Sushi Atarashi location in Robinson, with revolving sushi belt, opening on Monday, September 16.

A new Sushi Atarashi is opening in Robinson on Monday, September 16, with a revolving sushi belt. The new restaurant was announced back in April, and its social media has documented the construction journey. It will open at 12:00 pm on its first day, and guests can receive 10% off their order by completing a survey. Sushi Atarashi is a small local chain of build-your-own sushi roll restaurants, formerly known as Sushi Fuku, with several locations in the area, and the new Robinson restaurant is locaated at 210 McHolme Dr. (map).

Smile Thai & Sushi coming soon to Oakland.

Signage is now up for Smile Thai & Sushi, coming soon to Oakland in the spot long occupied by Spice Island Tea House. The new spot was hinted at in Spice Island's online goodbye message back in July, excerpted below:

We have vacated Atwood Street in Oakland, and new owners with a new Thai concept have taken over the space. Since we closed regular service back in September last year, we’ve been looking for a fitting restauranteur to take over the space so that Atwood Street would remain an interesting and diverse food destination in Oakland. We wish the new owners much success, and we hope that you will support them once they open for business.

Smile Thai & Sushi will be located at 253 Atwood St. (map).

I Bowl (一碗面) now open in Squirrel Hill.

A little while ago paper went up on the windows at 2209 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill, the home shared by Mr. Egg's Kitchen and Teppan BBQ (and, from 2006 to 2020, the home of Ka Mei). Signage recently went up for I Bowl (一碗面), a noodle restaurant currently open for take-out only. A look at their menu, via Fantuan delivery service; ordering in-store is done via a kiosk near the door.

Running Dish, an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and revolving sushi place, coming soon to Pittsburgh / Homestead.

Local news has reported that Running Dish, an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and revolving sushi place, is one of two new restaurants slated to come soon to the Waterfront, located in Homestead just across a bridge from Pittsburgh. WPXI says it "has signed a lease and is in the permitting phase" while Patch says it will be located across from Starbucks. Running Dish will be one of six all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ places that either opened in 2024 or are set to open in the near future, and will be one of three revolving sushi places in the area, besides Kura Sushi and the soon-to-open Atarashi in Robinson.

Fantas-Tea, Pho Grill coming to Gibsonia.

Signage has gone up for two new places in a Gibsonia plaza: Fantas-Tea and Pho Grill. The former will be a bubble tea place and the latter will be a Vietnamese restaurant. Not much information is available about either, though records indicate both are operated by a Korean couple that operates a beauty salon in Murraysville, and an older website from last year points to a "PhoEverMore" planned for the spot with a catch-all menu featuring pho, fried rice, ramen, and various Asian appetizers. Fantas-Tea and Pho Grill will be located next to each other at the Walnut Creek Plaza, 5316 William Flinn Highway (Route 8) (map).

More signage up for Breakfast With Tiffany in Fox Chapel.

More signage has gone up at 1034 Freeport Road in Fox Chapel (map), where Breakfast With Tiffany will be coming soon. It is next in a long line of Thai places in this spot, and replaces The98 Contemporary Thai Cuisine, which occupied the location for a few months in 2023. It is from the same head chef as Squirrel Hill's Took Took 98, who also ran The98.

Pittsburgh's first Tiger Sugar opening on Saturday, September 7.

Pittsburgh's first Tiger Sugar will open on Saturday, September 7, in Squirrel Hill. Tiger Sugar is an international Taiwanese bubble tea chain with locations around the US.

With humble beginnings in Taichung, Taiwan, in 2017, Tiger Sugar has grown into an undisputed cult brand of Boba worldwide. Our Tiger Sugar drinks not only taste good but tell our unique story with “tiger stripes” that are infused onto all our drinks with unique hand-poured syrups.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery. Many companies have tried to replicate our black sugar bubble tea, but our tried and proven methods stand the test of time.

We use a proprietary 8-hour method for cooking our syrups and tapioca pearls. This results in the perfect marriage of tea, milk, and syrup in every sip.

