It’s not even September yet, and it’s already been a very good year for new restaurants in Pittsburgh. From Kevin Sousa’s long-anticipated Superior Motors in Braddock to a macaroni-and-cheese restaurant in Bridgeville, if you’re looking for a new spot to try, here’s your list.
Burgh’ers
Gourmet burger and fries restaurant Burgh’ers already had a huge fan base thanks to their location in Harmony when they opened a new spot in Lawrenceville in March. The restaurant features burgers named after Pittsburgh neighborhoods (and one of the best fried chicken sandwiches in the city), plus fries, pierogies, and a full bar.
Burgh’ers (3601 Butler Street)
Onion Maiden
Vegan fans, rejoice. Popular pop-up Onion Maiden opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Allentown, serving an eclectic menu with an emphasis on “comfort food with an Asian-American twist,” as owner Brooks Criswell told us when they opened in March. The menu features veggie hot dogs, salads, and a full ‘Tots & Nachos’ section you won’t want to miss. One thing to keep in mind: They’re cash-only.
Onion Maiden (639 E. Warrington Avenue)
Colony Cat Café
Want to cuddle up to some cute cats while you enjoy a cup of coffee? Pittsburgh’s first cat café, Colony Cat Café, opened in February just around the corner from Heinz History Center. The café serves coffee, light snacks, wine and cocktails in a separate area downstairs. Upstairs, guests can schedule time with the adoptable cats, which all come from Animal Friends. Since Colony Cat Café opened, more than 50 cats have been adopted.
Colony Cat Café (1125 Penn Avenue)
Southern Tier Brewing Company
It’s been open since the beginning of the year, but if you haven’t yet been to Southern Tier Brewing Company on the North Shore, you’re in for a treat. The brewpub (which is the first STBC satellite location for the beer company) features about 30 drafts on tap, including selections from STBC partner Victory Brewing, as well as a full food menu – and soon, they’ll be opening an outdoor patio.
Southern Tier Brewing Company (316 North Shore Drive)
Union Standard
Derek Stevens’ first solo project has been a success. The chef/owner of Union Standard spent more than a decade working for the Big Burrito Restaurant Group before striking out on his own with a project attached to downtown’s Union Trust Building. And it’s stellar. The restaurant features an open kitchen, a raw bar, and one of the best bar menus in the city.
Union Standard (524 William Penn Place)
Bar Frenchman
One of the newest restaurants to open in Pittsburgh is Bar Frenchman in East Liberty, a casual French brasserie from the owners of the Twisted Frenchman. Previously located on Highland Avenue, the Twisted Frenchman announced earlier this year that it would not only be moving to a new space, but it would break into two separate restaurants (with two separate kitchens) under the same roof. Bar Frenchman’s menu currently includes dishes like coq a vin, smoked duck, ratatouille and escargot and grits, plus a chilled seafood bar and an innovative cocktail menu.
Bar Frenchman (2925 Baum Boulevard)
Eleventh Hour Brewing
Eleventh Hour Brewing has been in the works for a long time – but now, they’re officially open. The Lawrenceville brewery is family-friendly and dog-friendly, and features a rotating lineup of their house-brewed drafts, including their famous jalapeno brew.
Eleventh Hour Brewing (3711 Charlotte Street)
Ki Ramen
Two awesome Pittsburgh chefs came together for one awesome Pittsburgh restaurant. Umami’s Roger Li and Piccolo Forno’s Domenic Branduzzi teamed up to open their own ramen shop in Lawrenceville, featuring ramen made with handmade noodles. The three-level space also includes a kitchen area with a chef’s counter and a bar.
Ki Ramen (4401 Butler Street)
Evangeline/ Or, The Whale
The new Distrikt hotel is home to not one, but two new restaurant spaces. Evangeline is the hotel’s café and cocktail space (with a raw bar!), and is open now. Or, The Whale is the hotel’s main restaurant, and will feature a surf-and-turf menu, and an Argentinian-style wood-burning grill. They’re currently open daily for brunch, and will open for dinner soon, adding them to the list of new restaurants in Pittsburgh.
Evangeline/ Or, The Whale (463 Boulevard of the Allies)
Plate & Bowl
Highland Park is home to a healthy new restaurant. Plate & Bowl opened this summer in the former e2 space, serving American fare with Asian infusions. The restaurant, which is owned by the owners of Smiling Banana Leaf, is part-café, part-restaurant, and serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, in addition to coffee, juices and smoothies. On the menu, you’ll find ‘Buddha Bowls,’ made with fermented grains and topped with meats or vegetables, and various daily specials.
