186 Pittsburgh Restaurants to Consider for Your Next Meal Out

About Our Ranking of Pittsburgh Food

Our reviews are lumped into five major categories including “the top 10,” “great,” “pretty good,” “average,” and “least favorite.” We recommend using these distinctions as your overall guide, and we'll discuss their meanings more below.

Please keep in mind that we take a number of factors into consideration when reviewing including taste, execution, consistency, cost, and service. That being said, we also weigh personal preference heavily in how we ordered the list below.

So if you are curious as to what makes our #1 restaurant different from #7 or those at the top of “great”, well, it is simply personal preference. The main five categories outlined above are the bigger categorization you should keep in mind in reading this guide.

The Top 10 Pittsburgh Restaurants

The following are our current Top 10 Pittsburgh restaurants. The restaurants that earn this distinction are ones we are certain we can order anything on the menu and not be disappointed.

1. Cure – Lawrenceville – Cured meats, inventive cuisine, and overall one incredible menu.
2. Gaucho Parrilla Argentina – Strip District – Argentinian meats done right in sandwich form (and on their own).
3. Federal Galley – North Side – An interesting food hall in the North Side featuring four chefs and a stellar bar.
4. Umami – Lawrenceville – Japanese food you've likely never had before in an amazing bar setting.
5. Morcilla – Lawrenceville – Spanish tapas bar with gourmet pintxos and small plates.
6. Kaya – Strip District – Caribbean fare with the best burger and sweet potato fries in the city of Pittsburgh.
7. Fish Nor Fowl – Garfield – Fine dining with an interesting menu and cocktail pairings for every dish.
8. Bar Marco – Strip District – Modern American, craft cocktails, but rather expensive.
9. Apteka – Bloomfield – Eastern European, vegan meals coupled with a wonderful bar.
10. Or, the Whale – Downtown – Trendy seafood and chophouse in downtown Pittsburgh.

Great Places to Eat in Pittsburgh

If you want to be able to order anything from a menu and anticipate it being good, these restaurants should have it. 

If a restaurant achieves this rating then it is guaranteed that we will go back to try more at some point in the future (or already eat there as regulars). Restaurants towards the top of this list are just as highly rated as those in our Top 10, but are not highlighted above because, well, we chose to only call out ten!

These are also the first we pull out when asked “where to eat in [neighborhood]?” or “what is good Pittsburgh food?” without knowing anymore about what you're looking for.

11. Smallman Galley – Strip District
12. La Tavola – Mount Washington
13. Poulet Bleu – Lawrenceville – French
14. tako – Downtown – Upscale Mexican
15. Park Bruges – Highland Park – Belgian
16. Point Brugge – Point Breeze – Belgian
17. Brugge on North – North Side – Belgian
18. Noodlehead – Shadyside – Thai
19. Pizza Taglio – East Liberty – Pizza
20. Legume – Oakland – American / Fine Dining
21. Better Maid Donut – Crafton Heights – Donuts
22. The Harmony Inn – Harmony, PA – German
23. Driftwood Oven – Lawrenceville – Pizza
24. Altius – Mount Washington – Fine Dining
25. Teppanyaki Kyoto – Highland Park – Japanese
26. Golden Pig – Cecil, PA – Korean
27. Coca Cafe – Lawrenceville – Brunch
28. Monterey Bay Fish Grotto – Mount Washington – Seafood
29. Baby Loves Tacos – Bloomfield – Tacos and Burritos
30. Jozsa Corner – Hazelwood – Hungarian
31. The Colombian Spot – South Side – Colombian
32. Lorelei – East Liberty – German/Alpine
33. Cafe on Main – Sharpsburg – Brunch
34. Spoon – East Liberty – Fine Dining
35. Udipi Cafe – Monroeville – Indian
36. Soba – Shadyside – Asian
37. Azorean Cafe – Bloomfield – Portuguese
38. Threadbare – North Side – Pizza
39. Ineffable Ca Phe – Lawrenceville – Vietnamese
40. Bae Bae's Kitchen – Downtown – Korean
41. Pizzaiolo Primo – Downtown – Italian / Pizza
42. Meat and Potatoes – Downtown – Modern American
43. Penn Avenue Fish Co. – Strip District – Seafood
44. Butcher and the Rye – Downtown – Modern American
45. Tessaro's – Bloomfield – Burgers
46. Eleven – Strip District – Fine Dining
47. Braddock's Street Side – Downtown – Modern American
48. Oishii Bento – Oakland – Japanese
49. Nicky's Thai Kitchen – North Side and Downtown – Thai
50. Everyday Noodles – Squirrel Hill – Taiwanese
51. Walter's BBQ – Lawrenceville – Barbecue
52. Hidden Harbor – Squirrel Hill – Caribbean
53. Sienna Mercato – Downtown – Multiple
54. Duncan St. Sandwich Shop – Millvale – Sandwiches
55. Pie for Breakfast – Oakland – Breakfast
56. Spork Pit Barbecue – Garfield – Barbecue
57. Spork – Bloomfield – Tapas/Italian/Modern
58. Bitter Ends Luncheonette – Bloomfield – Healthy Fare
59. Clem's Cafe – Blairsville – Barbecue
60. City Oven – Downtown – Pizza
61. Smoke Taqueria – Lawrenceville – Modern American (Tacos)
62. Totopo – Mt Lebanon – Mexican
63. Ephesus Pizza – Downtown, Aspinwall, and Bellevue – Turkish / Pizza
64. Pamela's P&G Diner – Various Locations – Breakfast / Brunch
65. Alla Famiglia – Allentown – Italian
66. Pork and Beans – Downtown – Barbecue

