How about Pittsburgh?

I’ve lived in Philadelphia before so I know you’re a whole different animal from Pittsburgh, but wasn’t sure where to put this otherwise. Feel free to relocate to a better board.

My business travels might be taking me to Pittsburgh in June. I’ve explored more of the South Side because that’s closer to the office and where we stay, but little exposure to downtown. Any recommendations there? Sorry, locals, no interest in Primanti Bros.

Buehler…? Buehler…?

My knowledge of Pittsburgh is woefully outdated, but I recall there was a thread that I will try to link to here: Weekdays in Pittsburgh

Maybe if @jammie happens to see this thread, you might get other good ‘Burgh intel. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Thank you! That’s helpful. :slight_smile:

Hi, sorry, I’ve been out of the loop.

What kind of food do you like? Personally I think Pittsburgh is a bistro kind of town.

The Strip District is adjacent to downtown & has lots of good food & fun atmosphere but take an Uber, parking’s Painful.
Gaucho Parilla ++ wood-fire meats. VERY busy. I usually order takeout. The rosemary beef sandwich is incredible.
Penn Avenue Fish is fabulous but not fancy. I hear Luke Wholey’s Is really good (and more elegant) but I haven’t been there myself.
Breakfast at Enrico’s not to be missed. Beans/greens + thick bacon & egg, tortas. It’s a hole-in-the-wall, very old school.
Kaya for fried chicken, hamburgers, solid foodie plates. Good drinks.

The East End where I live is chocked w/good little places & a little less intense than the Strip.
Park Bruges & Point Bruges = steak frites, moules; the Ace Hotel dining room = upscale eclectic; Cafe Zinho = Portuguese, old school, tiny and charming, my favorite; Casbah; Girasole; Legume ++ (I eat in the Legume Bar - The Butter Joint. Bar menu excellent). The Porch in Oakland - excellent burgers, pizzas, general good food. Friends say Spork in Garfield is great. Haven’t been.

These places are mostly informal, friendly, and reasonable.

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Hi there! I’ve lived in Pittsburgh my whole life and just recently found the Hungry Onion boards.

I can try to provide some insight as well. Any kinds of cuisines or price points you’re looking for? Any dish you’ve had a hankering for and want to find? Shameless plug for my website/instagram @davidthegastronome and www.davidthegastronome.com for any general directions on finding where to start.

Would love to help however I can.

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Welcome, David! While I’m not the original poster, so glad that you found Hungry Onion. This is a good community with folks from many places.

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My Ptown friends love Jozsa Corner.
http://www.jozsacorner.com/jozsacorner/Welcome.html

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This is a nice start, thank you! I just about everything. I try to stay away from the typical steak and potatoes place (though a colleague did take me to The Meat & Potatoes) last time and liked it). I’ve had way too many a corporate dinners with the “safe” steak/chicken/fish menus. With that being said, I do enjoy more modern and interesting takes on new American cuisine too. I much prefer casual and occasional casual chic. I love ethnic cuisine, and don’t mind if they are downright homey. For instance, I found Colombian Spot on E. Carson St on my last visit, and really enjoyed it.

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Welcome, and thank you David! Again, I’m open to anything. Being a business trip, price isn’t really an issue :stuck_out_tongue:, but I’m not focusing on the most expensive either. I’d much rather have good. I just made a similar reply to an earlier post - but I really do eat just about everything. I generally prefer not as heavy meals when I’m traveling, and I love spicy foods. What am I missing in Pittsburgh? To be honest, I know very little about the local favorites here.

I"m not a big pizza person nor do I drink beer (any alcohol for that matter, but beer halls and pubs aren’t high on my list unless the pub food is spectacular). I’ll definitely check out your site!

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Oooh! I’ve never had Hungarian, and this sounds really interesting. I’m going to have to add it to my list.

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You definitely hit on some spaces we do really well. Josza corner is an extremely unique dining experience and as homey as you can get. Timing might be tough with your trip.

  1. Price not being an issue - Make reservations for Altius 30 minutes before sunset and enjoy an incredible dining experience. Gorgeous views and original and new spins on classic elevated American. Outside of Pittsburgh is Lautrec, one of the finest dining experience I’ve had, but it’s about an hour and a half outside of the city. Other options within the city are Eleven downtown or Off the Hook up north in Wexford.

  2. Spicy - we’ve seen an outstanding influx in Sichuan and Chengdu cuisine lately. My favorites are Chengdu Gourmet, Sichuan Gormet, How Lee, and Sakura (all in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood). We’ve also got wonderful Nashville hot chicken restaurants. Bird on the Run or Chik’n for an informal sandwich and fries. Kaya on Thursday night for on the bone fried chicken, or any other night for the sandwich or other spicy Caribbean dishes. We’ve got wonderful Indian, Taj Mahal and Udipi depending on if you want northern or southern amongst many others. We’ve also got a nice amount of quality Thai restaurants from Nicky’s Thai Kitchen to Noodlehead (next to best ice cream in the city at Millie’s) or Dancing Crab Noodle House in the Southside on East Carson.

  3. Local favorites - we’ve got as many people as opinions but our culinary roots run deep with Eastern Europe and red sauce Italian. Best pierogies in the city are from the hole in the wall S&D Polish deli down in the strip district. The strip is about 2 miles of ethnic markets and outdoor stalls and definitely worth a visit. Pizza and red sauce joints abound and are all pretty standard, with some gems depending on specific dishes. Near downtown we’ve got two restaurant incubators, Smallman Galley or Federal Galley. Like an elevated food court, they host some of the best dishes all under one roof cooked by four different chefs.

Hope that’s a good start, but please let me know if you’re looking at any other restaurants or any other kinds of food.

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