Sharing The Best of Pittsburgh and Southwest Pennsylvania
As huge fans of Korean food, we have one rule whenever we order this cuisine from a restaurant or food truck- make it a feast. This rule works well as it brings back all the fond memories we had when indulging in all the food we tried when traveling around the country in 2019.
Our first visit to Nak Won Garden in Shadyside followed this mindset perfectly, and their rather large menu of Korean staples made this one easy to go a bit overboard.
We had no regrets.
We always love it when Pittsburgh food trucks turn into restaurants, and one of the first ones we remember opening a store (since founding this site, at least) was Brassero Grill. This one traded their wheels for a brick and mortar in Braddock in 2017, just a few doors down from Brew Gentlemen brewery, and since then hasn't looked back.
On a recent beer run to the brewery, we swung by the restaurant to pick up some of their delicious burritos to go. But it was the side of taquitos that really stole the show here!
Bloomfield in central Pittsburgh grew to be known as Pittsburgh's Little Italy in the 20th century; however, the neighborhood's recent revival has seen many non-Italian restaurants, bars, and more move in. This has resulted in a diversification of the vibrant business district along Liberty Avenue full of many spots we absolutely love- Italian or otherwise.
So, in this neighborhood guide, we wanted to share a few of our favorite restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in Bloomfield you should check out!
As with all of our neighborhood guides, this feature is not a collection of all of the businesses you can find in Bloomfield but rather a cross-section of spots we love and other crowd favorites. As we visit more businesses, we'll update this guide accordingly!
The neighborhoods of Garfield and Friendship are located in central Pittsburgh and bridge the gap between neighborhoods like Lawrenceville and East Liberty.
While these neighborhoods may have a smaller list of attractions and amenities compared to others in the city, they have been growing rapidly in recent years with artist spaces, restaurants, and more moving in. So we wanted to share some of our favorites in this neighborhood guide!
If you've ever driven up McKnight Road, you have likely noticed Taj Mahal and possibly did not give it a second thought. But this rather unassuming Indian restaurant in the North Hills is worth abandoning your original plans, pulling a u-turn, and stopping for a meal.
In fact, to say this particular spot has a die-hard following who would do just this is an understatement. It is incredibly popular, and whether you visit for their buffet or to place a dinner order for takeaway, be prepared for a crowd.
We do not always need an incredibly fancy meal when we go out to eat in Pittsburgh. Sometimes we just want the staples, done right, in a fast-casual environment. When it comes to breakfast, Father's Diner in the North Side checks a lot of these boxes for us- simple breakfast items made with good ingredients served fast.
When it comes to day trips from Pittsburgh, we are fortunate to have a number of great options to consider. If you head east out of the city you come to one of our favorite parts of the state, the Laurel Highlands.
From New Kensington to the north and Ohiopyle to the South, the region known as the Laurel Highlands covers three counties in southwest Pennsylvania and truly has a lot to see.
In this guide, we break down just about everything you need to know when exploring this gorgeous part of Pennsylvania!
Wholey's in the Strip District is a feast for the senses in every corner of the store. Whether you're in the seafood section, meat department, or simply checking out the produce this one certainly has a lot to look over. Naturally, we walk through this one just about every time we are in the neighborhood.
But one of our favorite parts of Wholey's is the very first thing you see when walking in- Andy's Sushi Bar.
This staple sushi bar not only serves up some of the finest sushi in Pittsburgh, but is manned by one of the nicest guys you'll meet. So while you'll be visiting this one because of its sushi, you'll be returning, in part, because of Andy himself.
When walking around the Strip District in early 2021, we noticed some changes in front of Reyna's grocery store. Their short-order taco stand was replaced by a Colombina arepa stand. As we are just as crazy about arepas as we are tacos, it didn't take long for us to place an order.
But, as it turns out, Colombino is not just an arepa stand, but rather a coffee and cacao bar that also serves arepas.
This one is truly the best of all worlds, and in the span of 36 hours, we visited this one twice. It is that good.
When we travel to major cities, we generally don't rent a car if we can avoid it. Part of this is obviously the cost associated with a rental (daily fee + gas + parking can add up for sometimes minimal use), but also because if a robust public transit system exists, we'd rather just use that. We love a good metro even if it takes a bit longer to reach our destination than driving.
Anyone who lives in Pittsburgh knows where we're going with this because our public transit, well, leaves a lot to be desired- this statement is being generous.
If money was no concern, we'd state outright that you'll do well to rent a car in Pittsburgh- you'll have way more freedom than if you didn't (and also have access to a number of great day trips too). If money is a concern, you can make it work without a car but you need to be a bit more strategic with how you plan your stay.