Pretty Good Pittsburgh Restaurants

Pittsburgh restaurants that fall into this category are generally recommended if you are in the mood for a specific entree or cuisine style. The entire menu may not be astounding (although it certainly could be), they may not have the best service, or even be a place you dream of eating at more frequently, but it'll be a good meal if you need to satisfy a more specific craving.

These are the ones we recommend when being asked for “where to eat [cuisine type] in [neighborhood],” so if the cuisine type and location matches what you seek, we recommend giving these a try.

67. Bills Bar & Burger – Downtown – Burgers and Brunch
68. Casbah – Shadyside – Mediterranean
69. Bird on the Run – East Liberty – Chicken
70. Pittsburgh Barbecue Company – Banksville and Murrysville – Barbecue
71. Onion Maiden – Allentown – Vegan
72. The Grand Concourse – South Side – Brunch
73. Pittsburgh Food Truck Park – Millvale – Food Trucks
74. Burgatory Bar – Various Locations – Burgers
75. The Pennsylvania Market – Strip District – Multiple Vendors
76. Chick'n Bubbly – Oakland – Korean/Japanese
77. Pusadee's Garden – Lawrenceville – Thai
78. Bier's Pub – North Side – Burgers
79. Muddy Waters Oyster Bar – East Liberty – Seafood
80. Pittsburgh Poke – Downtown – Seafood
81. Showcase BBQ – Homewood West – Barbecue
82. Two Brothers Bar-B-Q – Presto – Barbecue
83. Siempre Algo – North Side – Modern American
84. V3 Pizza – Downtown and Lawrenceville – Pizza
85. Bea Taco Town – Downtown – Mexican
86. Nu Bistro – Squirrel Hill – Jewish / Sandwiches
87. Max's Allegheny Tavern – North Side – German
88. Cafe io – Mount Lebanon – American
89. Slice on Broadway – Beechview – Pizza
90. Dive Bar – Lawrenceville and South Side – Modern American
91. Big Jim's in the Run – Four Mile Run – Italian and American
92. Piccolo Forno – Lawrenceville – Italian
93. Butterjoint – North Oakland – Burgers and Pierogies
94. La Palapa – South Side – Mexican
95. Bull River Taco – Squirrel Hill – Tacos
96. Johnny's Diner – West End – Breakfast
97. Bubba's – Pizza and Polish – Greensburg
98. honeygrow – Healthy Fare – East Liberty
99. Casa Narcisi Winery – Italian – Gibsonia
100. Bigham Tavern – Modern American – Mount Washington
101. Union Standard – Downtown – American
102. Station – Bloomfield – Modern American
103. Scratch – Troy Hill – Modern American
104. Badamo's Pizza – North Side and Mt. Lebanon – Pizza
105. The Vandal – Lawrenceville – Modern American
106. Independent Brewing Company – Squirrel Hill – Modern
107. Proper Brick Oven – Downtown – Italian / Pizza
108. Monterey Pub – North Side – Irish Pub
109. Burgh'ers – Lawrenceville and Harmony – Burgers
110. Huszar – North Side – Hungarian
111. Condado Tacos – Downtown – Tacos
112. Dinette – East Liberty – Pizza and Small Plates
113. Fiori's Pizzaria – Brookline – Pizza
114. Brian's Barbecue – Finleyville – Barbecue
115. D's Six Pack and Dogz – Regent Square – Hot Dogs / Burgers
116. Mike & Tony's Gyros – Multiple Locations – Gyros and Modern
117. Merchant Oyster Co. – Lawrenceville – Seafood
118. Coughlin's Law – Mount Washington – Gastropub
119. Peppi's Old Tyme Sandwich Shop – Various Locations – Sandwiches
120. Quik-It Chicken – North Side – Fried Chicken / BBQ
121. The Porch – Oakland – American
122. Royal Myanmar – West View – Burmese
123. Caliente Pizza and Draft House – Bloomfield – Pizza
124. Lidia's – Strip District – Italian
125. Joe & Pie – Downtown – Pizza
126. Eighth & Hays – Homestead – Wine Bar / Modern American
127. La Riviera (formerly Bar Frenchman) – East Liberty – French
128. Taiwanese Bistro Cafe 33 – Squirrel Hill – Taiwanese
129. DeMore's Pizza – Millvale – Pizza
130. El Burro – North Side – Mexican
131. Police Station Pizza – Robinson Township – Pizza
132. The Pub Chip Shop – South Side – British
133. Kavsar – Mount Washington – Uzbek
134. Acorn – Shadyside – Modern American
135. Cinderlands Beer Co – Lawrenceville – Modern
136. Tram's Kitchen – Bloomfield – Vietnamese
137. Aiello's – Squirrel Hill – Pizza
138. Superior Motors – Braddock – Fine Dining
139. Bakn – Carnegie – Brunch and American
140. Ki Pollo – Lawrenceville – Korean and Argentinian
141. The Original Oyster House – Downtown – Fried Seafood
142. Beto's Pizza – Beechview – Pizza

