Nibbles: Laggerheads
Dave Zuchowski
Tap handles line the wall on the interior of Lagerheads.
Dave Zuchowski
Joy Zelek-Koehler tends bar and was prepared to pour from the numerous offerings on a recent afternoon.
Dave Zuchowski
The exterior of Lagerheads in Coal Center
By Dave Zuchowski
It’s only reasonable that a bar and restaurant focusing on beer would consider naming itself Lagerheads. Lager, after all, is one of the more popular beer styles.
But there’s a deeper meaning to the story that lies underneath the surface. Joy Zelek-Koehler, co-owner of the Coal Center establishment along with her husband, Mark, is fond of turtles, especially loggerheads, one of the larger types of sea turtles.
You don’t have to look hard for clues of Joy’s loggerhead affinity. They’re all over the place. There are turtle shells on the walls, turtle logos on the tabletops, and even a turtle painting near the restaurant entrance sandwiched between two silver turtle shells.
But the story goes even further. Joy said that she and Mark are almost always at loggerheads with one another.
“The only thing we agree on is we like beer,” she said.
One glance along the shelves along the walls in the dining area validates her claim. Lined up like pawns on a chessboard are scores of tap beer handles, each one unique.
“There must be at least 100 of them,” Joy said.
Patrons may have some difficulty choosing from the offered selections. There’re at least 30 different brands stocked in the cooler, with another 10 on tap. Shortly after they inked the paperwork to purchase the property on December 7, 1999, they planned to introduce the Mon Valley to a different way to drink beer by stocking the cooler with micro and small-batch beers.
“It was slow to catch on,” Joy said. “Now micro brews are all over the place.”
This is not to say that someone loyal to more commercial, mass-produced beer can’t find their favorite on the list of selections. The bar is also stocked with popular brands like Budweiser, Miller, Michelob and Coors.
Beer (and cocktails), however, are only half the story. The food menu is another draw, and Mark and Joy said they’ve pretty much stayed with their opening core menu of wings, burgers, sandwiches and pizza. And then there are their popular lager fries, topped with a very secret beer cheese sauce.
“Around 2004, we added entrée dishes with a seafood focus,” Mark said. These include shrimp, mahi-mahi and crab cakes, as well as steaks and other entrees that rotate throughout the month.
“While we don’t have an exotic menu by any stretch, we do push the envelope from time to time,” Joy said. “One of my favorite meals, for instance, is blackened mahi-mahi with fried plantains and pineapple salsa. However, you’ll never find emu on our menu, or turtle soup for that matter.”
Wednesdays at Lagerheads are pasta nights, which feature preparations like chicken mushroom pesto pasta and La pasta, a Louisiana blend of chicken, shrimp, and sausage in a Creole cream sauce.
New York Strip steaks get the spotlight on Thursdays and are typically served with Parisian carrots (candied carrot balls), along with another side for $18.99. Fridays are designated Crab Cake evenings, which feature one of Lagerhead’s most popular entrees.
Both Joy, originally from Oakmont, and Mark, who hails from Carnegie, have a background in the food service industry. Joy worked for several years at John Harvard’s Brew House in Wilkins Township, and the couple later met while employed at TGI Friday’s.
“It was at Friday’s that I got an appreciation for the minutiae of details in the food service industry,” Joy said.
Eventually, the couple realized they had been working for someone else for so long that it might be time they started working for themselves. For a while, Mark looked over various locations to start their business, but it wasn’t until a realtor pointed them in the direction of the Coal Bin they hit paydirt. Built in 1870 in two equal sections, the local Coal Center bar remained virtually unchanged over the years.
Since the couple bought the building just across the road that parallels the Mon River, most of the changes to the structure have been cosmetic rather than structural. They did modify the patio out back to some degree, and it now sports a Florida vibe along with the motto “Eat what you want, drink what you like.”
Like many restaurants across the nation, Lagerheads was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We immediately took it very seriously and were aggressive about cleaning procedures early on,” Mark said. “Right after St. Paddy’s Day, we offered take out only. Even though our patrons stayed with us and remained loyal, our food volume was cut in half. Our beer volume was cut 100%.”
“Still the community embraced us,” he continued. “They were able to get a good product in a safe and pleasant way.”
Two months ago, Lagerheads opened for in-house dining. The taps are once again flowing, and the kitchen is busy.
“During the pandemic, we closed for lunch,” said Mark. “Depending on how things go, we may soon open for lunch again.”
Lagerheads, 100 Spring Road in Coal Center, is open seven days a week from 3 to 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information, call 724-938-3479 or visit eatatlagerheads.com.