Downtown lunch options just got a lot more varied. Located at 411 Seventh Ave. on the ground floor of the Chamber of Commerce building,
DumplinZ Café celebrates its grand opening on Oct. 24.
The 1,200-square-foot café, whose entrance is located on Smithfield Street, has undergone minor renovations and been outfitted with new equipment. DumplinZ owner Alex Gershanok, who hails from Russia, started the business with three Pittsburgh-area partners.
Specializing in stuffed pastas from around the globe, DumplinZ carries Italian ravioli, Russian pelmeni, Eastern European pierogies, and Chinese dumplings. Highlights include sauerkraut-laden “kapusta-rogies” and sour cherry “chereniki” dessert pierogies. “We’re hoping that since this area has a large Eastern European makeup, it will be something people grew up with and maybe have gotten away from and want to retry,” says DumplinZ manager, Chris Conlogue. “In other countries, there are fast-service stuffed pasta places. I don’t know of any here.” The café also carries breakfast dumplings filled with baby sausage and cheese, vegetarian pita sandwiches and Presto George coffee.
DumplinZ currently works with suppliers located in New York City, and may add local suppliers. With seating for 12, DumplinZ is poised to become a popular take-out spot. “I hope that this will be a place people can come to for not only business lunches, but for take-home dinners,” adds Conlogue, who says the the café has seven employees. “There are a lot of business people looking for a place to eat lunch. We look forward to the Christmas shopping time, and we’re hoping to expand our seating capacity."
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Chris Conlogue, DumplinZ Café
Photograph copyright Brian Cohen