Plate & Bowl (5904 Bryant Street)
Ineffable Ca Phe
Ineffable Ca Phe, once a motorcycle auto body shop, is now a spacious café in Lawrenceville, serving authentic chicory coffee, bubble tea, banh mi sandwiches and other Vietnamese dishes. The café offers plenty of room for visitors to work or relax (and USB outlets at each table), and is open every day from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Ineffable Ca Phe (3920 Penn Avenue)
Pittsburgh Poke
Downtown diners got a new lunch spot this past June with the opening of Pittsburgh Poke. The poke restaurant (which serves raw fish salad, similar to ceviche), offers a menu of customizable poke bowls and sushi burritos, made up of a base (like rice or mixed greens), a protein (like tuna, tofu, or grilled chicken), and a number of mix-ins, plus one of their house-made sauces.
Pittsburgh Poke (500 Liberty Avenue)
Casellula
The second location of New York City-based cheese and wine bar Casellula opened this past February as part of City of Asylum’s Alphabet City literary center on the North Side. The menu features a number of cheeses, paired with accompaniments (think brown-sugar fudge), and a selection of appetizers and entrees that pair well with cheese (of course). Casellula also employs a no-tipping policy.
Casellula (40 W. North Avenue)
Le Lyonnais
In a big move earlier this spring, chef-owner Yves Carreau closed his downtown restaurant Sonoma Grille… then, almost immediately reopened, with a new name and concept. Le Lyonnais serves French comfort food with an emphasis on cuisine from France’s Lyon region (where Carreau is from). You’ll find classic, simple French dishes on the menu, like Beef Bourguignon and Steak au Poivre, and they have one of the best happy hour menus in the city.
Le Lyonnais (947 Penn Avenue)
Superior Motors
It has been a long time coming, but Kevin Sousa’s Superior Motors finally opened its doors this summer in Braddock. The restaurant (funded in part by a super-successful Kickstarter campaign) sources most of the ingredients on its menu locally, and has a partnership with Braddock Farms and Grow Pittsburgh, along with their own greenhouse and garden. The menu is eclectic and elevated, and cocktail program is especially stellar.
Superior Motors (1211 Braddock Avenue, Braddock, PA)
Needle & Pin
Pittsburgh has got itself a new gin joint. Needle & Pin opened in May in Dormont, boasting a 76-bottle gin menu, and a food menu that places an emphasis on British and Indian cuisine. You’ll find dishes that meld both cuisines, like Tikka Grilled Cheese with Curried Coconut Tomato Bisque, Curried Chicken Pot Pie, and Fish and Chips with house naan crisps. And, of course, an insanely good (gin-heavy) cocktail menu.
Needle & Pin (3271 W. Liberty Avenue)
City Works Eatery & Pour House
This one is for the beer fans. City Works Eatery & Pour House opened in Market Square earlier this year, with a draft list of over 90 craft beers, including a large portion of drafts coming from the Pittsburgh area. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner, and has a special happy hour menu, which features their monster (1.5 lb!) Bavarian pretzel.
City Works Eatery & Pour House (2 PPG Place)
Mesa
Though there was lots of sadness when news broke that Conflict Kitchen, the nationally-acclaimed restaurant in Schenley Plaza, would be shutting down, we were cheered when we found out what would be taking its place. Mesa features New Mexican cuisine, like Green Chile Stew, Tostadas, and Sopaipillas, “warm puffs of fried dough, drizzled with honey.” Yes, please.
Mesa (221 Schenley Drive, Kiosk #4)
Millie’s Homemade Downtown
You know Millie’s, you love Millie’s. And now, you can get Millie’s downtown! The cult-favorite ice cream company opened another scoop shop this summer, which features many of their classic flavors (like Chad’s Vanilla), along with some exclusive downtown-only ones, too.
Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream (246 Forbes Avenue)
Yuzu Kitchen
Yuzu Kitchen joined the list of new restaurants in Pittsburgh when it opened this past July. The ramen and robata restaurant is located downtown, about a block east from PPG Place. The menu features a variety of ramen, as well as noodle and rice dishes, plus cocktails, beer, sake, and an awesome selection of Japanese whiskey.
Yuzu Kitchen (409 Wood Street)
Mac & Toz Alehouse
Every once in a while, something really, really great happens. Like a Mac & Cheese-centric restaurant opens in your town, with six different kinds of gourmet macaroni and cheese. And burgers topped with macaroni and cheese. And deep-fried macaroni and cheese balls. That kind of great. And that’s what happened when Mac & Toz Alehouse opened this spring in Bridgeville, making all of our Mac & Cheese dreams come true.
