The renaissance corridor along Butler Street. Morcilla, Pusadee's Garden, Poulet Bleu, Driftwood Oven and Piccolo Forno anchor a mile of dining that put Pittsburgh back on the map.
Morcilla in Lawrenceville pours sherry and Spanish tapas in Pittsburgh. Justin Severino's charcuterie-driven room and a James Beard semifinalist.
Signature: Croquetas de jamon, Charcuterie
Order: The charcuterie board and whichever pintxos the kitchen is running, with a glass off the sherry list.
Tip: Reservations on Resy go fast for weekends. The standing bar holds space for walk-ins early in the evening.
Pusadee's Garden in Upper Lawrenceville plates traditional Thai in a courtyard garden in Pittsburgh. A family-run room with a James Beard semifinalist nod.
Signature: Khao soi, Whole fish
Order: Whatever the kitchen runs whole-fried, and a curry built around the daily market vegetables.
Tip: Reservations open one day at a time, thirty days ahead at 07:00 on Resy. The garden patio is the seat to get.
The Vandal in Lawrenceville serves a tight seasonal menu and a five-seat wine bar in Pittsburgh. A small room the Post-Gazette named one of the city's best.
Signature: Seasonal small plates, House bread
Order: The bread service and whatever the kitchen is running off the daily market board.
Tip: The dining room and the five-seat wine bar take different bookings. Reserve ahead on Resy for weekends.
Poulet Bleu in Lawrenceville serves a Parisian bistro menu in Pittsburgh. Richard DeShantz's French room sits next door to Morcilla on Butler Street.
Signature: Roast chicken, Steak frites
Order: The roast chicken for two, or steak frites with a glass off the French list.
Tip: The room runs full-on belle-epoque French. Reserve ahead; the bar takes a few walk-ins.
Umami on 38th Street in Lawrenceville serves izakaya skewers and ramen in Pittsburgh. A lantern-lit room with a koi pond patio off Butler Street.
Signature: Yakitori, Ramen
Order: A spread of yakitori skewers, a bowl of ramen and a Japanese highball.
Tip: The back patio with the koi pond is the seat. Walk-in friendly midweek; weekends get busy.
The Parlor Dim Sum in Lawrenceville serves Cantonese dim sum and barbecue in Pittsburgh. Chef Roger Li's room plating dumplings, buns and char siu.
Signature: Har gow, Char siu bao
Order: Har gow, char siu bao and whatever Cantonese barbecue the kitchen is running.
Tip: Small and popular; weekends get a wait. Dim sum is the whole point, order broadly.
Morcilla on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is Justin Severino's Spanish room in Pittsburgh. Charcuterie, sherry and tapas from a James Beard semifinalist.
Order: The charcuterie board and a flight off the sherry list.
Tip: Reserve on Resy for weekends. The standing bar takes a few early-evening walk-ins.
The Vandal on Butler Street in Lawrenceville serves a tight seasonal menu and a five-seat wine bar in Pittsburgh. Peak Pennsylvania ingredients.
Order: The bread service and whatever the kitchen runs off the market board.
Tip: The dining room and wine bar book separately. Reserve on Resy for weekends.
Pusadee's Garden on Butler Street in Upper Lawrenceville plates fine Thai in a courtyard garden in Pittsburgh. A family-run room with a James Beard nod.
Order: A whole-fried fish and a curry built on the daily market vegetables.
Tip: Reservations open one day ahead at 07:00 on Resy. The garden patio is the seat.
Piccolo Forno on Butler Street in Lawrenceville serves Tuscan wood-fired pizza and pasta in Pittsburgh. A neighbourhood Italian room locals book on Tuesdays.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, House pasta
Order: A wood-fired pizza or the daily fresh pasta, with a glass of Chianti.
Tip: Small and popular; reservations help on weekends. BYOB nights vary, call ahead.
Banh Mi & Ti on Butler Street in Lawrenceville serves crusty banh mi and Vietnamese coffee in Pittsburgh. A quick, cheap counter on the renaissance strip.
Signature: Banh mi, Vietnamese coffee
Order: A classic pork banh mi and an iced Vietnamese coffee.
Tip: Counter service, good for a fast lunch. Cash and card both fine.
Driftwood Oven on Butler Street in Lawrenceville bakes sourdough pizza and bread in Pittsburgh. A food-truck-turned-bakery with naturally-leavened pies.
Signature: Sourdough pizza, Naturally-leavened bread
Order: A naturally-leavened pizza and a loaf from the bread counter.
Tip: The sourdough crust is the point. Pies sell out late; bread goes early.
Pizza Lupo on Butler Street in Lawrenceville serves naturally-leavened pizza and natural wine in Pittsburgh. A pizzeria and bar on the renaissance strip.
Signature: Naturally-leavened pizza, Antipasti
Order: A naturally-leavened pie and a glass off the natural wine list.
