Archive: The Best Things to Eat in Pittsburgh Right Now
Week of March 2, 2026
CHEF BECCA HEGARTY AT THE FORMER BITTER ENDS LUNCHEONETTE. PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA
There’s something electric about a pop-up. Maybe it’s the built-in urgency, the way a familiar dining room becomes something entirely new for a few hours, or the sense that you’re tasting a chef’s ideas in their purest form.
Right now in Pittsburgh, pop-ups are more than just experiments — they’re essential dining. This week, two standouts showcase exactly why.
On Monday nights, chef Becca Hegarty is doing what she does best: feeding people food that feels both deeply comforting and quietly extraordinary. Her pop-up, Bitter Ends Revival, takes place inside Nancy’s Revival, and for anyone who loved her celebrated Bitter Ends Luncheonette (as I definitely did), it feels like a homecoming.
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Spaghetti Night is the centerpiece, and it’s hard to imagine a more satisfying version. The menu is centered around her Spaghetti & Meatballs (or vegetarian bean balls, if you please), with specials that include anything from Pesto Bucatini with chicken to salt cod with fried polenta. Caesar salad and fritto misto are always available, as is some sort of sweet treat that you’d be a fool to miss.
For Fish Fry season, she’s also offering one of the city’s most popular entries into Pittsburgh’s most beloved tradition. Her $16 battered and fried cod sandwich is exceptional: flaky fish inside a crisp, golden shell, served alongside zucchini panini, potato salad, cole slaw and homemade haluski. It’s generous, soulful cooking. Get there early; it often goes fast.
You can find all of the latest updates on Hegarty’s Instagram page.
RAFAEL VENCIO AT HIS URBAN FARM. PHOTO BY ADAM MILLIRON
Meanwhile, across Lawrenceville and beyond, Rafael Vencio is reminding Pittsburgh why he is one of the city’s most exciting chefs. While we wait for his Northside restaurant Amboy to officially open later this year, Vencio continues to host a series of pop-ups that showcase his playful, deeply personal Filipino-inspired cooking.
For the next two Wednesdays, you’ll find Vencio at Spirit Pizza, where he’s turning out some of the most compelling pizzas in the city right now.
These aren’t traditional pies — they’re layered with the flavors of his heritage and his point of view. A standout version features Filipino-braised pork layered with rich pork belly, sweet garlic confit, tangy adobo sauce and creamy ricotta, creating something that feels both unexpected and completely harmonious.
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Beyond pizza, the menu shifts weekly (which is part of the thrill), with options like Taro croquettes, Patis (fish sauce) hot honey fried chicken wings and Filipino Puttanesca, a spaghetti dish made with Tuyo (dried herring), Bagna Cauda and red sauce.
The movement continues throughout March, when Amboy takes up residence on Sundays at Lola’s Eatery. Like all great pop-ups, the details may shift, but the throughline remains the same, with thoughtful, expressive cooking that rewards curiosity.
Head to Amboy’s website to stay up-to-date on the latest information.
What makes these pop-ups so compelling isn’t just the food, but it’s the sense of immediacy. These meals exist in a specific moment, shaped by the chef’s inspiration, the season and the room itself.
All you have to do is show up hungry.
Emily Catalano has been writing about Pittsburgh’s restaurant industry for more than a decade. She is the founder and editor of Good Food Pittsburgh and owns Highly Social Media, a creative content agency. For a full list of the weekly dishes featured in her column, visit here.
Week of Feb. 23
It’s fish fry season, Pittsburgh.
For most of us, that means church basements, volunteer crews and long lines. And while those are still the gold standard (check out the official fish fry map to plan your next few Fridays), there are restaurants across the city pulling out all the stops with their own Lenten specials. Here are a few that I’m most excited about this year.
Stuntpig’s Lenten special is a buttermilk-and-cornmeal crusted catfish sandwich that’s is exactly what you want from a fish sandwich: substantial, crisp and balanced. They’re topping it with a ginger-and-sesame slaw that brings freshness and crunch, and a miso tartar sauce that adds a different layer of depth.
PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA
Moonlit Burgers is bringing back one of their most-loved specials of the year, the Moonfry Fish Sandwich, available Fridays throughout Lent. This is a perennial favorite, made with panko-fried cod and topped with Moonlit’s own remoulade, their signature Moon sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickles, all on a Martin’s potato roll.
The sauces give it personality, but they don’t distract from the cod itself. And at Sally Ann’s, Lent is (temporarily) reshaping their menu in a bigger way. In addition to a fried fish sandwich, there’s a full fish and chips platter and a lobster roll. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
And there’s another seasonal shift is happening right now — it’s the best time to enjoy all things citrus. After months of heavier desserts, bright, acidic flavors feel especially welcome. I had two lemon desserts recently that have stayed with me, and both are worth making time for.
PHOTO BY EMILY CATALANO
At Eleven, the Lemon Crème Brûlée is less a single dessert and more a composed plate. It starts with lemon olive oil cake and brown butter custard, layered with lemon curd, whipped passionfruit namelaka, Meyer lemon gelée and toasted marshmallow fluff. Each component brings something distinct, but it’s the balance that really makes it work. The lemon is present throughout, but it never becomes sharp or overwhelming. Instead, it keeps the dessert focused.
