Adventurous eaters and foodies of all ages have an opportunity to try new dishes and old favorites from dining establishments during 2026 Winter Pittsburgh Restaurant Week. With discounted menus and new flavors, some of the region’s best eateries are pulling out all the stops for this weeklong event.
Running from Jan. 12 to 18, Restaurant Week allows chefs and restaurateurs to put together food specials or multi-course menus for fixed prices.
John Bellan, general manager of Monterey Bay Fish Grotto on Mt. Washington, said that the Winter Restaurant Week offers diners something special while also giving restaurants a boost during the post-holiday lull.
“Restaurant Week provides us an opportunity to basically bring people into the restaurant in hopes that they see us and they try us when it’s a cheaper option, and then they come back,” he said.
Monterey Bay has participated in Restaurant Week for several years, and Bellan said that it’s typically a boon for their staff.
The Restaurant Week menu offered by Monterey Bay keeps them in their wheelhouse of upscale fare with a focus on fish and seafood while making the dishes more “complete” and rounded, Bellan said.
For Restaurant Week, they’re offering a three-course menu with several options priced at $55.26. Bellan made it clear that they’ve gone all-out for this menu — no skimping on options or portion sizes.
For the appetizer course, guests can choose between a tricolore salad, a Caesar salad, wedding soup or she-crab bisque. The entrees are some new preparations for the Mt. Washington staple.
“We went the route of big portions,” Bellan said. “We’re not going light on this.”
The main course choices include an eight-ounce grilled salmon entree with chive mashed potatoes, balsamic reduction, roasted cherry tomato and basil oil; an eight-ounce black cod Oreganata entree with broiled seasoned breadcrumbs, lemon risotto and rosemary butter sauce; pan-seared chicken Diane with shallots, mushrooms, creamy Dijon mustard sauce and asparagus; cacio e pepe with pan-seared shrimp and linguine; and a 12-ounce New York strip steak with frites and red chimichurri sauce.
They’re also offering wine pairings for the three courses for an additional $35.
Bellan said that they wanted to provide lots of options with the menu.
“We wanted to do chicken, fish, seafood and non-seafood protein,” he said. “It’s a little bit of something for everybody.”
Greg Ackerman, who co-owns Luma in Mt. Lebanon with his wife, also said that variety played into their planning for the event. The restaurant has participated in Restaurant Week since its inception in 2013, and has packed in hungry patrons with their special menus.
“It’s always been really good for me. It’s a good way to bring in a lot of first-time diners,” Ackerman said.
He said that providing bang for your buck is an important part of the experience for Luma.
“It’s for us to showcase ourselves,” he said.
Luma will offer a three-course meal for $45.26. For the first course, the choices are fried zucchini roulades with fresh mozzarella and basil served with a marinara cream sauce; lobster and shrimp bisque; and mixed greens with dried cranberries, candied walnuts, crumbled blue cheese and cherry tomatoes in an apple cider vinaigrette.
The zucchini dish is a specialty of the restaurant, but they don’t offer it all the time.
“We only do them on special occasions like Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve and Restaurant Week,” Ackerman said.
For entrees, they will have short rib braised over pappardelle, Cabernet demi glace, horseradish aioli and frizzled onions; jumbo shrimp stuffed with their housemade crabmeat, topped with a white wine cream sauce with sauteed broccolini and parmesan fingerling potatoes; and a six-ounce center-cut filet mignon topped with a roasted garlic demi-glace with sautéed broccolini and parmesan fingerling potatoes.
Their desserts are lemon berry cake (two layers of moist cream cake with cranberries, blueberries and cinnamon streusel baked into each cake, then filled with fruit and a lemon mascarpone cream); warmed chocolate chip brownie topped with dark chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream; and Colossal New York-style creamy cheesecake with a touch of lemon zest complemented by a buttery graham cracker crust topped with a raspberry melba.
Ackerman hopes that all of the participating establishments do well with the weeklong event.
“We’re excited for a busy week,” he said.
At the French restaurant Paris 66 in East Liberty, owner Frederic Rongier has expanded the typical three-course Restaurant Week special to four courses — but the price remains the same. The expanded menu will run diners $45.26.
Like Luma, Paris 66 has participated in Restaurant Week since it began.
“It’s an opportunity for guests to get a taste of Paris 66 if they have never been there,” Rongier said.
For the first course, guests can choose between a petite salade and escargots bourguignon. Rongier is especially proud of their escargots.
“We have guests driving 100 miles just to try this, because it’s incredible. It’s the best,” he said.
The second course is a butternut squash and apple bisque. Both third-course entree options are served with French beans and pomme puree, with a choice of chicken leg confit with Sauce Suprême and pan-seared Salmon Provencale. For dessert, the options are creme brûlée or a mousse au chocolat.
Like the other restaurants, Rongier emphasized that the prices are lower but the portions remain the same for Restaurant Week.
He also emphasized quality.
“Everything is fresh,” he said. “We don’t buy anything frozen. The salmon, that’s fresh.”
Rongier wishes that Restaurant Week would come more than twice a year in Pittsburgh.
“It’s an opportunity for those who have never tried it to finally try Paris 66 because the service, everything stays the same, the music, the decor. … So it’s a plus, it’s good.”
Pittsburgh Restaurant Week runs Jan. 12-18. To see all participating establishments’ menus and make reservations, visit pittsburghrestaurantweek.com.
