Liberty Public Market’s Mess Hall Changing Course With New Concepts

Mess Hall, the full service restaurant operated by Blue Bridge Hospitality inside the group’s Liberty Public Market food hall, is undergoing a transformation that will split the space into three new concepts all set to debut this month. Switching to more casual, counter service style, Blue Bridge Hospitality executive chef Tim Kolanko says that the change will better align the space with the makeup of the market and its vendors.

Now open for lunch and dinner is Mess Hall Bar, the current cocktail bar which will feature a modified version of the Mess Hall menu, from its greatest hits including the grains and greens salad, cauliflower steak, and fish and chips to seasonally-driven rotating plates from Kolanko’s kitchen.

Meanwhile, the Mess Hall dining room and open kitchen is under construction and set to reopen by December 19 with two counter service bars each featuring its own menu. Pi Bar will specialize in pizza al taglio, or "pizza by the cut", 2-foot-long rectangular pies sold by the slice with toppings ranging from traditional red sauce with fresh mozzarella to more creative chef-driven varieties. It will also serve savory hand pies and pop pies, plus sweet pies from executive pastry chef Lori Sauer.

The other concept will be a new wine bar from Grape Smuggler. The in-house wine store, which recently relocated to the southwest end of the market and added a craft spirits section, will be pouring a rotating selection of wines from the glass curated by beverage director Greg Majors that will highlight his favorite lesser-known wine regions. To pair with the wine, Kolanko will be cooking up a menu of tapas and small plates that can be enjoyed at the bar or taken to-go.