Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene is off to a roaring start in the Roaring ’20s. There are 11 new spots to grab food or a drink around town, including a new Downtown coffeeshop, a craft cocktail spot, a Brookline bar, and a restaurant where you get a say in the menu.
Here’s the complete report on what’s new in the city’s food and beverage scene (and what you might have missed last month). Know one we missed? Tell us.
Hello
🥘 Bar Botanico is doing things differently. The new Lawrenceville spot includes just vague outlines on the menu, and you can personalize the dishes to your taste, as City Paper explains.
☕️ There’s a new coffeeshop/creative space Downtown, aptly named Creative Coffee & Supply, Good Food Pittsburgh reports. It’s described as “the kind of place where magical moments happen.”
🍦 There’s a fancy new Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins along Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. A press release describes the combo store as the “store of the future,” featuring a groundbreaking cold beverage tap and video queue system.
🍺 A new location for Dive Bar is now open in the former Ryan’s Pub location in Regent Square.
🍸 Replacing what used to be Alida’s, The Forge is mixing craft cocktails and making small plates along Butler Street in Lawrenceville. The restaurant is focused on Mediterranean cuisine and wood-fired pizzas.
🍕 Iron Born Pizza has moved out of Smallman Galley and is now serving up pizza and pasta in the former Carhops location just down the street.
🍎 The West End is welcoming a new grocery store called Paper Moon Market, aimed at providing the neighborhood corner store experience with fresh produce, snacks, spices, and penny candy.
🍷 R Wine Cellar has now opened the Cellar on Penn right behind its original winery at 21st Street and Penn Avenue in the Strip District. The Cellar serves 16 handcrafted wines, two local beers, and even crepes.
🍺 Red’s Good News is now open in Brookline and striving to bring “another fresh hangout to the neighborhood, full of good brews, good friends, and good cheer.” Look for a grand opening this year.
🥗 Pittsburgh’s second SoFresh location, this one in Shadyside has arrived with salads, wraps, and warm bowls.
🍤 Soul & Sea is now open in the South Side with everything from lobster to salads to kabobs. Plus, they’ve got late-night hours so you can grab a bite if you’re out late on Carson Street. Even better? It’s run by Who’s Nexter Brittany Houser.
See you soon
🍚 Dagu Rice Noodle is coming soon to Squirrel Hill, replacing The Magic Noodle, per PennsylvAsia.
🥖 Rolling Pepperoni is opening a storefront in Lawrenceville run by Who’s Nexter Katt Schuler.
🍗 Beloved chicken-and-waffles purveyor The Coop is opening a brick-and-mortar location in the old Rita’s Italian Ice location at the corner of East Ohio Street and Cedar Avenue in the North Side. Look for it in January. The food truck will remain in business, too.
🥞 The Speckled Egg, a breakfast and lunch spot with pancakes, French toast, and diner food is coming to the Union Trust Building Downtown this month.
🏛 Two new concepts are coming to the Pitt Building Downtown. One is a sandwich shop with meatball subs, Philly roast pork, chicken parmesan, Chicago beef, plus coffee and sweet treats. The other is a supper club called Saint Johannes. Both will be run by the team behind The Vandal and are expected to open in the spring.
🥗 Earth Inspired Salads is working on a location in the EQT Building Downtown.
🐟 Work on Wild Ninja Asian Grill is underway in Oakland, replacing Uncle Sam’s Gourmet Subs, PennsylvAsia reports.
🍷 Franco Harris’ son is turning a bomb squad truck into a portable wine bar.
🐉 The subject of years of anticipation, restaurateurs Richard DeShantz and Tolga Sevdik are expected to open Gi-Jin soon (but they’ve been saying that for six months, sooooo ‾\_(ツ)_/‾). Look for sushi, gin, Japanese whiskey, and a giant dragon mural.
🍺 A development called 1700 Penn will transform a giant Strip District building into a destination for local booze. The Penn Avenue building will house a Pennsylvania Libations retail store, plus a full-service bar and taproom serving Helltown and Rivertowne beer and much more. An opening date has not been announced.
🍦 A Lawrenceville location for Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream is in the works, though it doesn’t appear any work has happened recently.
🍚 Oishii Donburi is coming soon to Lawrenceville from the owners of Oakland’s Oishii Bento, Pennsylvasia reports.
🍣 A yet-to-be-named 14-seat sushi counter tucked on the second floor between Round Corner Cantini and Umami is expected in Lawrenceville.
🥗 Famed chef Justin Severino is planning a casual California-inspired cafe near North Park.
☕️ A CBD cafe called Lazydaze is coming to Lawrencville — think of it as “an Amsterdam-style cafe,” the founder says.
🌮 Bloomfield’s Baby Loves Tacos is opening a second location in Millvale’s former Tazza D’oro location. The taqueria will also include a small market, which is significant, as Millvale doesn’t have a grocery store within walking distance.
🍱 Bae Bae’s Kitchen is working on a second location called Bae Bae’s Cafe with a focus on boba drinks and light bites. Look for it early this year.
🍗 Oakmont Barbeque Company is planning a permanent location — not in Oakmont but in neighboring Verona.
🍺 The Woods House, a Scottish pub, is slated for one of Pittsburgh’s oldest houses.
🍺 Platform Beer Co., the Cleveland-based brewery, plans to open a brewery and tasting room in Garfield.
🌯 A Mexican-Italian fusion restaurant is coming to the Strip District in partnership with Edgar Alvarez of Edgar’s Best Tacos.
🔥 Fig & Ash, a “farm-to-flame restaurant,” is headed to Deutschtown.
🥃 4Four6 Distillery is coming to Sharpsburg with gin, rum, and, eventually, bourbon and whiskey.
🍻 Rogan Brewing Co., a taproom with pints and growlers, is coming to West Homestead.
🍗 The Eagle, a casual fried chicken restaurant, is coming to Penn Avenue Downtown.
☕️ Convive Coffee will soon open its flagship location in Lawrenceville, joining its original McCandless store, per a press release from Midwood Investment & Development.
🌮 Empanada purveyor Mi Empanada will debut its first retail location in Lawrenceville, according to Midwood Investment & Development.
🍺 BrewDog, a Scottish brewery with more than 50 locations around the world, will open in the Eastside Bond building in East Liberty.
🎳 Shorty’s Pins x Pints, a new entertainment concept with duckpin bowling, bocce, pinball, cornhole, and giant beer pong, plus street food, is coming to the North Shore.
🚀 Grist House Craft Brewery is turning a Collier Township Cold War-era Nike Missile Command Center into another outpost for the popular brewery. But a lot of work is ahead, so be patient. An opening date is expected a year or two from now.
🌮 Gordo’s Tacos & Tequila, with a menu inspired by Mexico City’s street foods, is coming to Mount Washington early this year.
🎮 Look for a location of the Punch Bowl Social chain with food and drinks, plus ping pong, darts, bowling, classic video games, and karaoke in the Lower Hill sometime this year.
🍗 Chicken Latino is working on a Beechview location, but the Peruvian spot won’t move out of the Strip District until this summer.
Farewell
🍣 After 30 years, Sushi Kim has closed. But you can find Sushi Kim 2 Go in Oakland as of March, per a sign on the now-closed restaurant’s door.
🍰 Gluten Free Goat is packing up is retail location, but you can still find gluten-free treats through the bakery’s wholesale options.
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