Bar Marco - Old Firehouse Provides a Backdrop for Tasty Food
My spouse and I dined at Bar Marco for brunch on a Sunday morning in late
September 2017. We reserved a table via email; reservations are recommended in
order to score one of the few spots. (The restaurant seats only 30+ patrons.)
Bar Marco is open for dinner on Tuesdays through Saturdays, and brunch on
weekends (closed Mondays). Paid parking is available in an adjacent surface
lot.
Bar Marco opened in January 2012 in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. The
restaurant occupies the old brick 1860s firehouse for the Number 7 Engine Company. Prior to Bar Marco,
the firehouse hosted the Embury (downstairs) and the Firehouse Lounge
(upstairs). Today, Bar Marco offers a private event space/art gallery called
Union Hall on its second floor. Bar Marco is named after the chef’s mentor,
Marco Enrico (who operates DeNunzio’s restaurants in Jeannette, Latrobe, and Monroeville). A third experience, The Wine Room,
occupies the basement space.
Bar Marco’s main dining
area takes a minimalist approach. Original turn-of-the-century sealed concrete
floors, incredibly high ceilings that contain exposed ductwork and house a
stunning chandelier, original cream-colored subway tile, cream-colored walls,
and an arched front window surround tables and chairs and a small marble-topped
wood bar with metal chairs. A metal counter that runs along the front window seems
to have once offered additional high-top bar rail seating. Wine bottles and
memorabilia and framed art lend decorative touches.
Chef Justin Steel owns
and operates the restaurant along with three high school friends. He developed
an interest in food during a college semester abroad in Rome, and later worked
with noted Philadelphia chef Marc Vetri. Bar Marco offers an American menu that
leans toward Mediterranean in some offerings. From the brunch menu, we shared a
biscuit as a starter, followed by a bacon sandwich and the fried chicken. No
formal dessert menu was offered at brunch, although our waiter suggested the
donuts as a possibility. Wine and cocktails are available; however, the beer
menu is nearly non-existent, offering only leftovers from events. Service was
great, showing that Bar Marco has been able to retain its recent staff now that
they discontinued tipping and began paying employees a livable wage.
We enjoyed our
brunch at Bar Marco, and we will return sometime to try their dinner menu.
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