PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Ashley Taylor and LaShawn Espy knew opening a restaurant was risky business, but they were 100% confident in their food.

In April 2022, the cousins threw caution to the wind, followed their dreams and opened Fry Bar — only to see it go up in smoke four months later.

A natural gas line explosion at McKeesport’s Common Ground Building in August 2022 injured two construction workers and displaced the business and four other start-ups housed at the facility through Penn State Greater Allegheny’s Mon Valley LaunchBox program.

Taylor and Espy lost inventory, tools and a new point-of-sale system — but they didn’t lose hope.

With community support, they kept the Fry Bar brand alive through pop-ups and catering gigs. In December 2024, they reopened Fry Bar on Galveston Avenue in Allegheny West.

Located in the former Lola Bistro, the charming spot serves wings, sandwiches, sweets, housemade beverages and (cue a choir of angels singing) pizza boxes filled with fries, macaroni and cheese or salad topped with a delicious assortment of ooey-gooey ingredients.

“Garbage plates” originated in Rochester, New York. For a hot minute, Pittsburgh had its own version called Pilez, but that didn’t pan out.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Fry Bar is raising the bar by putting a gourmet spin on the concept. Espy is a veteran chef and Taylor has a background in business and a master’s degree in community leadership from Duquesne University.

These meals might seem like guilty pleasures, but they’re made with fresh, flavorful ingredients. Standalone sides are available for folks who want the components of their meal commingling. If you still feel glutton, do a few laps around the historic neighborhood. While you’re burning calories on your stroll, make a mental note to visit other newcomers Wise County Cafe, Alberta’s Pizzeria and The Lion.

Choose from a menu of Fry Bar Classics or build your own tasty masterpiece. You’re welcome to dine in, but, through extensive research, I’ve found that great comfort food tastes even better when it’s consumed at home with the TV and AC on. I did, however, chug a housemade lemonade at Fry Bar to beat the heat and it was, without question, the most satisfying beverage I’ve ever consumed in my life. Take that, lemons!

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

In what was probably a subconscious attempt to feel even cooler, I ordered Three Rivers, marinated chicken, peppers, onions, shredded lettuce and Parmesan ranch sauce on a nest of crispy spuds.

The portion sizes will draw comparisons to The Original Hot Dog Shoppe, the fabled Oakland eatery of yore that served mountains of fries, even to folks who ordered a “small,” but these taters remind me of the beach.

I used to live in Ocean City, Maryland, where Thrasher’s French Fries is a Boardwalk institution. Espy was born in Pittsburgh but spent his formative years in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Like me, he’s a Thrasher’s fan. Like Thrasher’s, his potatoes are cured, fresh-cut, fried and seasoned to perfection. This might be a controversial thing to say in the birthplace of H.J. Heinz, but you don’t even need to dip ‘em in ketchup. I barely touched the red stuff when I lived by the sea.

Now, thanks to Fry Bar, I can ride a wave of Ocean City nostalgia while I couch surf at home.

Fry Bar is at 1100 Galveston Ave. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday , noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Support other members of Fry Bar’s Mon Valley LaunchBox cohort nearly three years after the Common Ground Building explosion: Paint at Your Own Risk, Care Heart CPR, Just a Little Talk and the Black Woman’s Policy Center.