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.
La Tavola on Mount Washington is an acclaimed Italian/Sicilian restaurant that offers family cooked meals in a slow dining ambiance that we consider to be one of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh.
But while the restaurant may have a die hard following in local circles, their pizza shop located around the back of the restaurant is lesser known.
In this one, we take a trip back to one of our favorite spots solely to give their pizza menu a try!
Burgh'ers is a local burger joint that began with their first location in Zelienople, PA (about 30 minutes north of the city).
I had been eating at this one for years but never had the ability to write a review. So when they opened their second location right in the heart of Lawrenceville, I knew I'd finally get my chance to share my opinion of this growing, locally sourced restaurant.
As I expected, the new location did not disappoint.
Did you know that the Giant Eagle Market District Robinson Township offers cooking classes? Before we were invited out to try a recent pie making class there, we didn't know the cooking classes existed either.
That's why we're here to give you a scoop on all of the cool things you can do at their cooking school, including lunch demos, themed classes, private classes, and events. If you are wanting to learn to cook in Pittsburgh, this really is the place to do it at!
Poulet Bleu was the first Richard DeShantz spot to be located outside of downtown's Cultural District, calling Lawrenceville home, and is perhaps our favorite DeShantz endeavor yet.
The attention to detail in everything from decor to service to the food really creates a lovely and complete dining experience focused on a French theme.
DiAnoia's is an Italian restaurant with an adorable Italian cafe vibe and is located in the Strip District.
During the week they serve an amazing lunch and dinner, but on Sundays? Sundays are for brunch. We'd heard lots of good things about their brunch, so we luckily snagged a somewhat hard to get reservation and checked it out.
We loved it so much we made a return trip for dinner and share our thoughts on both in this full review! But first, we have to start with brunch.