Kura Sushi in Pittsburgh hiring servers (among other positions).

Pittsburgh's Kura Sushi is hiring servers.

KURA SUSHI – Pioneers of the revolving sushi concept!

Interview for our upcoming NEW location in Pittsburgh, PA (South Side Works)

Come join the Kura Krew, a team that is passionate about food, culture and providing a unique experience!

Wages: Up to $19.00/hour after tips

*Must be at least 18 years of age or older to apply*

*Come roll with us! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r-TWg_BCAY

*Check out our Benefits!- https://kurasushi.com/restaurant-benefits

Servers at Kura are:

Attentive and friendly

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Team players that go above and beyond
• Passionate about serving our guests
• Working side-by-side with our resident robot server “Kura Bot (Kur-B)”

Taiwanese chain Wushiland Boba to open Pittsburgh location in Spring 2024.

In October we wrote about Taiwanese chain Wushiland Boba preparing to open its first chain in Pittsburgh, on S. Craig St., and today the chain announced it aims to open in Spring 2024. It will be located at 300 S. Craig St. (map), where Fuku Tea opened its second location in July 2020. The operator of this Wushiland is the Director of Operations of Fuku Tea and Atarashi Sushi, the latter an offshoot of the Sushi Fuku that had a few locations in Oakland and that opened Fuku Tea in 2015.

Jho's Pool Hall coming soon to Squirrel Hill.

A recent Pittsburgh Business Times article summarizing some of the recent businesses coming to Squirrel Hill gives a name to the project at 5846 Forbes Ave. (map) in the old Panda Supermarket location. The article says the spot will soon be home to Jho's Pool Hall. We read on PennsylvAsia back in December 2022 that a Liquor Control Board Application went up on the grocery store doors, and there has been slow-moving progress inside the space since then. The spot will be run by the team behind Squirrel Hill's Tan Lac Vien.

Kujira, serving sake and sushi, coming soon to Shadyside.

Kujira is set to open this winter in Shadyside. Signage recently went up at 736 Bellefonte St. (map) in the spot formerly occupied by The Yard, where Dr. Tea opened upstairs earlier this year. Kujira---Japanese for whale---has the same ownership team as Bubble Bee, which has opened a few bubble tea spots around the city recently.

Bubble tea place Meetcha to open in Oakland, too.

Yesterday we read about Meetcha and Kyo Matcha opening in Squirrel Hill, and it turns out Meetcha will also open a spot in Oakland. The bubble tea place will be located at 303 S. Craig St., in what was formerly Little Asia restaurant. It will be run by the same Little Asia and Bao 2 ownership, and will be across the street from Wushiland, another bubble tea chain that will open its first Pittsburgh location soon.

Korean BBQ (코리안 바베큐) in Oakland eyes January opening.

The new all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ place coming soon to Oakland is eyeing a January opening, according to ownership. The new restaurant will be called Korean BBQ (코리안 바베큐), and it has recently put up new signage at its 414 Semple St. (map) storefront. The menu will consist of Korean-style self-grill meats, along with various Korean, Chinese, and Japanese dishes available for take-out.

Dessert chain Kyo Matcha, bubble tea place Meetcha coming soon to Squirrel Hill.

Signage is up for Kyo Matcha in Squirrel Hill, at at 5864 Forbes Ave. (map) in the former Footers Cleaners spot. 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.

Signage is also up for Meetcha, which will likely bring another bubble tea place to Squirrel Hill. Signage for something first went up in September, when plans for published for a restaurant/cafe in this spot. It will be one of several new Asian dessert places coming soon to the neighborhood, in addition to Meccha Matcha and Mango Mango/Tiger Sugar.

Footer's is owned by the same family who ran Lord Duncan Cleaners on Forward Avenue, which also closed earlier in 2023, and Sumi's Cakery.

Little Viet Kitchen soft opening in Wexford.

Little Viet Kitchen is in the middle of a soft open in Wexford. It is the first Vietnamese place to open in the North Hills, located in the Pine Creek Shopping Center in McCandless (map). The menu includes customizable banh mi, rice bowls, vermicilli bowls, and pho, in addition to bubble tea and an assortment of Vietnamese coffee.

