The pandemic brought the dining scene to a standstill (unless you count all of those to-go orders), but it’s moving forward again. Or perhaps backward, thanks to a bunch of spots that use nostalgia to attract customers — particularly Gen-Xers. In addition to grand openings, the past year saw re-openings and expansions bringing everything from breakfast to late-night bites to veggie-forward food with cocktails in between. The industry is getting back on track. Enjoy the ride.

Mullett’s

Neither Marissa nor Colin Mullett, a brother-and-sister team from Peters, have ever rocked a Camaro Cut, but they think their surname suits their Pittsburgh bar to a T. Chef Gabe Bevilacqua can make everything on the menu gluten-free. Guests can share small plates of elevated bar favorites such as poutine, crispy pork belly, a fried provolone wheel or pub wings rubbed with Cajun seasonings or slathered in housemade hot honey or sweet barbecue sauce. The full bar is bourbon-focused and there are 20 cocktails on the menu, so go and let your hair down.

Mt. Lebanon
297 Beverly Road
mulletsmtlebo.com

EYV Restaurant

PHOTO COURTESY EYV RESTAURANT

Make your mother proud and go to EYV Restaurant. The name means Eat Your Veggies, but mama’s never seen produce done up like this. Chef Mike Godlewski’s plant-based menu changes with the seasons, and while meat, fish and poultry make appearances (protein is more like a garnish here), vegetables are the true stars of the show. Godlewski’s creativity in the kitchen results in beautifully plated apps, entrees and desserts that are also playful. The apple toffee cake, with its celery root ice cream, golden raisins, peanut butter mousse and candied peanuts tasted like gourmet Ants on a Log, my daughter’s favorite preschool snack. You can watch the kitchen staff in action by snagging a seat at the chef’s counter. Maybe, with a little culinary razzle dazzle, Godlewski can convince my picky eater to order a salad.

North Side
424 E. Ohio St.
EYVRestaurant.com

Balvanera

One bite of Empanadas de Carne at Balvanera made me do a happy dance in my seat — which is fitting since the Argentine restaurant space used to house the nightclub Metropol. The iconic venue closed in 2002, and the space at 1600 Smallman St. has been renovated to house Balvanera across from The Terminal in the Strip. Argentina-born Fernando Navas and Pittsburgh native Meredith Boyle, partners in business and in life, opened the 4,400-square-foot brasserie in November to serve Porteña fare, craft cocktails and South American wines. Nearly a decade ago, the couple debuted the concept in New York City, where Navas was named Official Culinary Ambassador of Argentina by the Argentine government. That’s quite the resumé piece. In addition to the empanada that set my toes to tappin’, I wolfed down Spanish-style snacks such as Gildas — skewered guindilla peppers, anchovies, onions and Manzanilla olives — and Setas Salteadas, assorted mushrooms and a poached egg in a truffle sherry vinaigrette that I soaked up with crusty Five Points bread. I had never tried sweetbreads before but threw my organ-meat inhibitions to the wind and enjoyed Mollejas served with celery root, green apple, almonds and lime. I thought I had reached my food-intake limit after a pan-seared skirt steak accompanied by fresh chimichurri, salsa criolla, roasted pepper and mashed potatoes, but pastry chef Ginger Fisher Baldwin reeled me back in. I’m a fan of the flan. Get a taste of Buenos Aires aperitivo culture with creative drink offerings developed by GM William Kohl, bar lead Kimberly Holder and New York sommelier Nicolás Andrés Martianhes. My Negroni was composed of five vermouths and local gin by Lucky Sign Spirits. With my belly full and my heart happy, I pretty much pirouetted out the door. Just call me a Balvanera ballerina.

Strip District
1660 Smallman St.
balvanerarestaurants.com

Hemlock House

Josh Sickels is the David Lynch of the local dining scene. The owner of Rockaway Pizzeria, a White Oak joint serving New York-style pies in an atmosphere that’s straight out of “Twin Peaks,” now has a full-service restaurant that’s also extremely Lynchian in its aesthetics and eats. I celebrated Halloween there and it was a real treat. Together with chef Mike Allison, Sickels is serving culinary plot twists that make dining out an adventure. Carnivalesque kielbasa corn dogs? You bet. Hush puppies stuffed with lump crab meat and bacon? Bring it. She-Crab Soup? Yes, sir! These dishes are delicious in a way that is, like a “Twin Peaks” episode, hard for me to describe. As Special Agent Dale Cooper would say, they’re “damn fine.”

