EDWIN AND AMANDA SMITH. PHOTO COURTESY OF PALM PALM

Can’t afford to retire to Palm Springs, California? Pittsburgh’s East End will soon offer a slice of the West Coast experience.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PALM PALM

This spring, Herky and Lisa Pollock and their Ritual House business partners Edwin and Amanda Smith plan to open Palm Palm at 5996 Centre Ave. in East Liberty. The large space at the corner of Highland and Centre avenues has been vacant since Plum Pan Asian eatery closed in 2018.

Inspired by the work of Slim Aarons, a World War II combat photographer who went on to capture elite life in Coachella Valley’s resort city, the restaurant will feature Mid-Century Modern furniture, warm woods, gold and brass accents, a large patio and two private dining rooms inside of the kitchen.

Executive Chef Ed Smith is designing a menu of shareable plates influenced by the coastal cuisines of California and South America. The bar program will also make you feel like a jet-set celebrity, with craft and classic cocktails and homemade sodas.

“Guests will feel like they have walked into one of Slim Aarons’ iconic photographs,” Herky Pollock says. “Palm Palm is going to be a treat for eyes while offering something truly unique to the East End dining scene. Palm Palm will epitomize an approachable living-well attitude offering an immersive escape into a world of ease and elegance.”

The Pollocks and the Smiths joined forces in 2023 to bring playful elegance to Downtown’s dining scene with Ritual House, which earned a spot on Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best New Restaurants feature last year.

Check out our list of other places opening and closing in Pittsburgh!