Gordo's Café and Cantina coming to RIDC Park in O'Hara

A scratch bakery and cantina in O’Hara will feature tavern-style pizza, fresh-roasted meats and gourmet cronuts in a prime location perched along Route 28.

Gordo’s Café and Cantina is scheduled to open in the coming weeks in RIDC Park, in the home of the former Periwinkle’s Bakery & Café.

“The emphasis will be on quality and sourcing,” said owner Brian Gorder, who also operates Gordo’s Tacos and Tequila in Mt. Washington. “We get beans from Mexico for our coffee, and we hand-make all of our syrups. Heirloom corn kernels come from Oaxaca, Mexico, for our fresh-pressed tortillas and chips.”

Gorder grinds the corn into masa himself.

The opening date is pending an Allegheny County Health Department inspection.

The restaurant has been empty for two years on 2.8 acres just off Exit 10 of Route 28. Periwinkle’s was a short-lived iteration of the iconic Kratsa family bakery founded in Verona in the 1930s before operating for decades in the Harmar business corridor.

“We took our time finding the right fit,” said Michael Kratsas, family cousin and property administrator. “Some people wanted to tear it down and start fresh, but Brian saw the value of the space as it is.”

Gorder’s contract is lease-to-own.

His Southwestern-themed eatery will open in phases, first as an upscale bakery before a luncheonette with grab-and-go items is added. The last phase will include a full-scale restaurant and bar.

At his taqueria near the Monongahela Incline, the menu features “the famous Al Pastor,” a spit-grilled pork dish inspired by Lebanese shawarma. But there are also nods to American classics like the cheeseburger taco and the Nashville hot chicken taco.

“The Café and Cantina will be things you would see in Mexico,” Kratsas said. “There will be cronuts and cruffins, eclectic pizza varieties and roasted meat sandwiches on fresh bread.”

Cronuts are pastries deep-fried like doughnuts but made with croissant dough. Similarly, cruffins are shaped like muffins but made with layered croissant dough.

The building has been rebranded with warm colors of clay and terra-cotta to invoke a Mexican street food vibe, he said.

Gorder, a South Hills native, graduated with a degree in hospitality management from Penn State University and ran several country club kitchens after graduating. He pivoted to the team behind Pittsburgh-favorite Primanti Bros. and worked with them at the Diamond Market Bar & Grill in Market Square, where he mastered the art of cured and smoked meats.

He later transformed a condemned building on Shiloh Street to open Gordo’s Tacos and Tequila in summer 2020. The building now boasts large windows and garage doors, along with two bars and seating for 120.

Gordo’s in O’Hara was a perfect next step, he said.

“I think it’s a good opportunity to reach new people,” he said. “They already built the venue, so I want to take what they built and finish the job.”