Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Church Brew Works

3525 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15201

Church Brew Works is a fascinating place located in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. The restaurant sits inside the old St. John the Baptist Church which was originally built in 1902. This place is as tough as the steel workers that made Pittsburgh famous, having been through industrial booms, fires, recessions and everything in between into the palatial restaurant it is today.

In 1996 a couple businessmen had the brilliant idea of converting the church into a restaurant that pays homage to Pittsburgh, architecture and, well, beer. The substantial undertaking modernized the structure while remaining true to its history. The original Douglas Fir floors were restored to perfection as well as the ornate stained glass windows that decorate the church’s transepts. Massive arched colonnades open the nave to the altar which, naturally, houses the glass-enclosed beer shrine. This is the best part of it all. Italians enclose their most prized sculptures in glass, we enclose beer. Awesome.

The ambiance gets an A+ in my book, but what about the food? Surprisingly, a multi-paged eclectic menu can please just about every palate. I imagine the choice of the fare was to attract people from all walks of life. Of all the choices, what do we always get? Pizza. They have excellent wood-fired brick oven pizza. The traditional cheese or pepperoni is a sure bet, but get crazy with your selection. You won’t be disappointed.

From the exciting architecture to the great food, Church Brew Works has it all. This is a solid place to meet your friends after a tough day at the office, or get dinner before a night on the town.

CHURCH BREW WORKS SCORE = 88

Church Brew Works on Urbanspoon

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