1933 Grill
Brandon Horrell, owner of 1933 Grill, a contemporary speakeasy that opened in August in Belle Vernon. The restaurant is housed in a former speak-easy that was open in the 1920s until Prohibition ended in 1933.
The decor of 1933 Grill displays Wanted posters of gangsters including John Dillinger and Al Capone, among others.
The interior of 1933 Grill on Broad Avenue in Belle Vernon. Owner Brandon Horrell renovated the interior, adding 1930s-era wallpaper, painting the original pressed tin ceiling, and refurbishing the bar.
1933 Grill offers a seating capacity of 86. This table in 1933’s back room with exposed brick features a bench with the name of the restaurant etched into the back.
1933 Grill’s interior features the original pressed tin ceiling, which owner Brandon Horrell painted. The contemporary speakeasy is housed in a building that served as a speakeasy during Prohibition.
The entrance to 1933 Grill on Broad Ave. in Belle Vernon is “disguised” as a telephone booth, an homage to speakeasies that operated covertly during Prohibition.
The exterior of 1933 Grill on Broad Ave. in Belle Vernon, a modern speakeasy that offers American cuisine. The building, built in 1929, operated a speakeasy during Prohibition.
An enlarged newspaper front page outside 1933 Grill on Broad Ave. in Belle Vernon celebrates the end of the Prohibition era.
Courtesy of Meredith Woodall
Some of the culinary offerings at 1933 Grill, which offers contemporary American cuisine. The grill also serves breakfast.
Hey. Buddy. Can you keep a secret?
The Mon Valley has a newly opened contemporary speakeasy.
It’s 1933 Grill, brought to you courtesy of Belle Vernon native Brandon Horrell.
The Belle Vernon restaurant is housed in a 1920s building on Broad Avenue that actually did house a speak-easy during the Prohibition era.
The name, 1933 Grill, is an homage to the year that Prohibition, the constitutional ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages, ended.
Traditionally, speakeasies were illegal bars (with no signs out front) that featured inconspicuous entrances and low lighting, and patrons were notified of the locations by word of mouth.
You won’t need a password, and you won’t have to go through the secret passageway, but there is a secret door at 1933 – sort of.
Patrons must enter 1933 Grill through a door disguised as a telephone booth.
Horrell, a former emergency room nurse, had long considered opening a restaurant.
“I was looking at this place for a couple years. We were looking for a theme, and since this was a speak-easy back in the day, we went with it,” said Horrell.
Before Horrell, 40, purchased the building, it had housed “a smoky shot-and-a-beer bar,” he said.
Formerly, the yellow-brick building housed a restaurant, Pettito’s.
In fact, said Horrell, a burger served for years at the original eatery – it was slathered with a thick slice of onion, a slab of provolone cheese, topped with brown mustard and served in between two slices of Texas toast – remains on the 1933 Grill menu.
After completing extensive research on speakeasies, Horrell – who had worked for years with his father’s construction business – set about renovating the interior.
He painted the original pressed tin ceiling copper and added textured gray period wallpaper.
Exposed brick, wanted posters of gangsters like Al Capone and John Dillinger, industrial lighting, and a backroom ambiance set a nostalgic vibe.
But the vintage-themed restaurant’s real appeal is its menu.
1933 Grill offers modern American cuisine, specialty cocktails, and craft beers.
It is open six days a week – Tuesdays through Sundays and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It’s the only place in the Valley, Horrell notes, that customers can enjoy breakfast with a mimosa or a bloody mary.
Head chef Lamont Johnson leads a staff of 22.
The restaurant has a capacity of 86 patrons, including a bar that seats 14.
Diners can select from a variety of appetizers, salads, sandwiches – including crabcake, Philly steak and cheese, classic Reuben, and a Pittsburgh-style handheld – pasta, steak, salmon and meatloaf.
Thursdays are steak nights (aged Angus New York strips are served on sizzling platters), and weekends feature high-end specials that usually sell out.
On a recent weekday, Tammy Large, of Monessen, and her sister-in-law, Carol Large, dropped in at lunchtime for chicken salads.
It was Tammy Large’s second visit to the eatery, which opened in August 2019.
“I love it here. I love the atmosphere. and I like the history,” said Large, who, along with her sister-in-law, enjoyed the food and service.
Horrell said he plans to offer outdoor seating in the spring.
“I want this to be a place people enjoy,” said Horrell, a self-described perfectionist. “Everybody here takes pride. Everybody here is trying their hardest.”