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Pittsburgh food in March 2021: What’s opening and what’s closing

A new month has begun, and you know what that means. We’re back with our normal monthly food-and-drink updates … even though we haven’t seen normal in *checks notes* an entire year.

Nevertheless, Pittsburgh is saying hello to eight new restaurants, bars, markets, and cafes, with dozens more on the horizon. And we’re saying farewell to a beer spot that didn’t end up on tap after all. Keep scrolling to the bottom for that one.

In case you missed last month’s edition, catch up here. If we missed something, let us know so we can add it to the list.

Now, read on and remember to drink (and dine) responsibly.

Hello

🍲 African Eats Cuisine is serving up “authentic African cuisine & irresistible tantalizing tastes” in Squirrel Hill.

🍏 Arsenal Cider House turned an old Dormont bank into a new location, which is now open, TribLive reports. Expect a food menu later this spring.

🐈  Black Cat Market has moved to, where else, Garfield. The new space will allow them “to expand and finally offer our dream of a larger cat room and a full coffee bar!”

🍟 Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen is now delivering to Pittsburgh using the “ghost kitchen” concept, WTAE explains.

🍚 Jian’s Kitchen in Squirrel Hill is getting rave reviews for the depth of its menu. Here’s more on Pittsburgh’s newest Chinese restaurant, via Pittsburgh Magazine.

🍞 Krista’s Deli is slinging sandwiches in Carnegie and “bringing back some traditional favorites from The Italian Bread Place along with many new menu items.”

🍕 Pizzeria Davide has opened a third location. This one’s in Carnegie, “one of our favorite Pittsburgh neighborhoods.”

🧀 Squirrel Hill Market, which might be Pittsburgh’s smallest grocery store, is now open for “curated convenience,” and NEXTpittsburgh’s got more on the store.

See you soon

💛 Yinz Coffee is taking over the old Crazy Mocha storefront on the North Side and is ready to open on March 15.

Claussen Cafehaus in Bloomfield dubs itself a “charming cafe serving local organic soft pretzels, fair trade coffee, and all-natural ice cream” and says it’ll be ready to make you coffee “so, so soon – we promise!”

🍕  Doughbar Pizzeria & Rotisserie is under construction on the South Side with pizza, rotisserie chicken, and hoagies on the menu come mid-March.

🇲🇽 Audrina’s Mexican Grille is preparing to open in Greenfield in the former home of Bill Ung’s Tea Garden, PennsylvAsia reports.

🍝 LeVia Trattoria, a family-owned Italian restaurant, is coming soon to Lawrenceville, and its Instagram posts will make you hungry already.

De Fer Coffee & Tea, a Strip District fave, is opening two more locations this spring. One will be in South Oakland and the other in at The Highline in the South Side, per NEXTpittsburgh.

🍹 Tonic Coffee, a coffee/mocktail bar “inspired by world travels and inclusivity” is coming to Lawrenceville this spring.

🍷 Con Alma, the popular Shadyside restaurant and jazz bar, is opening a second location Downtown this year across from Heinz Hall. An exact opening date is TBD.

🍔 Burgh’ers Brewing is set to bring smash burgers to The Highline in South Side this summer, NEXTpittsburgh reports.

🍺 Back Alley Brewing is on a mission to create Dormont’s first craft brewery, and you can follow along with their progress on Instagram.

🍽️ Tupelo Honey, a Southern cuisine chain, is coming to Station Square later this year and will become an early anchor of the updated Freight House Shops, per Pittsburgh Patch.

🍔 Back To The Foodture is planning a sequel. The beloved burger and wing spot plans to open a new East Carson Street outpost, per Pittsburgh Magazine. 

🚨 Tako is bringing its luxe, Asian-Mexican fusion to Bakery Square.

🍸 G’s on Liberty will replace the now-closed Alexander’s Italian Bistro on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield with “a full service restaurant, focusing on real, innovative, creative food, and cocktails.” Renovation is “coming along.”

🍳 Wild Child, from acclaimed chef Jamilka Borges, is now serving takeout in Garfield — with the Carribean-influenced restaurant’s full opening in Etna to come. Here’s a peek inside until then.

🍻 Bonafide Beer Co. is planned for the former Chicken Latino spot in the Strip District.

🌮 Gordo’s Tacos & Tequila, a “new double-decker restaurant,” is coming to Mount Washington.

🍻 Two Frays Brewery is working on a space in Garfield  and posting plenty of progress photos along the way.

➡️ Smallman Galley is moving to Bakery Square and “daydreaming about warm, sunny days when we’re able to open our doors and you’re able to join us for lunch, dinner, happy hour..or all three.”

🍚 Oishii Donburi is still in the works for Lawrenceville, from the owners of Oakland’s Oishii Bento. A timeline isn’t crystal clear, but here’s a peek inside.

🐟 Work on Wild Ninja Asian Grill is underway in Oakland, replacing Uncle Sam’s Gourmet Subs, PennsylvAsia reports.

Long-term openings on our radar

🍺  Pittsburgh Brewing Co. is planning a new brewery in the former Pittsburgh Glass Works plant on a 40-acre site along the Allegheny River in Creighton. Pittsburgh Business Times has the latest — and more on the fascinating history of the site.

🐉 What about Gi-Jin? The subject of years of anticipation, restaurateurs Richard DeShantz and Tolga Sevdik are still expected to open their “refined, intimate bar that’s re-imagining the sushi experience.” When? A spokesperson says while Gi-Jin is close to ready, until it can open safely, DeShantz’s restaurant group is focusing on the restaurants it currently has operating, including the Coop De Ville in the Strip. 

🍵 Tupelo Honey Teas in Millvale acquired the building next door and will renovate and expand over the next several years.

🎳 Shorty’s Pins x Pints, a new entertainment concept with duckpin bowling, bocce, pinball, cornhole, giant beer pong, and street food is coming to the North Shore, per the Post-Gazette.

🚀 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.

🥗 A casual California-inspired cafe from famed chef Justin Severino is planned near North Park, the Trib writes.

🎸 Howler’s is moving to East Liberty after 19 years in Bloomfield, City Paper reports.

🧀 Tom & Chee, of “Shark Tank” fame, plans to open a Downtown location. They’ll be serving melts, soups, and “grilled chee donuts,” per WTAE.

🍕 Big Burrito is bringing a yet-to-be-named restaurant to Lawrenceville with a focus on pizza, veggie-forward dishes, and burgers, Pittsburgh Magazine reports.

🍔 Arlington Beverage Club, a new concept from well-known chef Kevin Sousa, is coming to an old social club in Allentown called St. George Lyceum, the Pittsburgh Current details.

🏛 Two new concepts are coming to the Pitt Building Downtown, the Post-Gazette reports. One is a sandwich shop. The other is a supper club called Saint Johannes.

Farewell

🍺 Is it a closing if it never really opened in the first place? Well, either way, the pandemic “put the kibosh on Hitchhiker Brewing Co.’s plans to open a Downtown location at 604 Liberty Ave.,” NEXTpittsburgh reports. The plan was for Hitchhiker to take over a tiny storefront Downtown to serve beer and coffee.


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