Soup's on! Ladles Restaurant has reopened in Springdale and patrons are thrilled

Fans of comfort food are happy one of their favorite eateries has reopened its doors.

Ladles, on Pittsburgh Street in Springdale, is back serving homemade dishes to the delight of loyal customers, some of whom have frequented the restaurant for years.

“I was bummed when they closed,” said Guy Walker, 56, Cheswick. “This is our only neighborhood restaurant. I’m really glad they reopened.”

Ladles closed in the summer of 2020, during the height of the pandemic, when restaurants were forced to operate at 50% capacity. For close to a year, the future of Ladles seemed unclear.

But early last month, Ladles owner Kathy Marsico posted a Facebook message saying she had decided to reopen because “I do not want to lose my employees and I’m thinking that the business environment might be more stable now.”

The restaurant officially reopened on Aug. 25 and there is definitely a demand for her product.

Marisco takes pride in her homemade soups made with fresh ingredients. They rotate on a daily basis and are clearly inspired the restaurant’s name.

During lunch last Wednesday, visitors to Ladles had three soups to choose from: chicken noodle (with large chunks of chicken), cream of mushroom, and wedding soup.

“I love her wedding soup,” said Mary Ann Harbey, 60, Sarver. “It’s classic wedding soup. It has just the right proportion of everything — meatballs, pasta and broth.” Harbey also mentioned being a fan of Marsico’s “greens and beans” soup, which she finds “very homey and comforting.”

Ladles also serves a variety of pasta dishes, including shrimp scampi, simple fettuccine with marinara or Bolognese sauce, as well as chicken Romano and chicken Parmesan.

Mindy Wirick, 60, Cheswick, is glad to be able to support a local restaurant.

“I do not support chain restaurants,” she said. “Kathy (Marsico) is a local person. I know her. She’s an expert in Italian cuisine.”

Wirick said she’s a big fan of Marsico’s sautéed portabella mushroom slices, roasted red peppers and provolone on a Mancini baguette with sun-dried tomato pesto.

“Everything they make (at Ladles) is fresh. She makes her own salad dressings, and I love her potato pancakes. They have a good variety on the menu, fair prices and she has a loyal staff.”

One staff member, server Jan Lipanot, said she admires Marsico’s work ethic.

“I’ve never seen anybody so creative,” she said. “She always comes up with special ingredients for her soups. I think she’s an absolutely amazing cook.”

Meanwhile, Walker had just finished sampling one of that day’s specials — a salmon BLT with fries.

“It was fantastic,” he said. “I’ll never eat another cod sandwich again. Honestly, I’ve never had a bad meal here.”

Ladles is offering seasonal menus Tuesdays through Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 9 p.m.

“I appreciate and will always appreciate any and all support moving forward, and thank you all for being patient,” Marsico said on Facebook.