Tip: Pairs pizza with a serious natural-wine list. Walk-in friendly midweek.
Umami on 38th Street in Lawrenceville serves izakaya skewers and ramen in Pittsburgh. A lantern-lit room with a koi pond patio off Butler Street.
Signature: Yakitori, Ramen
Order: A spread of yakitori, a bowl of ramen and a Japanese highball.
Tip: The koi pond patio is the seat. Late kitchen on weekends; walk-in friendly midweek.
Senti on Butler Street in Lower Lawrenceville serves seasonal Italian cooking in Pittsburgh. Handmade pasta and a garden patio on the renaissance strip.
Signature: House pasta, Seasonal Italian
Order: A fresh pasta and a seasonal main, with a bottle off the Italian list.
Tip: The garden patio is the seat in summer. Reserve for weekend dinner.
Ineffable Ca Phe on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville serves banh mi and Vietnamese coffee in Pittsburgh. A relaxed cafe with a small, sharp sandwich menu.
Signature: Banh mi, Vietnamese coffee
Order: A grilled-pork banh mi and a Vietnamese egg coffee.
Tip: Cafe by day; the Unspeakable speakeasy operates from the same address by night.
Espresso a Mano on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a small espresso-focused cafe in Pittsburgh. The city's serious espresso bar, meticulous and always busy.
Signature drink: Espresso
Convive Coffee Roastery on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a cafe and roastery in Pittsburgh. Single-origin pour-overs in a bright corner room.
Signature drink: Pour-over
Constellation Coffee on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville is a bright, minimalist cafe in Pittsburgh. Pour-overs, chemex and espresso in a calm work-friendly room.
Signature drink: Pour-over
La Gourmandine on Butler Street in Lawrenceville bakes French croissants and baguettes in Pittsburgh. A husband-and-wife patisserie that opened in 2010.
Worth the queue: Butter croissant
The Butterwood Bake Consortium in Lawrenceville is a late-night dessert cafe in Pittsburgh. Layer cakes, espresso and a glass of wine after dinner.
Worth the queue: Layer cakes
Redhawk Coffee Roasters started as an espresso truck and now roasts in Sharpsburg near Pittsburgh. Bright, single-origin coffees and cafes around town.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Espresso a Mano on Butler Street in Lawrenceville pours meticulous espresso in Pittsburgh. A serious cafe sourcing beans from top guest roasters.
Sources from: Rotating guest roasters
How they serve: Espresso, Filter
The Allegheny Wine Mixer on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a wine bar and taproom in Pittsburgh. An eclectic glass list with cheese, charcuterie.
Signature pour: A rotating glass off the eclectic list
Wine focus: Eclectic by-the-glass list
Food: Cheese and charcuterie
Solera Wine Co on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a wine bar and bottle shop in Pittsburgh. Bottles to drink in or take away, with a small-plates menu.
Signature pour: A glass from the around-the-world list
Wine focus: Global wines, bar and bottle shop
Food: Small plates
Senti on Butler Street in Lower Lawrenceville pairs Italian wine with seasonal cooking in Pittsburgh. A restaurant and wine bar with a garden patio in summer.
Signature pour: An Italian red with the pasta
Wine focus: Italian wines
Food: Seasonal Italian
Grapperia on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is an Italian amaro, grappa and wine bar in Pittsburgh. A digestivo-focused room above Piccolo Forno.
Signature pour: An amaro or grappa flight
Wine focus: Italian wine, amaro and grappa
Food: Italian snacks
The five-seat wine bar at The Vandal on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a fine perch in Pittsburgh. Low-intervention pours and snacks beside the kitchen.
Signature pour: A natural pour at the five-seat bar
Wine focus: Low-intervention and natural wines
Food: Snacks and small plates
The standing bar at Morcilla on Butler Street in Lawrenceville pours sherry, vermouth and Spanish wine in Pittsburgh. Justin Severino's charcuterie alongside.
Signature pour: A glass off the deep sherry list
Wine focus: Spanish wines, vermouth and sherry
Food: Tapas and charcuterie
Pizza Lupo on Butler Street in Lawrenceville pairs a serious natural-wine list with sourdough pizza in Pittsburgh. A pizzeria-meets-wine-bar on the strip.
Signature pour: A natural glass with a pie
Wine focus: Natural wines
Food: Sourdough pizza
Bar Botanico on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a plant-filled cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. Botanical drinks and small plates in a greenhouse-style room.
Signature drink: Botanical cocktails
Food: Small plates
Tip: The greenhouse room is the seat. Good for a date; the cocktails lean herbal and floral.
Grapperia on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is an Italian aperitivo bar in Pittsburgh. Amaro, grappa and aperitivo cocktails above Piccolo Forno.
