Hyatt House Pittsburgh – South Side
2795 S. Water St., South Side. hyatthousepittsburghsouthside.com
Hyatt House in the South Side Works invites Pittsburghers to “get schooled” with an art exhibit, craft cocktail bar, and benefit spotlighting local educators. On Thu., Oct. 17 from 6-9 p.m., join a fundraiser benefitting Feed the Children, a nonprofit working to end childhood hunger. Guests can view and purchase artwork from Pittsburgh artists, art teachers, and gallery owners, including Dr. Amber Epps, Evan Rumble, Oreen Cohen, and BOOM Concepts’ DS Kinsel. Enjoy drink specials at the hotel’s H-Bar, and music by DJ Dini Daddy. Entry is free.
Franklin Street Market
1243 N. Franklin St., Manchester. franklinstreetmarketpgh.com
Franklin Street Market, an emerging food market produced by Fulton Commons, will hold its final event of the season on Thu., Oct. 17 from 4-8 p.m. Established in the summer of 2024, Franklin Street is a new “mini market series” held in the North Side’s Manchester neighborhood. According to its website, Franklin Street Market convenes local vendors that showcase “what’s on the rise within Pittsburgh’s food landscape.” The monthly market aims to “support burgeoning food, farm, and packaged good entrepreneurs” while forming a “community hub in the heart of Manchester, a neighborhood which has been historically underserved, specifically in the context of food.” Food and farm producers and community organizations can apply to be vendors in the next market series.
Grist House Craft Brewery
10 Sherman St., Millvale. gristhouse.com
Halloween goes to the dogs at Grist House with an adorable brew bash and benefit. On Fri., Oct. 18 from 4-8 p.m., the brewery teams up with animal rescue Paws Over Pittsburgh to host Howl-O-Ween. Billed as a “night of tails, tricks, and treats,” the event offers a photo booth, raffle, costume contest, and more. Asgard Raw Dog & Cat Food, Salty Paws Pittsburgh, and Stone Craft Pizza/Wood Stoked BBQ join to offer canine and human snacks, along with beer and cocktails from Grist House.
East End Brewing Company
1836 Oxline St., North Side. eastendbrewing.com
Pittsburgh loves a specialty beer, and a lineup of smoked options will return on Sat., Oct. 19 from 2-6 p.m. for Smoketoberfest. East End Brewing hosts the eleventh annual “festival of all-things-smokey” in its pop-up beer garden. Sample smoked beers from six local breweries, smoked food including barbecue from Onion Maiden, and “smoked music” from three live bands. Each $45 ticket includes a souvenir mug, a full-sized pour of a smoked beer (or a beer from the “non-smoking” section), and food tickets.
Downtown Neighbors Alliance
149 Eighth St., Downtown. pittsburghdna.org/highmark-streat-festival
Try foods from around the globe without leaving Downtown at the fall edition of the Highmark International StrEAT Festival. Presented by Pittsburgh Downtown Neighbors Alliance and Highmark International at The Backyard, the free weekend-long festival takes place Sat., Oct 19 – Sun., Oct. 20 and promises to take guests on a “culinary journey” with a curated lineup of 40 global food vendors. Join for authentic cuisine, a meatball-eating contest with a cash prize, “catchy tunes,” family-friendly games and activities, and cooking demonstrations.
Sweet Alchemy Bake Shop x Voodoo Brewing Company
956 Fifth Ave., New Kensington. sweet-alchemy-bake-shop-llc.square.site
Savor spooky season when Sweet Alchemy Bake Shop resurrects its popular vegan food/horror art pop-up, Sweet Horror, at Voodoo Brewing Co. Head to the New Ken brewery on Sat., Oct. 20 from 12-3 p.m. for sweet treats including cookies, doughnuts, and “a few other surprises” from Sweet Alchemy alongside “a mix of artists as well as delectable vegan food.” This year’s art includes spooky mugs and Mothman plushies with drinks and flights from Voodoo, and Guatemalan street food from the El Chucho food truck.
Wigle Whiskey
2401 Smallman St., Strip District and 1000 Ross Park Mall Dr., Ross Township. wiglewhiskey.com
Wigle Whiskey conjures spirits with a new trilogy of Halloween drinks. The distillery rolled out three limited-edition libations including Witch’s Bourbon, Vampire Bourbon, and a Hopped Zombie to “create the perfect haunted bar cart.” Try the “spellbinding spirits” at Wigle’s distilleries in the Strip District and Ross Park Mall or shop online. Bottles cost $65 each or $150 for all three.
The distillery gets extra spooky this year with The Witching Hour, its boozy Halloween pop-up. On Friday and Saturday evenings in October, Wigle’s Strip District location transforms into a “world of dark enchantment,” serving specially crafted “eerie cocktails” inspired by the Witch’s Bourbon release. View the full Witching Hour menu, including a Haunted Highball concoction.
DiAnoia’s Eatery
2549 Penn Ave., Strip District. dianoiaseatery.com
Have Italian for breakfast with a new morning menu from DiAnoia’s. The Strip District favorite introduced expanded options including “hearty staples to breakfast classics with an Italian twist, to lively cocktails and mocktails,” according to a press release. Carb lovers can try the Italian Stallion Pasta Bowl made with orecchiette pasta, veggies, parmesan cheese, and fried potato, topped with two eggs sunny side up. Nosh on other Italian fare including a prosciutto and mozzarella and caprese omelets, porchetta eggs benedict, or zeppole (Italian doughnuts). Try overnight oats, avocado toast, or DiAnoia’s take on an American Breakfast with two eggs, pancetta, English muffin, hot pepper fennel jam, and roasted potatoes. Guests can try the new breakfast menu Tue.–Sat. from 8-11 a.m.
GetGo Café + Market
Multiple locations. getgocafe.com
While some of us have yet to finish our Halloween costumes, a notorious Thanksgiving creation, GetGo’s Pilgrim sub, has returned. Touted as the chain’s “most popular and exclusive seasonal item” in a press release, the specialty sandwich “combin[es] all the delicious flavors of Thanksgiving dinner on one sub,” featuring sliced turkey breast, white cheddar cheese, and turkey gravy piled on a “secret-recipe” stuffing bread. Customers can order the sub with cranberry sauce or add tater tots for a “Pilgrim Fully-Loaded experience.” The “specialty food creation” is available at all Pittsburgh-area GetGo Kitchen locations.
PPG Paints Arena
1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. ppgpaintsarena.com
Hockey season is underway, and PPG Paints Arena is giving fans a taste of Penguins history with a new menu honoring retired announcer Mike Lange. According to TribLive, the arena’s food vendor Aramark Sports + Entertainment introduced a Lord Stanley steak hoagie and Sausalito Seal buffalo chicken sandwich. The menu will “rotate every few months, each tied to one of Lange’s 80 memorable phrases.”
Also debuting are a Steel City Smash burger (section 108); a “hat trick” street taco at Tacos on 5th (section 122); smoked pulled pork and barbecue pork at North Shore Nacho (section 105); and a Pittsburgh Pierogi with kielbasa, bacon, caramelized onions, and sour cream —somewhat akin to the Pirates’ Renegade Dog — at Polish Hill Grill (section 105).
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2024.
