Scott Township’s 99 Bottles is rebranding. Fear not, hopheads, there will still be plenty of beer on the wall.
The renovated bar at 1001 Washington Ave. opens Jan. 27 as Asadero by Mindful Brewing Company, its first of many satellite locations.
Brewery owners Dustin Jones and Jeff Sorbara have operated the bottle shop since 2012 and started selling their own suds in Castle Shannon five years later.
The pair spruced up the 2,500-square-foot space, a former Pizza Hut, giving it a sleek décor similar to Mindful’s Library Road headquarters and adding on to the patio area. It boasts a full-service bar with 35 taps and 500 bottles in self-serve coolers. Take one down or grab a six-pack to go.
The taqueria menu includes a selection of Cal-Mex tacos made with beef, chicken, shrimp or pork. There are also vegan options, a Pittsburgh version that includes hand-cut fries and traditional desserts.
Asadero, which means grill, came about through happenstance. Jazmine Castillo’s husband, Heesler Castillo, is a contractor who was working on a project with Jones. Heesler shared some of Jazmine’s homemade meals with the crew and it left a lasting impression. The husband-and-wife team, along with Erick Castillo and his fiancee Eriannys Ferrer, are co-owners of the kitchen. Matriarch Luz María Escamilla also lends her cooking expertise to the operation.
“In my family, everybody cooks,” Jazmine Castillo says. “I’m passionate about Mexican food.”
Jones says the company plans to open three or four more Mindful locations in Pittsburgh — including one in Bloomfield later this year — before expanding the brand to other parts of the country.
The Scott Township spot will operate Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
