"You know what would be really cool there? A charcuterie shop." That is what Amy Shovlin told her husband, Mark, after a walk past a Pierce Street building the couple had passed hundreds of times, as she recounted to the Citizens' Voice. The building was a former Falzone's auto repair garage. It is now The Parlor.
That walk explains most of Kingston's dining news this year. The places that opened or grew in 2026 came from Kingston residents, from an owner whose first storefront in town filled up within a year and from a franchisee whose company already runs the shop next door. Even the most anticipated arrival, Shogun, is moving to the borough because it lost its old home nearby. Kingston's restaurant growth this year came out of its own blocks.
A Garage on Pierce Street Became a Lounge
The Shovlins are Kingston residents. After a year of planning, they held The Parlor's grand opening on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 365 Pierce St., across from Sizzle Pi pizza. The Times Leader had announced the date two weeks earlier.
The menu is seasonal artisan meats and cheeses, with premium wines and top-shelf liquor. The charcuterie boards change theme every quarter. The first theme is "Little Italy," with trays of Italian meats and cheeses, roasted peppers, fresh fruit, olives, nuts and crackers, plus bruschetta, gourmet breads and a long list of bourbons and scotches.
Amy Shovlin works as a procurement specialist for Saks Fifth Avenue and has spent most of her career with large companies in big cities. She told the Citizens' Voice that Northeast Pennsylvania didn't have anything like The Parlor, and described the idea this way:
"The true definition of a parlor is a place to have conversation, enjoy company and have cocktails."
The quarterly menu matters for regulars. "Little Italy" is the debut theme, and the boards are set to change each quarter, so the lineup that opened in August is due to rotate as the year turns over.
Hummus & Honey Outgrew Wyoming Avenue in Under a Year
The Parlor shows a Kingston couple turning a building on their walking route into a business. Hummus & Honey shows what happens when a Kingston restaurant succeeds faster than its first space can handle.
Dyana Iskandarani opened Hummus & Honey at 285 Wyoming Ave. on June 28, 2025, serving traditional Middle Eastern food. The Times Leader reported that it "quickly outgrew the space." In May 2026 the restaurant moved a few blocks to 311 Market St.
The bigger building brought a bigger menu. Additions include kebab platters, chicken shawarma over rice and a much larger drink selection. The staples stayed: shawarma wraps, falafel made from Iskandarani's mother's recipe, daily platters, vegetarian options and a rotating dessert case. The new building has an open floor plan, so diners can watch their food being made.
The restaurant's record with West Side diners also predates the move. It won Best New Restaurant in the Times Leader's Best of the West Side reader's choice awards in its first year, then won Best Ethnic Restaurant in 2026. According to the Times Leader, the business began as a side project making hot chocolate bombs and Dubai chocolate bars before it became a full restaurant. Iskandarani told the paper the new location has felt "like being brand new all over again," with new customers mixing with old ones.
So a restaurant founded in Kingston has now opened in Kingston twice in about a year, both times as a local business.
Even the Chain Arrived Through a Neighbor
Angry Chickz is the one opening this year that is new to the region. It still fits the pattern.
The Nashville hot chicken chain from Southern California opened its first East Coast restaurant on Friday, July 31, at United Penn Plaza, 152 S. Wyoming Ave. The Citizens' Voice reported it as the brand's 45th location. David Mkhitaryan started the brand in 2018 in a 900-square-foot storefront in Los Angeles' East Hollywood neighborhood.
The franchisee is the local connection. Eric May's company, May Brands, owns the Jersey Mike's next door, other franchises and various Dunkin' locations in Northeast Pennsylvania. Speaking to the Citizens' Voice, May described the Kingston opening as "bringing a brand I truly believe in to the community that's supported me over the years." A chain that had never opened on the East Coast chose Kingston because an operator already established in the plaza brought it here.
The menu runs from "Country," with no heat, to the brand's hottest level, "Angry." Sides include Angry Mac, seasoned fries and the house Angry Chickz sauce.
Where Kingston's New Tables Are, Block by Block
| Place | Address | What changed | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Parlor | 365 Pierce St. | Former Falzone's auto repair garage, now a charcuterie and cocktail lounge | Grand opening Aug. 27, 2026 |
| Hummus & Honey | 311 Market St. | Moved from 285 Wyoming Ave. into a larger building | May 2026 |
| Angry Chickz | 152 S. Wyoming Ave., United Penn Plaza | First East Coast location, next to the franchisee's Jersey Mike's | July 31, 2026 |
| Shogun Japanese Restaurant | Friedman JCC, Kingston | Relocation announced; reopening date not yet reported | Announced April 26, 2026 |
Shogun Is Coming, With No Date Yet
The last item in the table is still in progress. Shogun opened at The Woodlands in 2009. After The Woodlands closed in November 2025, the restaurant needed a new home. On April 26, 2026, its management announced on Facebook that the new location would be the Friedman JCC in Kingston, as the Times Leader reported. The JCC replied that it was "honored to have Shogun Japanese Restaurant join our JCC family."
At the time, the restaurant said it would set a reopening date after design work and renovations. FOX56 also reported in April that no timeline had been set. We found no newer news coverage of an opening date as of mid-October 2026. Until there is one, the closest Shogun kitchen is its sister restaurant, Myst Mountain Top, at 12 Kirby Ave. in Mountain Top.
Once it opens, the JCC on S.J. Strauss Lane will have a sushi kitchen run by a restaurant that had operated at The Woodlands in Plains Township from 2009 until the resort closed in November 2025.
Kingston's Fall Calendar, Close to the New Tables
Several community dates this fall are a short drive from the new spots:
- Hoyt Library Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 284 Wyoming Ave. The address is one number off Hummus & Honey's first home at 285. The library's listing in the Times Leader asked for donations to support its programs and services.
- Annual Trunk or Treat, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 to 4 p.m., in the Hourigan, Kluger and Quinn parking lot at 600 Third Ave. The law firm hosts it with Kingston's police, fire and public works departments, according to the Citizens' Voice community digest.
- Wyoming Valley Interfaith Council Citation of Distinction luncheon, Monday, Nov. 16, at noon, at the Jewish Community Center, 613 S.J. Strauss Lane. The JCC campus is the same one where Shogun plans to reopen.
- Veterans brunch, Sunday, Nov. 22, at Kingston Armory, hosted by Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce. Veterans attend free and guests pay $20.
The borough has not posted a 2026 date for its Christmas tree lighting. The latest tree-lighting notice on Kingston's municipal news page is from November 2025.
A Saturday visit to the library festival puts you a few blocks from Hummus & Honey's new kitchen on Market Street. On Oct. 25, Third Avenue is a short drive from Angry Chickz at United Penn Plaza.
Places like a garage-turned-lounge on Pierce Street, a restaurant that outgrew its storefront and a JCC adding a sushi kitchen show which Kingston blocks are gaining traffic and commercial activity. That pattern matters to anyone who owns, rents or is considering a multi-family or mixed-use property near them. Luxe Homes Real Estate follows these changes block by block across the West Side. To see how this year's openings bear on a property you own or are considering, schedule an investment or property consultation with our team.
