Restaurants and new bakeries you need to try around Pittsburgh

Now that Thanksgiving’s food-induced slumber is finally passing, it’s time for a second helping. And some new places to eat around Pittsburgh are ready for you.

November brought positive resolutions to potentially tumultuous changes at two local eateries.

Also, a total of three bakeries have or will soon open around the region in the coming month. I’m glad to know it’s not just me who begins craving exclusively carbs after the first snow.

Here’s where to grab some eats before your next holiday course.

After 20 years of baking and six months in the making, the permanent Jak’s Bakery in Bloomfield is open.

A few days after the Sunday, Nov. 26, grand opening, I stopped in to see the space and try the pastries. The general contractor was in soon after. Zhelyazko “Jak” Latinov said he had — as the Bulgarian saying goes — “turned this duck into a swan.”

Another local stopped in for bread, but Jak had sold out hours ago. Only sweet or savory pastries were left (which was entirely fine by me).

The bakery is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Get there early for a fresh loaf. Sneak by at midnight and look in the window to see Jak start the pastry dough.

Another bakery has found its space a few miles east.

Third Space Bakery promotes the cultivation of a so-called “third space” outside of work and home — our first and second spaces, its site reads. Previously only selling at markets, Third Space is prepping its first, full-time physical space for opening.

Third Space has been remodeling what was previously Spork Pit since July. Aside from serving as a consistent point of sale for their baked goods, Third Space will offer workshops and classes out of the space.

Founding co-owner Beth Taylor says construction delays currently have Third Space set to open in January. Until then, you can order some holiday goodies through the website, or catch them weekly at the Bloomfield Saturday Winter Market.

Some say the best food is free food, but there’s something better: secret food you can eat in front of your out-of-the-know friends for bragging rights.

Now that Adda’s has hosted pizza Fridays for a few weeks, the secret’s all but out. Don’t let that stop you from grabbing some slices at the Garfield location!

So far, the Coffee House has hosted two pizza pop-ups — one on Nov. 17 and another on Nov. 22. Both were announced on Facebook a few days before the event. Both were hosted from 5 to 8 p.m.

Looking for even more pastries? About three months after its initial announcement, Nothing Bundt Cakes’ location at The Block at Northway opened its doors on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

Don’t be surprised (like Maria Portokalos) that there are holes in these cakes. The “Bundt-ique” offers a range of regular flavors from lemon, red velvet and white chocolate raspberry, to pop-up selections like Oreo Cookies and Cream and Churro Dulce de Leche.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is open Mondays through Fridays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Eagle-eyed readers may have caught this in our holiday mocktail guide (gold stars for the lot of you), but for the rest, Oakland’s Butterjoint changed ownership. 

In early November, former owners Trevett and Sarah Hooper sold the joint to their executive chef, George Austin. Although the eatery has a fresh owner, its bites and beverages are the same.

Butterjoint is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, save Sundays.

After being forced to close nearly a year ago due to a fire in the Millvale Food + Energy Hub, Italian cafe Sprezzatura’s solar-powered kitchen is back and ready to cook up a storm.

Aside from the usual dine-in and takeout meals, Sprezzatura’s events schedule through the holiday season and into the new year is constantly growing, from live jazz to a night of Sicilian-inspired dishes to “Cheesus of Nazareth” — a holiday cheese and wine event hosted by Adam Knoerzer.

Sprezzatura is open 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.