We always dread early morning flights, so when we had the opportunity to stay at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott recently on the night before a 7am flight, we jumped at the chance.
With recent renovations, a restaurant with an emphasis on seasonal and local ingredients, comfortable rooms, and a park and fly option, there's plenty at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott to make your travel less stressful.
The Runner Stone Mill House restaurant at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott hotel is an excellent addition to the Pittsburgh hotel dining scene. While it's relatively easy to find good hotel dining in the downtown area, as you move outside the city limits it definitely becomes trickier.
Luckily, the Runner Stone Mill House hits all the right points to help fill this void.
It's got a sleek, modern decor with different seating options ranging from high tops to more intimate lounge-style seating, and it's got a great craft cocktail list and a seasonal dining menu that uses fresh, local ingredients with lots of house-made touches.
One of our favorite summer activities in the Pittsburgh area is to visit local farms and pick our own fruits.
We've visited almost every farm over the years, and learned a thing or two about the best places for picking each type of fruit- and we're here to share these tips with you!
As fruit harvests vary greatly from year to year and picking conditions vary from day to day, we highly recommend calling ahead before you go to double check the farm has what you're looking for. With that being said, if you have a particular fruit in mind, check out these great farms!
Noodlehead in Shadyside is a casual, affordable, and delicious Thai noodle joint.
While service tends to be lacking, we give it a pass because the food is just that good. From dumplings to noodle soups to curry noodles and pad Thai, you can't go wrong with any dish on the Noodlehead menu.
Note: In fall 2021, Monterey Pub reopened with new owners. We have not visited since the pub was purchased. The below review is from a visit with the previous owners. As such, things may be different now. We will update this review once we return for another visit!
Tucked among the quaint row houses in the Mexican War Streets, Monterey Pub is exactly the kind of neighborhood watering hole you'd expect it to be: it's the kind of place with regulars, wooden booths, and dark corners.
But it's also got a few delicious tricks up its sleeve, including a great food menu full of Irish pub fare, burgers, salads, and sandwiches.
Huszar, a Hungarian bar and restaurant in the North Side, is the kind of place Pittsburgh could use more of. With a community vibe, bi-weekly live music from a gypsy strings group, and traditional Hungarian food and drinks, it's a great addition to the North Side scene.
Rumors of amazing burgers and happy hour specials recently lured us into Butterjoint in North Oakland for a casual weeknight out.
We entered planning for one round and to split a burger, and left having tried so much more.
Beechwood Farms in Fox Chapel, with its 5 miles of trails and varied habitats, provides a good spot for a short walk or a leisurely picnic.
This nature reserve serves as the headquarters for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, and as such, there are also many events at this location ranging from naturalist-led hikes and birdwatching events to summer camps and educational opportunities for kids.
In August 2020, Square Cafe relocated from Regent Square to East Liberty.
Recently relocated to the vibrant neighborhood of East Liberty, Square Cafe is a weekend brunch destination that hits all the usual highlights: a bright, cheery space with typical breakfast cuisine utilizing ingredients from local farms and vendors.
Its menu of pancakes, omelettes, eggs benedicts, breakfast sandwiches, and crepes isn't breaking any boundaries, but it's a good spot for a comforting, reliable meal that has Pittsburghers coming back time and time again.
If you think finding a place to drink on a Sunday in Pittsburgh is difficult, try finding a place that's open on Monday. Harder still, make that Monday a public holiday when the entire city is virtually shut down.
Throw in our desire to go out and have a beer with friends, and that's how we ended up at Industry Public House in Lawrenceville on our recent visit.
Although this intro may make it sound like we were desperate for anything, which is somewhat true, Industry Public House had been on our list of places to try for quite some time and was rushed to the top due to this odd string of circumstances.
Thankfully, it ended up being a great choice for a beer-filled pub meal.