Atria's, Juniper Grill coming to Strip District

Just moments before taking the podium at a town hall for the State of the Strip 2025 report, Pamela Austin learned that two new restaurants would be opening in the first half of 2026 in the Cork Factory Lofts garage in the Strip District.

Austin, president of Strip District Neighbors, a nonprofit that promotes economic development in the area, announced that Juniper Grill and Atria’s would be replacing the spaces formerly occupied by Italian restaurants Osteria 2350 and Cioppino until the end of last year on Wednesday.

“It had been rumored forever,” she told TribLive on Friday.

Since the news came last minute from Ed Kostovny, director of operations for the restaurants, the building plans hadn’t even made it into the 2025 report, Austin said.

Both Juniper and Atria’s are affiliated under the management of Restaurant Holdings LP, owned by Pittsburgh native Pat McDonnell.

In 1998, McDonnell and his wife Nancy transformed original Atria’s location, a landmark historical building formerly owned by Italian immigrant Joe Atria, in Mt. Lebanon, into their own restaurant. It rebranded and opened as 1930 by Atria’s earlier this year.

Atria’s Strip District restaurant will be its second location in the chain the Murrysville location closed its doors on Sunday due to the property’s landlord’s decision not to renew their lease.

“We deeply wanted to remain a part of the Murrysville community and continue the relationships we’ve built over the years,” McDonnell said in a news release. “Unfortunately, this decision was out of our hands.

Juniper has been open since 2010 and was developed by McDonnell and Nick Koustis to provide affordable dining “specializing in American Cuisine with a fresh Cali vibe,” according to the website.

Juniper Grill has five other locations in Cranberry, Peters Township, Murrysville, Pleasant Hills and Ballantyne, N.C.

McDonnell could not be reached for comment.

While Osteria and Cioppino had their own entrances, they shared a kitchen inside the building located at 2350 Railroad St. for more than 15 years.

While both of the dining rooms will be renovated to include better lighting, the new restaurants will continue to operate out of the original kitchen, Kostovny said.

Austin said she was unsure when renovations were expected to begin and how the new restaurants planned to operate in the building. She did not have any further information beyond the announcement on Friday.