Izakaya Japanese lounge and restaurant: Hot trend of restaurant style, mainly found in and around New York City but recently found in Pittsburgh, PA.
Social House will be opening any day now and I could not be more excited to welcome an extremely sleek, sexy, unique and flavorful style into the
progressively growing food scene of Pittsburgh. Foodies (including myself) are anxiously awaiting the grand opening of Social House downtown on Seventh Street. We have watched a few small popup casual izakaya style restaurants trying to be the firsts in the area, one off Walnut in Shadyside and one in Lawrenceville. However there is nothing that lives up to the true full izakaya Japanese lounge style like Social House.
Social House is sophisticated and inviting, it is a place to dine and grab a thoughtful cocktail at one of the two bars inside the space. The decor and aesthetic include a few large Buddah statues, beautiful colorful wall frescos of Japanese women, maroon and turquoise booths and seating, and a visible robata grill and sushi bar in the center of the restaurant. Unlike anything of its kind, this restaurant screams upscale Japanese dining. The other so called "izakaya" restaurants have good food, but are more geared toward the grab and go or late night crowd. These shops are not set up for dining similar to Social House at all. Anyways you will have to come experience the environment, feel, and of course try the upscale Japanese cuisine!
I was lucky enough to attend a menu tasting for Social House and sampled a wide variety of appetizers, sushi, main dishes, and sides. The edamame hummus was unreal. Smooth, flavorful, bright and extremely hard to stop eating. The scallops in the shell were juicy with salty lemony hints. Not to mention the presentation for a tasting was beyond belief! ​
