Sheetz, Salem’s, Sunday suppers, and more Pittsburgh food news

Pittsburgh Lebanese Festival
1000 Tropical Ave., Beechview. pghlebanesefestival.square.site

The Pittsburgh Lebanese Food Festival returns to Our Lady of Victory Maronite Church from Fri., Sept. 5-Sun., Sept. 7. Touted by organizers as Pittsburgh’s best kept secret, the Lebanese food fest offers authentic cuisine, live music, and traditional dance performances. Dishes include grape leaves hand-rolled by church volunteers, za’atar saj (flatbread), kibbeh (lamb meat), falafel, and more, with food also available for online ordering.

Comfort and Spice
5007 Lytle St., Hazelwood. comfortandspicepgh.com

Comfort and Spice, the in-house restaurant at Hazelwood Brew House, is launching a Sunday Supper series. The restaurant will, starting on Sun., Sept. 7, serve “comforting community dinners” family-style with a rotating three- to four-course menu. Diners can also grab drinks at Abstract and New France Brewing inside the Brew House.

The inaugural dinner includes summer salad, curry chicken with sauce, potatoes, house-made naan bread, and panna cotta for dessert. Sunday Supper tickets are available for $45 through Eventbrite.

Smoothie King
Multiple locations. smoothieking.com

Smoothie King is nudging us away from its ketchup concoction with new pumpkin smoothies and a giveaway. The chain recently debuted the Pumpkin D-Lite, which blends organic pumpkin, dates, frozen yogurt, nonfat milk, and Smoothie King’s protein and spice blends for a “nostalgic taste of the season.” Pittsburghers can try the fall treat for themselves on Wed., Sept. 10, when all area Smoothie King locations will offer free 12-ounce samples of the Pumpkin D-Lite in-store. Smoothie King’s limited-time fall lineup also includes a protein-heavy Pumpkin Power Meal smoothie, a 250-calorie Pumpkin Slim-N-Trim, a Pumpkin Vegan alternative, and a Pumpkin Coffee High Protein blend.

Wings Over Pittsburgh
2002 E. Carson St., South Side. wingsover.com

Need a break from back-to-school? Wings Over, billed as “everyone’s favorite neighborhood chicken spot,” has deals and freebies running at its South Side location through Sun., Sept. 14. Buy any drink on the Wings Over website or app and use promo codes to score a free six-piece boneless wing pack (code: BTS625), free tender wrap (code: BTSW25), or free three-piece tender pack (code: BTS325). Deals can be redeemed in separate orders.

Threadbare Cider House
1291 Spring Garden Ave., Troy Hill. threadbarecider.com

Threadbare Cider House will tumble down the rabbit hole with The Mad Hatter’s Boozy Tea Party. Taking place evenings through Sun., Sept. 28, the immersive Alice in Wonderland-themed event promises a “delightfully mad cocktail adventure” with teapot cocktails, spiked teas, finger sandwiches, and treats served in a “wildly decorated, topsy-turvy setting.” Meet costumed Wonderland characters, including Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit, while solving riddles and playing interactive games. Timed tickets for the 21-and-over, 90-minute experience cost $46 and include two drinks.

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream
Multiple locations. brusters.com

Bruster’s debuted a new “dreamy autumn” menu in time for Labor Day. Two new sweets feature apple: Caramel Apple Crunch, an apple ice cream flavor with caramel cinnamon ribbons and shortbread pieces; and an Apple Dumpling Sundae, which tops the warmed dessert with cinnamon ice cream and a drizzle of cinnamon sauce. Both fall items are available for a limited time at all Pittsburgh-area Bruster’s shops. 

Salem’s Market and Grill
1850 Centre Ave., Hill District. salemsmarketgrill.com

An agreement between Salem’s Market and the Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh will keep a grocery store in the Hill District. Salem’s released a statement to WTAE saying it signed a sales agreement with the church in June and is finalizing details. The church stated it will support a new grocer to “continue to provide healthy and affordable food for this community and its neighbors, and to ensure that the Hill District does not suffer the effects of so many food deserts in our country.”
Salem’s paused operations at its Hill District store in February after opening less than a year before. The grocery store had been selected out of four city proposals to take over the former Shop ‘n Save supermarket in the Centre Heldman Plaza, which closed in 2019, leaving a food desert in the predominantly Black neighborhood. Prior to 2019, the Hill District had been without a full-scale grocery store for nearly 30 years.

Sheetz
2501 Banksville Rd., Banksville. sheetz.com

Pittsburgh will get its long-awaited Sheetz, an unexpected outcome of the Rite Aid apocalypse. After rumors flew on social media (who else remembers the Oakland Sheetz hoax?), Sheetz confirmed it will replace the vacant Rite Aid on Banksville Road with a new gas station, the first within Pittsburgh city limits. Sheetz, which has garnered plenty of publicity for hosting live music and slicing sandwiches with chainsaws, told the Pittsburgh Business Times that an opening date has not been set for the project, which is in the “very early stages.”

Hardee’s
1201 North Ave., Millvale. hardees.com

The Hardee’s in Millvale, the fast-food chain’s last location in Pennsylvania, closed suddenly on Aug. 25 after 52 years in business. No official reason was given, though the restaurant displayed a banner thanking customers and changed its marquee to read “closed.”

Former Millvale Mayor Jim Burn said in a Facebook post that the closure “marks the end of era,” describing Hardee’s as a “cornerstone of [the] community” and remembering the restaurant as the launch point for Millvale Days parades and car cruises. Pittsburgh Redditors also mourned Hardee’s closure, recalling late-night meetups, first jobs, and engagements.

This article appears in Aug 27 – Sep 2, 2025.