Casbah is one of the more upscale restaurants of the Big Burrito group, billing itself as a Mediterranean restaurant and wine bar. Our overall impression from several visits is that the food is perfectly fine- if you're into straightforward meat, veggie, and starch dishes you'll fit right in here.
If you're looking for dishes that are a little more outside the box and have nontraditional flavor profiles, you might have a bit more trouble finding something here that tickles your fancy.
One of the things I love about traveling around Japan is the odd assortment of restaurants and food vendors you can visit. Â From the famed sushi masters, teppanyaki stalls, izakaya bars, to conveyor belt restaurants and vending machines galore, Japan really does have it all.
But in Pittsburgh, as is the case in most cities in the USA, we only have the opportunity to visit a small selection of these incredible establishments- most of which only focus on the sushi and noodle dishes that Japan is famous for. While these are delicious, they often completely ignore the other amazing meals the country offers.
One of the unique meals that Japan is known for is the bento box, and Oishii Bento in Oakland is working hard to bring this style out for all of Pittsburgh to enjoy.
I remember when Market Square consisted of not much more than Chipotle, Starbucks, and PPG Place. Luckily things have dramatically changed for the better with the gradual addition of great restaurants.
On a recent visit we decided to visit Pizzaiolo Primo to check out their Neapolitan style pizzas made with an authentic wood-fired oven, as well as their incredible pastas that ended up being the biggest surprise of the night.
If you've spent some time working your way through our meal and restaurant reviews on this site, you'll know that my general pattern for ordering items is if it sounds weird or is a flagship/namesake menu item, I must try it. At Peppi's Old Tyme Sandwich Shop, this came in the form of The 7, also known as the Roethlisburger.
With a sandwich named after Big Ben himself, there is no other that I would rather try- and now I can't order anything else from their menu.
Tram's Kitchen isn't the kind of place you'd go for a gourmet, upscale dining experience. Â In fact, you probably shouldn't expect much of this restaurant at all as the inside is, well, pretty basic.
But if you are looking for a dining experience you'd expect to find on the streets of Vietnam, all while being in our beloved Pittsburgh, Tram's Kitchen should definitely be on your radar (and if you are looking for authentic, the decor should be a good sign too!).
There are some restaurants that you know the meal is going to be good from the very beginning, and within moments of entering Bar Marco in the Strip District I knew that this would be one of them.
While I was right on my hunch that the food and drinks would be fantastic, the portion sizes gave us reason to pause.
If you feel like modern Asian fusion cuisine is overdone and usually mediocre, you should head to Soba in Shadyside for a change of perspective.
With unpretentious but solid service, sleek and stylish decor, and inventive dishes that combine traditional Asian flavors with unexpected but delicious modern touches, Soba is an excellent choice if you're looking for a place to spend a special night out.
In 2022, Subba moved around the block to East Ohio Street. We have not visited the new location yet and this is from the former iteration. When we return we will update our review accordingly.
Nepal isn't known as a culinary capital of the world, but during our travels we fell in love with the country's unique cuisine– specifically the momos (a local dumpling) and daal bhat (a common feature in traditional lunch sets).
We weren't expecting to find this cuisine in Pittsburgh, but to our surprise a local Nepali family opened Subba Asian in the North Side which features dishes from India, China, and their home country of Nepal.
Naturally, we had to try the Nepali food we fell in love with during our visit.
The grilled cheese trend has not been one we've been particularly excited about, so when a few friends asked us to meet up at The Yard for late night grilled cheese, our hopes were not high.
Luckily, The Yard came through with many unique offerings, an incredible dessert menu, and for those who aren't into grilled cheese as much, a fantastic bar.
Vietnamese cuisine is a culinary style that hasn't taken off in popularity yet in Pittsburgh, but is one of the best national cuisines in the world. During my travels in Vietnam I fell in love with the cuisine, but also came away with an understanding that it is also hard to do right as there is a fine line to make the sweet, spicy, and salty flavors work in many of the dishes.
There are several restaurants that do an incredible job at Vietnamese food in Pittsburgh, Tram's Kitchen and Lucy's Banh Mi cart being a few, and it was with great excitement that I visited Pho Van in the Strip District to try some more of one of my favorite cuisines.
Unfortunately, I left reminded why this cuisine is so hard to do right. Pho Van was a major let down.