The Lemon Tiramisu at Cork & Crust (read more about my lovely experience there last week) takes a different approach. Built with limoncello-soaked lady fingers and lemon-scented mascarpone, it keeps the familiar structure of tiramisu but replaces the heaviness with something lighter and more direct. It’s bright and clear in its flavor, and it feels especially appropriate right now. It’s the kind of dessert you finish and immediately want again.
Lent will pass, and citrus season will shift again. But right now, these are the dishes that are capturing this moment, and they’re worth your time.
Emily Catalano has been writing about Pittsburgh’s restaurant industry for more than a decade. She is the founder and editor of Good Food Pittsburgh and owns Highly Social Media, a creative content agency. For a full list of the weekly dishes featured in her column, visit here.
Week of Feb. 19
It’s fish fry season, Pittsburgh.
For most of us, that means church basements, volunteer crews and long lines. And while those are still the gold standard (check out the official fish fry map to plan your next few Fridays), there are restaurants across the city pulling out all the stops with their own Lenten specials. Here are a few that I’m most excited about this year.
Stuntpig’s Lenten special is a buttermilk-and-cornmeal crusted catfish sandwich that’s is exactly what you want from a fish sandwich: substantial, crisp and balanced. They’re topping it with a ginger-and-sesame slaw that brings freshness and crunch, and a miso tartar sauce that adds a different layer of depth.
PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA
Moonlit Burgers is bringing back one of their most-loved specials of the year, the Moonfry Fish Sandwich, available Fridays throughout Lent. This is a perennial favorite, made with panko-fried cod and topped with Moonlit’s own remoulade, their signature Moon sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickles, all on a Martin’s potato roll.
The sauces give it personality, but they don’t distract from the cod itself. And at Sally Ann’s, Lent is (temporarily) reshaping their menu in a bigger way. In addition to a fried fish sandwich, there’s a full fish and chips platter and a lobster roll. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
And there’s another seasonal shift is happening right now — it’s the best time to enjoy all things citrus. After months of heavier desserts, bright, acidic flavors feel especially welcome. I had two lemon desserts recently that have stayed with me, and both are worth making time for.
PHOTO BY EMILY CATALANO
At Eleven, the Lemon Crème Brûlée is less a single dessert and more a composed plate. It starts with lemon olive oil cake and brown butter custard, layered with lemon curd, whipped passionfruit namelaka, Meyer lemon gelée and toasted marshmallow fluff. Each component brings something distinct, but it’s the balance that really makes it work. The lemon is present throughout, but it never becomes sharp or overwhelming. Instead, it keeps the dessert focused.
The Lemon Tiramisu at Cork & Crust (read more about my lovely experience there last week) takes a different approach. Built with limoncello-soaked lady fingers and lemon-scented mascarpone, it keeps the familiar structure of tiramisu but replaces the heaviness with something lighter and more direct. It’s bright and clear in its flavor, and it feels especially appropriate right now. It’s the kind of dessert you finish and immediately want again.
Lent will pass, and citrus season will shift again. But right now, these are the dishes that are capturing this moment, and they’re worth your time.
Emily Catalano has been writing about Pittsburgh’s restaurant industry for more than a decade. She is the founder and editor of Good Food Pittsburgh and owns Highly Social Media, a creative content agency. For a full list of the weekly dishes featured in her column, visit here.
Week of Feb. 9, 2026
Few recent restaurant openings have generated as much early buzz (or delivered so confidently on that promise) as Cork & Crust, the newest project from chef Kristin Butterworth.
After years of honing her craft at Lautrec at Nemacolin, and a stint in Georgia, Butterworth has returned to Pennsylvania with a restaurant that feels both deeply personal and refreshingly modern.
Usually, I like to give a new restaurant a chance to breathe before my first visit, but I couldn’t wait to see what Butterworth was bringing to her new spot on the ground floor of The Oaklander hotel.
The heart of the menu is her meticulously crafted “Neo-Neapolitan” pizza, a style that bridges Old World tradition and American practicality. As Butterworth explained to my colleague, the crust balances the airy blister of Naples with the foldable structure of New York.
A 24- to 48-hour fermentation gives the dough complexity, while black garlic molasses adds subtle depth without tipping into sweetness. The uncooked tomato sauce, which is bright with basil and roasted garlic, bakes just once in the oven, preserving its freshness.
A standout is the Margherita with pesto, where crushed tomatoes mingle with garlic, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil for a deeply aromatic slice. But you can’t go wrong with any option; I loved the earthy Holy Shiitake with mushrooms, pickled onions and mozzarella while Nonna’s Rebellion — Butterworth’s take on a Hawaiian pie with pineapple, Leoncini ham and hot-honey jalapeños — leans perfectly into sweet-heat territory.
But Cork & Crust is a lot more than a pizza parlor. Butterworth’s finesse shines in dishes like the tuna crudo with Calabrian chili and pickled onions, a briny, citrusy opener. And the below-freezing weather that we’re currently enduring calls for a bowl of pasta or two; my favorite was the Drunken Rigatoni, swathed in vodka sauce with pancetta and blistered basil.