Mac & Toz Alehouse (500 Washington Ave., Bridgeville, PA)
The Porch at Siena
Upper St. Clair has a new spot for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. The Porch at Siena opened this past June at the Siena at St. Clair shopping complex. Much like its sister restaurant at Schenley Plaza (both restaurants are owned and operated by the Eat’n Park Hospitality Group), the Porch at Siena serves a Mediterranean-influenced menu featuring salads, sandwiches, burgers and hand-tossed pizzas baked in a stone-fired oven.
The Porch at Siena (120 Siena Drive, Upper St. Clair)
Talia Cucina & Rosticceria
The hallmark of the kitchen at downtown’s Talia Cucina & Rosticceria is a custom-built rotisserie, made for slow-roasting the meats that are featured prominently on the restaurant’s menu. You’ll also find classic Italian dishes like pasta, pizza, fish and antipasti, as well as an extensive wine and amari list.
Talia Cucina & Rosticceria (425 Sixth Avenue)
Duck Donuts
Highly-anticipated Duck Donuts opened its doors earlier this summer in Upper St. Clair, and we haven’t been disappointed. The shop features vanilla cake doughnuts that are made fresh in front of guests, then hand-dipped in icing, and completely customizable, thanks to a huge selection of toppings, from fruit syrups to chocolate sprinkles. And the best part? The shop features a waiting area with a window to the kitchen so you can see your doughnuts being made in front of you. This location of Duck Donuts also features breakfast sandwiches, coffee, tea, juice and doughnut sundaes.
Duck Donuts (100 Siena Drive, Suite 220)
Mindful Brewing Company
If you’re looking for a brewery, restaurant and bottle shop, Mindful Brewing Company is just the place. The brewery opened in Castle Shannon at the beginning of the year, serving about 20 of their own beers, and a food menu that features classic brewpub fare, like burgers, fried chicken, salads and more. They also feature wine and mixed drink taps, and more than 1,000 different bottles and cans of beer, along with bottles of wine and spirits to go.
Mindful Brewing Company (3757 Library Road, Castle Shannon, PA)
Smallman Galley
Technically, Smallman Galley isn’t a new opening. But, with a brand new crop of chefs taking over the kitchen space at the restaurant incubator, it feels like a completely different experience compared to last year. This batch of restaurants includes Iron Born, serving Detroit-style (super thick crust) pies, Colonia, with a diverse mix of Latin American cuisines on their menu, Bahnmilicious, serving Vietnamese street food, and brunoise, offering elevated, fine-dining dishes. Additionally, Smallman Galley also just introduced a second bar, called the Anchor Bar, located in their dining room.
Smallman Galley (54 21st Street)
Gluten Free Goat Bakery & Cafe
Though Gluten Free Goat has been selling gluten-free and vegan snacks around Pittsburgh since 2014 (most notably in the Pittsburgh Public Market), they just opened their first brick-and-mortar location in Garfield in February. Expect to find gluten-free treats, including their famous gluten-free doughnuts, along with other baked goods and daily brunch options.
Gluten Free Goat Bakery & Cafe (4905 Penn Avenue)
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood is part of a small restaurant chain, with locations in Florida, Arizona, California, Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Virginia, and features classic steak and seafood house dishes. Pittsburgh’s location, which opened in March, is on the first floor of the Union Trust building, and seats 274 guests – and has live jazz music every night.
Eddie V’s Prime Seafood (501 Grant Street)
La Gourmandine
Popular French bakery La Gourmandine opened its third Pittsburgh location earlier this year, this time in Hazelwood. The bakery production facility and retail shop sells all of La Gourmandine’s fresh-baked treats, including croissants, cakes and tartes, breakfast pastries, breads, and savory lunch specials.
La Gourmandine (5013 Second Avenue)
Condado Taqueria
It’s taco time. Condado Taqueria opened this March downtown, serving build-your-own tacos and margaritas. Guests can choose between seven different tortillas, hard shell and soft shells, and ten different protein options, from pulled pork to braised beef brisket. Condado also offers a number of different salsa, queso and guacamole options, too.
Condado Taqueria (971 Liberty Avenue)
Know of any great new restaurants that we missed? Share in our comments!
How come Banh Mi and Ti did not make it to the list? 😢😢😢
You’re right! Thanks for letting us know!