In 2025, I came up with the idea to list out 25 restaurants I wanted to make a point to visit no matter if they were new or had been around the Pittsburgh food scene for years. After giving myself a full year, I made it to 16/25 restaurants in 2025 – check out my recap here. Of the 9 I didn’t make it to in 2025, some of them were carried over to the 2026 list while some fell off due to my lack of interest in visiting.
Anywho, here is my 2026 “new to me” restaurant list I’ll be working through! This idea is perfect for any time a friend wants to get together for a bite & we don’t have a specific place in mind. My list is a combo of fine dining & casual grab-and-go spots which I find to be great (especially for my wallet LOL). If you have any recommendations on must-try menu items, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok @the412franimal 😊
Elia Mediterranean
As I’ve said before, I’m on a culinary journey in the cranberry area since my bestie, Lexie, moved to the area a few months ago, which is how Elia found its way onto my list. I had been silently stalking their instagram & then when another friend posted their Lemon Chicken Romano, I NEEDED IT. As fate would have it I ended up being one of the winners of their giftcard giveaway on Instagram & the dinner date was set! Lexie & I shared the chicken meatballs with tomato vodka sauce – wow I am always such a sucker for chicken meatballs & these were fab. We were going to get the hummus too, but both knew we were ordering hefty entrees so l’ll be going back to try it & reporting on the hummus.
For mains, Lexie got the Gyro Platter which was heaping with tasty gyro meat & all the fix-ins + fries. I of course had to try the Lemon Chicken Romano & I have never had a dish like this with an equal focus on Alfredo & lemon. It was the perfect combo of creamy without being too heavy. Plus the portion was big enough that I took half home! You might be thinking sis, you didn’t get anything traditional Mediterranean & I KNOWWWW. But that’s the beauty of this spot – you can enjoy classic authentic dishes like Chicken Athena, Pastitsio & Moussaka, but also modern restaurant favorites like my dish or a handheld sandwich. Don’t worry though, when I go back for the hummus l’ll be bringing my family & we will roll deep on the Greek food like it’s a church food festival LOL.
Yuzu Kitchen
Yuzu is the perfect example of why I started a “new to me” restaurant list each year. Yuzu has been a restaurant in the downtown scene since 2017, but I’ve just never made it a point to visit. While it’s always fun to try the newest spot on the scene, there is something to be said for restaurants that have stood the test of time. Yuzu is known for its Japanese fusion & nothing sounds quite as good as a cozy bowl of ramen on a freezing Pittsburgh night.
We started with a round of drinks – I ordered a pot of Oolong tea & my friends each ordered a mocktail. Their menu offered alcoholic drinks as well, but we were going for more of a slow, cozy girl evening so hot tea & winter mocktails were the vibe. The ramen was absolutely fabulous. Myself & Lexie got the wonton ramen & Bailey ordered the vegetable ramen. I loved the idea of wonton soup meeting ramen & it DELIVERED. If you wanted to add something else to the ramen aside from the way each dish came, they have add-ins ranging from $1-5. I added a 30 minute egg for $1 because I’m a sucker for eggs in my ramen. The flavors were perfect & just to my liking after I topped it off with their chili oil & soy sauce. This is definitely an affordable spot that feels upscale due to the interior decor. I will DEFINITELY be back.
The 412 Franimal 