Despite the ebbs and flows of the pandemic, plenty of new restaurants, bars and breweries pushed forward, like that proverbial daisy rising through the asphalt. The local dining scene got much richer thanks to these risk-takers, so much so that there are too many to list. Here are the notables.
BREWERIES
This year saw the opening of several breweries across the region: Arboretum Trail Brewing Co., a production brewing in a ranch house in Pleasant Hills; Necromancer Brewing Co. in a former baby furniture store in Ross; Two Frays Brewery in a sleekly redone storefront in Garfield; Links Brewing Co., a golf-themed production brewery in the basement of a fire equipment company on the North Side; Full Pint Brewing Co. in a storefront in Marshall that serves the beer made in its original North Huntingdon/North Versailles space; Drowning Fish Brewing Co. in a former bar in Bethel Park; Twisted Elk Brewing Co. in Lake City and John Russell Brewing Co. in Summit Township, both near Erie; and, more recently, in a limited way to start, Golden Age Beer Co. in what had been Enix Brewing in Homestead. In mid-December, after being closed for 20 months, Braddock’s Brew Gentlemen reopened with a transformed tasting room, a new retail space and, early next year, tours of the new brewhouse.
RESTAURANTS
40 North: Since it opened in 2017, the restaurant space in the Alphabet City development has had a pair of swings-and-misses, but crushed it out of the proverbial park with Bethany Zozula’s international concept. The former executive chef of Whitfield at the shuttered Ace Hotel combines elements of her Eastern European heritage and Southern California/Western Pennsylvania upbringing, as well as Eurasian influences from her Turkish partner and Georgian mentor, in a concept that’s been met with near-universal acclaim. 40 W. North Ave., North Side.
Afghan Kebab House: He was a journalist and teacher who fled Afghanistan in 2015 with his family, their lives in danger. Abdul Wahid Tabee ended up with them in Carnegie, driving for Uber to make ends meet. Through happenstance, he connected with a fast-talking New Yorker, Shorif Rahman, who helped him open the only Afghan restaurant in the region, where dishes, including mantu (steamed dumplings filled with ground beef, chopped onions and herbs), burani badanjan (eggplants cooked with tomatoes) and bolani (akin to an Afghan pierogi) pop with color and flavor. 231 E. Main St., Carnegie
African Eats Cuisine: Unable to find a restaurant serving a taste of her homeland’s fare in the region, Nigerian native Saudat Lawal (who is also a registered nurse, doctoral student and mother of three) took it upon herself to start one. She opened African Eats with her sister and mother, serving beef suya — thin cuts of steak coated with an aromatic and sneaky-hot powdered orange seasoning made from ata wewe, a tiny dried Nigerian pepper similar to a habanero; asun, a spicy goat served with sweet plantains; and jollof rice, a staple made with spices, peppers, meats and tomato. 2032 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill
Bocadillos Bar: A nip and a nosh is the idea behind this “garde manger” — or, cold-kitchen concept from Bulgarian transplant Tzveti Gintcheva. Stop in for charcuterie and cheeses, Italian antipasto, Balkan-influenced dishes of her heritage, Iberian plates from her extensive travels and cooking experiences in Spain, and a Scandinavian plate of smoked trout and house-cured salmon, along with house-brewed hard cider and craft cocktails and beer. 2827 California Ave., Brighton Heights
