Cafe at the Lofts holds clientele in high regard
It's as if the bar from "Cheers" was reborn as a Pittsburgh gourmet delicatessen.
Spend just a few minutes in the Cafe at the Lofts, and owner Cindy Sproull will not only know your name but what kind of soup you like, how you like your sandwiches fixed and maybe even where you live.
"I do love my customers," Sproull says. "I really enjoy them, and, truthfully, that's one of the parts of the business I like best."
The Cafe at the Lofts is tucked away in a corner of the Heinz Lofts, just a stone's throw from the Riverfront Trail on the North Shore. Sproull admits it took about 18 months for her business to take off after it opened in January 2006.
Now she has a steady stream of customers whom she greets like family members. Many of them live in the Lofts, Sproull says, but on a recent afternoon, a woman from Gettysburg wandered in from the Riverfront Trail and remarked on the freshness of the food. That's a priority for Sproull, who makes soups daily and often adds homemade potato or pasta salad to the menu. Even the House Salad ($4.95), a mix of crisp romaine lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, croutons and grated mozzarella cheese, is made when ordered, not prepared in advance.
The Cafe at the Lofts features a special each day, such as the Spicy Casey Hampton Wrap ($6.95), a nod to the Steelers nose tackle who is nicknamed Big Snack. But it's the consistency of the daily offerings that have customers returning on a regular basis.
A tuna melt is a staple of most delicatessens, and the Cafe at the Loft's version ($6.45) is super generous and perfectly grilled -- available on French, marble rye or wheat bread -- made with cheddar cheese and, if you want, tomato. Just half of the sandwich makes a hearty lunch.
The Roma ($6.45) features fresh Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, spring-mix lettuce and vinaigrette dressing on grilled multi-grain bread. The tasty, fresh tomatoes are what gave this sandwich its zip, making it a good choice during peak tomato season.
The soups are rich and hearty and all homemade, including chicken, wedding and French onion. A cup is $2.99, a bowl, $3.99.
Cafe at the Lofts also offers gourmet pizzas, including BBQ chicken, Wing Ding and white versions. All are $9.99. Breakfast is served from 7 to 10 a.m., with sandwiches including the Italiano ($3.49), with egg, grilled ham and roasted red peppers served on a bagel or English muffin, and a breakfast burrito ($2.99) among the choices.
The space is cozy -- six tables inside, six outside on a small patio -- but Sproull encourages patrons to linger, with a selection of paperback novels, magazines and newspapers available for perusal.
Cafe at the Lofts also has a delivery service and provides catering for business meetings and private parties.
Additional Information:
Cafe at the Lofts
Location: 200 Heinz St., North Shore
Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Details: 412-322-0570 or Web site
