Large Space Can Accommodate Many Diners, Including Big
Groups
My spouse and I and another couple visited The Foundry for
lunch on a Saturday afternoon in early November 2018. We previously visited The
Foundry in September 2018; see our review titled “Upscale Pub Food Near the
Stadiums”. The Foundry is open daily for lunch and dinner, with extended hours
on event days. You can make a reservation using the online Open Table system.
The Foundry opened in fall 2016 on Pittsburgh’s North Shore in the space previously
occupied by restaurants called Asiago Tuscan Italian and the Pittsburgh
Grill and Sports Bar. The restaurant is
located on the street level of a commercial building positioned between
football’s Heinz Field and baseball’s PNC Park. Other restaurants occupy the
same building, including Jerome Bettis Grill 36 and Rivertowne; the building
across the street houses Little Red Corvette, BRGR, Bar Louie, BURN by Rocky
Patel, and Southern Tier Brewing Company.
Although The Foundry
bills itself as a sports bar, it has an industrial-chic decor (think barn wood
and hanging Edison bulbs) rather than sports memorabilia and black-and-gold
theming. The restaurant layout is strange; upon entering the space from General
Robinson Street, we nearly departed when all we saw was the small front bar
area with a few high-top tables. But fortunately we stayed! The hostess led us
down a long hallway (with doors off the hall for the restrooms and the kitchen)
to an expansive back dining area with seating at stand-alone tables in various
sizes and configurations, at some tables that share a banquette on one side, or
at the four-sided rectangular bar. An adjoining dining room space handles
overflow crowds and private parties. In appropriate weather, al fresco dining
on the back patio offers a view of the Allegheny River.
The Foundry serves
creative American pub food in an upscale sport bar environment. As starters, we
shared the poutine and the pork belly bites as a starter (deliciously fatty,
tossed in a light bourbon glaze, and then topped with jalapeno slivers). Next,
as our main dishes, we ordered a burger (served with fried) and the pulled pork
sandwich (also served with fries). We enjoyed some margaritas and spicy mules
with our food.
We enjoyed the food at The Foundry, and we appreciated that
it was a less frantic atmosphere than other restaurants/bars on the street.
