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.
Nu Bistro closed in 2020.
Nu Bistro in Squirrel Hill is the kind of place you could easily walk right on by. A Jewish restaurant in a Jewish neighborhood? Sounds okay, but not very interesting for those who do not know better.
Sure, Nu Bistro is the kind of place where you can get classics like a Reuben and other Jewish delicacies (which are readily available throughout Squirrel Hill).
But it's also the kind of place that takes totally not Jewish foods, turns them into Jewish versions, and does such an awesome job of the transformation that it makes you think those foods were Jewish all along.
So before you visit Nu Bistro, be sure to take all expectations and throw them out the window.
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.
If you've ever wanted to dive into the world of pop art, the Andy Warhol Museum on Pittsburgh's North Shore is the absolute best place to do it.
More than 1,000 prints, 4,000 photographs, and 900 paintings in the collection help make it the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist.
But there is so much more to this museum than just pop art: the seven floors of this museum display many other types of Warhol's works you've likely never seen before, as well as rotating exhibits from other artists.
Although there are enough unique exhibits in this museum to keep us busy writing an incredibly detailed review, today we wanted to share some of our very favorites to give you a taste about what to expect when visiting!
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.