Take a Look Inside Tradesman’s, a 100-Year-Old Building Turned Barbecue Restaurant

Tradesman’s, the massive new beer and barbecue restaurant in Midtown Village, opens its doors August 9. The opening comes after a year-long renovation transforming the historic Tradesman’s Trust Company building at 1322 Chestnut Street, erected in 1906, into an eatery with smoked meats, 34 taps, and a whiskey list 80 options long. Owner Teddy Sourias’ Craft Concepts Group also includes neighboring Bru Craft & Wurst and U-Bahn, along with Finn McCool’s, Cinder Copper & Lace, and the seasonal Uptown Beer Garden.

Sourias kept some of the eye-catching original elements of the two-story space, like the design details decorating Tradesman’s 23-foot vaulted ceilings. But the founders of the trust company likely weren’t picturing today’s oversized windows that open onto both Chestnut and Juniper streets, designed for serving drinks to patrons sitting on stools attached to the building’s outer walls.

Inside, the first floor has an open layout with two bars, a dining room, and the kitchen. Upstairs on the mezzanine there are several more tables plus another bar.

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The menu, from executive chef Craig Meyers, pulls barbecue hits from different regions, including St. Louis and North Carolina. Look for baby back ribs, brisket, chicken, and pulled pork, all served with white bread, pickles, and onions for $10 to $26, depending on portion size. Sides — cornbread, potato salad, mac and cheese, and other classics — are available on their own for $5 for four for $16. There’s also a menu of sandwiches and snacks like potato skins with crispy pork belly and garlic buffalo wings.

The non-meat eaters have more options than you’d expect at a barbecue joint, with a “from the farm” menu section offering carrot hummus, smoked beet carpaccio, mushroom toast, a fried zucchini sandwich, and other veggie dishes.

Alex Bokulich is director of operations and the beverage director. He put together a list of 34 drafts — all American beers and ciders, with two lines that have infusers ready to be filled with fruits, spices, or herbs to make flavored brews. Following suit, the whiskey list is all American, with most of the choices from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee. For now, the list is 80 long, and should grow to around 120.

Doors open at 5 p.m. on opening day, Thursday, August 9, but going forward service will be 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. during the week and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lunch will be added in early or mid-September, with weekend brunch following later this fall.

Sourias already has two other projects in the works for Midtown Village — look for more details on the first of those two very soon, ahead of a fall opening.

Take a look inside:

Kory Aversa

Kory Aversa

Kory Aversa

Kory Aversa

Society Hill Films

Society Hill Films

Society Hill Films

Society Hill Films