"The World Famous" Pike Cafe History
We welcome you to the World Famous Pike Café. Under the careful ownership of Michael Pullano since 1985, the Pike Café has seen many changes over the years.
The address of 930 Pike street started as a row-home, then a mom & pop pretzel store, then a small bakery, until it began its claim to fame as the Pike Café in the 1940’s. Starting as a corner bar in the city of Reading, the Pike was a popular favorite for locals from the 1940’s until 1985. That was when the real fun
started!
With little bar experience, Michael, who grew up on the same block of Moss Street where the Pike stands, became the owner of a pretty good corner bar in 1985 when Michael purchased The Pike Café which turned into “the place to be” in the eighties. With little more than steam tables to serve lunches along with red-beet eggs, dutch platters and the like, Michael served the crowds seven days a week with the night shift crowd coming in at seven a.m. usually being the busiest times!!
Then, the vision began. In 1992, a small kitchen was born and Michael decided to start serving 10¢ wings and sandwiches with a mere six tables to serve all the happy faces who couldn’t get enough of the World Famous Pike Café Wing Night. (Which, by the way, was the original Wing Night in Berks County!) Where
those six little tables were, is where the kitchen stands today.
In 1999, the row home at 932 Pike Street was purchased and the Pike started to grow into a bigger restaurant with a bigger menu, and boy, we didn’t know what was coming next!! To make everyone even happier (always Michaels goal!), he bought an abandoned lot on Moss Street to alleviate parking concerns for the neighborhood. Then, since people really liked this wing thing, we considered more dining
aspects and wanted to bring you more!!
The old Mary McIntosh building across the street seemed perfect for even more parking, so we bought the front part of the building, which many of you enjoy today, tore it all down, so you could enjoy parking!!
We’ve changed our menu many times over the years to develop it into what we have today, and we had to change the Pike too (of course)! With the vision still present in his mind, the rest of the Mary McIntosh building became for sale. With the thoughts of hosting more happy faces, Michael bought the property, demolished the entire structure, and re-constructed the entire space to make it into more than 100 spaces
for you happy faces so you can enjoy the even bigger renovation which was last completed in 2004 with the renovation of 934 Pike Street into the beautiful Pike Café you are enjoying today!
We love that we can offer you a place to dine with a friend, or 50 friends!! And we have a huge dining room which is all nonsmoking. We really enjoy being more than “just a corner bar” in Northeast Reading and
have become known as one of the best locally owned establishments for dining, drinking, and having fun. Super food and super prices, that’s our goal. And pleasing you pleases us. After your meal, don’t forget, we offer every sports package available on our high-def 40-screen satellite system, Internet jukebox
for late night fun with the gang, Wi-Fi (for those of us who can’t stop working), and an always changing selection of specialty drink menus along with our 24-spigot tap system with domestics, imports, & microbrews all for you!!
Who knows what’s next for the “World Famous”, but with Michaels’ vision, it’s going to be good!! If you
didn’t already know, we’re creating a new outside dining experience which will have full outside bar and dining!! We plan to see you enjoying yourself outside with us by the Spring of 2010!! We’re excited.
Thanks again for joining our family here at the World Famous Pike Café and enjoy your stay!!
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