Pittsburgh Food Tour
In the mood for adventure, Levi and I set out on a self-made food tour across one of our favorite cities. In Pittsburgh, a new restaurant opens every day it seems and our list of places to try just keeps getting longer! It was a rare sunny December day, so we decided to hit the road. Expectations high. Bellies empty. List in hand. Our list was long, but Levi and I managed to visit a record number of restaurants, shops, and fun spots in one beautiful 24-hour day! We would love to share some of our favorite spots with you!
STOP #1
SQUARE CAFÉ
SQUARE CAFÉ
1137 S Braddock Ave
Regent Square
http://square-cafe.com
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
ON THE MENU
Cinnamon Cortado (in a cool square mug)
Flat White (We had these every morning in New Zealand)
Shrimp & Grits Bowl
Vanilla Cinnamon Protein Pancakes
Lemon Berry Ricotta Pancakes
(with real maple syrup. No HFCS goop here!)
Tip: Be sure to pick up one of their signature squared off coffee mugs while you’re there!
There is also a very cool outdoor shop- 3 RIVERS OUTDOOR COMPANY- right across the street.
Check it out! https://3riversoutdoor.com
Stop #2
SMALLMAN GALLEY
SMALLMAN GALLEY
54 21stStreet
The Strip District
https://www.smallmangalley.org
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Smallman Galley is an indoor food hall collection of four micro-restaurants (like Chelsea market in NYC)– but what you probably didn’t know is that it’s a restaurant incubator that serves as a launch pad and accelerator for chefs of emerging food businesses. The vibe is cool, laid back, and modern. Lucky chefs can get a 12-month contract and learn how to build a successful food business, build a following, and maybe even gain potential investors. They are closed on Mondays for training so the chefs can learn essential business tips.
Restaurants located in the Galley:
HOME
BA-CO
IRON BORN PIZZA
BANHMILICIOUS
We checked out the menus of each but didn’t have room for food. Everything looked delicious!
Of course we got COMMONPLACE COFFEE, which never disappoints!
Stop #3
MON AIMEE CHOCOLAT
MON AIMEE CHOCOLAT
2101 Penn Avenue
The Strip District
https://www.yelp.com/biz/mon-aimee-chocolat-pittsburgh-2
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
We can’t leave the Strip without visiting our favorite gourmet chocolate shop – Mon Aimee Chocolat. There is always something new here to discover and today was no exception! I found a beloved chocolate that our grandmother always gave us when we were kids- German bittersweet chocolate cat tongues or Katzenzungen. I bought a box to share with my family on Christmas Eve, but my sister, Wendy, ate them all. She reports that they were great!
Stop #4
PITTSBURGH SANDWICH SOCIETY
PITTSBURGH SANDWICH SOCIETY
108 43rdStreet
Lawrenceville
http://www.pghsandwichsociety.com
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
On The Menu
Hot Chicken Sandwich
They put the hot in hot chicken! The roll was perfection. Best hot chicken sandwich we’ve ever had!
A Food Truck, but they also have a small brick and mortar where you can order take aht!
Served with the famous PITTSBURGH PICKLE COMPANY pickles.
Yum!
https://www.pittsburghpickle.com
Stop #5
LA GOURMANDINE
LA GOURMANDINE
4605 Butler Street
Lawrenceville
https://lagourmandinebakery.com
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Fantastic French Bakery. Oh là là.
We purchased goodies to go.
STOP #6
MELLO & SONS
MELLO & SONS
4405 Butler Street
Lawrenceville
http://melloandsonsvintage.com
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Cool vintage denim shop with great old Levi’s, etc. The shop is really well done with lots of great finds.
They have some things for women, but it’s mostly menswear.
Stop #7
THE BLACK CAT MARKET
THE BLACK CAT MARKET
5171 Butler Street
Lawrenceville
http://www.blackcatmarketpgh.com
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎
If you like cats, stop by this unique cafe where you can enjoy a cup of coffee and play with adorable adoptable cats.
Stop #8
THE ABBEY ON BUTLER STREET
THE ABBEY ON BUTLER STREET
2906, 4635 Butler Street
Lawrenceville
https://www.theabbeyonbutler.com
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
CoffeeHouse, Pub, & Bistro.
