The Cultural District is a mecca for Pittsburgh diners, which is why a well-known restaurant with locations across the country plans to open there next year.
Barcelona Wine Bar, which operates restaurants in Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Philadelphia, Virginia and Washington, D.C., will replace the Sharp Edge Bistro at 922 Penn Ave., since its owners chose not to renew their lease due to the challenges related to the pandemic.
The award-winning tapas restaurant group is expected to open in mid-2023.
The 5,203-square-foot restaurant will feature an outdoor dining area, an expansive bar and a menu featuring Mediterranean, Spanish and South American cuisine. The restaurant offers items such as potato tortillas, jalapeño hummus and heirloom carrot tapas with desserts ranging from Basque Burnt Cheesecake to Crepas Salguero. There are also several meat and cheese platters, such as Salchichón de Vic, which features Catalonia and cured pork sausage with black peppercorns.
Barcelona Wine Bar offers more than 400 selections of wine, such as a Capítulo 7 and Marcel Couturier white wines or Laurona and Polkura for those who enjoy reds. If you are not a wine fan, the restaurant also serves beer and cocktails including a smoked sherry Manhattan, classic Barcelona gin and tonic, and Jack’s Abby craft beer.
“We are thrilled to welcome Barcelona Wine Bar to Downtown Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh food scene,” said Jason Cannon, first vice president with CBRE — the property management company that leased the space — in a statement.
Opening a Barcelona Wine Bar in Pittsburgh is a logical next move for the restaurant chain, CBRE’s Executive Vice President and Northeast Director Herky Pollock said in a statement.
“The concept is chef-driven, and the food is inspired by simply prepared market-fresh cuisine you would find in the food stalls of Barcelona or Central Market in Valencia,” noted Pollock. “It will be like taking a vacation, but without ever having to leave Pittsburgh!”
