Catacombs Pub

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Catacombs are artificial caverns.. and true to the name this place is underground... you must go down the stairwell to get there.  I have read that during the Roman Empire, at the time when the Christians were persecuted for their faith, they built and used an elaborate network of catacombs as a refuge and often used these underground places as meeting places to hold "church."  This particular cavern-like restaurant is fashioned from the  boiler and coal-delivery room for the downtown  Montevale Hotel.















Just follow the arrow and go down the stairs to this restaurant.  (Their must be an alternative for handicap entrance, call and ask.)


 We were out walking, after a night
at the symphony, and while walking by the  Catacombs Pub, Geo and I decided to take a trip downstairs and check it out.

Over the years, I have heard many rumors that this was a great spot, and so I was quite excited that finally, we had a chance to see what this place was like.  (In case you are wondering, the rumors are true; this place was great. I think this is one of my new favorite places!)



I didn't particularly find the hard wooden church pew type of seats to be comfortable, and it took a while for my eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room.  Not only that, but there were cold wafts of air that crept under our table from some vent by the floor and settled in around our feet... but but then who ever heard of well-lit, pillow-lined, electrically heated catacombs?   Not me.  So, while the beautiful wooden seats were smooth and hard beneath me, and the wafts of cold air were chilling me on that cool autumn night, I have to admit, I did love the ambiance of it all.  It did kinda feel like being in a catacomb. We did  end up moving a little closer to the center of the room.

The place was busy.  The warm glow of a fire blazing inside the pizza oven filled the cavernous room and a wonderful aroma of spices hung in the air.  I could hear the low murmur of the other customer's voices talking in hushed tones as people sipped their wines, laughed and clanked in their groups.  As we looked over the menu, we wanted to try all the pizzas they offered.  Deciding what to order was hard to do.

The Margaretta, Orient Express, Cashew Chicken, the Antioch.... the Tuscany, (Their names for Pizzas, all sounded good.   They also make Chicken Paprikash... (a Hungarian dish,) Lasagna, Meatloaf and Beef Stroganoff.   It was a difficult choice, but in the end, we were taken-in by the pizza; and I loved the taste of our Garlic Pesto Pizza that we finall decided to order.... The Garlic Pesto.   It was wonderful!



I did notice that one specialty this restaurant offers is S'More's for dessert.  Apparently t    iiu   ey bring you the ingredients for this famous camping desert and then you get to make them yourself at your table... a rather fun idea if you ask me.  I do not particularly like S'More's, but I like the concept.   Me? I am more inclined to try the Nutella Calzone or Apple Crisp. Unfortunately for us, having arrived rather late, by time we finished pizza, the kitchen had completely closed, so we had to skip dessert.

Oh, well.  Next time I might have to come in earlier and have some dessert!

The Catacombs is located in the cellar of the Montvale Hotel.at 110 S. Monroe Street and is open daily at 5:00 pm.  Tel: (509) 838-4610.  It is affiliated with the nearby Montevale Hotel.