Robin Godwin: Detroit-Style Pizza Bar ‘Cross Street Public House’ Opens in Federal Hill

Cross Street Public House has opened at the former 10,000 sq. ft. home of Stalking Horse at 26 E. Cross St. in Federal Hill. This “upscale tavern” with a menu focused on Detroit-style pizzas is owned by Andrew Carter and Jesse Selke from the Delia Foley’s Group, as well as industry veteran Jason Zink.

Carter and Selke are the owners of Delia Foley’s Pub and AJ’s on Hanover St. in Federal Hill and Smaltimore in Canton. Carter was the manager of Stalking Horse from 2008 to 2014. Zink is the former owner of No Idea Tavern, Don’t Know Tavern, and Smaltimore, and is now a partner in the Abbey Burger Bistro locations in Fells Point, Mount Washington, and Havre de Grace.

Zink has spent the past year working on his pizza recipes and traveled to Detroit to learn from the late Shawn Randazzo of Detroit Style Pizza Company. Randazzo, who passed away in December after a battle with brain cancer, was a two-time World Champion Pizza Maker of the Year.

Zink also hosted a Detroit-style pizza pop-up at SoBo Market last December.

Detroit-style pizza is a deep dish, focaccia pizza cooked in blue steel pans. This style is known for its burnt cheese edges and sauce drizzled across the top. Cross Street Public House offers 8″x10″ pizzas including a Margherita, spicy pepperoni, Coney Island hot dog-inspired pizza, cheesesteak pizza, BBQ chicken pizza, s’mores pizza, and more.

Cross Street Public House hopes to add thin crust, bar-style pizzas in the future.

The menu also includes salads; sandwiches including Nashville hot chicken, chicken parmesan, and Carolina pulled pork; and appetizers such as baked wings, Supreme Pizza Dip, loaded pierogis, and fried tortellini.

The Cross Street Public House team worked with Chef Frank Campanella on the menu. Felipe Escobar, the kitchen manager from Delia Foley’s, is running the kitchen at Cross Street Public House.

The bar will focus on craft beers, signature cocktails, and crushes.

Carter said the goal of the new concept is to “change the nightclub atmosphere.” The team took on a full renovation of the building adding more TVs, a 16-beer tap draft system, and arcade games such as Golden Tee, Pacman, Skee-ball, and shuffleboard, and tables with interactive games built into them. The team also removed the slushy machines and DJ booth, and will soon be adding garage doors to the front of the building.

A parklet outdoor dining space has been added to the street. Cross Street Public House has teamed with next-door neighbor and fellow new restaurant Nola on a tent for the two parklets. Cross Street Public House will be adding televisions to its parklet.

Cross Street Public House is currently open Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm to 2am and Sunday from 11am to 2am. It may add lunch hours on Fridays and Saturdays in the future as the team navigates through the current labor shortages.

Cross Street Pubic House will have its grand opening on November 6th.

Cross Street Public House joins a flurry of new restaurants coming to the unit block of E. Cross St. in Federal Hill. No Way Rosé, P.A.L.M, and Yeeros Plus will open soon; Nola opened last week; and Watershed opened in recent months. A yet-to-be-announced concept will also be taking over the former Crazy Lil’s. The team at Cross Street Public House is excited to be around this new wave of activity in Federal Hill.

Photos courtesy of Cross Street Public House