Take Your Beer For a Walk: Little Italy

Jeff McCullor

Local brewer Jeff McCullor takes us on another bubbly walk around Erie, this time landing in the Little Italy neighborhood – exploring the area while taking advantage of Erie's lack of open container law.

If it's been a minute since you were last in Erie's Little Italy Neighborhood, let's lace up those sneakies, grab your favorite barley pop from your local brewery, and hit the streets!

We'll begin our tour on the northwest corner of Chestnut and Huron streets, where you'll find the delicious aromas of Majestic Baking Company wafting straight at you. They're probably inside cranking out amazing sourdough loaves alongside popular banana pepper and asiago pinwheels and their wonderfully dense hippie bread. Get in there during their usual operating hours for a yummy side quest of local carbohydrates. Cheers to you, Majestic!

Next we'll do an about-face and walk south on Chestnut, crossing Huron, strolling right past the La Nuova Aurora Society, home to meticulously maintained outdoor and indoor bocce courts, and a centerpiece of Erie's rich Italian heritage since 1907. Kitty-corner from here you'll see the gorgeous St. Paul's Catholic Church with the corner-oriented bell tower and double stacked stained glass windows adorning the exterior walls. Cheers to you, St. Paul's and La Nuova Aurora!

Now take a long sip of that beer, we're going to get in some serious steps! Continue heading south along Chestnut Street, aiming for a right turn onto West 18th Street. We'll be strolling our way to the intersection at West 18th and Cherry streets where you'll find Ruiz Barber Shop and International Bakery (yes another bakery, listen I love carbs, alright?). The folks at Ruiz dole out some of the most impressive fades seen on a human head, oftentimes using a straight razor. Two doors down along West 18th, International Bakery is cranking out pepperoni bread, danishes, cannoli, and some wildly popular Italian loaves fit for a perfect sandwich. Cheers to you, International and Ruiz!

Next stop: West 19th Street, so turn around back to Cherry Street and head south one block, then turn left onto West 19th Street where a TRAIN used to run right down the middle of the street. Yeah, like a real train, carrying boxcars! Wild, right? Traverse your way along the southern edge of the Erie Cemetery until you come back to Chestnut. Right near the corner is Give A Crepe, La Creperie, Erie's only crêperie. Stephani Klassen (40 Under 40 Class of 2023) is the owner, a pro crêpe spinner and an incredible contributor to Erie's culinary scene. Get the "saumon sale" crepe – it's so, so good. Cheers to you Stephani!

Keep drinking, and walking, local.

Jeff McCullor is the co-owner of Erie Ale Works. He can be reached at jeff@eriealeworks.com