Italian eatery Birracibo at Fourth Street Live has shut its doors; the space will undergo renovations to become a more casual concept called Pizza Bar.
The restaurant will sell New York-style thin crust pizzas and offer entertainment for guests including arcade games, according to Fourth Street Live. It also will have a large private space available for events and offer carryout.
Pizza Bar is based on a concept called Mike’s Pizza Bar at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The Cordish Cos. also operates a Pizza Bar in Kansas City, a representative from Fourth Street Live told Insider Louisville.
The restaurant will have similar prices to Mike’s Pizza Bar, which sells its signature pies for prices ranging from $10 to $18, but it will offer a different menu of signature pizzas, appetizers, salads and grinder sandwiches. Pizza can be bought by the slice or as a whole; for those in large parties or who are extra hungry, Pizza Bar will offer up to 30-inch pies, the representative said.
Like Birracibo, Pizza Bar is a joint venture between local businessman Ulysses “Junior” Bridgeman and Fourth Street Live owner The Cordish Cos.
“Pizza Bar is a proven success and given the tremendous momentum of downtown Louisville, the best concept to maximize the terrific potential with Fourth Street Live,” Bridgeman, president and CEO of Manna, said in a news release from Fourth Street Live.
The space will undergo an upgrade, including new furniture, audiovisual equipment and décor.
“Pizza Bar will be a welcoming place for guests to unwind with friends and family over fresh pizza and great entertainment,” Bill Stenzhorn, chief operating officer of Fourth Street Live, said in the release. “The restaurant was designed to offer a relaxed atmosphere with great lunch, dinner and late night options.”
The restaurant’s hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday. It will offer a free slice of pizza with a drink purchase from 3:30 to 4 p.m. daily and happy hour specials from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Pizza Bar is expected to employ 30 people, according to the Fourth Street Live representative. It will open in late June or in July.
The 9,000-square-foot restaurant space, the old Ri Ra Irish Pub, underwent a more than $1 million renovation over two years ago to become Birracibo, a sit-down restaurant that sold Neapolitan pizzas, pasta dishes and housemade ice cream. Just over a year ago, the restaurant brought on a new head chef and added several new menu items, including grinder sandwiches, pepperoni pizza rolls and a baked spaghetti pie.
Birracibo closed without notice on Wednesday.
