Pittsburgh, we need to talk about sushi.
There is so much of it, and frankly, it’s a pretty delicious problem to have. Kan Pai has brought all-you-can-eat rolls to Bridgeville, while Bombing Pot is putting sushi on the same table as Korean barbecue and bubbling hot pot at the Waterfront.
But it isn’t all one long sushi roll. Wok Hei moved into the old “O” in Oakland with noodle soups, fish mapo tofu and soy-braised pork belly. Former Bigham Tavern chef Les Murphy is putting five-hour corned beef on Reubens and braised beef on mac and cheese at Murph’s Kitchen. Iron & Basil is bringing pasta, Parm and pork-loaded pizzas to the former DiPietro’s in West View. And Abeille Voyante and Three Pears have given Millvale and Observatory Hill new places to caffeinate.
September is here, but summer isn’t quite ready to leave Pittsburgh yet. Rooftop season is still hanging on, the days are still plenty warm and there are a whole lot of new places to try before fall settles in.
Here’s what opened and closed while we squeeze every last drop out of summer. …
Openings
The Big Chic sandwich and chips from Murph’s. Photo courtesy of Murph’s.
Three weeks after leaving Bigham Tavern, executive chef Les Murphy opened the restaurant he had dreamed about for decades. Murph’s Kitchen operates inside Strange Roots in Millvale, where Murphy and longtime colleague-turned-business-partner Sarah Flora are building their first venture around a simple philosophy: “Good Times Served Daily.”
The menu follows suit with big, playful comfort food. Try the Braised Mac with pulled beef, bourbon onion jam and smoked Gouda; Murphy’s labor-of-love Reuben, with corned beef braised in-house, roasted for five hours and piled on pumpernickel; or the Big Chic, a massive fried chicken sandwich with house-made spicy barbecue sauce, white American cheese, jalapeño and tomato.
Strange Roots’ established following gave the fledgling business a running start, while Millvale’s hometown feel convinced the pair to put down roots there. “We are having the time of our lives,” Murphy says, “and we just got started.”
Build-your-own ramen from Wok Hei. Photo courtesy of Wok Hei.
Woks are firing at the former Original Hot Dog Shop, the Oakland institution generations of Pittsburghers knew simply as “The O.” Longtime Oakland restaurateurs Lailanie Chen and Wei Fei have transformed the Forbes Avenue space into Wok Hei Asian Kitchen, serving $10.99 build-your-own plates, fried rice and lo mein alongside customizable noodle soups with mala beef, pork bone and other broths.
Diners can dig deeper into the menu for fish mapo tofu, soy-braised pork belly, steamed ribs with black bean sauce, pig ears and beef-and-ox tripe, then wash it down with milk or fruit tea. Chen and Fei also operate Hunan Bar, Hunan Express and Revolution Noodle.
Iced tea and a Blackberry Crumb Cookie from Abeille Voyante Tea Co. Photo courtesy of Abeille Voyante Tea Co.
Abeille Voyante Tea Co. is steeping into a new chapter in Millvale. At the helm is “Tea-E-O” Danielle Spinola, who has moved her longtime shop into 303 Grant Ave., filling the former yarn shop with organic loose-leaf blends, brewed teas, vegan-friendly bites and locally made goods.
The move gives the business even more room to gather. Spinola also helped create a community tea garden nearby with Carnegie Mellon architecture students and Neighborhood Allies, hosting workshops, events and, of course, plenty of tea.
Three Pears Coffee House opened on Perrysville Avenue in August, adding a new café and gathering spot to Observatory Hill. The shop serves coffee alongside food, including Cubano sliders, and welcomed some of its first customers during the neighborhood’s annual house tour.
The project has been in the works since at least 2023, when Three Pears LLC received up to $100,000 through Pittsburgh’s Avenues of Hope program to develop an Observatory Hill coffee shop.
245 W. Bridge St., The Waterfront, Homestead
Come hungry and ready to cook. Bombing Pot has opened at The Waterfront with all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue, Chinese hot pot and made-to-order sushi under one roof. Grill meats and seafood tableside, load up a bubbling broth with your picks, mix a dipping sauce and keep the sushi coming.
Photo courtesy of Kan Pai Sushi. 
Photo courtesy of Kan Pai Sushi.
All-you-can-eat sushi, hold the buffet line. Kan Pai Sushi opened its 6,000-square-foot Bridgeville restaurant Aug. 5, serving unlimited Japanese dishes made fresh to order. Lunch runs $19.99 and dinner and weekends $29.99, with diners ordering round after round of sushi, nigiri, sashimi, hibachi, udon and more.
The kitchen intentionally makes half-size rolls so diners can sample more of the menu, including the Flying Dragon Roll, a deep-fried crab-and-cream-cheese roll topped with crawfish salad, and the appropriately named PA Roll, with shrimp tempura, avocado, spicy crabmeat, crunch and eel sauce.
Spaghetti and meatballs and cheese pizza from Iron & Basil. Photo courtesy of Iron & Basil.
Consider this the first course. Iron & Basil has started serving takeout from the former DiPietro’s, giving West View an early taste of owners Katie and Terry Malsch’s new Italian restaurant while they ready the dining room and bar. The opening menu brings 16-inch pizzas, hoagies and Italian comfort food, from pappardelle Bolognese and spinach agnolotti to chicken and veal Parmesan.
Closings
Pittsburgh Sandwich Society has ended its five-year run inside Strange Roots after its lease expired. Owners Michael Carney and Erin Andrzejewski aren’t calling it quits, though: the food truck is still rolling, and the duo has a fun new Millvale venture, Winston’s Grilled Eats & Frozen Treats.
Friendship Perk & Brew has closed just shy of its ninth anniversary. Siblings and veterans JoAnn and Nick Redondo opened the coffee shop, restaurant and craft beer bar in 2017, transforming a former 7-Eleven into a neighborhood gathering place. The owners thanked their customers, artists, writers and neighbors but did not give a reason for the closure.
Noodles & Company closed its Market Square and East Liberty restaurants in August as the fast-casual chain continues a nationwide pullback of underperforming locations. Pittsburghers can still get their noodle fix in Oakland, South Hills Village and Cranberry.
The Pennsylvania brewery closed its Downtown taphouse Aug. 15 after five years, opting not to renew its lease. The departure follows the February closure of its South Side brewery at The Highline, leaving Sly Fox with no Pittsburgh locations.
Shorty’s Waterfront is taking a monthlong timeout. The restaurant was to close at the end of August for a major overhaul after owner Herky Pollock acknowledged in a press release it had fallen short of the company’s standards. It will return as Shorty’s Social Kitchen, with a new concept, menu and look.
Outside Täkō Tôrtä in Bakery Square. Photo courtesy of Google Maps.
Täkō Tôrtä served its last tacos Aug. 15 after five years in Bakery Square. Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group isn’t giving up the space: A new wood-fired American restaurant is slated to take its place in early 2027.
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