Regent Square
1126 S. Braddock Ave.
hemlockhousepgh.com

Ritual House

Edwin and Amanda Smith are the masters of ceremonies at Ritual House. The husband-and-wife team run the back and front of the house, as executive chef and general manager, respectively. “I have a philosophy of five great ingredients,” Ed says. “Focus on the food and don’t cover things up with sauces or over-manipulate them.” In addition to Pittsburgh staples such as chipped ham sandwiches, pecan balls and strawberry pretzel salad, guests can indulge in bruléed navel oranges finished with local micro greens and crumbled goat cheese and a flatbread with whipped brie cheese, thinly sliced granny smith apples and housemade onion jam on a ciabatta crostini. Pastry chef Zoe Peckich, winner of the Food Network’s latest “Summer Baking Championship,” outshined nine other contestants from across the country with a dessert called Not Your Gram’s Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Before joining Ritual House, the Washington, Pa., native spent time in Italy; as a chocolatier in Charlotte, North Carolina; and at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Ordering any one of her desserts is like hitting the jackpot. Hanging above the central bar are 18 hand-assembled chandeliers, custom-designed furniture from Turkey, accents from stores such as hot haute hot in the Strip District, a hall of mirrors and an installation by local artist Mia Tarducci that includes a wisteria garden and swings. Lisa Pollock, who co-owns the restaurant with her real estate broker/developer husband, Herky,  calls it a “sophisticated funhouse.” The couple spent 18 months fine-tuning the aesthetics of the place to meet customer demand for a unique night out. From the food and drinks to the decor, Herky believes Ritual House offers a high-end experience minus the stuffiness you’d expect from an upscale establishment. If you look closely at the wallpaper, you’ll see monkeys knocking back cocktails and having a good time. The Pollocks encourage you to do the same, but please don’t swing from the chandeliers.

Downtown
524 William Penn Place
ritualhousepgh.com

Brown Bear Bread Cafe

These will change your life,” Kate Clemons says as she hands me a bag of sourdough English muffins. As co-owner of Brown Bear Bread Cafe, she knows a thing or two about baked goods. After one bite, all I can say is Thomas is dead to me. The business is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with brunch served 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clemons’ boyfriend, Dan Galusha, bakes brioche buns, focaccia, ciabatta, multigrain and specialty loaves in the third-floor kitchen that’s anchored by an 80-year-old rotating baker’s oven named Big Rhonda. Can’t make it to Mount Oliver? The bread is available at Shenot Farms in Wexford and the East End Food Co-op in North Point Breeze. The brunch menu features classics such as biscuits and gravy, a cheese omelet and a breakfast platter with toast, two dippy eggs, a sausage patty, two strips of bacon and home fries. Chef Kaylie Carini’s taters are my favorite in the city. Are they as life-changing as the English muffins? Ask my waistline.

Mount Oliver
225 Brownsville Road
instagram.com/brown.bear.bread.cafe

Duo’s Taqueria

In any language, tacos are pretty darn good. Duolingo, the East Liberty-based language learning platform, is expanding people’s vocabularies and palates with a Mexican restaurant. Located next to the company’s headquarters at 5906 Penn Ave., Duo’s Taqueria started as a take-out window and is now a full-service eatery and bar stocked with more than 75 rare tequilas and mezcals. Chef Marcella Ogrodnik’s menu, which I first tried in 2022, now has even more Mexico City-inspired eats. In January, I took Sarah, my 14-year-old picky eater, to Duo’s. The kitchen staff (most employees are bilingual) kindly made her a simple cheese quesadilla. I ordered the barbacoa de borrego with lamb sourced from Elysian Fields Farm and served with guacachile, escabeche and fresh, housemade nixtamal tortillas. Sarah devoured her meal and half of mine — and, in process, learned a new Spanish phrase: Quiero más por favor (I want more, please).

