City Kitchen | Four Concepts, One Vision

We dig in to Bakery Square's new dining experience

Food halls and galley concepts are one of the hottest new trends in dining, which allows diners to sample multiple cuisine types without ever leaving their seats. But how does it work? Running a regular restaurant is already a big enough challenge and getting food delivered hot, on-time and delicious requires a perfect system to pull off.

For all of these ambitious concepts I've been to, City Kitchen at Bakery Square is the case study in doing it right. With concepts ranging from American classics and comfort food to ambitious Hawaiian and eastern concepts, City Kitchen is masterful in their execution, while the ambiance lends itself to being a family-friendly lunch spot, a great meeting spot with coworkers or an upscale date night.

Why It Works

Before I jump right into the food, hear me out on how this all works and why I think City Kitchen has mastered the execution. When I talked with the owners, they said a phrase that has stuck with me, calling City Kitchen not a restaurant, but a human incubator. This love of people is evident everywhere: dedicated chefs oversee each individual restaurant concept, the buzzing and energetic staff and the diner-focused experience for the patrons themselves.

From this humanistic approach comes a healthy infusion of tech, leading to an experience when I'm able to easily order drinks the minute I sit down and pace my meal at my leisure, using my phone to add to my bill as I go. The innovative ordering system ensures my meal is delivered right the first time, all while chefs are honing their craft at each concept. It's the rare case of forward-thinking while keeping the human element in perspective that spells success here.

Charred 🍔

Even with the best concept, the food still has to be spectacular. Luckily, City Kitchen lives up to the upscale vibes and the food shines from each distinct concept. Let's start with Charred, which dishes out gourmet burgers packed so high with toppings the whole thing wobbles on the way to your table.

Now, I'm picky about my burgers and could talk to you all day about my top burger spots in the city and beyond. Charred is right there for best burger spot in the city. Their innovative concepts from Korean wagyu to Moroccan lamb remind me of Kuma's Corner in Chicago, and the proof their burger acumen is that each one delivers on taste without seeming gimmicky.

During my visit, I went with the tried and true Cowboy Burger, a huge patty rubbed with spices and towering toppings of American cheese, pickles, lettuce, onion rings, BBQ sauce and their signature aioli. To me, if you nail this style of burger, I know you're legit. And Charred's execution was so good I was about to sign up for square dancing lessons. A perfectly juicy patty, a crisp snap from the onion rings (without all the onion pulling out in one bite, which is VITAL) and great acidity from the sauces and pickles.

So grab that burg with both hands, smash it down, unhinge your jaw and enjoy Charred!

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Charred's Cowboy Burger
Pictured |
Charred's Cowboy Burger
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Shaka

Hawaiian cuisine has to be on the top of my list of world's most underrated styles. Fresh ingredients with a unique fusion of Eastern preparations and American flavor profiles (and a perfectly grilled slice of Spam), it's perfect.

Shaka, one of City Kitchen's newest concepts, nails this exciting style of cooking with classics like huli huli chicken and loco moco as well as adventurous ramens and out-of-this-world poke bowls. During my visit, I tried the Trio Poke for three distinct flavors of protein (truffle tempura shrimp, shoyu salmon and spicy tuna) surrounded by avocado, cucumber, edamame, pickled veg, seaweed salad, ginger and nori.

WOW. What a first bite. While this bowl is packed full of ingredients, there's harmony no matter how you develop a bite of bright, beautiful flavors all centered around a fresh, deliciously marinated piece of fish. I think you'll also love how visually appealing each poke bowl is, making it a perfect photo for the 'gram and turning heads as it's delivered to your table. Just want the fish? Shaka now lets you order your favorite flavor of poke by the pound, served with some crispy wonton and ginger for texture..

Pictured |
Shaka's Trio Poke Bowl
Pictured |
Shaka's Trio Poke Bowl

Somi & Elevate

I have to mention the OGs as well, as these two concepts are the reason I started coming to City Kitchen in the first place! Elevate styles itself as American comfort food, but there's way more than loaded nachos on this menu. Flavor-dense soups, crisp salads, gourmet sandwiches and more fill out the offerings here, each different and delish. Elevate is where I send people for the best shepherd's pie in the city (their lamb is always superb) and the steak & chimichurri sando is so packed with onion butter and house sauced enhanced steak, it can go toe-to-toe with a Charred burger.

Somi is always the first place I order from to get hot apps to the table. Their fried edamame is always a crowd pleaser, and the delicate preparation of sweet soy, honey and scallion elevates this fun-to-share dish to the next level. Also, grab an assortment of egg rolls for the table, each loaded with protein but prepared so that each bite and side sauce accompanying it make for a completely vivid flavor profile.

Brunch

On weekends, we brunch. City Kitchen is unique in that each of the four concepts doesn't use a separate brunch menu; instead, all of the chefs' talents are combined to make a unique East meets West fusion full of reimagined classics and truly unique creations. Charred's signature patties and aioli show up with their brunch burger topped with crispy hash, fried egg and bacon. Or, grab Shaka and Somi's collabs on brunch ramen and stir fry, each containing the ingredients you love from an omelet prepared in surprising new ways.

Peruvian Pop-Up

There's always something new happening at City Kitchen, which lends itself to a lot of repeat visits on my part. Right now, their Pisco & Lime concept is serving up out-of-this-world takes on Peruvian cuisine, and is a concept I hope sticks around long-term.

Start with their empanadas de pollo, which comes two to a serving as a perfectly sharable app. But the highlight here is their lomo saltado, my favorite Peruvian dish consisting of stir-fried beef, onions, tomato and lots of cilantro and lime that's served on top of rice, and finished with crispy french fries (yes, you read that right) across the top. Pittsburgh and Peru go hand in hand with this line of thinking.

Jared B.

Author

Jared B.

Enthusiastic Pittsburgher

Always in search of the next great craft beer and arcade. Can be found in the Supporters Section of Pittsburgh Riverhounds games and at whatever festival is happening in the city.