Moving closer to new Korean BBQ place in Oakland.

More signage is up at the all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ place under development in Oakland, this time featuring new photos of menu items and new blue lighting on the windows. The yet-unnamed restaurant will be in the spot formerly occupied by Korea Garden at 414 Semple St. (map). The menu advertises $27.99 for adults with over 30 types of meats; Korean dishes like bibimbap, jjajangmyeon, ramyeon, and bulgogi; Korean appetizers like mandu, japchae, and gaeranjim; and a selection of other Asian items like sichuan noodles, Chinese-style jajangmen, orange chicken, and fried rice.

Korea Garden closed in June in preparation for a new restaurant at Novo Asian Food Hall in the Strip District Terminal, which is set to open any week now according to social media posts today. Signage for this new BBQ place went up in September, after the building was bought by Jiyan An of Dormont in March.

Fantuan hiring Mandarin-speaking Marketing Assistant 宣传助理 for Pittsburgh area.

Fantuan, a delivery service catering to Asian restaurants and groceries that expanded to Pittsburgh in 2020, is hiring a Mandarin-speaking Marketing Assistant 宣传助理.

Fantuan was founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2014. With a mission of “life made easier,” the company is a one-stop platform providing food delivery (Fantuan Delivery), reviews (Fantuan Reviews), an errand service (Fantuan Rush), e-commerce and marketing services. Fantuan is one of the top Asian life-services platforms in North America, currently operating across Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, Los Angeles, New York and other metropolitan areas in Canada and the US.

Job Title: Marketing Assistant

Job requirement:

1. Work with BD team to develop and build up new channels to promote our business, focusing on but not limited to campus and local clients.

2. Work with another team internally to work out the promotion materials like the contents of the poster, banners and son on

3. Email marketing + Instagram and FB, Wechat group, Little red book content creation,

Requirement:

1. Marketing Major is an asset

2. Strong communication skills, willing to meet the challenges

3. Acted a leader of the student union in the University is preferred

4. English and Mandarin are highly required

5. 1 year of working experience in Marketing related is preferred, or similar experiences in Campus can be considered either.

MiFan now open in East Liberty.

MiFan is now open in East Liberty. Signage went up in August at 5923 Baum Blvd. in what was most recently Wings Over East Liberty (map). Menu information is available on its new website, and signage on the windows refers to a 10% off promotion.

Squirrel Hill (im)patiently awaits Tiger Sugar and Mango Mango.

Work has yet to progress on Tiger Sugar and Mango Mango, which will share a large storefront in Squirrel Hill. Signage first went up in May advertising the first Pittsburgh locations for the Taiwanese bubble tea chain Tiger Sugar and the Hong Kong-style dessert chain Mango Mango. They will occupy 5853 Forbes Ave. (map), which was most recently a beer distributor; Tiger Sugar will have Suite A and Mango Mango will have Suite B.

Noodles of Burma Pop-Up Event, from Spice Island Tea House team, October 20-21.

The team behind Spice Island Tea House in Oakland is putting on a Noodles of Burma Pop-Up Event on October 20 and 21.

[W]e hope your love of noodles remain strong to join us on Oct 20 and 21! So save the dates! This is a dine-in only event, so no take-out will be available. No reservations. No BYOB. No rice. Just noodles.

Spice Island Tea House was a long-standing restaurant in Oakland that closed on September 30.  The storefront is located at 253 Atwood St. (map).

Taiwanese chain Wushiland Boba coming soon to Oakland.

Signage is up and interior renovations are underway on S. Craig St. where Wushiland Boba is coming soon. It will be located at 300 S. Craig St. (map), where Fuku Tea opened its second location in July 2020. The operator of this Wushiland is the Director of Operations of Fuku Tea and Atarashi Sushi, the latter an offshoot of the Sushi Fuku that had a few locations in Oakland and that opened Fuku Tea in 2015.

Wushiland is a Taiwanese chain with several locations in California.

