Plenty of restaurants and bars have opened in Pittsburgh throughout 2026, leaving the city to shine in the national dining scene.
In April 2026, the Michelin Guide announced that Pittsburgh would be one of six cities in its new American Great Lakes edition, and that its famously anonymous inspectors were already in the field, booking tables and ordering dessert. Around the same time, the NFL Draft brought the whole country to town.
Together, these developments put Pittsburgh’s dining scene in the spotlight. One restaurant made the New York Times list of America’s 50 Best Restaurants. The North Side got a Czech-lager taproom in an old movie theater. And one of the city’s most beloved restaurants came back from a hiatus.
The Best New Restaurants and Bars of 2026
Pittsburgh Restaurants Making National Waves
Titusz
Lawrenceville
If you try to book only one new restaurant this year, make it this one. Just know you’ll have company: In September, The New York Times named Titusz to its annual list of the 50 best restaurants in America, making it only the third Pittsburgh restaurant ever to land on the list.
Titusz is the first restaurant for chef Csilla Thackray, who has spent more than a decade in some of the city’s most influential kitchens, including The Vandal, Legume Bistro, and Churchview Farm. She named it after her great-grandfather, and the menu is rooted in the Austrian and Hungarian cooking of her family; she was raised in part by her Hungarian grandmother. Her husband, Sean Rosenkrans of The Allegheny Wine Mixer, runs the drinks, a list built around Central European wines—Riesling is the backbone—and cocktails.
Start with the lángos, a puffy fried potato flatbread topped with topfen, goat gouda and herbs, and the kaspressknödel, crisp Alpine cheese dumplings. The chicken paprikás is the dish people talk about, a half-chicken braised in a deep, rust-red paprika sauce and served over nokedli, little egg dumplings, with sour cream and cucumber salad. The Times also singled out the chilled sorrel soup and the roasted duck leg. Save room for the topfen cheesecake or the namesake Titusz Torte. And, read more about Csilla’s vision in our feature.
Know before you go: Dinner is Thursday through Monday, and reservations are on OpenTable.
Big Nights Out, From Tiki Bars To Speakeasies
Spork Island Trading Company
Downtown
Spork founder Andy Tepper and Steve Zumoff, the man behind South Side institutions like Tiki Lounge, Lava Lounge and the Beehive, first tried to build Spork Island in the old Double Wide Grill on East Carson Street—but the city’s Historic Review Commission said no. So they brought the eruption Downtown instead, converting the longtime home of August Henry’s Burger Bar. Spork Island opened July 24.
Guests enter through Volcano Village, home to an eight-foot volcano the staff can set off with the push of a button, then make their way through a bamboo forest, jungle pathways, waterfalls, a hidden cave and a set of shipping docks before landing at a table. The details are nerdy in the best way: California tiki carver “Crazy Al” Evans made a Spork-themed totem, designer “Bamboo Ben” Bassham and his son built the volcano, and Zumoff drew the island’s map and designed fake vintage Spork Island surf-movie posters.
Chef Ray Spencer’s menu is Polynesian- and Asian-inspired small plates: tuna poke with miso vinaigrette, hamachi crudo with black lime, lobster rangoon with yuzu sweet-and-sour, mochiko fried chicken, and a petite Wagyu sirloin with rum sauce. There’s also binchotan-grilled yakitori; installing the special charcoal grill required a ventilation hood unlike any the city had approved before. Beverage director Ryan Pantos runs a rum-heavy tropical program. The must-order is The Volcano, a shareable drink for up to eight that arrives with its own light, sound, and fire show.
Know before you go: It’s 21 and over only, and it takes reservations. It’s steps from the Convention Center and the theaters, so it works for a pre- or post-show drink.
SugarBird
North Shore
SugarBird is the anchor of The Plaza at North Shore, a 30,000-square-foot outdoor hangout across from PNC Park that’s been in the works since 2023. Both opened April 2, the day before the Pirates’ home opener, and just in time for the NFL Draft crowds. The owner is Herky Pollock of Legacy Hospitality Partners, the group behind Palm Palm and Shorty’s.