Cafetano: The beans at this roaster and cafe have quite a journey to your cup: They originate on Cafetano co-owner Mirko Cuculiza’s family farm, Miravalle, in Honduras. Opened in mid-October, Cafetano has the full spectrum of coffee-based beverages — including six preparation methods (French press, Kalito, Aeropress) — plus a brunch-friendly menu of toasts (the namesake has prosciutto and fig), an açai bowl and paninis (El Catracho has eggs, avocado and spicy fried beans). 1601 Penn Ave., Strip District
Con Alma (Downtown): John Shannon, Aimee Marshall and Josh Ross brought their live jazz and Latin and Asian food concept Downtown in a big way on Liberty Avenue, and that came on the heels of Esquire magazine naming the Shadyside flagship one of the best bars in America. 613 Penn Ave., Downtown
Doughbar: Pizza and rotisserie chicken are not exactly a natural combination, but Matt Porco’s team makes it work at the corner of 19th and East Carson streets. They do New York-style and sourdough pan pizzas and specialty pies, like the Sugo, with braised pork in tomato sauce and house-pulled stracciatella cheese cooked in an Italian-made Cuppone electric oven. Fried chicken is king everywhere else, but these whole birds, brined and cooked with butter under the skin, are juicy as all get out. 1831 E. Carson St., South Side
Flavor of Puerto Rico: Victor Schmidt didn’t grow up eating Puerto Rican food, but he married into it via his wife, Yvette. The chef from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and his Bronx-born bride came to Pittsburgh in 2009 and he went to work for Culinart at Carnegie-Mellon University’s dining services. They opened this small fast-casual spot in Mount Oliver with daily lunch specials from her family’s recipes like Pernil e Arroz con Gandules, vegan and meat-filled empanadas, Pollo Guisado, and Camarones Enchilados. 160 Brownsville Road, Mount Oliver (please note this restaurant is temporarily closed until 2022 due to death in the family)
G’s on Liberty: A global pandemic might seem like a good time for a decades-long veteran to get out of the restaurant industry, but the allure of the “big, organized chaos” of it all was too much for Grainne Trainor to resist. She took over the longtime former Alexander’s spot in Bloomfield with a “seasonal American” menu, an emphasis on hospitality and an ethos of “this is fresh, it’s good, let’s roll with it.” 5104 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield
Gi-Jin: Featuring a raw-focused menu along with an extensive selection of gin, sake and Japanese whiskey, Gi-Jin is Richard DeShantz and Tolga Sevdik’s sleekest and most intimate restaurant to date. The name is a play on the Japanese word gaijin, which means “foreigner,” but spelled to emphasize gin. In the making since 2017 but beset with myriad delays and ultimately a global pandemic, it finally opened its doors in April. 208 6th St., Downtown
Galley Bakery Square: The Galley Group’s gleaming new food hall is bursting at the seams. The East End development highlights the cooking of sisters Meredith and Christine Galloway, who grew up nearby in Point Breeze. At GG’s Cafe, they combine elements of their heritage — soul food and an indigineous staple, fry bread — in their substantial sandwiches. The space also has some familiar faces in Bubba’s Burgers, City Fresh Pasta and Somi, who have either worked with the group previously or had restaurants around town. 145 Bakery Square Blvd., Larimer
Hapa & Secretos: Spam musubi or chicken mofongo, anyone? In what may be the first and only place in the city’s history to get Polynesian and Puerto Rican food under one roof, Felipe Crespo of the Secretos des mi Abuelos food truck partnered with Jay Cruz of Hapa Hawaiian Grill to bring the former’s island cuisine under the existing roof of the latter’s island fast-casual restaurant. 1334 Fifth Ave., Uptown.
