Previously vacant Covington space welcomes new restaurant

You’ve probably heard the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, and by January you’ll get to experience the tale in a new way. Avram and Kristin Steuber teamed up with BLDG to create the concept for their new restaurant, The Gruff Pizzeria & Deli, which is opening at 129 E. Second St. in Covington.
 
“As the experience is carried out through the space, you’ll see the Three Billy Goats have landed where the grass is greener, on the other side of the suspension bridge,” Kristin says.
 
On the inside, the 4,500-square-foot restaurant has eight taps for craft beer as well as a full-service bar. The 75-seat dining room has views of the Roebling Bridge, and there’s an outside seating area for about 30. The outside of the building features a brightly colored mural, and the walls inside have lines from the "Three Billy Goats Gruff" fairy tale.
 
The Steubers aren’t new to the restaurant business, as they owned and ran Twin Bistro, also in Covington, for over four years. The Gruff occupies a larger space than Twin Bistro and is part restaurant, part deli and specialty shop.
 
The Gruff has a brick oven for pizza, and the menu will be rounded out with deli-inspired sandwiches and salads. All of the meat featured on the menu is sourced from Indianapolis-based The Smoking Goose Meatery and are nitrate-free and available by the pound at the deli. Sandwiches will be served on Sixteen Bricks bread, which will also be sold at the deli.
 
The specialty shop will also have milk, bread, eggs, beer, wine and liquor for sale, and the deli portion will have rotating specials like at old-school delis, like chicken cordon bleu or beef stroganoff.
 
“We want The Gruff to be a place where the neighborhood and extended community feels comfortable and welcome,” Kristin says. “We plan to be a resource to the community that brings amazing food and a unique experience to Covington. As Covington residents, we see the potential in the city to become known as a destination again, and with the location at the base of the bridge we hope to be an important part of that.”
 
Once open, The Gruff’s hours will be 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday.