🍳 Jeet yet?
Here's what's new in Pittsburgh food and drink.
By Colin Deppen
Oh, hi there. It's Friday.
We're closing the week out with a heaping plate of food news you can use.
Keep scrolling for the latest restaurant openings and closings, this week's I Spy answer, and the week in foodie headlines.
But first: If you love eating as much as you love writing about this city of ours, fill my shoes and apply to become the next director of The Incline. I've taken a new gig and I'm looking to hand these keys to someone great. If you're that person — or if you know that person — tell us here.
What’s new in Pittsburgh food and drink
Mayor Bill Peduto at the grand opening of CARES CommuniTEA Cafe in the Hill District. (📸: @TheNextPGH)
A new month has begun, and we’re back with our normal monthly food-and-drink update … even though things are still far from “normal” in the local service industry.
This time, we say hello to a CommuniTEA-minded cafe, a new soul food spot, “Pittsburgh’s first matcha tea bar,” and a new Scottish pub in a very old location.
We say welcome back to Pusadee’s Garden.
And we say goodbye to Chaya Japanese Cuisine, Il Pizzaiolo, and one of Pittsburgh’s oldest bars — scroll all the way to the bottom for more on those.
In case you missed our last edition, catch up here.
Hello
☕️ CARES CommuniTEA Cafe is now open in the Hill District with good drinks on tap and community-building in mind, the Post-Gazette reports.
🍤 Fat Frankz Soul Food is serving up staples of the genre in Bloomfield.
🍩 The former Schorr Family Bakery has reopened as Father & Son Family Bakery in Observatory Hill, with glazed donuts and so much more.
🍳 Fulton Commons’ kitchen incubator is now open in Manchester, NEXTpittsburgh reports, boasting 32 dedicated prep spaces, co-working facilities, and more.
☕️ Hilltop Coffee is now serving fine coffees, espresso drinks, teas, baked goods, and more at its new spot in the South Side Slopes.
🍵 Mosaic Leaf, Pittsburgh’s first matcha tea bar, is open in Lawrenceville with premium Japanese matcha straight from the farm.
Matcha-maker, matcha-maker, make me a matcha. (📸: Courtesy of Mosaic Leaf)
🍻 Old Thunder Brewing is open for online ordering and pickup in the old Blawnox Post Office building.
🚲 Over The Bar Bicycle Cafe has opened a third location, this one in Bridgeville, with local beers on tap and canned beers to-go, Good Food Pittsburgh reports.
🍸 Phat’s Bar is now open in Oakland, in the former Panther House Bar & Grill location. It’s a new venture from the owners of Lawrenceville Vietnamese spot Ineffable Cá Phê, PennsylvAsia reports.
🍕 Pizza Lupo is now open in Lawrenceville, with two firefighters working the ovens.
🍰 Prohibition Pastries is open for curbside pickup at its new location in East Liberty, with alcohol-infused pastries, cupcakes, cakes, sweet pies, and savory pies.
🍲 Pusadee’s Garden, the beloved Lawrenceville Thai spot, is back (at long last) after a lengthy renovation.
🍺 The Woods House, a Scottish pub, is officially open inside one of Pittsburgh’s oldest houses, with a delicious-looking menu. From our archives, here’s more about its history.
🍺 Trace Brewing is open for takeout in Bloomfield. Bonus: It’s in the former location of a concert venue named The Shop with roots dating back to 1910, City Paper reported last year.
See you soon
💛 Yinz Coffee will soon take over the old Crazy Mocha storefront on the North Side — with former Crazy Mocha owner Ken Zeff at the helm.
🍔 Burgh’ers Brewing is set to bring smash burgers to the Highline in South Side this summer, NEXTpittsburgh reports.
🍺 Back Alley Brewing is a passion project for five Dormont friends, and it's set to take over the borough’s old municipal building.
The full menu
➡️ We've got lots more restaurant openings on our radar. Here's the full list.
Farewell
🍣 Chaya Japanese Cuisine has closed its Squirrel Hill location after 20 years.
🍕 Il Pizzaiolo in Market Square has permanently closed, per WPXI, ending an eight-year run.
🍺 The Park House, one of Pittsburgh’s oldest bars, has officially closed since our last installment in this series. While efforts to find a new owner for the North Side staple continue, it’s unclear what that might mean or look like.
🔒 Unlock I Spy
Come spy with us.
Today our members — aka Incline Insiders — got the answer to an exclusive round of I Spy in their newsletters. That's it above, a photo of the Ashley De Silva mural at the corner of East Warrington and Arlington avenues in Allentown.
Here's how it works: Yesterday we showed Insiders this closeup photo of the mural and asked them to tell us where the photo was taken. The only clue we provided was this: You'll find this artwork near penguins, but nowhere near the zoo or PPG Paints Arena.
(The penguins are ceramic and located right across the street from De Silva's mural.)
Into public art? Think you know Pittsburgh and want to prove it? Become an Incline Insider and get exclusive access to I Spy, life hacks, virtual events, hand-curated job and apartment listings, and more. Get started here.
Things to do
Submit your events to our calendar.
Today
🤖 Learn about 3D printers, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, and other digital fabrication tools with this Carnegie Science Center workshop for kids — multiple dates (Online)
Tomorrow
👻 Watch "Marry, F*ck, Kiki, Ghost," a new, modern twist on the dating game from Steel City Improv Theater (Online)
🖼 Tour The Louvre Museum in Paris without leaving home (Online)
Sunday
🎭 Get a closer look at “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” with things you may have missed and insider information (Online)
Tuesday
🙏 Relax your body and mind at home with this 30-minute gentle yoga class from the Carnegie Museum of Art — multiple dates (Online)
Wednesday
🚲 Sneak a peek at BikePGH's new Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit with a lunch and learn from the pedestrian and cyclist advocacy group (Online)
Friday, Feb. 12
➡️ Go inside Sojourner Truth's journey to becoming an abolitionist and women's rights activist with this theatrical performance about her life — multiple dates (Online)
A few more things ....
While we're talking food, here are some food headlines from the week that you may have missed:
Thanks for reading to the bottom. We'll see you back here on Tuesday.
