Mardi Gras 2025
It’s Fat Tuesday (March 4) and Pittsburghers can experience a bit of New Orleans in the city.
Golden Age Beer in Homestead hosts a crawfish boil and “NOLA music blowout” from 1-10 p.m. Co-presented with Independent Brewing Company, Fat Tuesday Live! includes music from Paul Cosentino’s Boilermaker Jazz Band, John Gresh’s Gris-Gris playing R&B and Americana, and J. Malls spinning NOLA vinyls. Enjoy a Cajun menu with gumbo, po’boys, and NOLA-inspired cocktails.
New France Brewing Company, located inside Hazelwood Brew House, rings in Fat Tuesday with their first beer release with Two Frays Brewing and a Mardi Gras-themed drag show. Head to the Brew House at 6:30 p.m. to try the new Semantic Satiation collab beer, a Vienna-style lager, then stay for the show by S & S Productions starting at 8 p.m. A $5 donation for performers is suggested or “shower those queens in beads and singles.”
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream x Comfort Cases Multiple locations. brusters.com
Wear your pajamas and get free ice cream when Bruster’s annual PJ Day returns. On Sat., March 8, if you wear or donate a new pair of pajamas to any Pittsburgh-area Bruster’s location, you’ll receive a free or discounted handmade waffle cone. Donated pajamas will be donated locally to Comfort Cases, a nonprofit that serves youth in foster care.
East End Brewing Company
Multiple locations. eastendbrewing.com
On Sat., March 8, East End Brewing thanks its patrons on Gratitude Day, an annual celebration and barleywine release party. This year’s “all-day affair” runs from 11a.m.-10 p.m. at East End’s Larimer brewpub and at its Mt. Lebanon Taproom from 2-10 p.m. Offerings include the “base version” of East End’s Gratitude Barleywine as well as a new Rye Barrel-Aged version from Ponfeigh Distillery, who will be on-site in Larimer with additional spirits. For food, enjoy “specially designed, barleywine-friendly” pizzas at both locations. Local breweries will also tap East End’s Gratitude Barleywine. Try it at Acclamation Brewing, Allegheny City Brewing, Dancing Gnome, Monday’s Brewing in Greenfield, Old Thunder, Trace Brewing, and more.
Longtime East End fans can also join the brewery for a Redux Rerelease of Regent Square, a beer from its You Are Here neighborhood beer project. By popular demand, the rye porter returns to 3 Rivers Outdoor Company, where it was originally launched, on Fri., March 14 from 3-7 p.m. The Pittsburgh Pie Guy will also sling scratch-made pizzas for Pi Day.
Hazel Grove Brewing
4609 Irvine St., Hazelwood. hazelgrovebrewing.com
Girl Scout Cookies are back in Pittsburgh. (Pro tip: get some S’mores before the flavor is retired next year.)
Hazel Grove Brewing takes the cookie-mania to the next level with a cookie and beer paring. Join for a “guilt-free evening of indulgence” on Thu., March 13 from 6-7 p.m. For $30, enjoy four classic Girl Scout cookies paired with the brewery’s craft beers, with a portion of proceeds supporting the Greenfield/Hazelwood Girl Scout Troop. The lineup includes Thin Mints with a dark stout — “like brushing your teeth but way more fun” — Samoas (aka Caramel deLites) with a brown ale, Lemon-Ups with a hazy IPA, and, for those of us who are “low-key fancy,” Trefoils (shortbread cookies) with a pilsner. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.
South Side Kids Pittsburgh x Piper’s Pub
1828 E. Carson St., South Side. facebook.com/southsidekidspgh
South Side Kids teams up with Piper’s Pub to put an Irish spin on its annual fish fry fundraiser. On Fridays during Lent (beginning March 7), guests can dine on Piper’s traditional Fish & Chips and support the neighborhood group and its mission to foster family life in the South Side. Piper’s Fish & Chips includes a “heaping” serving of fried fish atop house-made potatoes with a side of pub-style mushy peas. The dish is available for dine-in or take-out.
On Fri., March 14 from 4-7 p.m., South Side Kids hosts a special Family Fish Fry Party at Piper’s where children can enjoy activities and crafts “whilst their parents are welcome to enjoy a pint or two.”
The fish fry runs Fridays through April 11.
City Works Eatery & Pour House
2 PPG Pl., Downtown. cityworksrestaurant.com/locations/pittsburgh
Heading Downtown for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade? City Works in Market Square has you covered when its Kegs N’ Eggs breakfast buffet returns. On Sat., March 15 from 8-11 a.m., enjoy a spread of chicken and waffles with hot honey maple, scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and smoked bacon, and sausage links, along with Irish fare including corned beef hash and Baileys- and vanilla-ice-cream-battered French toast. Along with brunch, there will also be a bagpiper to spread the St. Paddy’s Day spirit and $5 drink specials including green beer and Guinness. Tickets to the 21-and-over event cost $25.
Pane è Pronto
2627 Penn Ave., Strip District. paneepronto.com
Pane è Pronto, DiAnoia’s sister bakery and carryout kitchen, embraces its alter ego for St. Patrick’s Day. The Italian takeout spot will become “Lunney’s,” offering an Irish-themed dinner inspired by Chef Dave Anoia’s mother, Eileen Lunney. A dinner for two ($84) features corned beef and cabbage, Lunney family soda bread, potato and leek soup, salad, a side of Irish mashed potatoes (colcannon), and Irish gingersnap cookies. Dishes are packaged cold with reheating instructions. Pre-order for pick-up at Pane è Pronto on Sat., March 15 from 12-6 p.m. or Sun., March 16 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Young Chefs Academy Pittsburgh East
Six Torrens St., Larimer. pittsburgheastpa.youngchefsacademy.com
Young Chef’s Academy, a children’s cooking school franchise, opened its first Pittsburgh location earlier this year. The cooking school is now taking enrollments for its summer culinary camps for kids aged 7-14 at all skill levels. Camps run from Mon., June 9 – Mon., Aug. 18.
Described as a “fully immersive culinary camp experience,” the three-day camps ($279) include learning recipes, baking, and cooking techniques, all culminating in a “friendly culinary challenge.” Each week offers a new curriculum so participants can enroll in one or multiple culinary camps. Young Chefs Academy also introduced a schedule of weekly classes and hosts parties, field trips, and special events. View details on its website.
The Open Road
5401 Penn Ave., Garfield. openroadbarpgh.com
The Open Road soft-opened its new permanent space in Garfield to a crowd on March 1, according to its Instagram. The non-alcoholic bottle shop and local favorite originally announced the move to its “forever home” from Allentown last July, then temporarily operated inside Lawrenceville Hemp Co. The new shop is now open daily Tues.-Sat. from 11a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sun.- Mon. from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Café Momentum Pittsburgh
268 Forbes Ave., Downtown. cafemomentum.org/restaurant/pittsburgh
Café Momentum, the Market Square restaurant that provides culinary training to justice-impacted youth, relaunched with a new lunch service and a new chef.
Chef Rob “RC” Carter joins as the Cafe’s executive chef. Carter formerly worked at Cioppino Restaurant and Cigar Bar, which closed at the end of last year. Originally from Detroit, Mich., Carter brings expertise in “high-end cuisine, leadership in the kitchen, and commitment to quality dining experiences,” according to a Café Momentum press release.
Chef RC will oversee a new lunch menu offering “refined and approachable” dishes ranging from mac and cheese and Pittsburgh cuisine with “fries n’at” to “elevated entrees” including salmon, duck two ways, and braised short rib. Café Momentum’s new lunch service runs Tues.- Fri. from 11a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations are available through OpenTable.
This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2025.
