Burn By Rocky Patel is Coming to Steel City
Pittsburgh will be getting a new cigar bar and it's going to be big. Construction for the second Burn by Rocky Patel has already begun in Pittsburgh's North Shore neighborhood, which is located on the north side of the Allegheny River, and according to cigarmaker Rocky Patel, it's going to be nearly 7,000 square feet. That's almost twice the size of the original Burn by Rocky Patel, which opened in Naples, Florida back in 2010.
"Pittsburgh is a great cigar town," said Rocky Patel to Cigar Aficionado. "It's not as big as New York or Los Angeles, but things are changing in Pittsburgh every day, and the city has never seen anything like Burn."
Patel had always intended to expand the Burn concept to other cities like Washington DC and Las Vegas, but plans never came to fruition before now. As the second location, this marks the first expansion of Patel's Burn concept. The venue features a complete portfolio of Rocky Patel cigars (plus third-party cigar brands), full bar, cocktail program and food all set in a stylish, smoker-friendly nightclub environment.
But don't expect Pittsburgh to look like Naples. It's a different demographic and, naturally, has a different clientele with different expectations. While the first Burn has an exotic, Mideastern motif, the new Burn is incorporating Pittsburgh's industrial history into the design.
"It's a totally different look than the Burn in Naples," Patel said. "There will be a lot of wood and steel surfaces to reflect elements of Pittsburgh's steel-working history. It definitely has a wow factor."
That wow factor was developed by Swatchroom, a design firm based out of Washington DC who helped Patel realize his vision.
The new Burn is situated in between Heinz Field (home to the Steelers) and PNC Park (home to the Pirates). If the light fare served inside Burn isn't enough, there's a trendy burger joint called Burgatory and the upscale Hyde Park Steakhouse nearby.
Patel wouldn't comment on how much the new Burn is costing, but he expects it to be open by next Spring. After that, Patel plans on opening another Burn in Indianapolis in late 2017.
