Popular local bar reopens to public

Students of legal drinking age can breathe a sigh of relief after one popular Oakland bar’s reopening.

Pittsburgh Cafe, a bar located on Meyran Avenue, reopened last week following its closure because of an alleged failure to pay the county’s tax on alcoholic beverages.

The bar originally closed on Oct. 3, according to official court documents, because the establishment owed the county nearly $13,000 in fees and penalties.

Bob Miecznikowski, the manager of Allegheny County’s Special Tax Division, confirmed that the bar reopened sometime last week. He said that the county and Pittsburgh Cafe had settled the issue, and the bar was allowed to reopen.

However, he declined to elaborate, saying that his office keeps any information related to taxes confidential. He added that such information could be used by competing businesses.

He declined to state specifically when the bar reopened, saying only that it happened sometime last week, and also would not say whether the bar paid the amount in full or worked out an agreement with the county to pay in installments.

Attorney Jake Lifson, of the law firm Goehring, Rutter and Boehm — which represented the county in the case — also declined to comment.

Owners of Pittsburgh Cafe could not be reached for comment.