The play-it-safe, fast-casual model of the early 2020s looks as if it’s behind us.
In 2024, we welcomed a wave of enterprising new restaurants from operators transforming their food trucks and pop-ups into full-service, brick-and-mortar establishments, as well as an expanded roster of chefs sharing international gastronomic traditions and pizza makers honing their craft.
All of them shaped how we ate in the region this year, and set the foundation for what’s to come as we move into the second half of the decade. And, notably, these 10 best new Pittsburgh-area restaurants share a freedom from the restraints mandated by the global COVID-19 pandemic that forever changed the hospitality industry.
If 2023 marked a year of transition from cautious menu development to returned ambition, 2024 was characterized by expanding the field of possibilities — from the enterprising, briny depths of Fet-Fisk’s Scandinavian-inspired menu to the cosmopolitan chic of Alberta’s Pizza and gorgeously chili-forward uppercuts at Allegheny Spice Kitchen.
To put it more succinctly: Dining out is fun again.
Hospitality is moving back to the forefront as restaurants ramp up to pre-pandemic staffing and generational knowledge slowly returns to front-of-house. As you’ll see on this list, a lot of good things are happening outside of the city limits, too, another healthy sign of growth.
These are the Pittsburgh metropolitan area’s Best New Restaurants of 2024, presented in order of opening date.
Easygoing diners were once the cornerstone of daytime meals in the United States. Over the years, far too many of those joints, the ones where everybody knows your name and order after a third visit, have shuttered. Many of those that remain suffer from a decline in quality of ingredients and flattening of attention-to-detail in meal preparation.
That’s why Wise County Cafe felt like such a breath of fresh air when it opened in late November 2023. Judging from the jolly expressions on the faces of the all-ages crowds of North Side locals and eaters from all over Pittsburgh, I’m not alone in my assessment. (Because its opening date was so close to year-end, it didn’t make the PG’s Best New Restaurants of 2023 list, so here it is in 2024.)
James Wolfe and Lena Laskaris launched Wise County Biscuits as a pop-up in 2017, vending biscuit-based sandwiches at farmers markets and breweries in Pittsburgh. Now situated in a cheerfully decorated dining room flooded with natural light, the couple offer an expanded menu of comfort and charm.
Biscuits, drawn from Wolfe’s family history in Wise County in Appalachian Southwest Virginia, remain the heart of the restaurant. Wolfe laminates the dough — uncommon in biscuit preparation — to develop a stronger gluten structure than in a typical biscuit. The technique creates a flaky, airy texture with a crisp crust that stands up to the hearty sandwich fillings.
Those biscuit sandwiches — more petite than the heavier burgers and handhelds offered on the weekday lunch menu — are delights, especially the crispy buttermilk chicken version and the one made with Broadbent country ham, a sort of funky, Appalachian-style preparation of cured and aged pork leg.
Fans of the classic all-American diner will be stoked for the two-egg breakfast plates, biscuits with sausage gravy and creamy, scratch-made grits, which come from the oldest continuously operating grist mill in Virginia.
Excellent drip, pour-over and iced coffees, roasted by De Fer Coffee & Tea, are on hand to get the day moving a little faster.
911 Galveston Ave., Allegheny West; wisecountybiscuits.com
The bouquet of aromatics bursting from the opening hiss of a small pressure cooker hit me like a gastronomic steam bath on my first visit to Allegheny Spice Kitchen in April.
I was deep down Pittsburgh’s Himalayan momo trail, working my way through an ever-growing series of restaurants run by the more than 7,000-strong regional population of Lhotshampa now settled primarily in Pittsburgh’s South Hills, for the third chapter of our Pittsburgh Dumpling Project.
Momo is the signature dumpling of the high mountain countries, and is particularly important in Nepal. They sport wrappers born out of Chinese and Mongol heritage with fillings seasoned with the gorgeous spices of the Indian subcontinent. Each restaurant in the region has a similar lineup of classic styles, but there is plenty of room for play in how they are prepared and presented.
At ASK, jhol, typically the brothiest momo permutation, are presented in a thick, luxurious paste with notes of pounded cashews, chili peppers, garlic, tomato, turmeric and lemon. The restaurant’s sadeko momo, lightly fried, come stacked like tiles with a gorgeous salad on top adding extra crunch and spice.