Levia Trattoria: Little fanfare surrounded the opening of this upscale but rustic BYOB Italian restaurant in the former space of luminary Cure, but the restaurant created plenty of its own with dishes including braised octopus, calamarata alla Genovese and linguine alla puttanesca. 5336 Butler St., Lawrenceville
Margeaux: Quality coffee, cocktails, small plates and desserts comprise the menu at this sophisticated but comfortable lounge with high ceilings, open space and colorful local artwork. General manager Doug Seng describes it as “modern in the center and European around the edges.” 5947 Penn Ave., East Liberty
Market Exchange/The Speakeasy: Market Square got a double-decker’s worth with the ground-floor Market Exchange restaurant opening in September and its whiskey bar companion The Speakeasy beginning to pour in late October. Serving lunch, dinner and a weekend brunch, the large menu offers bites to pair with a craft beer — burgers and wood-fired pizzas included — and thoughtful mains like roasted duck with sunflower seed risotto. Upstairs, while other spirits are on offer, the focus is on “both hard to get and well-known whiskeys, bourbons and scotch,” spokesperson Jessica Cavanaugh said. 24 Market Square, Downtown
MoonLit Burgers: What started as simply something for keeping busy (and making a few bucks) during the early days of the pandemic became a smash-hit pop-up — based on smashburgers. Now Derek Stevens and Mike McCoy’s ode to In ’N Out is a full-fledged restaurant, with boozy milkshakes to boot. 1426 Potomac Ave., Dormont
Monterey Pub: This beloved North Side neighborhood Irish haunt appeared to be a COVID casualty as it was closed and put up for sale. But the Mexican War Streets collectively celebrated when it was purchased by investors who kept the name, spruced it up and injected some new blood and ideas. 1227 Monterey St., North Side
Nanban: The pandemic forced restaurants everywhere to get creative while remaining practical. That’s exactly what Roger and Claudia Li did, combining their love of Asian fare and empanadas, and restaurants Ki Pollo and Ki Ramen, into one entity — Nanban — under one roof (the Ki Pollo space). The separate Ki Ramen space will convert to Parlor Dim Sum sometime in early 2022. 4407 Butler St., Lawrenceville
The Nook: Out of the ashes of Coca Cafe and from Geppetto Cafe owner Evren Karabacak rose this American breakfast-brunch-lunch spot. Opened in early December, it offers a lot for your money, from the substantial omelets to the huge (half-pound) burgers. Drinks go beyond the usual, with a lavender tea and a Nutella hot chocolate; alcoholic options include mimosas, bloody Marys and espresso martinis. 3811 Butler St., Lower Lawrenceville
Oliver’s Donuts: The sugary (and caffeinated) anchor of the multi-business Lawrenceville Market House, this onetime pop-up has been serving its fried fare since early December. The offerings include four “core” doughnuts: chocolate sea salt, vanilla glaze, huckleberry and maple bacon. “One exciting thing about our doughnuts is our recipe uses all Pittsburgh flours, milk, butter, sour cream, bacon, etc.,” Brian Mendelssohn, one of the principals behind LMH, told us in an email. Also: giftable, adorable mugs and such featuring the shop’s namesake, Mendelssohn’s late kitty. 4112 Butler St., Lawrenceville
Pizzaiolo Primo: Another case of a pandemic resurrection, this Market Square temple to Neapolitan pizza and pastas had closed for good and was put on the market only to be bought and reopened essentially as is, retaining nearly all of its management and service and kitchen staffs. 8 Market Square, Downtown
The Eagle: America’s fried chicken sandwich craze shows no sign of slowing, and that’s good news for The Eagle, a Cincinnati-based Southern fried chicken and beer hall concept, which finally opened in late spring after construction started in the fall of 2019 for the anchor ground-floor tenant in the Eighth and Penn apartment complex. 737 Penn Ave., Downtown.
The Hotel & Rosa’s Cantina: It’s not his first rodeo, but he said it will be his last. Robin Fernandez was synonymous with Pittsburgh nightlife from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, opening clubs and legendary venues including Metropol and Rosebud, before turning to restaurants in his adopted home of Sewickley. He took over the venerable Sewickley Hotel and touched it up with a tasteful homage to both Native Americans and to cowboy culture, with a mostly Italian menu called — wait for it — the “Spaghetti Western.” 509 Beaver St., Sewickley.
Valkyrie Doughnuts: You don’t have to chase their food truck anymore. The purveyor of square, vegan and super-Instagrammable doughnuts opened its permanent spot on Nov. 19. Flavors here change frequently, but you can expect a wide range, like Churro, a filled Birthday Cake and good-ol’ glazed, plus cinnamon rolls. 601 Lincoln Ave., Bellevue
Woodfired by Lorelei: The oven had undeniable mojo. When Anthony Giaramita closed Pizza Taglio in 2020 after a sensational five-year run to move to France, Pete Kurzweg and Adam Henry absorbed the space and its wood-fired oven into their neighboring upscale German beer hall Lorelei. They brought over Dan McGhee from the Iron Born Pizza crew to man the peel, and the results have been, as Larry David would say, prett-ay, prett-ay good. 126 N. Highland Ave., East Liberty
First Published: December 17, 2021, 11:00 a.m.
Updated: December 17, 2021, 11:12 a.m.
