best of the burgh (+ beyond)

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, pittsburgh is one of my favorite places in the world. the people are friendly (unless you cross a jagoff) and the city itself is simply stunning. i have so many fond memories visiting family, going to steelers games & driving up for the day, just because. no one loves pittsburgh more than pittsburgh loves pittsburgh. they even have their own language! google it if you don’t believe me. yinz are gonna wanna read on for the best of the burgh + surrounding areas:

best neighborhoods:

to understand the city, we first must understand the neighborhoods. each one is unique and very different from the next. the strip is industrial & diverse, where shadyside is more refined and posh. but anyone can find something to love in this city, i’m confident in that.

strip district

along the banks of the allegheny is a string of renovated warehouses in a vibrant area called the strip district. this truly is the heart of pittsburgh in my opinion. on any given saturday morning you’ll find this place packed with people buying fresh produce and getting groceries for the week. i always hit these few places when i’m in town: stamooli’s for all the greek food & cheese, enrico’s when i have a sweet tooth because they have biscotti & macaroons that are to die for and penn mac when i need pasta (which is always). the coolest part is that most of the businesses have been here since the turn of the century!

south side

pittsburgh’s south side was the industrial hub when the steel industry dominated the city. back in the day, the steel mills operated continuously nonstop and when the workers got off their shifts at various hours of the day, they needed a place to eat and grab a drink. soon bars & restaurants started to pop up, and now it’s a bar crawl capital. expect to find hole in the wall pubs (few notable ones include jack’s, bar 11 and of course mario’s south side saloon), thrift & record stores and antique shops.

north shore

if there’s one thing to know about the north shore it’s sports. heinz field and pnc park are mere feet away from one another. but beyond that there’s arts & culture with various museums like the andy warhol museum, carnegie science center and randyland (we’ll get to that soon!)

shadyside

a few words that come to mind when talking about shadyside: quaint, upscale, lively. filled with bars, high-end shops and unique restaurants, shadyside is one of my favorite neighborhoods. this cute area has everything from tapas eateries to an apple store but it’s still got a real small town feel. a few must-visit stops include four winds gallery, a native american specialty store with jewelry & artwork, mario’s east side saloon and cafe moulin (but more on the latter two later.)

lawrenceville

one of the largest neighborhoods in the city, lawrenceville is a true up and coming area. not that long ago, you didn’t want to even visit. today there are local breweries, tasty taco joints and a revitalized community. some highlights include church brew works, a restaurant/bar in a church (seems sacrilegious, i know, but it’s super cool) and wildcard, a store that has quite possibly every piece of pittsburgh paraphernalia that you could hope to find.

best activities:

steelers games

though the city of champions hasn’t brought a superbowl home in a while (not that i’m counting) attending a steelers game is such an experience. the vibe & spirit is palpable as soon as you step into heinz field (and i’m sorry but it will ALWAYS be heinz field to me). it shakes with pride because steelers have the best fan base in the nation — it’s a fact! don your best gold & black, sing along to renegade at the start of the game and get ready to scream your heart out cheering for juju & najee harris.

pirates games

so the pirates have seen some better days; we’re currently last in our division — but pnc park is arguably one of the prettiest stadiums in major league baseball. situated right on the shores of the allegheny river, the pittsburgh skyline is your view. no better way to spend an afternoon than at a baseball game. grab some chickie and pete’s crab fries (the BEST) & an ic light, and you’ll be set to watch america’s favorite pastime.

soergel orchards

about 20 minutes north of the city is a family farm market called soergel orchards where fresh produce, made from scratch baked goods and garden plants can be found. the soergel family settled on the land in present day wexford in 1850 and began planting apple trees. in addition to all the goodies, arsenal cider & arrowhead winery satellite locations are on the property. in the summer, pick your own berries & apples and come fall, pumpkins can be seen for miles.

randyland

randyland, in pittsburgh’s north shore, can be described as a colorful mess. vibrant murals welcome you to this artist’s paradise, and randy gilson is about as off-the-wall and kind as they come. his vision to turn the area into a happy space came to life in the mid 90s with his bold art installations.

kennywood

let out your inner child at kennywood, pittsburgh’s amusement park that’s been around since 1898. massive rollercoasters, typical amusement park games and all your favorite fair food wait for you. we grew up coming here each summer and running around to our heart’s content at the park, but it’s been years since i’ve been back. i still remember the thrill of the jackrabbit, one of the oldest rides at kennywood. and honestly the more i talk about it, the more i crave deep fried oreos & famous potato patch fries. planning a trip asap!

best eats:

il pizzaiolo

i’ll talk about il pizzaiolo until i’m blue in the face. hands down best restaurant in the city. just south of downtown, in mt. lebanon, this eatery has the finest italian dishes & freshest ingredients — made-from-scratch mozzarella, homemade noodles, a 300-year old recipe for their pizza dough — what are you waiting for! they don’t take reservations & if you have to wait, head to the back of the place to the swanky bar and grab yourself a glass of pinot noir. if you trust only one of these restaurant recs from me, trust this one.

girasole

if you haven’t guessed it by now, i love pasta. to round out the italian recs, we land on girasole in shadyside. it’s name in italian means sunflower & it’s actually the family’s last name! like any italian restaurant, you’ll find the owner greeting guests on most days and natural ingredients in their dishes. my all time favorite is the potato gnocchi with marinara sauce & gobs of tasty mozzarella. i have never gotten anything different - it’s that good!

