Legume Bistro in Oakland to close for a rebrand

Family-owned Legume Bistro, once a pioneer in Pittsburgh’s farm-to-table dining scene, is closing at the end of February.

But the restaurant plans to reopen after retooling into something new.

“It is with a mix of sadness, relief, and excitement that we announce Legume’s last service will be on February 29th, Leap Day,” the North Oakland restaurant wrote on its Facebook page Tuesday. “Excitement abounds because the end of Legume clears the way for a new beginning. We are excited to compost Legume into something even better and with the advantage of thirteen and a half years of hindsight.”

The restaurant and its attached bar Butterjoint, known for its burgers, will soon be called Butterjoint All Day. Alongside those venues is Pie for Breakfast, a breakfast-lunch-brunch place that opened in 2018.

“The new restaurant will mash up everything that is great about Legume, Pie For Breakfast and Butterjoint into one restaurant that is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” the Facebook post said.

Trevett Hooper is the chef at Legume Bistro, which he founded and owns with his wife, Sarah Hooper. The restaurant opened in Regent Square in 2007 and moved to its North Craig Street space in 2011. It was a 2018 James Beard semifinalist in the outstanding restaurant category.

“We find ourselves at a fork in the road: Either double down and make Legume even more fine dining-ish and thus more exclusive than it already is, or bring it to a close and go in a direction that is a little more laid back (though informed by the same energy and principles) and less weighed-down by fine dining formalities,” the Facebook post said.