Sharing The Best of Pittsburgh and Southwest Pennsylvania
Gi-Jin, a gin, sashimi, and handroll bar in downtown Pittsburgh, is the latest concept from Richard DeShantz. If you've been to any of his other restaurants, you know that they are borderline over-the-top in their theming and ambiance while also delivering consistently amazing food and service: Gi-Jin is no exception.
The striking dragon mural and wood decor, high quality and creative sushi, and impeccable service all combine for one of the best sushi-eating experiences we've had in Pittsburgh.
Whenever we think of dining in the Cultural District of downtown Pittsburgh, our thoughts tend to go to the high-end restaurants that have a reservation waitlist on the order of weeks or months.
While there are restaurants in the area where you can walk in and get a seat with ease, these are becoming less and less common as higher-end restaurants open in the area. As such, we always think this part of downtown could use more approachable spots to balance out the options for those who do not want to plan that far in advance or pay an arm and a leg in the process.
Thankfully, the Cincinnati-based fried chicken restaurant known as The Eagle opened up in the heart of the Cultural District and checks a lot of boxes for us- most notably that, at the time of their grand opening at least, 50% of their seats are kept open for walk-ins!
We had the chance to check this one out at their soft open for friends & family night (thanks to our friends Bold Pittsburgh) and share more in this review!
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!
You may know of the Doors Open Pittsburgh organization from the annual event of the same name that takes place each October. During this event, dozens of normally private buildings around the city open their doors for the public and is a pretty stellar event all around.
Since the founding of this now-staple event, Doors Open has expanded to included many custom walking tours with varying themes throughout the year. These vary month-to-month, but one caught our eye- the Antique Skyscrapers: Rooftops & Views tour. As getting on top of all of the downtown skyscrapers is a goal of ours, we naturally grabbed tickets to this one right away (as they quickly sold out).
In this one, we wanted to share a bit more about what the tour was like as well as share a few of our favorite photos!
When we visit cities around the world as travelers, one of the first things we do is figure out a grand walking tour in order to get a feel for the city. We generally take anywhere from a half-day or full-day to do these self-guided city tours and really love checking things out on foot.
Until now, we had never put together one of these guides for Pittsburgh as our 90 neighborhoods often make it difficult to get around and see them all. Still, the neighborhoods in and around the central business district in downtown Pittsburgh have quite a lot to see and many of these spots are on the radar of those visiting Pittsburgh for the first time as well as long-time residents.
So in this one, we wanted to share what we consider to be the ultimate walking tour of downtown Pittsburgh! This walking tour covers five miles in the North Side, downtown Pittsburgh, Mount Washington, and Station Square and has 17 unique highlights worth checking out.
So put your walking shoes on and get to exploring this beautiful city!
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!
The Kimpton Hotel Monaco in downtown Pittsburgh is often considered to be one of the best value options in the city, but it wasn't until we stayed overnight that we started to understand why that is.
Yes, this one has relatively affordable rooms downtown, but it also backs it up with a high quality stay all around. So after visiting this one for a weekend stay, well, call us fans!
I was eagerly anticipating my visit to the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh as this historic hotel is perhaps the most iconic of any in the city. One step in the lobby and you feel transported to a different time.
But sadly, this does not translate over into the room nearly as much, and I have to say- I was fairly let down from my stay here.
Pittsburgh's First Night is an annual New Year's Eve celebration in the Cultural District that features late-night gallery hours, live music, performances at many venues, food trucks, and so much more.
While this one is a ticketed event for a nominal fee ($10 plus fees in 2019), there really is a lot to see and experience in this one.
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.