The popular Wilkes-Barre eatery is now offering beer, liquor, and cocktails…
Some restaurants flip a sign from “Closed” to “Open” and keep doing what they’ve always done. The Burnt Norton in downtown Wilkes-Barre has never been that kind of place. It’s a spot that evolves in public — one menu tweak, one bold idea, one weekend special at a time.
And now, it’s taking one of its biggest steps yet.
The Burnt Norton has officially announced that it’s secured clearance to serve alcohol: beer on tap, liquor behind the bar, and a drink program that finally moves beyond its lineup of coffees, teas, and zero-proof cocktails. Until now, this corner café on East Northampton lived in a compelling in-between space — part brunch destination, part pizza shop, part bakery — with a beverage menu built entirely around non-alcoholic creativity.
That changed this week.
A new era, and a local assist that matters…
The most telling part of their announcement wasn’t just the news itself, but who helped them get there. In their Facebook post, The Burnt Norton specifically thanks Blind Cat Beer Company in Pittston, crediting the brewery with helping them navigate the licensing process.
It’s a detail that says a lot. Blind Cat has built its reputation on community as much as craft. Their involvement isn’t just logistical support — it’s a quiet endorsement of what The Burnt Norton is trying to build.
As of this past Tuesday, diners are able to sit down for brunch or a brick-oven pie and finally order a Blind Cat beer to go with it, along with a growing roster of other beer and liquor options. The Burnt Norton has always known how to feed people. Now they’re ready to pour for them, too.
The menu always hinted this was coming…
Anyone who’s spent time with their food menu could see this move on the horizon.
Breakfast is full-tilt indulgence: S’mores Belgian Waffles with torched marshmallows and Hershey’s chocolate; Cinnamon Roll Waffles pressed right onto the iron; Pumpkin Roll French Toast stuffed with cream cheese; and biscuit plates that walk the line between brunch and outright hedonism — like The Dirty South with grilled chicken, sausage gravy, and an over-medium egg, or the Thanksgiving Biscuit stacked with turkey bacon, cranberry, eggs, cheddar, and turkey gravy.
Lunch and dinner swing with just as much ambition. There’s the Roasted Pumpkin Pizza with caramelized onions and candied walnuts; the Spicy Beet & Black Garlic Pizza with chili oil and burrata; a Cranberry Turkey Pizza for the perpetual November crowd; and the dessert-masquerading-as-dinner favorite, the S’mores Pizza.
Rounding it out: charcuterie boards, French onion soup, chicken gnocchi soup, the Duchess ciabatta sandwich, and pastas dressed in house-made sauces. This is a kitchen that cooks with intention — and with a certain amount of affection.
The only thing missing was the right drink to go alongside it.
From mocktails to the real thing…
Even before the license, The Burnt Norton treated beverages as a craft. Their seasonal drinks bordered on playful: Golden Milk Lattes with turmeric and espresso, Drunken Pumpkin Lattes with a house-made rumchata-style base, Pecan Pie Matcha, and a zero-proof Cinnamon “Bourbon” Old Fashioned built with ginger beer and orange bitters.
These weren’t filler items — they were early hints that this restaurant would eventually want a bar program that matched its food. The mocktails were practice runs, showing they could build balance, depth, and intention into a glass.
Now they get to apply that mindset to actual cocktails and a roster of Blind Cat beers on tap.
What this means for downtown Wilkes-Barre…
Wilkes-Barre’s food and drink landscape has been quietly expanding — more creative kitchens, better coffee, a growing beer scene. The Burnt Norton was already part of that trend, landing a spot on 570andDown’s 10 Best Restaurants in Wilkes-Barre rankings and earning regional attention for its brick-oven pies and brunch lineup.
Adding alcohol doesn’t transform it into a bar; it simply deepens what’s already there. It means:
- You can split a Mini Harvest Charcuterie Board and a couple of drinks without changing venues.
- Date night can be a Roasted Pumpkin Salad, a Fig & Prosciutto Pizza, and Blind Cat pints under warm lighting.
- Brunch gets a little more relaxed — that Apple Pie French Toast finally has the appropriate companion.
More than anything, it signals something about how local restaurants are starting to see themselves: not as filler between chains, but as destinations worth planning around.
Pull up a chair…
Anthony Bourdain used to say you learn a lot about a place by how it feeds you and how it lets you drink. The Burnt Norton has long passed the first test. Now, with Blind Cat Beer Company in its corner and a new license to pour, it’s stepping into the second with confidence.
So go. Grab a slice of S’mores Pizza or a plate of Pumpkin Roll French Toast, order that first Blind Cat beer, and raise a glass to a little corner of Wilkes-Barre that keeps choosing growth over comfort.
The food was already worth the trip. Now the glass will be, too.
