When it comes to sharing Pittsburgh's best pizza on this site, it seems like every time we review one shop we receive countless recommendations of new places to try that are “even better”.
One restaurant that comes up time and time again is Fiori's Pizza in Brookline, and after being told to visit dozens (if not hundreds) of times, we decided to give this shop a try to see if it is worth the impressive following it receives.
The 16,725-acre Moraine State Park is one of the largest parks in western Pennsylvania and is located approximately 40 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh.
With land and water activities aplenty, this park is one of the crown jewels in the region and should be on everyone's radar when looking for a great park to visit on a day trip!
We love to go to the Strip District when we want to hit a lot of different types of international grocery stores in one trip, or when we're entertaining out of town visitors. But that doesn't necessarily mean the Strip District is the best place for all types of grocery shopping.
For better prices or a bigger selection, sometimes you need to look at specific stores outside of the Strip. One such store is Salonika Imports, a Greek and Bulgarian grocery store on the edge of lower Lawrenceville and the Strip District.
We recently ended up at Salonika Imports on a Friday during lunchtime and were pleasantly surprised with the great prices, the wide selection of products, the delicious gyros, and the friendly service.
When it comes to local Pittsburgh institutions, none are more famous than Primanti Bros. For both visitors and locals alike this sandwich shop is one of the iconic Pittsburgh foods (often being called the Pittsburgh sandwich).
But what makes this shop so special, and why are Pittsburghers so passionate about it (on both sides of the spectrum)? It doesn't take much to figure it out.
Cafe io is a cute cafe in Mt. Lebanon. When you walk in you'll notice the simple and clean lines in the decor, polished hardwood floors, cheery service, and a menu that's on the surface very straightforward but has enough twists to keep you interested.
It's the kind of place that can please everyone: your grandma can get the BLT or turkey and gravy, your dad can get a big, juicy burger, and you can venture out for the fish tacos or roasted vegetable and hummus pizza.
One of the facts about Japanese cuisine in the USA we've always lamented is that most restaurants are the same old sushi places with eerily similar menus. Sure, you may get lucky enough to find an odd bowl of ramen or some delicious tempura here or there, but odds are good that any given Japanese restaurant will have a menu similar to the rest.
It wasn't until I visited Japan, where I tasted so many other unique Japanese cuisines, that I realized how much we are missing in our own Japanese restaurants.
Thankfully, many chefs have taken note of this as well and the under-represented foods of Japan are now getting their audience in the USA for the very first time.
In Pittsburgh, one restaurant that will be at the forefront of this blossoming trend is Lawrenceville's Umami. Themed after a Japanese izakaya (equivalent to our own alcohol-heavy gastropubs), this restaurant is one of just a few places in Pittsburgh where you can find some of the country's best entrees you've likely never heard of before.
With the recent growth in Settlers Ridge in Robinson Township, this would be the last place you'd expect to find a 1,600+ acre county park. But go just a few hundred feet away from I-376 and you'll come to Settlers Cabin Park, one of the largest public parks west of the city.
Featuring several hiking trails, many recreational facilities, the Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens (ticket required), and even a mini waterfall, this park truly has something for everyone!
[two_third_last]Angie and I always talk about the idea of opening a restaurant in Pittsburgh one day, and when this topic comes up it almost always turns to our love of the food we've had while traveling.
One idea for a restaurant concept that was always intriguing to us was street food from around the world, and when we found out Streets on Carson in South Side was opening to be a provider of just that, we got incredibly excited and knew we had to visit.
But as this was an idea we also had in our heads as something Pittsburgh sorely needs, we also knew that we would be among its harshest critics.
The recent opening of Morcilla in Lawrenceville grabbed our attention because, let's face it, Spanish cuisine is some of the best in the world. After spending our honeymoon in Spain we fell deeply in love with the country and its food, but we lamented the fact that the tapas bar model doesn't really exist in the U.S.
The good news is that Morcilla gets so much right about the Spanish tapas bar experience that if you've ever been to Spain, you'll be giddy with delight and if you haven't, you will want to hop on a plane immediately.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and state the obvious- you know about the Pittsburgh skyline view on Grandview Avenue. This is perhaps the most iconic of all of the Pittsburgh overlooks that everyone visits time and time again.
And, if you're like us, you've also enjoyed the city's entrance through the Fort Pitt tunnels hundreds, if not thousands of times (although you can watch it again here if you need to see it just one more time), and probably enjoyed the skyline from PNC Park on many occasions, too.
Although these are some of the city's most iconic viewpoints, and are ones you see in just about every major publication about the city, we have many more gorgeous viewpoints that are missed by a good percentage of the city's residents and visitors.
To highlight some of our favorites, and share some of the more obscure ones you've likely never seen before, this guide was born!
Please note that our photos may include shots taken with ultra-wide or telephoto lenses. Actual distances vary, but all are pretty awesome- that we can assure you.