There’s a brand new place for craft cocktails in Lawrenceville.
The Forge, a new cocktail lounge and Mediterranean tapas restaurant, has officially opened on Penn Avenue.
Owner Alon Goldblum, along with his mother Jackie, are well-known in Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene. The Goldblum family owned Sababa in Squirrel Hill until 2012, then spent a few years catering events throughout the city. The family recently decided to put their efforts into opening a cocktail lounge, and found their dream space on Penn Avenue.
The lounge features comfortable, jewel-toned banquettes and parlour chairs, along with a small bar. On the menu, you’ll find a selection of craft cocktails, with twists on classics (like the Yael in Manhattan, with Liberty Pole Bourbon, Dolin and cherry, and Alon’s Noche Verde, with Vida Mezcal, Cynar, Chartruese, and orange), as well as the staff’s own creations.
“My favorite that I’ve come up with is the Jack’s Garden, which I made for my mother,” Alon Goldblum says. “It’s got muddled pomegranate, rosemary, and Wild gin.”
Most of the cocktails feature a spirit from a Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania-based distillery.
“Sourcing local was something that was important to us, both in terms of sourcing food and alcohol,” says Goldblum.
The bar program is rounded out with a selection of wine (including options from next door neighbor Engine House 25), and 16 draft taps, with 12 Pennsylvania brews.
The food menu centers around the space’s wood-fired oven, located in the center of the lounge, with Neapolitan-style pizzas, flat breads, and their own house-made pita bread, served with accompaniments like hummus, babaganous, Israeli salad and Labaneh. There’s also a selection of cheese and charcuterie plates, all sourced from Chantal’s Cheese Shop in Bloomfield.
The Forge is open Mondays, and Wednesdays through Saturdays from 5:00 p.m. to midnight. Eventually, Goldblum says, they’d like to expand their hours to include weekend brunch.
The Forge (3345 Penn Avenue)
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