our editorial pick for Best Pizza in the region.
Now, chef and owner Will Grant, who opened Sourdough Willy’s in 2020 and also runs That’s A Some Pizza on Bainbridge Island, has gone global, becoming the first American ever to win the 2025 Premio Follie Lifetime Achievement Award at the Pizza World Cup in Rome.
Every pie at Sourdough Willy’s starts with a 129-year-old sourdough starter—a living foundation that gives each bite its unmistakable flavor and texture. The magic continues from there, whether you’re craving classic, creative, or somewhere in between.
For me, a perfect weekend starts at the Kingston ferry terminal. I grab the kids, walk onto the ferry, and make the short and scenic crossing. By the time we stroll up to Sourdough Willy’s, I’m already thinking about my favorite: The New Yorker—a Sicilian-style pizza (think Detroit style, but thinner) loaded with pepperoni, Italian sausage, ricotta dollops, basil, pizza sauce, and a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey that’s nothing short of addictive.
I’ve never had a bad pizza here, but the New Yorker keeps me coming back—world-class pizza waiting just across the Sound.
About Counter Culture
Brandon Ferguson is a CFO by trade but a foodie at heart. He has a passion for small, humble restaurants that rarely make it onto the radar of mainstream food critics or glossy dining guides. Join him as he discovers warmth, tradition, and authenticity along with great food.
Follow Us
Restaurant Roundup: Holiday Cheer at SLU BRU, StarChefs, and Kabul Closing
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.
Fusion food has an innate ability to bring us together. In the blending of two (or sometimes more) cultures, new perspectives are unlocked and we are all better for it. Esquire is in agreement, as the magazine has selected Lupe’s Situ Tacos, a Mexican-Lebanese taqueria in Ballard, as one of the 33 best new restaurants…
Counter Culture: Sansonina Ristorante Italiano
An Italian escape hiding in Renton.
Tucked just off Rainier Avenue, across from a Safeway, Sansonina Ristorante Italiano—which opened early in 2019—is the kind of place you drive past for years without noticing until you walk through the door. Once inside, the outside world dissolves, the hum of traffic fades, and suddenly you’re not in Renton anymore. You’re in a dimly…
5 Things to Eat in December
This month’s assignment: Take the pressure off.
There’s something about the end of the year that adds pressure to everything we do. Despite all the talk of holiday cheer and “merry and bright,” heightened expectations can bring a sense of weariness. We’re fretting over feasts and gatherings while working fervently to tie up loose ends—gifts, work, everything—with a pretty bow. Each month,…
Ahead of the Cut
How a tech-minded home cook turned years of tinkering into a chef’s knife powered by 40,000 vibrations per second.
Scott Heimendinger traces his love for knives back to college, when his dad taught him how to cook over the phone. By his junior year he had saved for his first real knife, a JA Henckels Santoku. Compared with the $9 IKEA knife he had been using, “it felt like a laser… things that used…