Average Restaurants in Pittsburgh

Although we'd call them average, odds are good if a restaurant's offering fell into this range there were some good components and some bad. Most restaurants here we may not fully recommend from a personal standpoint, but there could be reasons we'd go back for a re-try (such as seeing a dish next to us that looked amazing, new menu items being added, etc).

Generally speaking, we walk out of these saying the meal was “fine” with little fanfare beyond that.

The following restaurants are also places we could recommend to specific people if we knew they had different tastes than us. When reading each restaurant review, odds are good you will know if this is you and some of the following could be worth checking out.

144. Pig Iron Public House – Cranberry – Modern American
145. Floor 2 – Downtown – Fine Dining and Brunch
146. Banh Mi & Ti – Lawrenceville – Vietnamese
147. Waffles, INCaffeinated – South Side – Breakfast / Brunch
148. Revel and Roost – Downtown – Modern American
149. Smokin' Toad BBQ – Sarver – Barbecue
150. Spak Brothers – Garfield – Pizza
151. The Yard – Shadyside and Downtown – Grilled Cheese / American
152. Rowdy BBQ – South Hills – Barbecue
153. City Works – Market Square – American
154. D&G Pizza – Beaver Falls – Pizza
155. Spirit and Slice Island Pizza – Lawrenceville – Pizza
156. The Commoner – Downtown – Modern American
157. Industry Public House – Lawrenceville – American
158. The Abbey on Butler Street – Lawrenceville – Pub Fare
159. Pizza Parma – Downtown – Pizza
160. The Warren – Downtown – Sushi and Bar Fare
161. Grandma B's – Hill District – Breakfast
162. Blue Dust – Homestead – Sandwiches
163. Chengdu Gourmet – Squirrel Hill – Chinese
164. Choppin' Block BBQ – Strip District – Barbecue
165. Primanti Brothers – Strip District (and Various Locations) – Sandwiches
166. Area 51 BBQ – Belle Vernon – Barbecue
167. Giovanni's Pizza – Dormont – Pizza
168. Wilson's Bar-B-Q – North Side – BBQ
169. Streets on Carson – South Side – International
170. Square Cafe – Regent Square – Breakfast / Brunch
171. Lola Bistro – North Side – International
172. Zen Asian – Lawrenceville – Chinese
173. Casa Reyna's – Strip District – Mexican
174. Double Wide Grill – South Side – American / BBQ
175. Doughboy's Pizza – McKee's Rocks

Our Least Favorite Meals in Pittsburgh

When it comes to bad meals, a restaurant has to miss a fair bit for it to be featured here. Generally speaking, the entrees we tried had little redeeming factors, and the meals of others next to us (when available) did not look that inspiring either to warrant a second try.

176. Allegheny Sandwich Shoppe – North Side – Breakfast and Sandwiches
177. Caffe Mona – Bloomfield – Brunch
178. Mineo's – Squirrel Hill – Pizza
179. Pizza Fiesta – Multiple Locations – Pizza
180. Subba Asian – North Side – Nepali
181. Mendoza Express – East Carnegie – Mexican/Tex Mex
182. Doce Taqueria – South Side – Tacos
183. Fuel and Fuddle – Oakland – American
184. Pho Van – Strip District – Vietnamese
185. Barb's Corner Kitchen – Lawrenceville – Breakfast/Diner
186. BRGR – East Liberty – Burgers
187. NOLA on the Square – Downtown – American

Check back soon as we add Pittsburgh restaurant reviews every week as we eat our way around the city! 

Looking for more food options in the city? Be sure to check out our listing of the best Pittsburgh food trucks which features a collection of our favorite local trucks, carts, and street vendors as well as our selection of awesome bakeries in Pittsburgh! Or if you're looking for other things to do in Pittsburgh, check out our guide to the city's best spots!

Or are you looking to visit Pittsburgh? Find the best neighborhood to stay in at the previous link!