Oktoberfest beers in spring, March Madness meatballs, and more Pittsburgh food news

Con Alma
613 Penn Ave., Downtown. conalmapgh.com

Con Alma pays tribute to The Beatles’ Indian fusion phase for the third installment of its Dine, Drink, and Live Jazz pairing series. On Wed., March 26 from 6-9 p.m., experience a four-course meal with wine and cocktail pairings that “celebrate the Fab Four’s link to India.” While you dine, hear live jazz arrangements of Beatles songs from musicians John Shannon, Tania Grubbs, Jeff Grubbs, and David Throckmorton. The dinner and drinks pairing costs $125. Book a $25 ticket online that serves as a reservation and deposit. At the event, tables will be charged the remaining $100 plus gratuity.

Nine O’Clock Wines
4112 Butler St., Lawrenceville. nineoclockwines.com

Travel to the country of Georgia during Nine O’Clock Wines’ free monthly wine tasting. On Thu., March 27 from 5-6:30 p.m., David Escobar Martin of Vintage Imports will introduce drinkers to Georgian wines made with methods dating back 8,000 years. Taste amphora- and qvevri-aged wines (fermented in buried earthenware vessels) along with the region’s indigenous grapes. Bottles of the featured wines will be available for purchase. No tickets are required.

Lenten Fish Fry Specials 2025

Fish fry season is in full swing, and Pittsburgh restaurants are rolling out new Lenten dishes.

Khalil’s offers Samket el Harra (Levantine baked fish), made with Aleppo pepper, tahini, lemon, and garlic, served with the restaurant’s signature rice. The special will be available through Palm Sunday (Sun., April 13), in addition to Khalil’s traditional Syrian menu.

Ritual House, located in the Union Trust Building Downtown, brings its comfort food sensibilities to “fish-forward” dishes like chef Edwin Smith’s crab cakes, tuna poke with sashimi-grade tuna, Chilean sea bass with teriyaki miso seasoning, and branzino with dill yogurt and oven-roasted tomatoes. Vegetarians can enjoy brûléed oranges topped with goat cheese and local micro greens, or a roasted spaghetti squash entree.

Chef Dave Racicot whips up some hearty lunchtime seafood selections, including Confit Tuna Tartine, at The Commoner. Dinner guests can opt for spicy crab with chili crunch, gruyere, and cheese bread, or wild bass with herb emulsion. Try out Lenten-themed vegetarian dishes like Maitake mushrooms with roasted barley, sunflower seeds, and egg yolk sauce, and beets with whipped yogurt, blue cheese, savory granola, and huckleberry vinaigrette. Reservations are highly recommended.

Hazelwood Brew House
5007 Lytle St., Hazelwood. instagram.com/hazelwoodbrewhouse

Is spring not your thing? Are you already pining for Oktoberfest? On Sat., March 29 from 3-10 p.m., Hazelwood Brew House presents a Halfway to Oktoberfest celebration with Abstract Realm and New France Brewing. The event promises to “make all [your] soft pretzel and malty beer dreams come true” with Oktoberfest-style brews, sausage from in-house restaurant Comfort and Spice, games, and live music from The Polkamaniacs. The event is free and open to the public. For $25, partiers can pre-order a commemorative beer stein that comes with two beers.

Sprezzatura
616 N. Highland Ave., Highland Park. sprezzaturapgh.com

Sprezzatura will feature a different kind of ball during its annual March Madness meatball tournament. On Sun., March 30 at 6 p.m., cooks face off in the Kadel Dining Room at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where a panel of “esteemed food judges” will test and try eight meatballs. The March Meatball Madness tournament allows attendees to vote for their favorites in a competitive bracket, while Ryan Crivella and Phil Salone emcee. Past meatball entries have featured tikka masala and Flamin’ Hot Cheeto, and the winning meatball will be featured on Sprezzatura’s menu. Tickets ($60) to the “raucous and highly engaged evening” include samples of all the meatballs, sides and salads, focaccia and bread, desserts, and a glass of wine. Reserve a seat online.

Barrel and Flow Fest
2875 Railroad St., Strip District. barrelandflow.com

Big news for Barrel and Flow fans: the Pittsburgh festival is going international. Billed as America’s first Black art and craft beer fest, Barrel and Flow will bring five Black-owned beers to the Barcelona Beer Festival, taking place Fri., April 11- Sun., April 13. Brews heading to Spain for “Barcelona and Flow” include selections from Two Locals Brewing in Philly and Dope Cider House and Winery based in Youngstown, Ohio.

“Barrel and Flow isn’t just a festival, it’s a socioeconomic movement,”

Barrel and Flow founder Day Bracey stated in a press release. “We’re very honored to share with the world the great work being done in Pittsburgh, and the African American brewing industry.”

Barrel and Flow was also voted one of the top 10 beer festivals in the country in USA Today’s 10Best contest. This is the fourth consecutive year Barrel and Flow has made the top 10.

Tickets to the eighth annual Barrel and Flow festival, set to take place at The Stacks at 3 Crossings on Sat., Aug. 9, are on sale now. Special early bird pricing is available through Wed., March 31.

Thyme Machine
4613 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. instagram.com/thymemachinepgh

Thyme Machine announced it will reopen on Thu., April 3. The Bloomfield food cart, which specializes in creative breakfast sandwiches, will return for “season 5 baby!” and teased more “yolky goodness” along with “lots of cool new stuff coming down the pipeline” including merch. Follow its Instagram page for updates.

Soju
4923 Penn Ave., Garfield. simonchough.wixsite.com/sojupgh

After closing in January due to flooding, Soju reopened on March 11. Good Food Pittsburgh reported the popular Korean restaurant in Garfield is now open for dinner service, including dine-in and take-out.

Chef and owner Simon Chough said the menu is unchanged for the moment, though they may pilot some new dishes “eventually” as Soju “get[s] back up and running, and back on schedule.” Patrons can still contribute to a GoFundMe campaign launched to help Soju employees who lost wages during the closure.

Soju is now open Tue.-Thu. from 5-9 p.m. and Fri.-Sat. from 5-10 p.m.