The menu is fried chicken, donuts, and soft-serve, and the signature is The Bird & The Donut: hand-breaded fried chicken and pickles on a glazed donut. There’s also a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, tenders, mac and cheese, and a deep-fried PB&J dusted in cinnamon sugar. For dessert, get the Sugar Bucket (ten donut holes with a tub of icing and sprinkles for dipping) or the strawberry pretzel salad sundae, a church-picnic classic reimagined as soft-serve. A full bar pours beer and cocktails like the Pink Feather Punch.
The Plaza around it is the draw: a big patio, two performance stages, and a giant LED screen for games, concerts, and outdoor movies, plus tailgates, markets and trivia nights. It’s a pregame spot, a post-game spot and, on a nice night, a no-game-at-all spot. Find all the details in our story on the opening.
Know before you go: Highball Social Club, a 15,200-square-foot experiential restaurant and bar developed with the Pirates, is slated to open on the Plaza later this fall.
New Restaurants for Casual Dining and Drinks
Black Brewhouse
Downtown
Black Brewhouse is a collaboration between Erika Turner of TLC Libations, Pennsylvania’s first Black, female-owned distillery (she runs it with her mother, Diane), and Marcus Wyatt of Windy Bridges Brew, the city’s first Black-owned brewery. The pair, who met through Pittsburgh’s Barrel & Flow beer festival, turned a former yoga studio on Forbes Avenue into a tasting lounge in a frantic 45 days and opened April 23, right as the NFL Draft hit town.
TLC’s spirits and cocktails share the counter with Wyatt’s beers, including a cream ale and a strawberry lemonade sour, plus mocktails and a rotating list of drinks from other Black makers across the state. Rather than a two-brand clubhouse, Turner and Wyatt built the room as a platform for collaborations. Food comes from a rotating lineup of food trucks.
Know before you go: Black Brewhouse is open Thursday and Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. It’s closed Monday through Wednesday.
The Eastman
Deutschtown
The Eastman’s own tagline says it best: this is where New Mexico meets the shores of Lake Erie. Co-owner Michael Schmidt grew up in Buffalo; his chef, Chris Acosta of Taqueria Acosta, cooks the green-chile food of New Mexico. Put them together, and you get one of the most satisfying new menus in the city.
The Eastman took over the 1888 red-brick Victorian at 520 E. Ohio St. that was once home to the much-missed Fat Cat bar and music venue, and later Acosta’s tacOcat pop-up. It soft-opened April 16, just ahead of the NFL Draft landing on the North Side.
The tacos are a customer favorite, and the Bowl Acosta has a cult following. From the New Mexico side, there’s carne asada, burritos, a green chile burger, and ranchero fries. From the Buffalo side, there are wings, pizza logs, and Beef on Weck, the roast-beef sandwich on a salt-and-caraway roll that Buffalonians swear by. Bar manager Patrick Cassidy, formerly bar lead at Gi-Jin, keeps the cocktail list to classics done better, plus a weekly $11 special. Try the New Mexican mule, made with house ginger beer and rimmed with “taco dust.” Ten rotating drafts and Genny Cream Ale tallboys round it out.
Know before you go: The Eastman is in this month’s Northside Sandwich Week, so it’s a good excuse to go.
Murph’s Kitchen
Millvale
For 12 years, Les Murphy ran the kitchen at Mount Washington’s Bigham Tavern, where his wings racked up “best in Pittsburgh” mentions. This summer, the North Versailles native finally bet on himself. Three weeks after leaving Bigham, he opened the restaurant he’d been dreaming about with longtime colleague-turned-partner Sarah Flora. Murph’s Kitchen took over the kitchen inside Strange Roots Experimental Ales in Millvale, filling the spot the Pittsburgh Sandwich Society food truck held for five years.
The motto is “Good Times Served Daily” and the menu is big, playful pub comfort food. Murphy’s labor of love is the Reuben: corned beef braised in-house, roasted for five hours and piled on pumpernickel. The Braised Mac comes loaded with pulled beef, bourbon onion jam, and smoked Gouda. The Big Chic is a massive fried chicken sandwich with house-made spicy barbecue sauce, white American, jalapeño, and tomato. Wash it all down with whatever’s pouring from Strange Roots’ taps.