The Abbey is a unique comfortable space that invites you to sit and stay a while. With the exposed brick walls, dark ceiling beams, and soft leather furniture, it’s a great place to kick back and relax while watching old black and white movies. We each had a Cortado and just relaxed. We loved it here and will definitely return.
Stop #0
We stopped by B52 Café.
Lawrenceville
They were rude. We left. Nuff said.
Rating: Ⓕ
Stop #9
LEONA’S
LEONA’S
Found all over the city!
http://www.leonaspgh.com
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
If you’ve ever been to Pittsburgh, chances are you’ve had the famous Leona’s ice cream sandwich, if not, get one quick! Their ice cream is 100% Dairy, 100% lactose free and 100% fantastic. They also make their own cookies and combine the most creative and unexpected flavors. And I love that they named their company after their dog! Many restaurants and grocery stores carry them all over the city. We found ours at Ki Ramen in Lawrenceville.
Stop #10
PIZZA TAGLIO
PIZZA TAGLIO
126 South Highland Ave.
East End
https://tagliopgh.com
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Great Roman-style pizza! The best pizza we‘ve had outside of Brooklyn.
Chef Anthony Giaramita is an attorney who traded in his briefcase for an apron and a pizza oven.
This is a BYOB restaurant, with a great vibe and atmosphere. Highly recommend!
We will definitely return.
Stop #11
EVERYDAY NOODLES
EVERYDAY NOODLES
5875 Forbes Avenue
Squirrel Hill
http://www.everydaynoodles.net
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
Everyday Noodles is an authentic Chinese cuisine restaurant, and the shining star here is the Chinese soup dumpling! If you’ve never tried a Chinese soup dumpling made completely from scratch, get here fast! Incredibly delicious, and the kitchen is open to the dining area so you can watch them making the homemade noodles and dumplings through the glass wall. It’s fascinating and impressive! I would recommend going early or calling for takeout, as there is usually a line. We get there early! We ordered the seafood dumplings, the pork dumplings, and some dim sum. It was unlike anything we had ever had. We also had the Mango Bubble Tea with Lychee jelly- a very interesting texture- but we liked it! Of everything we had all day, this was by far the favorite!! It will be a must stop from now on.
Stop #12
PPG PLACE ICE RINK
PPG PLACE ICE RINK
1 PPG PLACE
Downtown
http://www.ppgplace.com/directory/the-rink/
Rating: ☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎☺︎
We arrived to the rink around 9pm and it was a beautiful evening. There was an enormous decorated Christmas tree in the center of the rink and the glass walls of PPG Place were simply sparkling with all the reflected lights. It was truly stunning. We skated and laughed for nearly an hour which was the perfect ending to a truly enjoyable day.
*
If you wonder how we visited so many eateries in one day without getting stuffed, we only ordered one thing, and shared. We also did as much walking as possible and actually logged 16K steps on this trip!
CHEERS!
Apparently your phone tracks you if you let it… This was on Levi’s phone!
Just for fun, here are some of our other favorites on The Strip:
DIANOIA’S
2549 Penn Avenue
https://www.dianoiaseatery.com
Incredible Italian Eatery. Everything is delicious and beautiful!
LA PRIMA ESPRESSO COMPANY
205 21stStreet
https://laprima.com
THE best coffee!
PENNSYVANIA MACARONI COMPANY
2010-2012 Penn Avenue
http://www.pennmac.com
The ultimate Italian grocery store. The cheese! The Olives! The Pasta! They have everything here! We always pop in here to look around and grab some goodies to take home. So fun!
ENRICO BISCOTTI COMPANY
2022 Penn Avenue
http://www.enricobiscotti.com
Bakery, Café, and classroom. Famous for the biscotti, but what you need to know about is the room in the back- where they teach the bread making classes. I took the class a few years ago and it was incredible! It is taught by Enrico’s owner- Larry- and the meal they serve you is out of this world! He is charming and entertaining and each participant gets to take home the loaf of bread that they made. He also hosts an annual Food and wine tour through Tuscany- where you basically travel all over Italy with him and take cooking classes. This is definitely on my bucket list!