A sale is pending to transfer the former IronRock Tap House in Hempfield to the owners of Plaza Azteca, a Mexican restaurant with locations in 12 states.
Jesse Cortez, commercial real estate advisor with The Colony Agency, on Friday confirmed Plaza Azteca is under contract to buy the property along Route 30 near Westmoreland Mall.
“I think it’s going to absolutely crush it there,” he said.
There has been some movement at the site recently, he said, but it was unclear when the restaurant might open. The address is listed on Plaza Azteca’s website as a restaurant location. A message sent to the business was not immediately returned.
IronRock Tap House closed in mid-2025 after being open for nearly six years.
In a listing through The Colony Agency, the 15,000-square-foot, two-story restaurant with an outdoor patio was touted for its proximity to the mall, highway, Live Casino Pittsburgh and other nearby businesses. A purchase price was listed as negotiable.
Cortez declined to provide the sale price.
Plaza Azteca has 25 other locations in Pennsylvania, including Monroeville, White Oak, Edgewood, Robinson and at Ross Park Mall, according to its website.
Don Tarosky Jr., founder and chief executive officer of The Colony Agency, said the synergy Plaza Azteca brings to its Ross Park Mall location can be replicated in Hempfield. He said the restaurant can be an important part to the success of both shopping destinations.
Other nationally-known restaurants had expressed interest in the property in the past, but those negotiations didn’t work out, Cortez said. Plaza Azteca has locations in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia.
“They have a big footprint,” Tarosky said.
In addition to the building and property, the listing included beer tap and liquor dispensing systems, coolers, ovens, sales systems and other restaurant-related equipment.