ASK’s pressure momo offer a contemporary take — popularized by trending social media posts on TikTok — with a deeply savory broth, extra-tender dumplings and bobbing hunks of meat such as goat or chicken. As of now, it’s the only place you can find them in the area.
Pawan Ghimirey opened ASK in February, taking over a space that previously housed a different Bhutanese-Nepali restaurant. Ghimirey, who moved to Pittsburgh from Texas in 2011, chose to lead with “Allegheny” in the name as homage to what he hopes will be his refugee community’s long-lasting roots in the region.
The rest of his menu, which he prepares with his wife, draws from the Nepali kitchen with classic soupy (thukpa) and dry (chow mein) takes on noodles, warmly spiced curries (which can catch fire with chilies, so be sure to ask for a lower heat level if that’s not your thing) and homestyle dishes such as chicken choila, a salad featuring smoky, crispy chicken, red onions, cabbage and ginger. ASK also serves a heap of pan-Indian dishes; they’re good, but I’d encourage a deeper enjoyment of the Himalayan dishes first.
4871 Clairton Blvd., Baldwin; tinyurl.com/spicekitchen
How’s this for a way to level-up a city: Bring together seven of the city’s top Asian concepts under one roof, place the whole shebang into one expansive, stylish venue in the most tourist-friendly neighborhood in the city and top it off with a stellar bar program.
Novo Asian Food Hall founder Alex Tang worked for several years (originally in collaboration with restaurateur Mike Chen, who is no longer with the project) to execute his vision of a dynamic food hall at Strip District Terminal.
Each restaurant in the 8,600-square-foot space operates from its own compact 330-square-foot kitchen.
Swing by Mola for sushi. Tang and his wife, Mimi Lee, run the original Mola in East Liberty (my go-to nigiri spot in Pittsburgh). Their daughter, Olivia Tang, oversees the Novo offshoot, which serves nigiri, sashimi, sushi rolls and a smattering of hot dishes. Lee also operates Kung Fu Chicken, which puts quick-service Taiwanese street food at the forefront. The move here is to get an ultra-crispy chicken sandwich.
Korea Garden 2 comes from the beloved Han family; be sure to get the handmade mandu and kimchi pancakes. Hit Tan Lac Vien for bánh mì, pho and delicate Vietnamese dumplings.
Lolo’s, owned by Lola’s Eatery co-owners Max and Zoë Blume, is Pittsburgh’s first eatery fully focused on Filipino cuisine, with staples such as chicken adobo and pork sisig among its standout dishes. Pop over to Sumi’s Cakery for savory and sweet Korean baked goods from owner Sumi Chun. Hit the combined Teachana and Maneki Ramen stall for bubble tea and ramen bowls from the owners of Many More Market, who also launched a massive grocery store a few blocks away this year.
Novo’s bar program is its own draw. Asian spirits such as shochu, soju and Japanese whisky are incorporated into the quaffable bespoke cocktails, Japanese and Filipino beers share space with Pittsburgh-area brews and the wide-ranging spirits list features hard-to-find-in-Pittsburgh items such as Song Cai Dry, a juniper-forward Vietnamese gin made with 16 wild-foraged botanicals.
1931 Smallman St., Strip District; novoasianfoodhall.com
Grandview Avenue on Mount Washington has long dazzled with its sweeping views of Pittsburgh’s skyline. Yet it had been years since a restaurant opened that offered a menu as beautiful as the vistas of the city’s landscapes, buildings and bridges from its windows.
In April, Otaru, a Japanese-inspired restaurant owned by Lisa Peng, Allen Chen, Leon Xie and Mars Dong, delivered. The two-floor restaurant is a magnet for diners seeking exceptional cuisine paired with breathtaking views of the city.
Fresh fish, much of it flown in from Japanese markets, takes center stage.
Chen runs Otaru’s sushi program, which quickly emerged as one of the finest in the city. He and his team work with whole fish delivered nearly every day rather than the pre-cut and packaged slabs used at most Pittsburgh sushi restaurants. Chen’s garnishes — like pulped tomato and bursts of trout roe on torched salmon belly — elevate each bite with deft touches that highlight the quality of the fish.