As word gets out, I have a feeling it’s going to be increasingly difficult to get a reservation, so go now before it becomes a competitive sport.
Driftwood Oven
Earlier this week, I navigated snowbanks in Lawrenceville for a late lunch at Driftwood Oven, which remains open for dine-in service amid renovations. I fully know that Driftwood’s pizza is the main attraction, and I couldn’t stop myself from getting a slice, but the reason that I was there was for one of Pittsburgh’s most crave-worthy sandwiches.
The Italian remains the undisputed star (according to me): mortadella, capicola, pepperoni, provola, spicy pickled peppers, greens, and thinly sliced onions, layered onto sourdough focaccia and finished with aioli and Italian dressing. It’s salt, acid and fat, and made all the better by Driftwood’s impeccable bread.
Do yourself a favor and order a side of their house-made ranch, an herby dressing that somehow manages to be both nostalgic and refined.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LEONA’S
Leona’s Ice Cream
With this winter refusing to loosen its grip, Leona’s Ice Cream offers a comforting workaround. Known for inventive scoops and Pittsburgh-famous ice cream sandwiches, the Garfield shop has recently introduced a cold-weather companion: house-made hot chocolate.
The decadent treat is topped with Leona’s own marshmallow fluff, a pillowy concoction that’s miles away from anything out of a jar. If you’re feeling brave, add a mini-scoop of any flavor (right now they have Butter Pecan, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate, Vanilla and Paczki & Jam).
Leona’s owner Katie Heldstab told me that they’ll be offering their hot chocolate for the rest of the season.
PHOTO COURTESY DIANOIA’S EATERY
Week of Feb. 2, 2026
While we’re still digging ourselves out from under piles of snow and gray skies, Pittsburgh winter eating calls for a very specific kind of pleasure: comfort without compromise. I’m talking about pierogies that fill you up in the best way and pasta that’s rich enough to convince you to settle in for the night.
Right now, I’m leaning fully into that instinct. These are the dishes warming me up across the city this week.
PHOTO: HAL B. KLEIN
Brothmonger
There’s something deeply reassuring about stepping into Brothmonger in the dead of winter.
Owner Sarah Coppolo has built a place where soup is the main event, and it shows in every carefully seasoned ladle. If you’re eating in, it’s almost impossible to resist pairing a bowl with one of the Bloomfield shop’s excellent grilled sandwiches.
The classic grilled cheese with tomato soup is always a good idea, but the current special, a roast beef melt made with thin-sliced roast beef, sharp cheddar, horseradish cheddar, horseradish mayo and pickles on rye is the kind of sandwich that makes you forget the weather entirely (and is my current obsession).
As for the soups, this is where Brothmonger truly shines. The Golden Chicken Noodle is exactly as rich and comforting as you’d want it to be, and Coppolo’s Italian Wedding soup has achieved near-legendary status citywide (it’s better than my Nana’s, but don’t tell her that!). Options like Vegetable, Curry Lentil and White Chicken Chili rotate in and out depending on the day. Right now, Tomato and Stuffed Pepper soup are both on the menu, and there’s truly no wrong choice.
Pro tip: grab a container to-go for lunch tomorrow. You’ll thank yourself.
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Polska Laska
It feels like we could all use a hug right about now, and there may be no food more emotionally grounding in Pittsburgh than a plate of pierogies. Polska Laska, Olive Visco’s cozy shop in Sharpsburg, feels tailor-made for winter lunches, whether you’re dining in or grabbing takeout to bring home.
The classic pierogi platter is my personal north star here, and makes the perfect winter dish. I’m a big fan of the Ruskie, which are stuffed with potato, cheese, bacon and onion. They arrive tender and generously topped with sour cream (you can also take home a dozen cold ones to make yourself).
If you come with an appetite (or a friend) the $25 Polska Platter is the move: a glorious spread of pierogies, haluski, kielbasa, kapusta, applesauce and a full complement of pickled accompaniments. It’s filling and satisfying, which is exactly what winter demands.
PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA
DiAnoia’s Eatery
Scoring a reservation at DiAnoia’s Eatery isn’t impossible, but flexibility helps.
I recently had a 9 p.m. dinner here, which feels especially fitting this time of year, when the cold sharpens your appetite and the city quiets down. The reward for my much-later-than-usual reservation was some of my favorite Italian cooking in Pittsburgh.
The pasta is the star, and I couldn’t have loved my Oxtail Ragù more. The savory rigatoni dish is slow-braised and built for lingering over. The restaurant’s untraditional beans and greens are essential alongside it.
And if you’re in the mood to stretch the meal out, start with a meatball or a bowl of pasta e fagioli, and don’t skip dessert, even if you just tuck away one of their fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies to enjoy later.
Winter may linger, but at least we have some good choices for eating our way through it.
Emily Catalano has been writing about Pittsburgh’s restaurant industry for more than a decade. She is the founder and editor of Good Food Pittsburgh and owns Highly Social Media, a creative content agency.
