Gruff Pizzeria & Delicatessen opens in Covington

The Gruff Pizzeria & Delicatessen opened in Covington on Wednesday.

Named as a nod to the fairy tale “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” the restaurant, deli and specialty shop at 129 E. Second St. is from Kristin and Avram Steuber, who previously owned and ran Twin Bistro on Covington’s Fourth Street.

Pizzas, cooked in a rotating brick oven, include the Philly cheese steak ($16): cheddar sauce, steak, peppers, onions and mozzarella cheese; and meat and potatoes ($15): house-made sausage, parsley, thyme, Yukon gold potatoes, mozzarella and goat cheese. Deli sandwiches ($8-$9.25) include turkey, roast beef and smoked salmon.

There are also a few hot sandwiches, such as fried truffle bologna ($9), made with black truffle bologna from Smoking Goose Farm in Indianapolis, plus Havarti cheese, pickled onions, spinach and mustard.

At the 30-plus-foot brick-front bar, there are eight taps, with an emphasis on craft beer, plus wine and liquor.

The deli side of The Gruff stocks meats, milk, bread, eggs, specialty goods, beer, wine and liquor. Kristin Steuber said they’re carrying many items from local vendors, including Sixteen Bricks bread, Snowville creamery dairy products, Graeter’s ice cream, Carabello coffee, Babushka pierogies and beer from Rhinegeist, Blank Slate, Christian Moerlein, Hudepohl, MadTree and Ei8ht Ball.

Hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday.

859-581-0040; www.atthegruff.com