The Brewery at Luciano’s offering signature pizzas, craft beer

After nearly a two-year wait, The Brewery at Luciano’s is expected to open mid-February in Monroeville.

The new brewery and restaurant is located at 312 Center Road, former site of the Rivertowne Pour House.

As part of a chain of local eateries, it will seat approximately 200 patrons, serving several homebrewed beers and traditional pizza.

Patience was required from owner Dan Pasquarelli, who kept the opening date flexible partially due to effects of the covid-19 pandemic.

There remains no concrete first day of operation.

“I think we bought that place March of 2019,” Pasquarelli said. “We started ordering our equipment back in late May (2021). It’s finally all getting here. So, yes, we had some issues. … We were working on this building for a while, on and off.

“We knew we weren’t going to open up right away. County was closing the restaurants. You were allowed to open to a limited capacity. So, we just waited until the time was right. We felt that this is the time now.”

When the brewery does open, Pasquarelli said it would rely on a takeout business with the pandemic still present.

“We’re known for our pizzas,” he said. “They’re one of our main selling points here. At this location, we’re also going to have a takeout section. Our pizza is going to be a big part of our business, along with our salads and whatever else we sell. So, we’re confident that’s going to go really well.”

Upon opening, Pasquarelli plans to have about 30 employees at the location. It will operate Tuesday-Sunday each week, closed Monday.

“Obviously, Monroeville’s a great location,” Pasquarelli said.

“It speaks for itself, Monroeville. We saw the opportunity come up. It was brought to my attention that property was for sale. We thought it was the right move here.”

Pasquarelli’s family currently has five locations, including The Brickhouse Tap Grill in White Oak and Lucci’s Pizza Pasta in Penn Township.

The restaurant in Penn Township will become a The Brewery at Luciano’s in a few months, Pasquarelli said.

A few years after emigrating from Italy at 3 years old, Pasquarelli and his brother sold and delivered newspapers.

“We’re immigrants. My mom and dad, my brother and three sisters, obviously and I, we came to the U.S. back in 1960,” Pasquarelli said.

“As immigrants, as a little kid, I can speak for myself, my mom and dad didn’t have much at all. They were just laborers, workers.

“As kids, all of us back then, not only myself but my brother and my sisters, and other kids in the neighborhood, if you wanted anything, you had to work for it.”

That attitude ultimately led Pasquarelli into the restaurant business while in high school, fueled by a love for pizza.

“At a very young age, you had to hustle to make a buck,” Pasquarelli said.

“So, I always had that desire to work, to make some money, obviously. … I just had this thing about working hard. I bought my first store when I was a senior in high school, so I was real young. That’s how I got started.”