Xie’s hot kitchen serves as a complement to the sushi. He folds French technique into Japanese cuisine to offer dishes such as roasted salmon with cracker-crisp skin and juicy meat accompanied by a well-balanced, herbaceous honey-mustard sauce. Small plates like chawanmushi, velvety custard with dashi and house-made soy sauce and silken agedashi tofu make for smart starters.
About those views: The window-side tables on Otaru’s top floor command the most panoramic vistas of Downtown Pittsburgh and the North Shore, while the bottom floor is more intimate and romantic.
1200 Grandview Ave., Mount Washington; otarupgh.com
Fet-Fisk cemented its place this year as the culinary project that most successfully bridged the chasm of Pittsburgh’s COVID-19 dining era. In April, its founders, Nik Forsberg and Sarah LaPonte, now partnered with Kate Romane (Black Radish Kitchen) and Greg Austin (412 Food Rescue), opened a brick-and-mortar location of the formerly nomadic pop-up.
Could they capture the fleeting magic of biweekly pop-ups and turn it into something with roots in Bloomfield?
Nearly nine months in, Fet-Fisk already feels like a well-established fixture. This is, in part, due to the team’s rehabilitation of the old Lombardozzi’s space, incorporating nostalgic elements of the old-school Liberty Avenue Italian joint with contemporary flair. Fet-Fisk’s bar is bathed in soft ambient light, perfect for an intimate hang; it’s where I want to sit when I dine there. The attached dining room, a little brighter, is a good move for larger groups and couples who prefer a quieter experience.
The Nordic-inspired menu, which changes hyper-seasonally, is deeply tilted toward the sea, but you typically find a touch of Western Pennsylvania farms on every plate, too. Sugar-sweet scallops dressed with peppy pickled strawberries, smoked sturgeon pate with house-made seeded crackers and whole branzino with fennel pickles were some of the strongest seaworthy stars anywhere in Pittsburgh in 2024.
Forsberg, a 2023 James Beard Award Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic semifinalist, didn’t set out to create a signature dish for Fet-Fisk, but the restaurant’s roasted chicken has become one. Its crispy skin, ultra-juicy meat and rotating tart sauce accoutrement is one of the most irresistible poultry dishes I’ve eaten in Pittsburgh; just about everyone I’ve spoken with feels the same way about these birds. Pair it with Fet-Fisk’s crisp french fries or savory sourdough spaetzle.
Fet-Fisk’s bar program is top notch, with bespoke cocktails, a super-strong wine list and vermouth spritzes at the forefront.
Service at Fet-Fisk embodies why dining at a restaurant offers a depth of experience you’ll never get from a third-party delivery app. The staff keeps hospitality at the forefront by anticipating needs, matching guests’ energy and generally facilitating a grand time for everyone, and they seem to be having a grand time doing it. (This, by the way, is a hallmark of a well-run restaurant where the people who work there are treated with respect.)
4786 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield; fetfisk.net
Pittsburgh’s pizza surge manifested in many forms in 2024. Scores of the region’s pizzaioli flew to Las Vegas to learn, compete and mingle at the 50th annual International Pizza Expo. Polarizing pizza influencer David Portnoy’s September visit launched the “8.2 Crew,” a high-scoring trifecta of local favorites — Rockaway Pizzeria, A Slice of New York and Pizza Lupo — into the national conversation. Meanwhile, upstarts such as Slice House Etna, ’77 Club and Upslope Pizza added to an already dynamic selection of possibilities.
The best pizza news of the year, however, comes from a ridiculously unassuming location: a former pharmacy counter inside a Westmoreland County Shop ‘n Save grocery store.
It’s here that Rocco Pifferetti, a longtime purveyor of Western Pennsylvania’s dominant medium-thick crusted, sweet-sauced, provolone-topped style, decided to step into the big leagues with a new focus honing the technique of a classic East Coast pie. The no-frills space is reminiscent of slice shops peppered throughout the New York metropolitan area. There’s limited seating in the grocery’s nearby beer sales section; otherwise you’ll have to eat at home, in your car or on a bench outside the store.