Our award-winning bubble tea brand is bold, and our unforgettable drink varieties are a testament to this.

It is next to Mango Mango, another international Asian dessert chain that opened its first Pittsburgh location in 2024. Tiger Sugar is located at 5847 Forbes Ave. (map).

Paris Baguette finally opens in Pittsburgh's The Block Northway.

After a last-minute cancellation of its initial September 4 grand opening plans, Pittsburgh's first Paris Baguette has finally opened in The Block Northway this morning. Paris Baguette is a chain of international Korean bakeries, with five planned for the Pittsburgh area. Hours at this location are 7:00 am to 9:00 pm; it's located on the ground floor next to Blaze Pizza.

Opening of Paris Baguette at The Block Northway, originally scheduled for September 4, now delayed.

via @parisbaguetteus 

 

About a day after local press reported on the opening of Pittsburgh's first Paris Baguette, a press release by The Block Northway's Director of Experience states the opening has been delayed, with no new opening date yet established. The cafe's social media has been reporting a September 21 grand opening date, but this has not yet been confirmed by the mall.

Paris Baguette set to open its first Pittsburgh-area location tomorrow, September 4.

Paris Baguette is set to open its first Pittsburgh-area location tomorrow, September 4, in The Block Northway on McKnight Road, according to local media. Paris Baguette is a chain of bakeries ubiquitous throughout South Korea that has over 150 locations across the United States. The menu boasts a wide variety of cakes, baked goods, sandwiches, juices, and coffees, in addition its eponymous French bread. It is the second international Korean bakery chain to open in the Pittsburgh area, after Tous Les Jours in March.

The franchisee said earlier he aims to open five Pittsburgh-area locations, but only the North Hills and Shadyside locations are in progress. It had earlier set September 21st as the grand opening.

Moon Fest with OCA Pittsburgh and JADED, September 14.

The Organization of Chinese Americans - Pittsburgh and the JADED artist collective will present Moon Fest on September 14. It's an evening of food, cultural performances, music, and more in the historical location of Pittsburgh's Chinatown. It runs from 5:00 to 9:00 pm at the Chinatown Inn downtown (map).

Pepper Space grand opening in Oakland, September 2.

Pepper Space, a new Chinese restaurant in Oakland, will be holding its Grand Opening on Monday, September 2. It is located at 4609 Forbes Ave. (map), in the space near Forbes Ave. and S. Craig St. that was long occupied by Orient Express.

Bomb Chicken soft opens in North Oakland.

Bomb Chicken---serving assorted chicken dishes, bubble tea, and Chinese food---soft opened in Oakland on Saturday. It is from the same ownership as Hundred Miles Crepes, which operates in Oakland near the University of Pittsburgh campus. An open sign is illuminated and the interior is nearly done, but signage is not up yet and there is only a few counter spots available for seating, though the dining room should grow in time. It is the latest in a long line of Asian restaurants to open at 256 N. Craig St. (map) over the last decade, including Pad Thai Noodle, Chaing Mai Noodle, Miss Saigon88 Cafe, Ana's Vietnamese Cuisine, Tan Lac Express, and Pad Thai Noodle again.

Ramen King 2 coming soon to the North Hills.

A new ramen restaurant, Ramen King 2, is coming soon to the North Hills. It carries the "2" in its name, as the original Ramen King opened in Canonsburg in October 2022. Ramen King (2) is located in the McIntyre Square shopping center, next to Gabe's, off McKnight Road (map).

Thai Tamarind in Glenshaw holding soft opening Thursday, August 15.

Thai Tamarind is soft opening its second location on Thursday, August 15, located at 2909 Mt. Royal Blvd. (map) in Glenshaw, in a building previously Le Thai Cafe. The original Thai Tamarind opened in Bellevue in August 2015. The new spot's soft opening will start at 4:00 pm.

Pepper Space coming soon to Oakland, replacing Orient Express.