Signature drink: Amaro and grappa cocktails
Food: Italian snacks
Tip: An Italian amaro-focused bar from the Piccolo Forno team. Good for a pre-dinner aperitivo.
Spirit on 51st Street in Lawrenceville is a bar, pizzeria and music venue in Pittsburgh. Pizza and drinks downstairs and live shows in a former Moose lodge.
Signature drink: Beer and cocktails
Food: Pizza
Tip: Check the upstairs show calendar. The downstairs pizza and bar run independently.
Unspeakable on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville is a speakeasy in Pittsburgh. Asian-inflected cocktails hidden behind the Ineffable Ca Phe cafe by night.
Signature drink: Asian-inflected cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Enter through the Ineffable Ca Phe cafe. The cocktails lean on Vietnamese flavours.
The Abbey on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a bar and restaurant in Pittsburgh. Cocktails, beer and brunch in a converted former funeral home with a patio.
Signature drink: Cocktails and beer
Food: Brunch and bar food
Tip: The back patio is the seat in summer. Strong brunch and a good cocktail list.
Banh Mi & Ti on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a quick Vietnamese counter in Pittsburgh. Crusty banh mi and Vietnamese coffee for a cheap.
Try: Banh mi sandwiches
Ineffable Ca Phe on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville serves banh mi and Vietnamese coffee in Pittsburgh. A relaxed counter with a small, sharp sandwich menu.
Try: Banh mi and Vietnamese coffee
Pita My Shawarma on Butler Street in Lawrenceville wraps Lebanese shawarma in Pittsburgh. A food-truck-turned-storefront for shawarma, falafel.
Try: Shawarma wraps
Church Brew Works in Lawrenceville brews beer inside a deconsecrated 1902 Catholic church in Pittsburgh. The brewhouse sits where the altar once stood.
Tip: The brewhouse on the old altar is the photo. Pierogi and a German-leaning menu pair with the beer.
Dancing Gnome on Main Street in Sharpsburg brews hop-forward ales near Pittsburgh. A taproom built around big, juicy IPAs with lagers and stouts alongside.
Tip: Hop-forward is the house style; cans sell out fast. The taproom keeps a few lighter pours too.
Cinderlands Long Story Short in Lawrenceville is the brewery's original taproom in Pittsburgh. Hazy ales and a bar menu on the renaissance strip.
Tip: The smaller, original Cinderlands taproom; the Warehouse has the bigger kitchen.
Three Rivers Beer Week runs each April across Pittsburgh. The 40-plus breweries of Allegheny County pour special releases and host events celebrating.
Tip: Spread across breweries citywide. Plan a route; the special releases sell through fast.
Banh Mi & Ti on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a cheap Vietnamese counter in Pittsburgh. A crusty banh mi and an iced coffee make a fast, low-cost lunch.
Try: Banh mi sandwich
Ineffable Ca Phe on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville is a cheap Vietnamese cafe in Pittsburgh. A grilled-pork banh mi and a Vietnamese coffee for under $12.
Try: Banh mi
The Abbey on Butler Street in Lawrenceville runs a strong brunch in Pittsburgh. Coffee, cocktails and brunch plates in a former funeral home with a patio.
Order: A brunch plate on the back patio with a coffee or a cocktail.
Umami on 38th Street in Lawrenceville runs a late izakaya kitchen in Pittsburgh. Yakitori, ramen and Japanese highballs on the koi-pond patio into the night.
Try: Yakitori and ramen
The Parlor Dim Sum on Butler Street in Lawrenceville serves Cantonese late on weekends in Pittsburgh. Dim sum, char siu and dumplings to midnight on Fridays.
Try: Dim sum and Cantonese barbecue
Spirit on 51st Street in Lawrenceville serves pizza late on show nights in Pittsburgh. A bar, pizzeria and music venue in a former Moose lodge.
Try: Pizza
Spirit on 51st Street in Lawrenceville is a bar, pizzeria and music venue in Pittsburgh. The upstairs hall runs DJ nights and live shows in a former Moose.
Tip: Check the upstairs calendar for dance nights; the downstairs pizza and bar run separately.
Unspeakable on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville is a speakeasy hidden behind a Vietnamese cafe in Pittsburgh. Asian-inflected cocktails behind Ineffable Ca Phe.
Tip: Enter through the Ineffable Ca Phe cafe. The cocktails lean on Vietnamese flavours.
Blue Moon on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a long-running LGBTQ bar in Pittsburgh. Drag nights, drinks and a welcoming crowd in Upper Lawrenceville.
Tip: Check the calendar for drag and theme nights. A friendly, unpretentious neighbourhood bar.
Bar Botanico on Butler Street in Lawrenceville is a plant-filled cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A calm greenhouse-style room with botanical drinks and a relaxed.
Tip: The greenhouse room is the seat for a low-key drink. Cocktails lean herbal and floral.