Investors want to reopen Neid's Hotel in Lawrenceville

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- For 78 years, Nied's Hotel was a traditional gathering place in Lawrenceville and then it closed in 2019. A group of local investors now has plans to bring the local institution back to life.

For those who grew up in Lawrenceville, Nied's, known for its fish sandwiches and cheap beer at Butler and 55th streets, was a place to create good memories.

"We went to Nied's every Friday during Lent as did many other neighbors who lived in this area. Really fond memories. Great place to go. We knew the people who owned it. It was just a wonderful, wonderful restaurant," said Kevin Synan, who grew up in Lawrenceville. 

"We used to walk to Nied's all the time. The Pac-Man machine was great. The food was delicious -- greasy, but delicious. The waitresses -- all the waitresses had been there forever. Just everything about it, the whole atmosphere, a lot of family time," said Jessica Peluso, who also grew up in Lawrenceville. 

Now a group of local investors wants to reopen Nied's with a bar and restaurant pretty much the same as before, along with a 13-room boutique hotel on the upper floors. Initial plans were shared at a recent community meeting hosted by Lawrenceville United.

"What we heard at that initial meeting was people very excited to see the Neid's tradition continuing down to the fish sandwiches and the music and the kind of hotel quality," said Lawrenceville United executive director Dave Breingan.

Breingan said the new owners seem to understand the history of the original Nied's Hotel.

"It has a lot of old-school charm for sure. The new ownership team is really trying to -- what they presented to the community was really trying to honor and restore some of that. They're not trying to make everything shiny and new but really try to bring out that history that I think was really appreciated by the community," Breingan said.

While issues of parking, noise and traffic always need to be resolved in Lawrenceville, Breingan was optimistic the new Nied's owners would get the necessary approvals to move ahead and Mary Turak, a lifelong Lawrenceville native who attended the meeting, said reopening Nied's was overdue.

"We miss Nied's. It's like our life here definitely changed. Nied's closed. COVID hit. Couldn't get together. Just the thought of Nied's opening up again, I feel like it closes a chapter," said Turak. 

No word yet on how long renovations and city approvals would take, but clearly many residents can't wait.