Signage is up for Pepper Space, coming soon to Oakland in the spot long occupied by Orient Express. Orient Express, near the intersection of S. Craig St. and Forbes Ave., closed in May after 19 years of business. Though menu information is not yet available, if the logo is any preview it looks to promise some of the spicy Chinese cuisine that has grown in popularity in parts of Oakland and neighboring Squirrel Hill over the last decade. Pepper Space will be located at 4609 Forbes Ave. (map).

Pho51 Cafe opens in Brentwood, another Vietnamese restaurant from team behind Saigon88 Express, Pho Saigon Cafe, and Pho Kim 88.

Pho51 Cafe opened last month in Brentwood in the South Hills. The restaurant, which has been in the works since last fall, features pho, bunbohue, spring rolls, and bobble tea, with an assortment of other Asian dishes and appetizers. It is run by the same ownership of Saigon88 Express in Robinson and Pho Saigon Cafe in Bethel Park, both of which have opened in the last five years, and Castle Shannon's Pho Kim 88, which opened in 2006.

Oakland's TW Kitchen to close; a second Norheastern Kitchen to take its spot.

TW Kitchen, a Taiwanese (primarily) take-out restaurant, announced on social media last night that it will close, its owners set to enjoy retirement. TW Kitchen opened in March 2019 on North Craig St. in North Oakland. It will be replaced by another spot called Northeastern Kitchen, which already operates a is independent from the spot in Squirrel Hill with the same name. Here is the announcement, from their Facebook:

【中文版在下面】

Dearest customers,

After 5 years of business, we are regretfully announcing the closure of TW Kitchen. We have been running restaurants in Pittsburgh for nearly 30 years now, and after these many years of hard work, we are looking forward to the calm of retirement. It has been a great pleasure to serve the residents of Oakland our authentic Taiwanese food, and we humbly thank all of you for your patronage.

A new restaurant, Northeastern Kitchen, will be coming soon later this month, specializing in dishes and dumplings from Northeastern China! Please give them your love and support. If you purchased a prepaid card from us, you can continue to use it at Northeastern Kitchen!

With deep appreciation,
Stephen and Jenny Chow

親愛的顧客，

經過這5年的營業，我們台味厨坊已於7月31日結束營業。我們總共在匹兹堡經營餐館接近30年，經過這些年的辛苦工作，我們決定退休過平靜的日子。非常榮幸這些年服務奧克蘭地區所有喜愛台灣料理的顧客們。非常感謝各位的支持與惠顧。

接下來【東北厨房】將繼續在這個地點服務各位，他們專精中國東北菜色，包括水餃，包子等等，請繼續給與他們支持。如果你有買我們的預付卡，也可在【東北厨房】繼續使用！

非常感謝各位，
Stephen and Jenny Chow

New Thai place Breakfast With Tiffany coming soon to Fox Chapel.

A banner has gone up at 1034 Freeport Road in Fox Chapel (map), where Breakfast With Tiffany will be coming soon. It is next in a long line of Thai places in this spot, and replaces The98 Contemporary Thai Cuisine, which occupied the location for a few months in 2023. It is from the same head chef as Squirrel Hill's Took Took 98, who also ran The98.

Kyo Matcha and Meetcha soft opening in Squirrel Hill today, holding Grand Opening on July 27 and 28.

Dessert spots Kyo Matcha and Meetcha are holding a soft opening in Squirrel Hill today followed by a Grand Opening this weekend. They'll be located at 5864 Forbes Ave. (map) in the former Footers Cleaners spot where signage first went up in October. Kyo Matcha, according to its official site,

is an international chain of Matcha desserts dedicated to creating top-quality raw materials. Due to the influence of the Japanese-style matcha culture, the Kyoto Matcha is based on the brand mission of “Let the Tea Return to the Forest”, rooted in the traditional Japanese tea culture and dedicated to the promotion of Matcha culture.

Meetcha is a bubble tea place. This is the latest in a recent batch of Asian dessert openings in Squirrel Hill, following Meccha Matcha, Mango Mango, and Tiger Sugar.