Dig in With Graver: Spirit Pizzeria and Sunday Brunch at Dos Reyes
The two businesses have expanded menus and hours.
PHOTO BY RYAN MICHAEL
A week before Spirit unveiled its long-awaited, full-scale pizzeria and rooftop patio, I attended the Lawrenceville haunt’s Market of the Beast, where I bought a spooky Chuck E. Cheese sculpture from artist and food mascot aficionado Jeff Bertrand.
I have an otherworldly connection to pizza.
That’s why I’m glad Tom Barr and Leigh Yock, co-owners of the decade-old business, are finally going above and beyond with their food and beverage offerings.
Spirit Garden Bar (which officially opens next spring, but keep your eyes peeled for winter pop-ups!) and Spirit Pizzeria are separate from the performance venue’s lodge and event spaces. You no longer have to fret about paying a cover charge or becoming an unwitting audience member when all you want to do is eat a slice and sip a local brew.
PHOTO BY RYAN MICHAEL
Upgrades to the 10,000-square-foot former Moose Lodge (where Barr’s great-grandfather was a member) include a separate entrance to the new spaces, more bathrooms on all floors, a spruced-up back patio and an elevator.
Spirit’s cozy, booth-lined pizzeria has an updated and more expansive menu that includes classic pasta dishes, entrees, desserts and seasonal salads with ingredients plucked from the rooftop vegetable garden. Grab a beer or browse the new wine list. The cocktail program focuses on fresh-squeezed juices and housemade amaro and limoncello.
PHOTO BY RYAN MICHAEL
When I first interviewed Barr in the summer of 2019, he mused about creating a rooftop bar and garden that would be the perfect place to chill and watch the sunset. Seeing that dream finally come to fruition is more uplifting than that new elevator.
Spirit is at 242 51st St. in Lawrenceville. Pizzeria hours are 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DOS REYES
Brunching with Dos Reyes
Last Sunday, I woke up craving Sonoran-style Mexican food.
This very specific need could only be met by Dos Reyes. Thankfully, the Lincoln Place eatery is now open on weekends and will further expand hours of operation in 2026.
It’s shaping up to be a great new year!
Rich and Carlyn “Chuck” Santistevan and Erin and Eddie Lilliock, co-owners of the popular food truck, opened the Interboro Avenue storefront last spring. I’m a big fan of Sunday brunch, and Dos Reyes delivers. The burro with green chile con carne, refried beans and cheddar cheese in a flour tortilla topped with enchilada sauce, even more cheese and a dippy egg warmed my soul.
Chuck’s late grandmother Elvira Manriquez (aka Nana Vera) operated a Mexican restaurant in Apache Junction, Arizona, for 60 years. She still plays a role in the family business thanks to the recipes she passed down.
There are nana-approved omelettes served with home fries and grilled Italian toast, biscuits with a side of jalapeno jelly and breakfast plates that range from chorizo hash to chilaquiles con huevos. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, they’ve got French toast casserole.
You might want to order a double Dos.
Dos Reyes is at 5203 Interboro Ave. in Lincoln Place. Lunch and dinner are served from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Brunch is offered Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
