Cilantro & Ajo is a casual Venezuelan restaurant located in South Side that features arepas and other delicious Venezuelan street food. We've had arepas from their food truck in the past, and they were so good that we knew we had to check out their brick and mortar location.
Eat & Drink
Aqueous Review – A Seafood Feast in the Laurel Highlands
Please note: As of 2021, the restaurant seems only open to overnight guests at Nemacolin and resort/club members.
From the moment you walk into Nemacolin's Falling Rock, the property's boutique luxury hotel (located about a mile and a half away from the main chateau at their golf course), you may notice some familiar design elements. That is because this property was built using many design elements used by Frank Lloyd Wright.
This theme continues into the property's on-site seafood restaurant, Aqueous, and provides an ambiance that is worth traveling for as much as the food itself!
Cocktails from the Crypt Review – Halloween Themed Libations
In 2022, Cocktails from the Crypt will be located at 705 Liberty Avenue downtown and is opening on October 6th. The below review is from a visit of ours in a prior year when the bar was located in South Side.
Pittsburgh's Halloween season is in full force with a number of hauntingly fun attractions to enjoy. Naturally, some pop-up bars have jumped onto the scene to celebrate this spooky season with themed libations!
One of these themed bars is Cocktails from the Crypt, a South Side pop-up managed by Spencer Warren of The Warren (a popular cocktail bar in downtown Pittsburgh).
I checked this one out shortly after it opened for its limited run and share a bit more on what the bar and cocktails are like below!
North Country Brewing Review – A Restaurant with Brewery
We had all intentions of visiting North Country Brewing in Slippery Rock and writing this post in the style of our other brewery reviews (like Grist House or Strange Roots). But shortly after we arrived, we knew that doing so would be a disservice.
Why? Well, even though North Country Brewing is just that, a brewery, its Slippery Rock location is as much of a restaurant as it is a brewery, and we left with this one having the beer as a secondary thought.
So just as you may visit The Harmony Inn for the food and enjoy North Country's beer along with it (a second restaurant this brewery owns in the town of the same name), you will likely do the same when visiting the brewpub in Slippery Rock as well!
It is because of that reason that this particular review follows our restaurant review format, because today, we're talking about the food.
Dish Osteria Review – An Italian Gem in South Side
Dish Osteria in South Side is a cozy, traditional Italian restaurant that initially opened way back in 2000. While we had never made a visit before they closed in 2017, the spot had long been on our list of places to try. When they re-opened in the spring of 2019 we knew we had to make it a priority to hit up this much-loved Pittsburgh institution.
Millvale Food Truck Roundup is the Rally Pittsburgh Needs
If there is one thing that Pittsburgh certainly lacks, it is food truck rallies.
We have amazing food trucks in Pittsburgh, and apart from finding them at breweries and periodic events, getting to enjoy an assortment of food trucks can be tricky at times.
There was the brief attempt at a food truck park, but when that did not return after its first season it seemed like we were back to the drawing board. Enter the Millvale Food Truck Roundup, a periodic food truck rally that takes place at Grist House and Strange Roots on select weekends throughout the year.
It may be our favorite food truck rally yet.
Alta Via Review – Big Burrito Goes Italian in Pittsburgh
Alta Via is the newest concept from the Big Burrito restaurant group that brings house-made pastas and other Italian fare to the Fox Chapel/Aspinwall area. As Big Burrito has been around Pittsburgh for decades and was part of the initial reawakening of the Pittsburgh restaurant scene, we are excited to see the introduction of a new concept from them.
As this one grew, they later expanded to open Alta Via Pizzeria in Bakery Square, and in 2023 added a Market Square location for Alta Via, too!
Italian in Pittsburgh gets better by the year.
Enrico’s Cafe Review – A Must for Woodfired Pizzas in the Strip District
If you've spent any time in the Strip District, odds are good you're quite familiar with the famous Enrico Biscotti Company right in the heart of the popular shopping district.
But did you know that the same company has a cafe located behind the biscotti store, only accessible via a narrow alley, that is also only open on select days for breakfast and lunch? What if we told you that this is the place to go for some of the best-woodfired pizzas in Pittsburgh?
You'll want to get to this one right away.
1905 Eatery Review – Classic Italian Food in McKees Rocks
1905 Eatery is a casual, old school Italian restaurant located in McKees Rocks. What the spot lacks in ambiance it makes up for with huge portions of classic, home-cooked Italian food.
McKees Rocks wasn't on our radar as a dining destination, but we recently checked out a show at the Roxian Theater and were looking for a nearby spot to have dinner, and so we ended up at 1905 Eatery.
The Headkeeper Review – A Small Plate Tapas in Greensburg
The Headkeeper is a popular tapas bar located in Greensburg, PA- just about an hour east of downtown Pittsburgh.
The restaurant is acclaimed for its small plates/tapas menu, but also comes along with a large seating area (including an impressive outdoor space), a modest draft list, over 600 bottles of beer available in cans/bottles, and a lot more!
I visited this one while exploring the area with Westmoreland Heritage, and share some thoughts on our meal and the restaurant as a whole in this one!