shady grove

nearly next door is shady grove, a fun bar/restaurant atmosphere with delicious buffalo chicken dip, loaded nachos and tacos, among more on their extensive menu.

cafe moulin

before leaving shadyside, let’s end our food recs with cafe moulin, a little french cafe in the heart of pittsburgh. sweet & savory crepes, hearty omelettes and “eggscellent” toasts pilled with everything from avocado to salmon, are a few things this creperie offers. the staff is also super friendly so it’s an all around 10 in my book.

deluca’s diner

since 1950, deluca’s diner has been serving “good mood food” to the residents & visitors of the strip district. it’s the old timey diner that makes you wish you lived in the 1950s. everything is made to order and made with extra love. it gets PACKED on the weekends so come early or expect to wait for 1-2 hours. you never know who you might run into either. one time, my family and i met hines ward on a cold december saturday!!

mediterra cafe

i don’t know if i would classify this under best eats or best sweets because you’ll get both at mediterra cafe, an aesthetically pleasing coffee shop & bakery. homemade breads every morning and specialty pizzas by the slice just scratch the surface of what’s offered. deconstructed lattes and craft cocktails are on the menu as well. with two locations in mt. lebanon & sewickley, you’ve got twice the chance to enjoy it.

best sweets:

sarris candies

chocolate castles, hot fudge sundaes and deliciously made candies fill the modest sarris candy & ice cream parlor in canonsburg. for over 50 years sarris has been giving families both near and far a crazy sugar rush. frank sarris, the son of greek immigrants, slowly began building his candy empire after his day job as a forklift operator. the small batch candies quickly took off and the old fashioned ice cream parlor took shape to became a staple in the community. lucky for you, if you’re not local, they ship candies all over the us!

peace love & little donuts

feed your inner hippie with a trip to peace, love & little donuts. as you may have guessed these mini donuts are piled high with wild toppings like lucky charms, bacon, even girl scout cookies! the original location is in the strip district but now there are over 30 locations in 13 different states. personal favorites include salted pretzel, snick jagger and strawberry shortcake.

best bars:

mario’s

the #1 spot has to go to mario’s — a pittsburgh classic. there are currently three locations: south side (the original), oakland and the east side. i really don’t think i can describe it better than their website can, so: “we would love to tell you that the success of mario’s south side saloon was born of the blood, sweat, and tears of three hard working professionals who possessed unparalleled vision, but that would be stretching it…in truth, mario’s was created by a local pittsburgh legend named bob pessolano in 1982. after 25 years of devotion to his south side patrons, he retired in 2007 and left his establishment to 3 young professional drinkers who had the foresight to not fix which was not broken…”

southern tier brewing co.

self proclaimed “great beer in the steel city,” southern tier brewing co. is in the center of it all! just steps away from heinz field and pnc park, it’s the perfect place to pre game the big game, especially because we all hate paying stadium prices for food and drinks. one look at the apps alone and you might not make it to the opening pitch or kickoff — pulled pork nachos, gourmet pretzels and smoked wings, cmon!

arsenal cider house & wine cellar

if you like hard cider & a bit of history, the arsenal cider house & wine cellar is the must-visit! yes, a civil war thematic winery that specializes in small batch cider exists in lawrenceville! in 1814, the allegheny arsenal was a vital manufacturing center during the civil war and the present-day cider house commemorates that history. each cider (& mead) has a story behind it, like the fighting elleck hard apple cider, named after the illustrious union general alexander hayes who led troops in gettysburg. enjoy hard cider & history in their backyard green space in the summer!

carson city saloon

you know i’m a fiend for repurposed & reimagined spaces that keep history preserved and the carson city saloon delivers. it’s located in an old bank building that was built in 1896. though the bar has only been around since 2006, the place has so much history. this pic is from christmas a few years back where they were totally decked out in holiday cheer!

the commoner

this swanky gastropub in the kimpton hotel monaco serves some of the best drinks i’ve ever had. the mixologists at the commoner really know how to craft a cocktail. it can be a bit pricey but 100% worth it in my opinion. just look at these drinks!

best views:

coming out of fort pitt tunnel

ask anyone and they’ll tell you the most iconic view in pittsburgh is coming out of the fort pitt tunnel. i will never grow tired of it. the city unfolds as soon as you leave the dark tunnel. but pay attention, because if you’re not familiar with the area, you’ll miss your exit — they come up quick!

mount washington

second best view has to be the overlook at mount washington. with another incredible vantage point of the skyline, mount washington is one of the most visited neighborhoods in the city. for a more unique view, consider a ride on the duqesne incline. ($5 round trip on an incline that’s been around since the 1870s.)

roberto clemente bridge

many will argue that the view of the city from pnc park is the best (and it is) but one of my favorite views is actually on the 6th street bridge, looking at pnc. the iconic yellow bridge was named after famous pirate player, roberto clemente, who has the only walk-off inside-the-park grand slam in professional baseball history. he’s also my dad’s favorite player, and was at clemente’s 3,000th hit game with my pap in 1972.

nostalgia clearly has a lot to do with why people are drawn to places — pittsburgh makes me feel like i’m home (and i grew up an hour away!) the memories made here are some of my most cherished and i can’t wait to make it up to a steelers game this fall or plan a weekend trip to visit my friend in mt lebanon to load up on carbs from il pizzaiolo (hopefully both!)

for an even deeper dive + suggestions for how to spend a weekend, read my city guide here.

what’d i miss? tell me your favorite places!