Know before you go: Murph’s Kitchen serves inside the Strange Roots taproom at 501 E. Ohio St. in Millvale.
New Pittsburgh Restaurants Worth The Trip
The Bohemian
North Side
The Garden Theater opened in 1915, spent a racier chapter screening adult films during the disco era, and went dark in 2007. After nearly two decades of redevelopment, its preserved lobby is pouring beer.
The Bohemian comes from the team behind Golden Age Beer Co., Lorelei, Independent Brewing Company, and Hidden Harbor. It quietly opened during NFL Draft weekend.
The focus is narrow on purpose: Czech-style lagers (Pale, Gold, Pils and Dark) brewed by Golden Age head brewer Aaron Dahl. They’re poured Prague-style from side-pull taps. The room leans into the ‘70s, with burnt-orange plush, gold accents, vinyl records and lounge seating. For a cocktail, try the saffron-spiked Golden Cadillac. See what all The Bohemian has to offer in our feature on the opening.
Know before you go: For food, grab something from Mayfly Market & Deli, which shares the theater lobby, or bring your own.
Lucatino
Carnegie
Rico Lunardi has been part of Slice on Broadway since it opened in Beechview in 2010, and the chain’s slices have won awards as far away as Las Vegas. When the space next to his Carnegie Slice opened up, he thought about simply expanding. Instead, he spent nearly three years gutting the former bar to build something more personal: a sit-down Italian taverna named for his two sons, Luca and Santino.
The big switch is the pizza. Lucatino makes tonda romana, Rome’s thin, cracker-crisp pies, which are lighter than anything Pittsburgh usually folds in half. Start with a focaccia flight, then move on to the pastas and the meatballs. The wine list is entirely Italian, and there are cocktails too.
Know before you go: Lucatino is open daily for lunch and dinner, and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s at 106 E. Main St., right next door to Slice on Broadway.
Taj Mahal
Bridgeville
Since 1996, North Hills diners have been loading up at Taj Mahal on McKnight Road. The family-owned restaurant, led by owner and executive chef Usha Sethi, finally crossed the rivers this year with a second location in Bridgeville.
The new room is a step up: early visitors have called it one of the nicest Indian dining rooms in the region, and there’s a party room for big groups. The Bridgeville menu goes beyond the curry-house standards. It has a “Bombay Street Corner” section of chaat and street snacks, South Indian specialties, and tandoori dishes. There are also Indo-Chinese crossovers like Chinese bhel and Gobi Manchurian, crispy cauliflower in a sweet-spicy glaze. Regulars still swear by the lamb biryani and chicken tikka masala, and the meat is halal.
Know before you go: The Bridgeville location at 413 Railroad St. is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with takeout and delivery.
Okane
Downtown
The old Sushi I spot near Market Square closed for a month, then came back as Okane, from the Opal Group, the team behind Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings at SouthSide Works. It has kept growing ever since. Okane now stacks three experiences in one building. The ground floor is a casual grab-and-go cafe with coffee and matcha. The second floor is an omakase counter serving a rotating 16- to 20-course chef’s tasting by reservation. And up top, a neon-and-greenery rooftop bar serves signature rolls, and the sushi tacos Okane made its name on. It celebrated its grand opening in August.
Okane bills itself as Pittsburgh’s biggest Japanese whisky bar, so start with a pour of something rare, or a Nikka Mikan cocktail made with Japanese whisky, orange, and egg white. The omakase is a bargain by omakase standards: at opening, it came in under $100 a person before tax and tip. Our preview of Okane’s opening gives you an up close look at the atmosphere and the food.
Know before you go: The rooftop opens at 11:30 a.m., which makes it a sneaky-good Downtown lunch spot. Omakase is reservation-only.
Explore the rest of the city’s culinary landscape with our Pittsburgh restaurant guide.
About the Author
Kenny Gould is a writer and the founder of Hop Culture, a digital magazine focused on the beer industry. In addition to writing about food and beverages, he’s also the author of several fiction books, including the bestselling fantasy The Castle of 1,000 Doors. He holds a BA from Duke University, an MFA from Chatham University, and an MBA from NYU Stern. To learn more about Kenny, visit his website or follow him on Instagram at @thekennygould.
Featured Photo by Kylie Thomas
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