Sharing The Best of Pittsburgh and Southwest Pennsylvania
As North Siders, we find ourselves passing through East Ohio Street a lot. In recent years, a lot of changes have been going on in this street with several restaurants opening up as time goes by.
One day in mid-2020 we saw a sign for Istanbul Corner pop up, and shortly thereafter the Turkish restaurant opened its doors for customers. Naturally, being fans of Turkish food, we visited this one shortly after it opened.
We ended up walking out with a feast at a rather attractive price point.
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 the day it opened for lunch, we liked that so much we went back for lunch again the next week, and when they finally opened for dinner reservations a short time later we returned for a third time to check out that portion of the menu as well.
In recent years it seems like a number of our favorite Pittsburgh food trucks are adding brick and mortar locations into their portfolio so hungry patrons can get their favorites without having to track their location on any given day.
The Coop Chicken & Waffles was one such food truck, and they opened their dedicated storefront on East Ohio Street in the North Side in the summer of 2020. Naturally, as fans of this one we rushed out to get an order on opening weekend and were not disappointed. If you liked the food truck, this one offers everything you remember and then some.
We think that every Pittsburgh neighborhood should have a cafe that specializes in short-order fair like sandwiches, salads, and drinks, and in Allegheny West in the North Side, that shop is none other than Mezza Luna Cafe.
Although we only had a limited sampling of this one's menu when visiting shortly after they opened, we're really excited to see what comes next!
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!
Long a North Side institution, Carmi Soul Food was previously located on Western Avenue, relocated to South Side, and now has opened a second location dubbed Carmi Express back in the North Side (on Federal). Although Carmi Express is a takeout only joint, it still satisfies our cravings for chicken and waffles, barbecue, and other classic soul food.
Not every city can boast that they have their own submarine, which makes the USS Requin at the Carnegie Science Center one of Pittsburgh's most unusual attractions (and a personal favorite).
Visitors to this one can explore the submarine as either part of the Carnegie Science Center ticket or with an a la carte ticket in order to learn more about what life was like on a mid-20th century submarine!
Since 2018, the Carnegie Science Center has stepped up its exhibit game with the addition of the PPG Science Pavilion. This new wing not only significantly expanded the museum's footprint but also allowed for national and internationally touring exhibitions to make a stop in Pittsburgh.
One such show is Mummies of the World, a touring exhibition focused on all things mummies and mummification!
This exhibit runs from October 2019 to April 2020, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the first to check it out during a press event a few days before the official opening. In this one, I wanted to share more about what you can see when visiting!
Note: This article contains images of human mummies in various states. A few images could be considered graphic. Likewise, please note that Mummies of the World is a strictly no photography show; however, I was given an exemption during a media preview event for this article.
Sometimes we visit festivals after doing minimal research, if only because we want to take things in without any preconceived thoughts on what it should be like.
We can safely say we did this for the Pittsburgh VegFest (which takes place in the North Side each August) because we only learned of one very interesting point just before arriving- this one is a vegan festival.
This little detail only made the event better.
Southern Tier Pittsburgh is one of a handful of breweries that did not originate in the city but expanded here due to the producer's popularity in the region.
Originally from New York, this brewery expanded into Pittsburgh in early 2017 and has been a popular spot in the North Side ever since. While we are often frequent visitors to this brewery for the beer, we were recently invited out as guests of the brewery to try more and to sample a bit of the food menu as well.
As a result, this guide to the brewery was born!