8 new reasons to eat and drink your way across Pittsburgh

It’s been a meteorological mixed bag in Pittsburgh lately. Sweltering heat advisories, sudden downpours, cooler temperatures and enough humidity to send everyone searching for the nearest air conditioning. Fortunately, the city’s restaurant scene has provided plenty of reasons to venture back out. 

This month welcomes an island-inspired cocktail destination Downtown, the long-awaited return of a beloved whiskey bar, fresh spots for tacos, matcha, coffee and handcrafted gelato, and a handful of other exciting additions.

Whether you’re looking for a new happy hour haunt, plotting your next date night or simply searching for somewhere to cool off, here’s everything you need to know before planning your next meal — or your next round.

Openings

Butterfat Gelato is the culmination of founder Lauren Brock’s years-ong passion for Italian gelato, precision recipe development and her love for the North Side. A pharmacist by training, Brock approaches every flavor with “a lot of intention,” crafting each batch entirely from scratch, from the gelato base to the house-made sauces, cakes and mix-ins. After surviving a stroke and undergoing two cardiac procedures in 2022, she decided to turn Butterfat into something “joyful, creative and community-focused,” opening the brick-and-mortar in the neighborhood she and her family have called home for more than a decade. 

The menu rotates regularly, but don’t miss the nationally acclaimed Carrot Cake gelato—made with cinnamon- and ginger-forward gelato, homemade carrot cake and a cream cheese frosting swirl—which won the People’s Choice Award for Most Popular Flavor in the U.S. at the 2023 Gelato Festival World Masters. Equally worth seeking out are imaginative flavors like Brown Butter Sage and dairy-free sorbetti ranging from fresh raspberry and lemon to Avocado Melon, inspired by the famous EPCOT margarita. 

“I hope Butterfat becomes the kind of place that feels like it belongs to the neighborhood,” Brock says, “a place to stop in with family, meet a friend, celebrate something or simply have a really good scoop of gelato.”

After nearly two years of dreaming, designing and building, restaurateurs Steve Zumoff and Andy Tepper have turned Downtown into a tropical escape with Spork Island Trading Company. 

The immersive restaurant and tiki bar invites guests to wander through themed spaces like Volcano Village, a bamboo forest, jungle pathways and shipping docks before settling in for chef Ray Spencer’s Polynesian- and Asian-inspired menu. Expect vibrant small plates like tuna poke with miso vinaigrette and avocado crema, hamachi crudo with black lime, lobster rangoon with yuzu sweet-and-sour sauce, mochiko fried chicken and petit Wagyu sirloin with rum sauce and taro purée, with authentic binchotan-grilled yakitori coming soon. Behind the bar, beverage director Ryan Pantos has created a tropical cocktail program led by The Volcano, a shareable drink for up to eight people that arrives with “a whole light, sound and fire show.” “We wanted to create more than a restaurant, we wanted an experience,” Zumoff says. 

Zumoff says the concept “will continue to evolve” and promises that “even if you visit, you need to come back. Every booth is an intimate space providing a different vibe to escape to.”

After a nearly six-year hiatus, Butcher & the Rye has reopened in the Cultural District with the whiskey program that made it a national destination—more than 600 bottles from around the world — and a polished New American menu that balances indulgence with refinement. Start with Parker House rolls, beef tartare or bone marrow before moving on to rabbit and dumplings, game lasagna, steak Diane, salmon en croûte or a dry-aged steak, then finish with one of the city’s best-crafted cocktails or a rare whiskey pour. 

As the restaurant says, it’s “about gathering around a table, sharing stories, discovering something new in your glass and creating memorable experiences.”

The second iteration of chefs Troy Beck and Katie Peric’s Nothingman feels like the version the restaurant was always meant to be. After debuting in Bloomfield, the pair relocated to Mount Washington and sharpened their focus on elevated, scratch-made pub food, bringing together the neighborhood feel of a sports bar with the technique of seasoned restaurant chefs. Wings are brined, baked and fried before being tossed in sauces like Nobu, Buffalo Garlic Parmesan and Truffalo. 

The menu also includes house-ground smash burgers, deli sandwiches stacked with roast beef or Italian meats, fried chicken sandwiches carried over from their beloved Given to Fly concept from Federal Galley and over-the-top loaded fries. Nearly everything is made in-house, including handmade cheese logs and rotating desserts from Peric. 

What started as one of Federal Galley’s breakout vendors has grown into a lively North Hills cantina where New Mexican flavors meet Mexican comfort food. Chef Samuel “Huevos” Dedig draws on his Albuquerque upbringing, importing authentic Hatch green chiles that star in everything from smothered burritos and creamy queso to green chile cheeseburgers, while co-owner Adrian Cooley rounds out the menu with Mexican classics.

Crowd favorites include birria tacos served with rich consommé, carne asada fries, loaded nachos, street corn, oversized burritos, quesadillas and tacos filled with carne asada, carnitas, shrimp or grilled chicken. Wash it all down with a house margarita, mezcal cocktail or tequila flight. Yum!

Already open on Walnut Street, Commonplace Coffee’s newest café marks the Pittsburgh roaster’s ninth location and brings much of its bakery production into the city. Alongside expertly roasted coffee, espresso drinks and seasonal lattes, you’ll find an expanded menu of scratch-made pastries, croissants, breakfast sandwiches, grab-and-go lunches and baked goods made fresh daily. 

Okane Sweet Spot, the street-level café inside Downtown’s Okane complex brings together ceremonial-grade matcha, Vietnamese coffee topped with flavored cold foam, Hong Kong-style bubble waffles, Japanese soft serve and boba under one roof. Build your own bubble waffle sundae, sip on a strawberry matcha or brown sugar milk tea, or grab a creamy matcha soft-serve cone before heading upstairs for dinner. 

The burger chain’s fifth Pittsburgh-area location has officially landed in Cranberry, bringing its signature made-to-order Angus beef burgers, crispy chicken sandwiches and crinkle-cut fries. The menu features favorites like the ShackBurger, SmokeShack with cherry peppers, Avocado Bacon Burger, Chicken Shack, flat-top hot dogs, hand-spun frozen custard shakes and the brand’s popular frozen custard concretes, plus beer, wine and lemonade. 

Closings

One of Shadyside’s most beloved ramen shops has been forced to close after a devastating fire caused extensive damage to its longtime home. Fortunately, no one was injured. While there’s no reopening timeline yet, the team is working through the insurance process and assessing the damage. In the meantime, diners can support Fujiya by visiting its North Fayette location as the restaurant begins the long road back.

A South Side breakfast institution is entering a new chapter. After 12 years on East Carson Street, Chace’s Cafe has closed its longtime home as owner Pete Henderson prepares to relocate the beloved diner to Braddock Hills. Best known for generous portions of pancakes, French toast, omelets, shrimp and grits, and hearty breakfast sandwiches, Chace’s leaves behind a loyal following while fans eagerly await what’s next.

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