Oakland

Viva Los Tacos Review – Themed Tacos and Margaritas in Oakland

Many Pittsburgher's were devastated when The Original Hot Dog Shop (also known as The O) closed in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood in early 2020. While many hoped someone would come along and purchase the restaurant to bring it back to life, sadly it was not in the cards.

Instead, the prime restaurant space was renovated, thoroughly cleaned, and opened up as a taco restaurant with a loaded bar with a name and style straight out of Las Vegas- Viva Los Tacos. 

Naturally, I had to visit this one shortly after it opened to see what it was like.

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Mount Everest Sushi Review – Prepare for a Feast

If you ever look up reviews on where to get sushi in Pittsburgh, odds are good Mount Everest Sushi in Oakland is likely to appear.

We've seen this one pop up as a recommended spot time and time again, but it was only recently that we made a trip out to Oakland specifically to try this one out. 

It didn't take long after looking at their menu to realize one very important detail you should know upfront- Mount Everest Sushi is quite reasonably priced. But it wasn't until we picked up our order to go that we realized that the portions are quite large too!

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FEAST at the Carnegie Museums – An Exceptional Dining Experience

The Carnegie Museums in Oakland have an annual dinner series known as FEAST which is a themed a dining experience in conjunction with a current exhibit. During the Carnegie International (running until March 2019), the museum is hosting three unique dinners in order to celebrate topics being presented during the flagship exhibition.

The first dinner was themed after the topic Beauty and hosted by Kate Romane from Black Radish Kitchen- a popular pop-up restaurant that is known for being highly sought after and almost impossible to get a seat at (we've yet to get in ourselves!).

I was invited to check out the dinner series as a guest of the museum, and share the experience of the dinner series in this one!

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Chick’n Bubbly Review – Fast Korean Fried Chicken in Oakland

Chick'n Bubbly is a Korean fried chicken and bubble tea joint located in the heart of Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood.

While chicken and bubble tea are the two stars of the menu, this fast service restaurant also has a number of Japanese sides including menchi katsu and takoyaki to name a few.

I visited this one after hearing rave reviews from friends and was not disappointed.

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Carnegie Museum of Art 21+ Night – Adults Only Museum Exploration

Sometimes you just want to be alone in a museum. Other times, you want to party at a museum.

At the Carnegie Museums, this means heading to one of the periodic 21+ Nights where you and other like-minded adults can experience the museum with a beer and participate in themed activities- 100% kid free!

We were invited to check out a recent 21+ Night, and in this one wanted to share what the experience is like for those looking to attend a future event.

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International Christmas at the Cathedral of Learning

The Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning are one of Pittsburgh's true gems. These rooms function as classrooms for the University of Pittsburgh, but they are much more than that- they are also designed in the style of classrooms from various countries around the world.

Although we always love taking out of town visitors to these rooms, perhaps the best time of year to do so is the Christmas season.

From late November to early January every year, these classrooms come alive with Christmas trees and other holiday decorations that are representative of decorations from their respective countries. And if that wasn't enough, the common area of the cathedral is also decked out with even more Christmas trees and decorations as well!

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Baby Loves Tacos Review – Delicious Tacos in Bloomfield

Baby Loves Tacos is a popular taco joint that opened its first brick and mortar store in Bloomfield in early 2018.

The restaurant opening was eagerly anticipated as this one hosted frequent pop-ups around Pittsburgh and gained a legion of die-hard fans along the way. The popularity is worth it, as Baby Loves Tacos makes what we believe are some of the best all-around tacos we've had in the city.

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Soldiers and Sailors Memorial is a Gorgeous Museum

You may know Soldiers and Sailors Hall as that gorgeous memorial on Fifth Avenue in Oakland.  It is almost impossible to miss. But did you know that this hall contains one of the city's largest museums dedicated to those who served this country in times of war?

If you didn't you may want to jump into your car to check this one out right away. It is a must see.

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Hampton Inn Pittsburgh University Review – Go For the Location

Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood is home to many of the city's universities, but it also has a distinct lacking in available hotels to accommodate the influx of visitors the colleges receive. Our visit to the Hampton Inn University / Medical Center is our first entry covering the Oakland hotel scene, and we wanted to answer very important question: is it worth your visit?

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