The Eagle lands in Pittsburgh: Fried chicken restaurant set to open

Mar. 23—Fried chicken is the specialty at Downtown Pittsburgh's newest restaurant.

The Eagle Food & Beer Hall calls its main dish "cage-free all-natural chicken."

"Our focus is fried chicken," said co-founder Joe Lanni. His Cincinnati-based Thunderdome Restaurant Group owns The Eagle.

The restaurant is located on Penn Avenue. The name comes from a former post office — transformed into a restaurant — in Cincinnati

Thunderdome chose Pittsburgh because it has another establishment nearby, Bakersfield Tacos at 940 Penn Ave., which opened in 2016.

"We felt so much love from the city after opening Bakersfield, and we always knew we wanted to bring a second concept to the area," Lanni said. "Pittsburgh is a hidden gem. It has so many great neighborhoods. This city has so much character."

The Eagle can seat up to 160 people in its space.

This is the sixth location. Others are in Cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville and Charlotte.

Construction began at the end of 2019. It was planned to open last March but was stalled because of the pandemic. Thunderdome furloughed 1,300 employees but has brought most of them back as the company reopens restaurants. Thunderdome has 44 locations nationwide.

This one will employ 75 people. They are hiring, Lanni said, and will open this week.

The menu offers whole or half chickens or a quarter of of white or dark meat as well as sandwiches and salads. Southern-inspired sides such include collards, succotash, horseradish mashed potatoes, spoonbread (iron skillet cornbread with maple butter), sweet potato crock (with toasted mini marshmallows), four-cheese macaroni and cheese and white cheddar grits.

"The Eagle is the combination of home-style food, a lively vibe, and a house-party feel," said Tony Dornbusch, director of food and beverage for Thunderdome.

The design team created an open layout and used a lot of reclaimed wood for a rustic feel, said Lanni. The island bar is the center of the restaurant, Lanni said.

There will be bottled beer, 14 brews on tap (rotating through the year), one cider and one non-alcoholic root beer as well as cocktails, wine and sparkling drinks.

Guests will hear a blues-heavy sound track.

Windows can be opened to create the feel of an outdoor space. There is additional outside seating.

The area is central to the convention center, the cultural district, sporting venues and offices (for when people return to work), Lanni said.

Dine-in service is available. The Eagle will also offer online ordering, carryout and delivery.

"We've designed it to be the ideal space to hang out, share a beer or a cocktail and a great meal with family and friends," Lanni said. "We want to be part of the Pittsburgh community."

The Eagle's fried chicken has been named by the Travel Channel as one of the "10 Most Hype-worthy Fried Chicken Restaurants."

"We're bringing the bird to Pittsburgh, but providing the same unmatched service, fun atmosphere and great dining experience that Pittsburgh has already come to know and love at Bakersfield," says Alex Blust, co-founder of Thunderdome in a statement. "I graduated in 1999 from the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, and it's such a personal pleasure for me to be back in Pittsburgh to open a second concept."

The Eagle is located at 737 Penn Ave., Downtown

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .