Independent Brewing Company is making a name for itself in Pittsburgh's drinking scene for its unique beer selection.
But did you know this one also serves a full menu that could go toe-to-toe with most restaurants? After hearing about a menu overhaul in early 2018, we made our way out to this one to have them give us their best shot!
Mike & Tony's Gyros is a local restaurant chain with several locations in and around the city serving up what we believe to be the world's perfect food- the gyro!
Much to our delight, we found that this one goes all in on gyro and souvlaki meat and is exactly what we were looking for during our visit.
If you are seeking traditional barbecue in Pittsburgh that is as delicious as it is no frills, Showcase BBQ is the place for you.
You wouldn't think twice about this unassuming house in Homewood West if it wasn't for the modest sign out front and two massive smokers along the side. But as soon as we arrived, we knew we were in the right place for barbecue.
Bigham Tavern is one of those places that you may never come across when exploring Mount Washington unless you are expressly looking for it.
We would know- we lived on Mount Washington for two years and had no idea that Bigham street had a gastropub, and we lived just a few blocks away.
It wasn't until we published our neighborhood guide that we got a lot of feedback that we missed this hidden gem, and we made a return trip to the neighborhood to check it out.
We really were missing out.
La Casa Narcisi is a beautiful winery in Gibsonia that's more than just a tasting room.
It's more like an estate, complete with a restaurant, outdoor seating area, and stages for concerts. In our opinion, there isn't much better than sitting on the patio on a warm summer night, listening to live music with a bottle of wine and a classic Italian meal.
Bull River Taco is a popular short order taco join that first opened in the South Hills. In 2017 they expanded to have their second location located right in the heart of Squirrel Hill, and their buzz continued to grow from there.
After many reader recommendations, we finally made it out to their Squirrel Hill location to see what they're all about.
Driftwood Oven was a popular Pittsburgh food truck until early 2018 when the owners decided to ditch the wagon and open a brick and mortar restaurant right in the heart of Lawrenceville.
We were always big fans of this particular pizza as, well, who could say no to mobile brick oven pizza? We were a bit bummed to find out they wouldn't be at our favorite breweries moving forward, but were also excited to see how they'd expand their pizza into a traditional restaurant concept.
They didn't disappoint.
Although new breweries have been popping up all over the region the past few years, a newer trend is breweries that have their own restaurants. Cinderlands Beer Co. in Lawrenceville is one such brewery/restaurant hybrid that offers creative and delicious beers with interesting small plates and entrees.
Cinderlands Beer Co. has three locations, one right on Butler St. in lower Lawrenceville, a second in the Strip District, and one in Wexford north of the city.
While the bulk of this review is based off our visits to the Lawrenceville location, we've also enjoyed The Warehouse in the Strip District many times as well. The Lawrenceville spot features cozy wooden booths along the length of the restaurant, an upstairs seating area, an exposed brick wall with a huge Cinderlands logo painted on it, and of course, the sophisticated bar that makes you feel like you've been transported back in time.
But Cinderlands has more than just good looks. We visited shortly after they opened (and several times since) and one thing that strikes is just how interesting and good the beers are for being such a young brewery. Tea kolsch, coffee double IPA, and strawberry sour IPA are just some of the unique beers you'll find here. And although the food menu is somewhat small, we really appreciate the effort they're putting in to crafting and creating these dishes.
Ki Pollo has now become Nanban by Chef Roger Li. The restaurant features favorites from this one plus Ki Ramen and new dishes.
Ki Pollo is the brainchild of Roger Li (Umami) and Domenic Branduzzi (Piccolo Forno), and it's located in Lawrenceville right next to another establishment of theirs, Ki Ramen.
This one serves up an interesting mix of Korean style fried chicken and Argentinian empanadas.
The restaurant focuses on making everything from scratch, right down to the dipping sauces for the fried chicken. This low key BYOB spot is a perfect place for a quick bite or a takeout meal.
If you are familiar with the cocktails in Pittsburgh, the name Spencer Warren may be familiar to you.
For those who are not, the short of it is that Spencer Warren is a local cocktail specialist who has made a name for himself with craft creations at his previous bar, Embury (now closed).
Since then he became the force behind the local edition of the international Miracle pop-up bar (which his team managed), consulted on cocktail menus at many of your favorite local bars, and is finally returning to the spotlight with his new bar, The Warren, in the Cultural District.
As we missed being able to try cocktails at Embury, our experience with Spencer Warren's cocktails have only been on the periphery. But we liked what we saw, and made sure to make our way down to The Warren shortly after opening to give his cocktails a try.