Pifferetti pies hearken back to the 1970s heyday of New York slice shops (though with a longer fermentation time than the bygone-era classics). His thin pies chew with a bit of a leathery tug at the center, giving way to crispness as you make your way toward the airy edge, which crackles with an audible crunch. Like most pizzas of this style, the slices are even better if you give them a quick reheat in a hot oven.
Thanks to its location inside a grocery store, you can go wild with novelty ingredients if you choose to: Pifferetti will add anything you’ve paid for at the check-out aisle for a buck a pop. I suggest you resist the temptation, however, and stick with classic toppings like cheese, pepperoni or pickled banana peppers because Pifferetti’s craftsmanship shines best with traditional builds. As good as pizza is getting in the region, it’s still a rare treat to experience such a polished example of the New York style.
730 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg; instagram.com/slice_house_gbg
Alberta’s Pizzeria, Beau Mitall’s brick-and-mortar home for his once-roaming business of the same name, feels effortlessly cosmopolitan. The boisterous, 48-seat brick-walled space in Allegheny West features a long, sleek bar, spacious tables and an attention-grabbing center of command in the wood-fired oven at the far end of the restaurant.
The hearth represents the latest iteration of Mitall’s ongoing quest for pizza perfection. His journey began in South Africa, where he made pizza in his wife’s cafe to remind himself of his years as an artist in New York City. He began eating pies around the city when he returned to NYC with his family and got serious about the craft when they landed in Pittsburgh, where Mitall grew up, in 2015. He launched a wood-fired pizza truck a year later.
At Alberta’s, Mitall and his team showcase the joy of devouring artfully crafted wood-fired pizza. I’d loosely classify the pies as neo-Neapolitan because of the thin, slightly charred foundation leading to a puffy, eggshell edge, but Mitall says he isn’t trying to adhere to any specific tradition. He’s intentionally minimalist in his topping builds, aiming to create a harmony where every ingredient serves a purpose on the pie.
The rest of the menu is just as compelling.
If I weren’t so tempted by the pizza every time I visit, I’d make a quiet evening at the bar with a book drinking a crisp South African wine and eating succulent sardines crowned with tomato mojo and fresh parsley.
Alberta’s Caesar salad is one of the finest of its kind in Pittsburgh — crisp chilled lettuce, textural contrast from toasted breadcrumbs and candied pralines and salty white anchovies, perfectly covered in a tangy dressing — as is the cotoletta, an Italian take on plate-sized schnitzel full of crispy-crunchy indulgence. I could eat one on every visit (again, if I didn’t also want to order two pizzas).
Like many of this year’s top new restaurants, Alberta’s excels in delivering thoughtful, attentive service.
917 Western Ave., North Side; albertaspizzapgh.com
When was the last time you raved about a turkey sandwich? Probably not very often, right? Head to Squirrel Hill for a Murray turkey for the opportunity to change that narrative.
Chef-owners Ariel Alexander and Cody Maze crafted the build of smoked turkey, romesco, greens, shaved vegetables and shallot vinaigrette served in an Allegro Hearth Bakery baguette to offer a lighter sandwich than their typical crushables as a nod to their new standalone home.
They nailed the lighter part without sacrificing the hedonistic quality that earned their “Pig Rig” food trailer a loyal following during its three years roaming Pittsburgh’s breweries and events. Now ensconced in a cozy spot near the corner of Murray and Forbes avenues, the couple serve their scratch-made sandwiches to an even wider audience.
Everything except the bread is made in-house by Alexander, Maze and Steve Beachy, one of Pittsburgh’s unheralded meat masters.
All of the food truck favorites, such as the fiery peri-peri chicken Mr. Orange (also available with cornmeal-crusted tofu) and the wicked tasty Pitt Beef with shaved smoked beef, zingy horseradish sauce and a pile of onions, remain hits in the rotation at the new location.
Alexander and Maze added a few new stars to the mix since opening in July, including Madonia's Muffuletta, a decadent, briny tribute to New Orleans with house-cured ham, hot soppressata, mortadella, pepperoni, smoked provolone and olive salad spread on a pressed sesame seed bun.
