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.
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.
Took Took 98 opened in the heart of Squirrel Hill on Murray Avenue in 2019. While this one brands itself as Thai street food, we have to admit that in having an impressively large menu this one has just a bit of everything.
So whether you like curry, noodles, rice dishes, or more, Took Took 98 will likely have something to satisfy your cravings.
As with most Thai restaurants, for our first visit we went for our staple order of pad see ew with tofu and red curry with shrimp, and rounded it out with stuffed wontons and a few flavored beverages as well!
Normally when we visit an Indian restaurant, we order a feast of some of our favorite dishes from all over the country.
But when visiting People's Indian in Garfield, we went for something different- Indian pizza. All of our favorite things about Indian, but on top of a dough disk and bursting with flavors all the same.
Coop de Ville is one of the newest concepts from the Richard DeShantz restaurant group and it's serving up fried chicken and other Southern classics. What's unique about this spot in the Strip District is that it's also an entertainment venue offering duckpin bowling, arcade games, a champagne vending machine, and more.
We recently ordered takeout and have to admit we were not overly enthused about the food, although we should note that we were one of the first orders of the day during opening week.
Whenever conversations pop up about where to get Chinese takeaway in Pittsburgh, there is one spot that is sure to come up within just a few moments- Chinatown Inn.
This spot is a staple Chinese restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh just steps away from Point Park University, Duquesne University, the courthouse, and more. But going further, this one is one of the last remaining businesses from Pittsburgh's historic Chinatown, and features a beautifully themed facade that is simply hard to miss.
For our first visit, we opted for our standard order of Chinese takeaway- General Tso's chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and crab rangoon. While solid, the star of the show was what came with it- the egg roll!
If you've spent any amount of time on this site, you're likely well aware that we like wine. Not only do we have a quest to check out the best Pittsburgh wineries, but we're also visiting all the best wine bars in Pittsburgh too.
But perhaps one of our favorite experiences in Pittsburgh comes from the wine education company Palate Partners with their informal First and Third Friday feature which includes several wine samples, education about the grape and region, all at a fairly attractive price point.
We knew that Palate Partners offered many wine classes beyond these, and their offering of the multi-week Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) courses caught our eye. This is an international, standardized wine program (with four levels) and the folks at Palate Partners are certified to teach the first two levels (plus bringing in a guest instructor for Level 3).
Our favorite wine instructors teaching an international wine course that is highly regarded the world over? Sign us up.
But in being ones who always like to go big, we skipped Level 1 and jumped straight into the eight-week Level 2 course. While challenging, we also had a rather great time in this one.
If you pay attention to restaurant opening news like we do, odds are good you've been anticipating Fig & Ash in the North Side for quite some time. This restaurant was on the books for over 3 1/2 years before finally opening for business in late 2020.
In that time they won Pittsburgh's Sandwich Sampler event not once, but twice (one of which we were fortunate enough to try), received a fair bit of press coverage, and even gutted the entirety of the restaurant space to make way for their indoor fire pit.
Naturally, we went to this one as soon as it opened!
When it comes to neighborhood breweries, one we return to time and time again is Lincoln Avenue Brewery.
With a solid draft list, food menu, and rotating specials, we know we can return to this one and find something new to try each and every time.
Although we love our Pittsburgh food truck scene, we always enjoy hearing that our favorite trucks open up brick-and-mortar restaurants in the city. Why? So we can get their food all the time!
It is always a treat to find a favorite food truck at a brewery or event, but sometimes we cannot drive far across town to grab an order from a favorite. When they open a dedicated storefront, that problem is solved as we know where to get them all the time.
Pita My Shawarma was one such food truck that moved to a dedicated location, and now that they're in the heart of Lawrenceville, we see placing many orders from this one in the future.