It's delicious. It's a great deal. And it's one of the marquee events of every summer in Pittsburgh!
Pittsburgh Restaurant Week is a seven day feast with special menus from top restaurants going from Aug. 7-13 throughout the city. If you've never participated, this event is a fantastic time to try a new restaurant or return to an old favorite, as new courses are rolled out all for a special discounted price. For 2023, many restaurants are also offering Restaurant Week lunch and brunch menus in addition to dinner, giving you even more options to explore!
There's too many restaurants to focus on for one blog, so instead, I'm showcasing global cuisines and new restaurants to showcase the wide range of options available! Join me on a trip from Syria, through Europe and into North America on a culinary crash course.
View the full menus of participants and learn more on the Pittsburgh Restaurant Week website.
Important: Be sure to make reservations in advance whenever possible to ensure you get to try all of the menus you like!
Khalil's Middle Eastern Restaurant
Authentic Syrian cuisine, an enchanting dining room and fantastic service are just three reasons Khalil's has been a staple of the Bloomfield neighborhood since 1972.
For Pittsburgh Restaurant Week Summer 2023, Khalil's has something to offer no matter when you visit. Lunch includes your choice of chicken shawarma, falafel or dolmas wraps that come with Syrian nachos. Dinner has three-course offerings that start as low as $20.23 with new items like Aleppo pepper chicken and Za'atar chicken or their new Mediterranean charcuterie board. But the true standout is their Syrian & Mediterranean Sunday Brunch which offers a huge array of Syrian and traditional favorites all served up with Syrian mint tea and Arabic coffee.
Garbarino's
Heading over to Italy, Garbarino's in East Liberty has the three words I want to see on any Italian menu: fresh-made pasta. While it opened in 2019, Garbarino's is the spiritual successor to a Long Island restaurant with the same name also owned and run by the family for more than 50 years.
There's so much on Garbarino's East Liberty menu you might have to visit a few times to try it all (or bring lots of friends and do it up family style). Crispy brussels and beans & greens for your primi, rigatoni siciliana and spaghetti pomodoro for secondi plus cannoli and tiramisu for dessert. Mangia!
Paris 66
Continuing our global tour, we next head to France via East Liberty's Paris 66. Julia Child would be thrilled by this bistro's approach to everyday French classics, house-made by their native French staff.
Their Pittsburgh Restaurant Week special includes an escargots or salade verte first course, poulet normandie or saumon sauce sorrel second and tantalizing creme brulee or tarte aux fruits for desserts. Need a translation? Their expert staff will be happy to explain each dish to you and help you have the perfect meal!
Leon's Caribbean
Next, we're heading across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean to Leon's. This amazing eatery, opened in 2014, brings traditional flavors of the islands to Aliquippa with chef Leon Sr. at the helm.
Their restaurant week special, available for lunch and dinner, is a great way to sample their delectable menu. Start with their oxtail app, choose from jerk chicken, pepper steak or curry chicken entrees (each served with their signature rice and cabbage) and save room for fried plantains for dessert.
La Palapa Mexican Kitchen & Mezcal Bar
Holy mole (the sauce, not the creature). We're arrived in Mexico via La Palapa in the South Side! Consistently voted one of the top Mexican spots in the city, you'll taste why with their restaurant week special of freshly made veggie soup, chicken with homemade mole sauce or potato flautas for your entrée then everyone's favorite churros and ice cream for dessert.
Bonfire Food & Drink
Our whirlwind tour has finally brought us to the United States, where chef and Pittsburgh native Chris Bonfili is serving up American cuisine with a global fusion flare at Bonfire (also in the Southside).
You'll see that on display with their mouthwatering Pittsburgh Restaurant Week menu! From the salmon tartare nachos and smoked baba ganoush toast apps to wagyu beef meatloaf and cauliflower mac 'n' cheese second course, it's an array of flavors and influences you'll only find at Bonfire!
EYF
While many of our restaurants have gluten free and vegan options available for restaurant week, EYF's specials are perfect for any dietary restrictions! And, to my fellow carnivores: this new Deutschtown neighborhood favorite is so good you won't even miss the meat.
Highlights of their summer Restaurant Week offerings are hummus fritters, cabbage pastrami and an enticing chocolate cheesecake with strawberry sorbet, pistachio butter and graham cracker streusel. YUM!
More
This is just an appetizer of what you can expect from Pittsburgh Restaurant Week. For the full list of all participating locations and even more menus, visit their website. Can't decide where to go? Spin their restaurant roulette wheel and discover somewhere new!