Many More Marketplace.

The City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning has a look at the proposed signage for the new Many More Marketplace location, set to go before the Zoning Board of Adjustment on October 12. Many More Asian Market in Lawrenceville is relocating to a larger space eight blocks down the street and has been sharing progress pics on Facebook.

Work underway on Pittsburgh's first Paris Baguette.

In mid-August Pittsburgh's first Paris Baguette was announced for The Block Northway, and work is underway on the space it will occupy on the lower leven next to Blaze Pizza. The Block Northway is a shopping center on McKnight Road that emerged from the remnants of the old Northway Mall.
via @parisbaguetteus

Paris Baguette is a chain of Korean 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 has several spots in Philadelphia already, and had a Youngstown location listed as "coming soon" though mention of it was removed from the website earlier this month. Paris Baguette's arrival is part of a boom in new Asian restaurants, particularly chain restaurants, making their way to Pittsburgh.

Shadyside's Nakwon Garden reopening today.

Photo from September 13.

Nakwon Garden, a Korean restaurant in Shadyside, will reopen today, September 27 according to ownership. The hours are 12:00 to 10:00 pm, Monday through Saturday, with reservations preferred. Nakwon Garden is located at 5504 Centre Ave. (map).

Handwritten "Open Soon" signage went up on its door in August, and a fresh coat of paint went up earlier this month. The restaurant closed on January 1 and hinted at reopening in the future.

Spice Island Tea House closing September 30; last day of dine-in service September 28.

Spice Island Tea House in Oakland announced today it will close on September 30, with the last day of dine-in service on September 28.

On a more bittersweet note, we will be ending our 28-year run as Spice Island Tea House this week. Our last day of Dine-in Service will be Thursday, Sept 28, and last day for Take-Out Service will be Saturday, Sept 30. We are grateful to have had the pleasure of serving you throughout the years. When we first opened in 1995, never in our wildest dreams did we think we would go on this long. Admittedly, the last few years have been the hardest we’ve ever faced. And thanks to you, our customers, for the enduring support that have kept us going for as long as we have. But now is the time to ride this ship into the sunset. Although we will no longer be operating as Spice Island, we are exploring the possibility of other culinary endeavors through a series of Pop-ups and events. So stay tuned and follow us on Instagram and Facebook for upcoming events! Thank you, Spicefans! It has been a lovely venture!

The restaurant is located at 253 Atwood St. (map).

Kiku hiring Sushi Chef.

Kiku, one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the city---and among the most highly-regarded among Japanese diners---is hiring a Sushi Chef.

Authentic Japanese restaurant hiring Experienced Sushi Chef (Station square)

KIKU Japanese restaurant located station square is now hiring for part time/full time employee.

We're looking for a Sushi Chef, to work in a team of two at the sushi bar, on preparing maki rolls, sashimi and sushi. It will involve multi-tasking of prepping and plating.

KIKU Japanese Restaurant reputation for artful plating and food quality, - fresh fish (never frozen) is flown in from Japan and New York every week, and we have a very strong customer following because of it.

Also, as many of our customers have a very experienced palate for sushi/sashimi, the Sushi Chef should have a basic working knowledge of various fishes, and Japanese ingredients used.

More information about all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant possibly coming to Oakland.

Earlier this month signage went up for an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurant in Oakland, and recently a menu and photos were posted to the windows. The menu advertises $27.99 for adults with over 30 types of meats; Korean dishes like bibimbap, jjajangmyeon, ramyeon, and bulgogi; Korean appetizers like mandu, japchae, and gaeranjim; and a selection of other Asian items like sichuan noodles, Chinese-style jajangmen, orange chicken, and fried rice. It will be located at 414 Semple St. (map), in the former location of Korea Garden which closed a while back in preparation for a move to the Asian food court under development in the Strip District.

I am not as definitive in this post as I am with other restaurants coming soon because Pittsburgh has been duped before by handmade print-outs promising Korean BBQ. However, building permit paperwork does show that a new restaurant by building owner Jiyan An is coming soon to the spot.