Tako restaurant ready to open in Pittsburgh's Bakery Square
Taco lovers rejoice.
The second Pittsburgh location of Tako is set open at Bakery Square in the city’s East End on Oct. 14.
The opening has been delayed because of the pandemic and finding enough staff to operate.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” said Casey Henderlong, director of public relations for Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group, which owns Tako and several other area restaurants. “We can’t wait. We are excited to open.”
Henderlong said the new restaurant will be different from the Downtown Tako, which is full-service. At Bakery Square, guests will place an order and receive a text message when their food is ready. This model has worked well for DeShantz’s Coop De Ville, which opened last year in the Strip District. The fast-casual restaurant, bar and entertainment space offers fried chicken with side dishes, fresh baked pies and pastries.
Tako will have a full-service bar and patio. A build-your-own taco bowl will be available only at the Bakery Square location.
“We think of the ingredients we put in every taco,” Henderlong said. “But we also want to make it the way a customer wants it.”
Walnut Capital handles development and property management for the Bakery Square area. Another dining option will add to the many eateries and shopping choices for a part of the city that’s continuing to grow, Henderlong said.
Galley Bakery Square , a restaurant incubator with four venues, opened in June, after the orginal location in the Strip District’s Smallman Galley closed.
DeShantz owns Poulet Bleu in Lawrenceville and Gi-Jin in Downtown, which are open. Two other Downtown restaurants — Meat & Potatoes and Butcher and the Rye — could reopen later this year, Henderlong said.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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