Year: 2021

Taj Mahal Review – Indian Overload on McKnight Road

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.

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Laurel Highlands Guide – Must-See Attractions and Parks

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!

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Andy’s Sushi Bar Review – A Must Stop Inside Wholey’s

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.

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Colombino Review – Coffee, Cacao, and Arepas in the Strip

Colombino closed its Strip District location in October 2023; however, they maintain two locations in the South Hills- one a storefront and one a drive-up stand. The below review is from the former Strip District location; however, we believe the menus are similar at the other locations.

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.

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Do You Need to Rent a Car in Pittsburgh to Enjoy the City?

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 car (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.

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Mount Everest Sushi Review – Prepare for a Feast

If you ever look up reviews on where to get sushi in Pittsburgh, odds are good Mount Everest Sushi in Oakland is likely to appear.

We've seen this one pop up as a recommended spot time and time again, but it was only recently that we made a trip out to Oakland specifically to try this one out. 

It didn't take long after looking at their menu to realize one very important detail you should know upfront- Mount Everest Sushi is quite reasonably priced. But it wasn't until we picked up our order to go that we realized that the portions are quite large too!

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Pizza Lupo Review – Giant Pies in the Heart of Lawrenceville

Although Pittsburgh is home to one of the highest number of pizza shops per capita in the country, we could always use more.

When we heard that Pizza Lupo opened up in Lawrenceville in December 2020, we knew we had to get in as fast as possible to try it out. This was especially true after we saw photos of the pies as they seemed right up our alley.

We quickly placed an order and were not let down with what we got.

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Save Money on a PA Road Trip with an E-ZPass

This post was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

When we go on day trips from Pittsburgh, we're always conscious about two things- how much money we're spending and how long a particular trip will take.

This is especially true when we make our frequent visits to the Laurel Highlands. One of the quickest ways to the southern counties in this region is via the Pennsylvania Turnpike. And, road pros like us know the best way to keep cash in our pockets when using the Turnpike is to use our E-ZPass.

E-ZPass is a handy little device that’s easily preregistered, mounts on the inside of your car's windshield, and helps most drivers save anywhere from 43%-59%!

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Apteka’s Crapteka Review – Get Your Vegan Burgers for a Limited Time

In 2025, Crapteka will run for three weekends only, January 17th to February 2nd.

If you've spent any amount of time on this site, specifically on our Pittsburgh restaurant reviews database, you would know that the Eastern European vegan joint Apteka is one of our favorites. While we are not vegans ourselves, we absolutely adore the intense and often rich flavor profiles this restaurant can get out of their dishes (they also have what could possibly be the best pierogi in the city, but we'll leave you to decide that one).

One thing Apteka does that we think is pretty awesome is having a periodic special menu of “junk food” (burgers and fries) that they aptly named Crapteka.

We should reiterate- their name, not ours.

This limited popup takes over the Apteka menu from time to time, but for several years we never made it in for any number of reasons. But in January 2021 the restaurant changed their entire menu over to the Crapteka theme for the month and we got an order on the first day before they inevitably sold out (in 30 minutes).

All we have to say is these vegan burgers are fantastic- if you can't get your hands on one at least.

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