Pop-up dining to open in former Superior Motors space

Dining in the vacant Superior Motors restaurant building in Braddock is coming back, at least temporarily.

Two Braddock businesses are collaborating to offer a pop-up dining experience at the restaurant space, which closed during the onset of the pandemic in 2020. The restaurant helmed by chef Kevin Sousa — located beneath Sen. John Fetterman’s residence — opened to fanfare in 2017. It never recovered after the pandemic, and Sousa later left a failed venture in 2021 in Mount Oliver.

Brew Gentlemen and barebones productions are utilizing the space adjacent to the blackbox theater at 1211 Braddock Ave. It will open during the upcoming show “Is God Is” by Aleshea Harris.

The production, directed by Javon Johnson, opens Friday and runs through March 12.

The idea for the pop-up, which will be there for the duration of the show, was mutual between Johnson and Matt Katase, co-founder of Brew Gentlemen located down the street, according to barebones founder Patrick Jordan.

“They are our neighbor, so we both thought it would be a cool fit,” Jordan said. “We are excited about it. Our guests coming to see the show can make a night out of it with a meal. They can also bring drinks into the theater.”

Brew Gentlemen is releasing its Blood Light Lime, a citrus IPA this week.

“We considered so many options for the menu but then decided to start with pizza and beer, because that is the perfect combination,” Katase said. “It is the perfect cool space, and we want to turn over a new leaf. This is a way to do something fun and positive here.”

For the next two weekends, there also will be brunch options created by Pittsburgh chef Jackie Page and cuisine from GS Sando Co., known for traditional Japanese sandwiches. As of right now, Jordan said he wasn’t aware of any plans to continue the pop-up after the “Is God Is” run.

Katase said he is looking forward to this collaboration with Jordan.

“It’s a really exciting show and the food and drinks will be great, so it will make for a wonderful time,” Jordan said. “There is something good that comes out of local businesses collaborating. We can feed off each other, no pun intended.”