Sharing The Best of Pittsburgh and Southwest Pennsylvania
Emerson's Bar first started as a Christmas pop-up bar above Market Street Grocery in downtown Pittsburgh in late 2019, and was converted into a permanent bar space in early 2020 with a large and inviting space and a relatively straight forward bar menu.
So if you're in need of a cozy space to enjoy a drink with friends in downtown Pittsburgh, you may want to give this one a try!
Read moreEmerson's Bar Review – A Cozy Space for Drinks in Downtown Pittsburgh
It is hard to beat a good Italian pizza made in a wood fired oven. For the longest time we had heard Mercurio's is the place to be to try out this particular pizza style, but never quite made it out to Shadyside or Fox Chapel to give them a try.
If this intro sounds familiar, you can imagine what comes next. We regret waiting this long.
Mercurio's checked a lot of boxes for us for a good wood fired pizza, namely being well cooked, well priced, and focusing on classic Italian toppings (over some of the more unique counterparts you see at other pizza shops in the city). If these are things you seek out when enjoying a pizza, you really need to check this one out.
Just be sure to save room when you do visit, as the gelato bar is also a must-try as well!
Read moreMercurio's Review – Italian Wood Fired Pizza and Gelato Done Right
We regularly get reader recommendations on where to go next. We try and go to all of them, but with the number of places we still have to visit it is hard to prioritize everything. When we hear the same recommendations over and over again, we know we have to hit those immediately, and Big Rig's BBQ in Monroeville was one such recommendation.
This barbecue spot opened in late 2019 and is making waves within the local community, so much so that we went to check it out just a few days after receiving the (admittedly large number of) recommendations to do so.
A few days was too long of a wait for this one.
Cafe Raymond is a popular breakfast and lunch spot in the Strip District that serves up an array of options that will hit just about all interests.
While we had a few misses from our meal (partly due to price), we walked away fairly stuffed and talking about this one's delicious pancakes all the same!
Read moreCafe Raymond Review – Breakfast Options in the Strip District
Zorros opened in Mt. Lebanon in late 2019 with a focus on cuisine from Latin America with an emphasis on dishes from the Dominican.
I visited this one for lunch with hopes of snagging one of the restaurant's entrees with a few trusted appetizers but ended up being won over by their lunch specials in order to try more food for less- and I don't regret it in the slightest.
Read moreZorros Review – Dominican Inspired Dishes in Mt. Lebanon
Located inside the trendy Ace Hotel in East Liberty, Whitfield is more than just a hotel restaurant. With James Beard award-nominated chefs at the helm, an emphasis on farm to table cuisine, and a killer brunch, Whitfield is a dining destination.
We recently stayed at the Ace Hotel and of course had to check out Whitfield for both breakfast and dinner. As the restaurant and hotel are located in an old YMCA building, much of that character and vibe still remain. It gives the hotel an ultra-hip feeling but feels a little incongruent with a fine dining restaurant like Whitfield.
Read moreWhitfield Review – Locally Sourced Steaks and More in East Liberty
Tana is an Ethiopian restaurant in East Liberty serving up lots of delicious traditional vegetarian and meat stews piled on top of injera, an Ethiopian flatbread. It's a great restaurant for groups as you can basically order a little of everything on the menu and share it all for a traditional feast.
Read moreTana Review – Ethiopian Cuisine Done Right in East Liberty
For many years we heard the renown of Pierogies Plus in McKees Rocks, and we were itching to get out there to enjoy some Eastern European cuisine that has become ingrained in the Pittsburgh diet.
While the food here is cheap and in impressive portion sizes as well, I have to say, something about my meal was a bit off.
Read morePierogies Plus Review – Fresh and Frozen Pierogies to Go in McKees Rocks
Generally when walking through the Strip District, if we pass by one of our favorite restaurants, odds are good we go inside and order something. Over this years, this has meant we missed a few hidden gems located right next door as our craving for something we knew overtook our desire to find something new.
Maiku Sushi is one of those places, as its location next to one of our favorite restaurants (Gaucho) made it hard for us to go in. As it turns out, this was a mistake. After trying the Vietnamese food here we have to say it is pretty delicious and worth your visit!
Read moreMaiku Sushi Review – A Hidden Vietnamese Gem in the Strip
Sly Fox Brewing is a popular craft brewery that has been making beer outside of Philadelphia since the mid-90s. But it wasn't until 2019 that this one expanded into Pittsburgh with a taproom just steps away from Point State Park.
As we believe that downtown is in need of more places for good, craft beer, we were eager to check this one out shortly after it opened to try their beer and housemade pizza. Sadly, we left this one fairly disappointed.
Read moreSly Fox Brewing Review – Taphouse and Restaurant Near The Point