Upstreet Diner takes over former Pamela’s spot in Squirrel Hill
Start your day with the “Ben-Eddict-Ive.”
It is eight layers of a thin dough cheese pastry, two over-easy eggs, topped with hollandaise aioli and served with a side Israeli salad.
Dishes such as that are on the menu at the newest eatery in Squirrel Hill. Upstreet Diner is located in the former Pamela’s on Murray Avenue.
Owner Bener Ozen, 42, of Fox Chapel, who also owns Café Moulin, a French café known for its crepes, in Shadyside said he wanted to do something different from Pamela’s. He features foods from his native Turkey at Upstreet.
“I respect Pamela’s and didn’t want people to say I copied Pamela’s menu,” said Ozen.
When creating the menu, he purposely left off crepes and waffles because there are businesses in the area specializing in those dishes.
Upstreet opened June 7.
It serves breakfast, brunch and lunch seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ozen said Squirrel Hill was the perfect choice because it’s a neighborhood he is familiar with.
Ozen has a degree in hotel management from Mediterranean Hotel and Tourism Management University in Antalya in Turkey. He also has a degree in culinary arts.
He came to Pittsburgh 11 years ago.
“I love Pittsburgh, and I see so many opportunities here,” said Ozen. “I love going out for breakfast and lunch.”
The name came from the restaurant being located “up the street” in Squirrel Hill from his place in Shadyside. Many Squirrel Hill residents refer to the to the well-known corner of Murray and Forbes avenues as “up street”
He’s named some of the dishes after local streets in the area – Murray, Forbes and Shady.
Each comes with either a French toast or pancake stack.
The Murray has melted brie and walnuts, granola, and drizzled dates and maple syrup and topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar.
Forbes comes with labneh, a yogurt-based soft spreadable cheese topped with blueberry-cherry compote with whipped cream and powdered sugar.
Nutella, topped with strawberries, drizzled dark chocolate, whipped cream and powdered sugar make up Shady.
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Ozen buys 50% of his products from out of the country to give customers foods they might not have tried before. He sells sujuk which is Turkish a mildly spicy breakfast sausage and cevapi a blend of lamb and beef. An Israeli salad has cubes of cucumber and tomatoes mixed with olive oil, lemon, sumac and mint.
There are several omelet options and burgers and pita choices. He plans to add items to the menu throughout the year.
“Everything is made from scratch here,” Ozen said. “It makes me feel good when people tell me the like what I make.”
Before he opened, Ozen made pancakes and took samples to some of the other surrounding businesses as a way to meet his neighbors. He said he reads the reviews of his restaurants to know his weaknesses and to get better and improve his items.
Shea Coughlin of Point Breeze was dining on Thursday with her friend Penelope Shriver, of Washington, Pa.
“It’s a cute place,” said Coughlin, who ordered the pancakes. “There are a lot of different items on the menu.”
Shriver had the Ben-Eddict-Ive.
Ozenhired muralist Ashley Hodder of Mt. Lebanon to decorate the interior. He had seen her mural of female faces in Allentown. She said Ozen gave her the freedom to design and create the mural which represents strong, vibrant women.
“They were such wonderful clients,” said Hodder, a mom of two daughters who lived in Squirrel Hill at one time. “He loved my portraits and all the bright colors. This mural is about girl power. It has an (19) 80s retro theme with neon and radiating colors. I love putting out that female energy. I said ‘let’s take it up a notch.’”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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