Specials like the French onion sandwich — a luscious build of smoked, braised beef shoulder and caramelized onions blanketed in melted Gruyere, with a side of savory braising liquid for dipping perfection — keep things exciting for regulars.
Seating is limited, but the warm hospitality shines through, down to thoughtful touches such as complimentary hibiscus-infused water for guests.
1707 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill; stuntpigpgh.com
Reva Modern Indian’s ghevar is perhaps the most stunning dessert you’ll find at any Indian restaurant in the region. The luxurious, labor-intensive Rajasthani treat is prepared with a blend of flour, ghee and milk cooked into a honeycomb shape in more ghee. (The dish roughly translates to “butter cake.”) The round cakes are soaked in sugar and topped with saffron and chopped nuts, with the whole caboodle served in a sweetened milk reduction further enhanced with another pinch of aromatic saffron.
Pritesh Patel and his family opened Reva in East Liberty in July. It’s his second restaurant; he also operates Sankalp The Taste of India in Cranberry.
At Reva, he has partnered with Rohit Mhatre, who serves as executive chef. Mhatre is as talented a culinary artist as he is a chef. He crowns his dal tadka with luxurious streams of ghee, as toasted red chili peppers spring up from the delicate, warmly spiced lentils. Mahatre’s palak paneer is an emerald wonderland punctuated with snow-white yogurt, a rainbow of peppy microgreens and crispy roasted garlic flakes.
Mhatre is native of the western India state of Maharashtra who trained in Mumbai prior to working his way up the culinary ladder on cruise ships. Eventually, he landed the role of curry chef, the top position in the seafaring brigade. At Reva, he delivers bold flavors and visual artistry with a menu that leans heavily on north Indian dishes.
His Nani chicken curry, for instance, is a layered, complex take on a homestyle dish. Even the heat he infuses in it is sly. A “level five” spice offered a just-noticeable burn early on; halfway through the dish, I noticed my scalp was sweating.
220 N. Highland Ave., East Liberty; revapgh.com
The rise in restaurants run by immigrants from Uzbekistan is my favorite 2024 Pittsburgh dining trend. In person and on social media, Sarvar Abdurashidov is one of the best evangelists for showcasing his country’s multifaceted cuisine.
Early last year, he went all-in on converting his West End pizza shop Bella Monte into a front-facing Uzbek spot called Chaykhana (which previously offered some Uzbek dishes, but now has a much-expanded menu). In November, Abdurashidov expanded his reach to the suburbs, partnering with Akmal Ikromov-Conow to open Piyola in Mt. Lebanon.
His second restaurant is more upscale, offering an atmosphere Abdurashidov describes as something akin to hosting an honored visitor for a meal. At Piyola, that comes with a team of semi-formal, utterly endearing servers. (Visit Piyola’s Instagram page for an enchanting look behind the scenes at the business.)
Ikromov-Conow runs the kitchen, which serves an array of dishes from the central Asian culinary wonderland. Dumplings are darling to Uzbek cuisine, so be sure to order manti — fist-sized chopped beef and onion dumplings laced like a football — or juvava, tender ground beef dumplings served in a vibrant vegetable-forward broth. Samsa — tandoor-cooked bread stuffed with chicken, pumpkin or beef — and the summer-vibes eggplant spread are good places to start, too.
Plov, a spiced rice dish chock full of lamb and vegetables, is Uzbekistan’s national dish, something that’s celebrated at Piyola. Beshbarmak exemplifies the power of the country’s culinary cross-currents with ribbons of hand-pulled noodles, tender and chewy like the biangbiang noodles of northern China, topped with roasted and braised lamb shanks that draw from the tables of the Turkish and Persian empires. It’s served in a luxurious lamb and beef bone broth layered with the flavor of savory-sweet onion.
Don’t skip the kebabs, either. Ikromov-Conow and his team are wizards with the grill, cooking chunks of deftly seasoned meat and vegetables to tender perfection.
Piyola, like the other Uzbek restaurants in the region, follows halal dietary law. This means no alcohol is served or allowed in the dining room.
663 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon; piyolapittsburgh.com
Hal B. Klein: hklein@post-gazette.com, Twitter @halbklein and IG @halbklein.
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