On any typical morning, the sound of laughter, jokes, and happy expressions can be heard. Grandma B’s Café is located in the Hill District and is filled with the delightful aroma of sizzling bacon. A sign hanging on the wall reminds guests to always be grateful.
According to customers, the warmth and love in the air make it feel like being at grandma’s house, and the food is exceptional.
The space includes a narrow area with black and white tiles, a cash register, and a black and white countertop. Customers sitting at the countertop can watch their food being prepared. In addition to the counter, there are a few tables for dining on the left side.
Dorian Moorefield knows most of his customers by name and often asks about their family while they visit Grandma B’s Café in the Hill District.
Moorefield often wears a Grandma B’s shirt with the words “Not just a café … But a culture” on the back.
Ashlee Knight, 36, from Garfield, used to visit regularly, but due to her nursing school schedule, she now only pops in occasionally. She is set to graduate in May of 2025, a date that Moorefield has already marked.
“I used to come here every day for the friendly conversation,” Knight said. “It feels like coming home.”
Knight usually orders steak and cheese eggs with sauce, and Moorefield always seems to remember to add more sauce, teasing her as they both laugh.
Moorefield stated, “It’s not just a restaurant. It gives the community hope — it’s a community center, it’s a source of support, it’s a rehabilitation center. More than just cooking, you are providing guidance to people.”
The restaurant is named after Moorefield’s grandmother Eula Beatrice McCamery, renowned for her desserts in the neighborhood. Moorefield explained that it was an homage to her as she had always wanted to open her own restaurant but never had the opportunity. When it opened in 2010, she was still alive and even gave away some of her baked goods on the opening day.
“We’ve been going strong ever since. We gained momentum right from the start — we caught a wave,” he said. “I never expected us to receive this kind of attention.”
One morning before the 2016 election, a TV reporter came in out of the blue and set up in the café to interview people about voting and discuss the Steelers. Soon, people were calling Moorefield to say they had seen him on TV.
Subsequently, the late Anthony Bourdain visited, and Grandma B’s was featured on “Parts Unknown,” causing quite a stir.
Moorefield grew up in Hazelwood as one of 12 children. He mentioned that both his parents and Grandma were talented cooks. He gained cooking skills in the ’80s at around 16 years old when he was responsible for grilling all the meats for cookouts.
Moorefield loves his work and frequently begins his day at 4 a.m. It’s when he is not working that he actually gets tired.
He has been working since he was 11, helping with the sale of fruit from a mobile vendor in Black neighborhoods like Hazelwood and Glen Hazel. He emphasized that having a strong work ethic is a family trait and something he takes pride in. His grandfather, Joseph Moorefield, worked in the Homestead steel mills for 30 years without missing a single day. Some days, he will close early so that both he and his best friend and business partner Ahmed Brazil — who also cooks, takes orders, and serves tables — can rest.
Today he is relocating and has several orders — fries loaded with chicken and a special sauce, wings, fish sandwiches, and eggs.
The popular item is Grandma B’s tea, a sweet iced tea in a jug with a blue top. They sell about 80 bottles or more per day because it's a top request and made in-house.
The menu at Grandma's has a variety of items including salmon patties, French toast, and shrimp fried rice. The café only accepts cash, but Moorefield assures that no one will leave hungry.
Some customers get creative with the menu, like Drekie Bailey, a long-term friend and customer who likes to add peanut butter and jelly to his French toast. He’s hoping to have it officially added to the menu.
Moorefield quickly responds, “If no one has asked for it in the past 14 years, we don’t need to add it to the menu,” and they both burst into laughter. However, Moorefield keeps a hidden supply of peanut butter just for Bailey.
Bailey often arrives before the café opens or after it closes to help clean the cooking stations and scrub the floors.
“All these guys in here are childhood friends. If I haven’t seen them in months or even years, I know I’mma catch ‘em here,” Bailey said. “You catch everyone here. It’s a meeting spot for old friends.”
“Pittsburgh is a mostly white city and it’s really challenging for Black people to achieve success here, so to have this level of success, I am really grateful,” Moorefield said.
Moorefield typically finishes around 2 p.m. The Café is open on weekdays starting at 8 a.m., Saturday at 9 a.m., and Sunday at 10 a.m. It is located at 2537 Wylie Ave. in the Hill District.
