9 new Pittsburgh restaurant openings (and reopenings) in February

Apparently, all it takes is some snow for Pennsylvanians to stop announcing so many restaurant openings. I’m stepping in while I have a moment edgewise!

Here’s this month’s news in bite-size form, from up-and-comers and new Pittsburgh restaurants to two reopenings and a few updates from last month.

Bon appétit!

Openings

The Feb. 8 opening of Salem’s Market in the Hill District was not just a massive expansion for the Strip District-based grill; it brought a grocery store to a community that had gone without one since March 2019.

Salem’s restocked the shelves of the old Shop ‘n Save with Indo-Mediterranean flair. Dates and ready-to-drink coconuts are among the produce. Although the store’s bakery, deli and grill are still under construction, refrigerated prepared curries are already available.

The market is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with an expected grand opening in April. The original location remains open.

Pittsburghers want only one thing: a Nordic feast laid out in front of them. For about a year, the pop-up dinner gurus at FET-FISK have been working on a permanent storefront, and — judging from social media posts — it’s just about here.

Chef Nik Forsberg was a James Beard semifinalist last year — with peers Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski of Apteka.

“We pride ourselves in offering a genuine restaurant experience to our diners, reflective of values that we feel are underrepresented in the industry,” FET-FISK’s website reads. “It has always been our long-term goal to open a full-service FET-FISK restaurant.”

Keep an eye on our Eat & Drink page for future coverage.

After seven years of event-only service, the Omni William Penn Hotel’s Terrace Room will reopen for regular dinner service in March, the Pittsburgh Business Times reports.

Since 2017, the room has hosted weddings and the hotel’s breakfast service and buffet.

Once it is open, hours will be available on the Terrace Room’s page on the hotel’s website.

After opening two restaurants in Nashville, Jason Aldean figured he’d Try That in a Small Town.

Jason Aldean’s Kitchen & Bar will be pulling a Big Green Tractor into Pittsburgh — the tractor is going to be the bar, don’t ask about those logistics — and bring a slew of the country music star’s favorite steaks, sandwiches and pastas, plus his Mama’s own peach cobbler.

Partner TC Restaurant Group manages the Jason Aldean concept and a host of other celebrity and non-celebrity spots including Tequila Cowboy, which is across the street from the Aldean restaurant.

It will have a soft opening soon and a grand opening in March, so you can basically be there when the Lights Come On. Take a Little Ride, pull up Any Ol’ Barstool and grab a Whiskey Drink.

My Kinda Party.

Tex-Mex chain Fajita Pete’s wrapped up preparations and started service on Feb. 12. The new location at The Block Northway was originally announced in August 2023. Although Pete’s specializes in fajitas (surprise!), burritos, quesadillas, flautas and other picks also make up the menu.

The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 8:30 p.m.

The North Park Lounge location near La Roche University is cooling off — but not how you might think.

Coming soon is a drive-through cafe attached to the restaurant, serving La Prima coffee, milkshakes, Italian sodas, breakfast and lunch bites and, its specialty, plant-based Lotus Energy Drinks.

The on-the-go joe spot does not have an opening date — its website will be updated once it’s set — but has been busy posting team training and drink previews on its Instagram and Facebook pages.

Once open, Chillin’ will have hours from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Owners of this Dormont breakfast behemoth of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” fame are passing the spatula.

On Feb. 6, Justin and Jennifer Berger announced on social media that they would be stepping away from the business. The Bergers did not respond to a request for comment.

“After 8.5 years, we have decided it’s time to move on to something new,” the post reads. “It’s been an adventure and we’ve met so many amazing people. You have supported us through some very challenging times and we are truly grateful.”

After a brief closure, the restaurant reopened on Thursday, Feb. 15, under new ownership. The menu and hours — 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays — will remain the same in the immediate future.

Market Square’s “molecular gastronomy” spot, Alchemy, opened in August 2023 but has already disappeared. In its place is burger joint Whiskey B’s.

Management and owners did not respond to requests for comment. I stopped in to see the updated space on Feb. 1 — the restaurant’s opening day — and, in an informal conversation with staff, heard that the transition had only started in mid-January but brought a complete management turnover.

Oddly, Alchemy’s website is still live.

Whiskey B’s is open Sundays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Bundts are back in town.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is opening a new East End location on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 11 a.m. The first 300 guests will get their hands on a free bundt. This is the second recent opening for the franchise, the first being in Ross Township in December.

Additionally, at the conclusion of a grand opening fundraiser, the miniature cake store will make a donation to the East End Cooperative Ministry.

Get that bundt!

News bites

Adda Coffee and Tea House

Former employees of Adda Coffee and Tea House reached a preliminary agreement with owner Sukanta Nag on Jan. 21. 

A Feb. 12 press release from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 1776 says Nag agreed to a compensation package for the ex-workers but did not provide details. 

At a Jan. 17 press event, the ex-staffers demanded access to stores to retrieve personal belongings, paid-time-off payouts and severance pay.

The stores closed abruptly on Thursday, Jan. 11, following unionization efforts.

James Beard Award

Three Pittsburgh chefs are on the chopping block for the James Beard Foundation’s award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region. Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski of Apteka and Bootsaba Tongdee of Pusadee’s Garden made the semifinals.

This is the second year Lasky and Skowronski have made the shortlist. Winners will be announced on June 10.

One thing you’ve shown us, Pittsburgh, is that the restaurant scene is popping — so much so that this is only about half of the past month’s food news. Check back with us in two weeks for closings and other foodie news bites.