Restaurants in New Kensington

The chefs at Zaiaka draw on their knowledge of 1,000-year-old recipes to fill their menu with authentic Indian dishes, which they say helped earn them a 2012 Readers' Choice Gold Award for Best Ethnic Food from Trib Total Media. They cook vegetarian dishes including palak paneer, house-made cheese cubes and fresh spinach cooked in ground spices, and vegetable biryani, the chef's specialty rice entree. Naan bread baked in the eatery’s clay tandoor pairs with rogan josh, lamb cooked in a gravy of aromatic spices. During dinner, the dining area swells with soft music, which is punctuated with the clink of wineglasses full of beverages brought from home. Like a maitre d’ arriving late to work, the dark tables are draped in white tablecloths, and light flutters across the rich tapestries that cover the walls.

Nancy Pursh set aside a 20-year career as an administrative assistant to pursue her life’s passion by operating a Victorian-style tearoom. Within a stately Springdale home, she hosts refined afternoon-tea services, pouring gently steeped cupfuls of loose tea that she personally selects from local merchants. Now joined by chef Brian Boring, she pairs teas with a seasonal selection of housemade sandwiches and baked goods. Relying on handpicked fruits and herbs from the gardens, Brian creates refreshing finger foods to accompany tea, such as almond and coconut macaroons or cinnamon-pear scones. Although the tearoom’s china saucers and lace tablecloths evoke the elegant tearooms of an earlier era, Nancy’s goal was simply to create “a cozy, warm, welcoming house where friends could sit and chat, relaxed and unrushed.” :m]]

Thanks to its menu of traditional Italian and American cuisine and a grand ballroom that hosts up to 180 guests, Pugliano’s Italian Grill proves an equally appropriate setting for casual family dinners and elegant wedding receptions. Groups of all sizes and relations come together over piping-hot plates of eggplant parmesan and heaps of fresh spaghetti slathered in a savory blend of ripe tomatoes, onions, and herb marinara. The restaurant staff rises to meet the demands of special occasions with party packages that spoil guests with a buffet or table service, an open bar, and a champagne toast—not to mention discounted rates at the hotel across the street. DJs spin in the main dining room on weekends, and the grand ballroom boasts audiovisual gear that comes in handy during parties or customary viewings of the groom's dental x-rays.

Owner and chef Omar Mediouni imbues La Casa Tapas and Wine Bar's menu of traditional Spanish and Moroccan small plates and entrees with local ingredients and an appetite for culinary fusion that, according to Pittsburgh City Paper, "combines sophistication and comfort, authenticity and simplicity." Flagpole-addicted tongues warm up with a choice of 16 hot tapas, including the chorizo catalan's spicy sautéed sausage and spinach in a red-wine reduction ($10), and tomatoes, sweet pepper, and eggplant form the base of a duo of Moroccan dips ($8 each). Larger entrees ($16–$28) sneak garbanzo beans, chicken, lamb, and eggplant into piles of couscous or saffron paella rice like parents tucking Easter eggs into an egg carton.

Nestled within a brick house along a neighborhood street in Shadyside, La Casa Tapas and Wine Bar greets springtime by opening its patio to warm breezes and showers of cupid arrows. Inside, a hanging Spanish guitar, lanterns lit by candles, and the wide grin of a bright red hearth contribute to a cozy, eclectic spirit.

Celebrated in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for its more than 600 hoppy brews, Beer Nutz Bottle Shoppe & Grille pours 35 rotating drafts to complement a menu of delicious—and sometimes intimidating—pub fare. Their featured burger, the aptly named Ruination, challenges bold visitors with its jaw-dropping combination of fried eggs, bacon, and a bun that consists of two texas-toast grilled cheese sandwiches. Lobster rolls and hefty one-pound fish sandwiches round out the menu alongside wings triple flavored by Yuengling marinades, spicy rubs, and tangy sauces. Opened on the same day the Pittsburgh Penguins won the 2009 Stanley Cup, the restaurant hosts game-watching nights as well as regular wine tastings, live music performances, and games of pin the tail on the keg.

Tamari takes its name from the Argentinean Huarpe people’s word meaning “to do everything with passion,” and the staff heeds it as a call to action. Executive Chef Roger Li expresses this joie de vivre through a bold menu of Latin, Asian, and European cuisine, uniting cultures through food like a model of the 1933 World's Fair made from fondant. Lobster-tempura maki tempts mouths alongside shrimp tacos garnished with yuzu-margarita foam and scottish salmon paired with chimichurri and ginger polenta. While dining, guests take part in a rich, interactive experience, sipping exotic açai mimosas and watching chefs prepare shareable tapas or custom-made menus in an open-pit kitchen. Altogether, the combination of unexpected flavor from the kitchen and unhindered elegance from the dining room has earned Tamari a great deal of respect. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, for instance, named it on its Best Dining: Top Dishes list, and CBS Pittsburgh ranked it at the top of its list of Best Outdoor Dining options.