Pineville Fishtown, an Offshoot of a 277-Year-Old Bucks County Tavern, Lasts Less Than a Year in the City

Pineville Fishtown, the bi-level bar, restaurant, and piano lounge that opened at 2448 E. Huntingdon Street last summer, is now closed. Father and son restaurateurs Andrew and Drew Abruzzese, who also own the historic Pineville Tavern in Bucks County, opened the city offshoot in August 2018. Chef Drew Abruzzese had recently rolled out a new menu at the restaurant, switching from a traditional appetizer-and-entree setup to more trendy small plate selections. He also added CBD-infused dishes and cocktails.

The original Pineville Tavern is in a building that’s housed some sort of gathering spot — a general store, a hotel, a tavern — since the mid-18th century. The Abruzzese family bought it in 1989. It serves an American menu of steaks, burgers, crab cakes, fried chicken, potato skins, and the like.

The Philly outpost — not exactly in Fishtown; it’s where Port Richmond, Fishtown, and Kensington blend into each other — started out similarly, with the Abruzzeses saying they wanted to bring the original’s “greatest hits” to the city. They switched tactics about six months in, saying in a press release: “[W]e realized that diners in the city have a different style of dining. Rather than one appetizer and/or an entree, the younger set prefer ordering multiple items and sharing them all, so we made some adjustments.”

As for the CBD, Drew Abruzzese said, “We also realized that the cannabidiol craze seems to have seriously taken off. We’re excited to provide this option for our guests who want to take the edge off.”

In a statement about the restaurant’s sudden closure this week, Andrew Abruzzese wrote:

“When building owner Allan Domb and I first met at Huntingdon and Gaul Streets, we thought we had incredible potential to create a solid concept that the neighborhood would adore. It turns out that we were a bit early for the neighborhood, as Philly’s northern gentrification hasn’t quite hit our area yet. We received a lot of great press and we thought the casual dining concept that works in our home base in Bucks County would be a hit down here, too. We were hoping to appeal to millennials, their parents, baby boomers and longtime residents, but we just couldn’t do enough business to sustain the operation.”

Councilman Domb, a noted developer, owns many properties throughout the city.

• 275-Year-Old Bucks County Tavern Opening a Fishtown Outpost
• Pineville Will Serve the ‘Greatest Hits’ From the 276-Year-Old Original