Lattes streamed and tunes spun on vinyl at Squirrel Hill’s new music themed coffee shop this week.
Pre Amp Coffee Studio opened on Nov. 11 – just before Thanksgiving. Since then, co-owner Danny Ryan said the space has been busy.
“Squirrel Hill, particularly, you get a lot of people that order just straight espresso cortados or flat whites. And for me, that’s people that really want (to) taste really good coffee, because they’re getting a drink that is really highlighting espresso,” Ryan, 39, of Bloomfield, said.
On Tuesday, Ryan and his team buzzed around what had once been a long-vacant space located on Forbes Avenue, previously occupied by Coffee Tree Roasters.
Pre Amp Coffee Studio is part of the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group, which part-owns several other popular Pittsburgh restaurants including: Coop De Ville in the Strip, Poulet Bleu in Lawrenceville and Tako Torta in Shadyside.
Renovations on the space took around two years to complete.
The coffee studio draws inspiration from Japanese vinyl cafés and old-school diners, Ryan said. Exposed wood, album cover posters and retro booths in the back complete the look.
Inside, the coffee shop has tables by the front window, booths tucked toward the back near the restrooms and an open bar setup that lets customers sit and talk with baristas while their drinks are prepared.
“It feels like it’s an actual bar, but there’s actually no alcohol being served,” Ryan said.
Pre Amp Coffee Studio’s menu ranges from coffee classics and teas, to specialty lattes and macchiatos, to mocktails, to a selection of sandwiches, salads and sides.
Ryan said the food menu will change every few months as the Pre Amp Coffee Studio team adjusts the concept for the menu.
In addition to the bar area housing the shop’s ingredients, it also serves as the record area, where the staff’s collection of vinyl records are kept and then placed onto turntables.
Barista Emma Stewart, 23, of Squirrel Hill, said she plays a lot of music that reminds her of her dad, including: Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, ABBA and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Ajah Bowser, 21, of Crafton, sat in one of the booths in the back of Pre Amp on Tuesday enjoying a chai tea while she worked on a final paper.
Bowser, who said she is specific about where she studies, discovered the coffee shop through TikTok.
“My biggest thing for a study space is the seating, the bathrooms and the lighting. This is my big three – I take it very seriously. I would say lighting 10 out of 10. I love the windows and beyond such lighting. The main area, and especially the bathrooms, have been clean. I would give it (an) overall 10,” she said.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source triblive.com ’
