Two restaurateurs from O’Hara are the husband-and-wife team behind a new, casually chic restaurant and bar opening soon in Aspinwall.

Adam and Diana Kucenic are co-owners of Foxhole Tavern, located in the former Tavern in the Wall, known as Sam’s Tavern to locals, at 211 Commercial Ave.

Sam’s Tavern operated for 13 years, was sold in April and closed in May.

The couple is continuing the tavern concept, blending old-world charm with comfort and warm hospitality.

“Now that we live here, we’ve been looking for something to become available,” said Adam Kucenic, who has lived in O’Hara for five years. “This is an opportunity for us to own our own place. Everything else, we rent.”

The Kucenics are no strangers to the culinary scene.

They lease and operate three successful East Liberty restaurants: Muddy Waters Oyster Bar, Bird on the Run and Commerce Bar.

Married for eight years, the couple is raising their three school-age children in the Fox Chapel Area School District.

“We wanted to keep it as a tavern and the Foxhole Tavern name just works with the Fox Chapel area,” Adam Kucenic said.

Their Foxhole concept embraces a cozy, welcoming “old soul” dining and drinking experience.

“Tavern, to us, is something that has a connection to something old-school. The vibe is soft lighting, warm woods and we are tying in comfort food with nice quality,” Diana Kucenic said.

Bistro-style seating with European-influenced metal tables and chairs will line a wall featuring nature-inspired murals.

Visits to neighborhood taverns in New York inspired the couple.

“Brooklyn (taverns) have been reinvented and there are tons of neighborhood joints that have food that’s better than you would expect,” Adam Kucenic said.

Soothing green hues, earth tones and a white antique tin ceiling add to provide a traditional, historic nod to centuries-old taverns often found in Europe.

The bathrooms continue the nature theme, with one decked out in whimsical fox-themed wallpaper, a shout-out to the school district’s fox mascot.

Joyce Hanz | TRIBLIVE Foxhole Tavern is a new restaurant and bar opening soon at 211 Commercial Ave. in Aspinwall. Murals line a wall of the dining room.  

Chef Adam Kucenic is fine-tuning the menu.

Fare will include American classics such as a dry-aged burger, fish and chips, chicken parmigiana, pastas, steak frites, mussels, oysters on the half shell, French onion soup and more, as well as a kid’s menu.

“Once we get a set menu, we can add more stews, game meats, potentially. We want to play around with different types of cuisine,” Adam Kucenic said.

The dining room seats about 55. During the past six months of renovations, folks walking along Commercial Avenue have stuck their head in to inquire about the progress.

“The neighborhood has been very supportive and everybody is so excited,” Diana Kucenic said.

Chef Kucenic, 44, grew up in Greensburg and developed a love of cooking as a teenager.

His first restaurant job was as a dishwasher.

Diana was raised in Russia and traveled to America to attend college at Seton Hill University.

“We met in a restaurant in Greensburg,” she said. “I handle the front-of-the-house, act as manager and help wherever I can.”

Joyce Hanz | TRIBLIVE Foxhole Tavern husband-and-wife co-owners Adam and Diana Kucenic take a break from remodeling work inside the new tavern that will offer cocktails, oysters and traditional fare in Aspinwall.  

Foxhole Tavern will serve dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., five days a week, and will be closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Reservations are recommended, with bar seating offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

A soft opening will precede the official opening date, which will hopefully happen right before Thanksgiving.

“Our version for a tavern is something elevated, but then again, people can pop in, split a burger and share a bottle of wine,” Diana Kucenic said. “I hope people will be surprised with what we’ve done.”

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