Rossilynne Culgan
Published March 6, 2018
Updated 7:30 p.m. March 6
Downtown saw the most new openings in the past month, welcoming a casual bar, a seafood lunch spot, a beloved bakery and a food hall.
In Lawrenceville, a once-roving pizza shop established roots and a French restaurant moved in, while next door, the renowned Morcilla is closed for renovations after a massive flood.
Here’s what’s new for this month (and what you might have missed last month).
Hello
Oxford Market, Downtown
Operating on the plaza-level of One Oxford Centre, this food hall is now open to serve weekday breakfast and lunch. It features Asian cuisine, Italian fare and a grill for burgers and sandwiches, plus rotating “Guestaurants” with appearances from local chefs.
Penn Cove, Downtown
Led by the team behind Penn Avenue Fish Co., The Penn Cove Eatery is serving up soup, sushi, salads and seafood-focused dishes for walk-up ordering. It’s open on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the Downtown lunchtime crowd.
The Warren, Downtown
Attached to Penn Cove, The Warren is the brainchild of two craft cocktail pros. It’s a neighborhood bar featuring cocktails like the “Cloven Hoof” and the “Amaro’s A Day Away.”
La Gourmandine, Downtown
This superb sweet spot opened up a Downtown location for all of your croissant and bread and pastry needs.
Poulet Bleu, Lawrenceville
The latest venture from Richard DeShantz (the guy behind Butcher & The Rye, Meat & Potatoes, Pork & Beans, and Tako) has opened a French concept along Butler Street. Be sure to save room for dessert(s), which are already getting rave reviews.
Driftwood Oven, Lawrenceville
After a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, the roving pizza shop Driftwood Oven has established roots in Lawrenceville along Butler Street. Known for its sourdough pizza, the shop churns out classic pies and seasonal offerings.
Carmi, South Side
Carmi Soul Food Restaurant moved to the South Side, and you can hear the story behind their dishes in this WQED video.
See you soon
Pittsburgh Food Truck Park, Millvale
It’s set to open at a former skatepark in early April and will feature wine, cider, beer and, of course, food trucks, per the Post-Gazette.
Fish Nor Fowl, Garfield
Another DeShantz concept, Fish Nor Fowl is slated to open in April in the former Salt of the Earth spot, Pittsburgh Magazine reports.
Brugge on North, North Side
The restaurateurs behind Point Brugge Café and Park Bruges will open a European-style cafe in the former Casellula spot with a goal to be “the neighborhood restaurant for the Mexican War Streets,” the owner told City Paper. It’s set for a spring opening.
Morcilla, Lawrenceville
After starting the year with a flood raining water into his Lawrenceville restaurant Morcilla, acclaimed chef Justin Severino is looking ahead to new food and new design for the Butler Street Spanish-style spot. A re-opening date is not yet set, but construction is ongoing, so we’ve got our fingers crossed.
See you soon-ish
- We were told Insomnia Cookies would open in summer 2017 on the South Side. Almost a year later, it’s still not here, and we’ve made several calls trying to figure out what’s up to no avail.
- A permanent location for Spork Pitt in Bloomfield
- Chantal’s Specialty Cheese Shop also in Bloomfield — very soon.
- Penn Brewery taproom coming to Downtown, but it’s going to be awhile.
- East End Brewing pub conversion in Larimer
- A Cinderlands brewpub in the former Spaghetti Warehouse building in the Strip District, where construction is already underway
- Something new — and so far mysterious — at the former Livermore space in East Liberty from the team behind Hidden Harbor and Independent Brewing Co.
Farewell
Avenue B, Shadyside
After an eight-year run, the Shadyside classic Avenue B is closing its doors. In a Facebook post, the restaurant wrote: “Although we will miss feeding your faces dearly as we close this chapter, we are aggressively exploring our options to open the next one.”