The bar has a local charm to it. The seating arrangement is definitely tailored to the younger, more forgiving crowd and the twenty-one and over rule gives the Round Corner Cantina an aura of credibility that I think supports the business.

The first day I saw renovations occurring to the defunct Round Corner Hotel in Lawrenceville I was excited at the possibilities. The first time I heard about what was being put there—a Latin restaurant and bar—the excitement grew to monstrous proportions. Once the place was finally ready to open the excitement waned somewhat when I was told they will only be serving drinks for the first month or two. When food was finally being served it got a pretty lukewarm response; a lot of people were giving the service poor marks and saying both the food and drinks were too highly priced. My interest was negligible at this point. My friend and I always have conversations about the “hipster phenomenon” and how incredibly mundane things (in this case, a taco) suddenly become absurdly priced when you eat them in a crowd full of Buddy Holly era glasses, knee length blue jeans and Chuck Taylor’s. Unfortunately, the Round Corner Cantina in Lawrenceville suffers from this phenomenon, to a point.

The Outside

The Round Corner Cantina offers up authentic Latin and Tex-Mex dishes as well as interesting mixed drinks to a strictly twenty-one and over crowd. At no point during the day is anyone underage allowed inside the Cantina. A man stands outside of the door to ensure this; it is slightly off-putting when you walk up. I was honestly expecting to be charged a cover and was ready to ask why in the world they were charging to enter. The Round Corner Cantina creates a thick veil of exclusivity in this regard. I definitely understand why it would make a lot of diners incredibly frustrated. Immediately upon entering you’re met with the bar area which, at most times of the evening, is standing room only. I’m not completely sure if you can order food here or not but I wouldn’t suggest it. There is minimal indoor seating in back as well. The bulk of their seating is outside past the backroom. There are no signs telling you this. You have to have the assertiveness to wander through a business and not wonder if you’re entering an office or an employee only room.

The look of the interior and exterior is old school with a modern twist; they kept a lot of the old details of the building. They built off of an existing canvas that was already pretty cool to begin with. It’s a minimal style—not always practical but of course incredibly hip. Their web site is very nicely designed as well and the menu is great. They’re going for a kind of rugged, hipster, Latin flare and do it nicely without getting too formulaic.

The Outside Seating

If you’re with a group of friends and just want to chill out, order some drinks and eventually snack on some food the Round Corner Cantina is great. If you’re there to eat a meal it’s a little tricky. The seating is first come first served (or first to sit their ass down when someone else gets up). When we arrived at 7pm there was nowhere to sit save for two small chairs. We sat for a good twenty minutes until a couple left and I scooted over with the ferocity of an old woman defending her lucky seat in a bingo hall. I looked straight down as if to, through ignorance, excuse myself from cutting anyone off. Once we sat down, however, a server greeted us almost immediately. We ordered our drinks as well as an order of chips and salsa and both of our entrees (we had twenty minutes to look at the menu). I had the Tacos De Carnitas (pork tacos) and Janey had the Patatas Gratinada (layers of sweet potato, chipotle and queso Chihuahua). Let me repeat this; they do not seat you, you have to scout out a seat and go for it. For a group that’s just there to socialize it’s fine, for a couple on a date it would be less than practical.

Homemade Chips and Salsa

Our drinks (we ended up trying a total of four) were all knowledgeably made. Rather than go with a beer (they had a great selection, by the way) I tried the Ruby Rita (grape fruit, tequila, cointreau) and Janey had the Sweet Tea (bourbon, mint, lemon, tea, sugar). Later on we had the La Cantina Margarita (tequila, triple sec, orange juice, lime) and the Pimms Cup (Pimms, lemonade, soda, cucumber). They were honestly some of the best drinks I’ve had in the city and weren’t priced too steeply. The Ruby Rita had the bitter grapefruit, the sweet and hot tequila and a salted rim; it meshed together nicely. Janey’s sweet tea had the honey-like bourbon mixed with the lemonade, tea and soda and almost tasted like an Arnold Palmer—simply superb and interesting.

The chips and salsa were homemade and tasty. For four bucks, however, they were kind of skimpy on the chips. The salsa had a touch of smoky chipotle and a little bit of heat and a pinch of saltiness. I appreciated the authentic texture; smoother and less viscous than most of the salsas you find on the East coast. As you can see by the photo, though, for four dollars I would expect more chips. I loved the homemade chips, something you don’t see in Pittsburgh often. They were crispy and light, almost melting in your mouth.

Our entrees came out with a slight delay because everything is made to order. After finding a seat, however, the cool summer evening and the drinks were far too relaxing to care about any amount of waiting. The atmosphere at Round Corner Cantina is peaceful and jovial. The outdoor seating is a great way to spend an evening on a Friday night. Back to the food! Everything was plated in a wholesome, rustic way. My tacos came with a heaping pile of pork that needed two tortillas to hold it all in. I could immediately identify the tortillas as the ones handmade at Reyna’s Grocery in the Strip District and was very pleased to see this. I did note that when eaten with the tortillas the pork tended to be a little dry. The tortillas sucked a lot of the moisture from your mouth. The pork was delicious, though, and the toppings were fresh and the textures were amazing. I still would prefer Yo Rita’s tacos but the proximity and similar pricing will keep me going to Round Corner Cantina.

Janey’s sweet potato dish was similar to lasagna. Layers of soft sweet potato replaced lasagna noodles and the cheeses—a mixture of traditional Mexican cheese—were reminiscent of mozzarella and cheddar. Each bite melted in your mouth while some of the burned cheese crunched deliciously. Plating the dish in the cast-iron skillet that it was cooked in is a great idea.

I think Janey enjoyed the atmosphere of Round Corner Cantina the most. Not to say I didn’t, but she loved the idea of a bar down the street with nice outside seating. I’ve also never seen her drink more than half a drink in her life. That night she threw down one and a quarter, a personal best! I have to agree with her, the conversation flows thanks to the ambiance of Round Corner. While it may be a bit pretentious and while I still shake my head when fifty cents of third world cuisine costs bohemian-styled American men and women ten dollars, I still appreciate what Round Corner Cantina is doing. The bar has a local charm to it. The seating arrangement is definitely tailored to the younger, more forgiving crowd and the twenty-one and over rule gives the Round Corner Cantina an aura of credibility that I think supports the business. The more I think about the way they run things the less I think they should change anything. Seeing the bar crowded almost every night tells me they don’t need to be informed of this, either.

3720 Butler St Pittsburgh, PA 15201 (412) 904-2279 Monday: 5pm – 12am Wed to Sat: 5pm – 2am Sunday: 12pm – 12am

Taste: Service: Style: Overall: