If you take a turn down a small residential street in Shadyside, the restaurant Lilith sits in all its glory, full to the brim with customers. Soon, fans of this establishment and its two owners, Jamilka Borges (current semi-finalist for the 2026 James Beard Awards) and Dianne DeStefano, will have a new spot to venture to called Giulia.
Lilith Owners to Open Giulia, Your Introduction to Coastal Italian Cuisine in Bloomfield
Over in Bloomfield, the power-team of Borges and DeStefano just two weeks ago received the keys to their new project, a blend of coastal cuisine and authentic Italian food all with a Borges-DeStefano flair. Think sustainably-sourced seafood accompanied by local farm produce and custom flavors.
“Jamilka has a strong passion for seafood coming from Puerto Rico and then my family’s from Sicily,” explains DeStefano. “The food in Sicily is more seafood heavy but aligns closely with how island nations use it. It’s fishy, oily, simple, but complex at the same time.”
Unlike most Pittsburgh Italian restaurants, you won’t find red sauce here. Instead, Giulia focuses on keeping things light and fresh using vegetables, herbs, and seasonings to do the job rather than heavy sauces. But, at the heart of the menu is a mission that follows the same detail as Lilith.
“It’s bigger than Lilith, but it’s still a small intimate restaurant with a curated seasonal menu,” says DeStefano. “We are going to be making all the pastas and everything in house and we’ll be working with all the same farms that we work with now at Lilith.”
Bigger Kitchen, Same Exceptional Quality
The new restaurant also presents an opportunity to do what Borges and DeStefano do best, but on a larger scale. A bigger kitchen and larger dining space seats more guests (you can finally get that reservation!) and lets the pair consider other jobs they would normally not be able to take on such as catering.
“Finally, we can spread out a little bit more,” says DeStefano and Borges. “We make pasta at Lilith with very limited equipment but now we’re going to have four full floor model pasta extruders, so we’re really going to be able to dive into our pasta game in a way that we are too restricted to do here [at Lilith]. We always have pasta on the menu, but it’s maybe one or two dishes at a time and so we’re excited to expand that.”
A Location Close to Home
Best of all, the new location of Giulia hits close to home for DeStefano. Her family actually has a long history in Bloomfield, so the project is somewhat of a homecoming for her. It’s something that also excites Borges since they’ll be joining a range of fantastic restaurants right along Liberty Avenue.
“With my dad’s family being Sicilian and my family history, I spent a lot of time in Bloomfield growing up and it’s important to me to bring Italian cuisine back to it,” DeStefano says. “I’m so happy that Bloomfield has such a wide variety of restaurants now. The quality of the restaurants there is just like off the charts. Look at what Fet-Fisk, Brothmonger, and so many other restaurants are doing. It’s incredible. You can get a little bit of everything in Bloomfield and now you’ll be able to have Giulia too.”
Giulia is looking to open late in the 2026 summer season so keep an eye on the Lilith socials for more information.
Story by Kylie Thomas
Photo Courtesy of Lilith
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