Donatos officially launched the Black Brick Bar tonight — a first of its kind venue — attached to the new Donatos pizza shop located at 920 North High Street in the Short North. The new 900 square foot bar features a patio facing High Street and an attachment to the restaurant that creates a dual space where the two businesses cross over.
“Black Brick Bar is all about local,” said Donatos COO Thomas Pendrey. “Live local music, local ingredients, ten craft beers on tap and 25 bottles and cans, all local. We’ve got OYO and Watershed in our signature cocktails, which have all been named after local people like Betsy Pandora and Charly Bauer.”
Pendrey explained that the Black Brick name comes from the original Donatos location, which was built featuring black brick — a design choice by founder Jim Grote.
“At Donatos, black brick signifies the vision to not only talk about ideas, but to act upon then,” stated Pendrey.
Since its opening earlier this year, the new Short North Donatos has received a lot of positive feedback about the new store design. Pendrey said that they’ve rolled out a second location in Nashville that mirrors the contemporary look, but the Black Brick Bar is still and exclusive concept in Columbus.
The new building that houses both Donatos and the Black Brick Bar is still under construction, and soon will be joined by a new Zest Juice Co location, and the first RAM Restaurant and Brewery in Central Ohio. Previously, the site was only home to Donatos and its parking lot.
“With four businesses, there’s more value for all the people who are working and living this part of town,” said Pendrey.
For more information, visit www.donatos.com.
All photos by Walker Evans.