East Liberty
5906 Penn Ave.
duostaqueria.com

Lilith

I got my first taste of Lilith, the new Shadyside concept from lauded chefs Jamilka Borges and Dianne DeStefano, at The Vandal last April. The Lawrenceville eatery hosted a wine dinner so the dynamic duo could showcase their coastal-inspired cuisine that pays homage to Borges’ Puerto Rican heritage and DeStefano’s Sicilian roots. The menu featured Japanese sweet potatoes with bearnaise sauce and smoked trout roe, oysters topped with cucumber, apple and horseradish, Snapper wrapped in ramps and banana leaves and tamarind-braised lamb shoulder. I left wanting more, but had to wait six months. I was the first patron to arrive for Lilith’s inaugural brunch in October at its permanent home on Spahr Street. For 26 years, the space housed pioneering chef Toni Pais’ Cafe Zinho, before he retired last year. Borges and DeStefano want to live up to his legacy but with a feminine touch. They’re off to a good start with beautifully plated, yet playful, dishes and cocktails that complement the decor that’s fun, funky and floral. It’s a Garden of Eatin’, if you will. To start, my girlfriend and I shared ooey-gooey, pull-apart Monkey Bread, rhythmically dipping each piece in creme anglaise while the overhead speakers played Taylor Swift songs. She had the breakfast sandwich — an egg souffle topped with bacon, pepper jelly and American cheese on a brioche bun — while I destroyed homemade biscuits with honey butter and a side of bearnaise-slathered breakfast potatoes. (After this dish, I never want to douse my spuds in ketchup again. Sorry, Heinz.)

Shadyside
239 Spahr St.
instagram.com/lilithpgh

Christian James

Kimberley Ashlee spent years as a journalist before opening a catering company and the fast-casual concept Terrene at Station Square. Now the veteran chef tells stories through food at Christian James, a restaurant inside the Joinery Hotel, Downtown. The seasonally evolving menu tells the tale of Christian James, a fictional foodie who travels the world trying different cuisines like a hungry Indiana Jones. Each dish is a chapter in his journey. For my entree, I took a cue from the globetrotting adventurer and tried something new to me: goat vindaloo, marinated and braised in a curry sauce with mild spices on a bed of jasmine rice. It’s a dish I’d revisit. Because the restaurant’s home is a hotel, it has to appeal to all sorts of road-weary travelers. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and cocktails are served. From steak and fish to a cheeseburger and fries, there’s something for everyone, including children. Ashlee and her husband, Josh Haugh, a sommelier, have a young daughter, so creating a kids’ menu was a big priority. The offerings include wood-fired pizza, chicken fried rice, white cheddar mac and cheese and other upscaled favorites. Tykes 10 and under eat for free and receive a warm cookie that they can decorate at the table. The sweet distraction gives parents a little more time to relax with a dessert — try the house-made donuts — or a boozy beverage. Bottomline: Christian James is worth writing home about.

Downtown
Joinery Hotel
453 boulevard of the allies
thechristianjames.com

Extra Helpings

If you want to eat in the ’70s and ’80s, Fat Cat on the North Side and Long Story Short in Lawrenceville serve fun, casual fare surrounded by nostalgic decor. You can even go on a retro junk food binge thanks to Hills Snack Bar, a mobile unit that stops at former Hills Department Store locations throughout the region.

A bunch of established restaurants have opened second locations or moved into larger spaces to keep up with demand. O’Hara-based Alta Via Ristorante now has a spot in Downtown’s Market Square. The Speckled Egg, a Downtown brunch destination, last summer made its debut in the SouthSide Works. Cilantro & Ajo, a South Side spot serving Venezuelan street food for the past five years, will soon have an eatery in Lawrenceville.

Like things spicy? You can dine at Tepache Mexican Kitchen & Bar in Cranberry and O’Hara. Stemming from the success of its original Shadyside location, Tocayo Taqueria & Tequila opened a second one in Bethel Park.

If “ribliciousness” is what you crave, Wilson’s Bar-B-Q, a North Side institution, is back after a 2019 fire shuttered the business.