Across the Allegheny from downtown, the old Allegheny City. Fig & Ash, Siempre Algo, Penn Brewery and Max's Allegheny Tavern run the East Ohio Street and Deutschtown German-immigrant strip.
Fig & Ash in Deutschtown serves wood-fired American comfort food in Pittsburgh. A North Side room built around an open hearth and a strong weekend brunch.
Signature: Wood-fired mains, Brunch
Order: Whatever is cooked over the wood fire, and a cocktail or a brunch plate at weekends.
Tip: Brunch is the locals' pick. Reserve for weekend evenings; the bar takes walk-ins.
Siempre Algo in Deutschtown serves a New American tasting menu and cocktails in Pittsburgh. A small North Side room ranked among the city's best.
Signature: Tasting menu, Cocktails
Order: Let the kitchen run the set menu; the bar pairs it with house cocktails.
Tip: Small and reservation-driven. Book ahead on Resy for the counter and dining room.
Siempre Algo in Deutschtown serves a New American tasting menu and cocktails in Pittsburgh. A small North Side room ranked among the city's best.
Order: Let the kitchen run the set menu, paired with house cocktails.
Tip: Small and reservation-driven. Book ahead for the counter and dining room.
Nicky's Thai Kitchen on Western Avenue on the North Side serves curries and pad thai in Pittsburgh. A long-running BYOB room in Allegheny West.
Signature: Curries, Pad thai
Order: A coconut curry and pad thai, ordered at your preferred heat.
Tip: BYOB and casual. The North Side original is the location locals recommend most.
Max's Allegheny Tavern in Deutschtown serves German tavern food in Pittsburgh. Schnitzel, sauerbraten and steins in a North Side corner room.
Signature: Schnitzel, Sauerbraten
Order: Schnitzel or sauerbraten with spaetzle and a German beer.
Tip: A nod to the North Side's German immigrant roots. Good for groups.
Federal Galley on the North Side is a food hall of rotating chef concepts in Pittsburgh. Four kitchens and a bar across from the Children's Museum.
Signature: Rotating chef stalls, Bar plates
Order: Graze across the four rotating stalls and grab a cocktail at the central bar.
Tip: The stall line-up changes; it incubates new chefs. Good for groups who can't agree.
Burgatory on the North Shore serves build-your-own burgers and spiked milkshakes in Pittsburgh. A homegrown chain near the stadiums and rivers.
Signature: Build-your-own burger, Spiked milkshakes
Order: A build-your-own burger and a hard milkshake.
Tip: Handy near the North Shore stadiums. The spiked shakes are the gimmick worth trying.
Scratch Food + Beverage on Lowrie Street in Troy Hill is a cafe and restaurant in Pittsburgh. Coffee by day and a seasonal kitchen by night.
Signature drink: Espresso
Commonplace Coffee on Buena Vista Street in the Mexican War Streets is a cafe in Pittsburgh. A corner room on the North Side pouring locally-roasted beans.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Yinz Coffee on East North Avenue on the North Side is a homegrown cafe in Pittsburgh. Espresso and drip in a relaxed room near the Mexican War Streets.
Signature drink: Latte
Breadworks Bakery on the North Side bakes artisan breads in Pittsburgh. A long-running wholesale and retail bakery supplying many city kitchens.
Worth the queue: Sourdough and rye loaves
Refucilo Winery on Western Avenue on the North Side is an Argentine-rooted tasting room in Pittsburgh. Malbecs and blends with a family link to Mendoza.
Signature pour: A Malbec in the tasting room
Wine focus: Argentine-style wines
Food: Cheese boards
The Lion on Allegheny Avenue on the North Side is a small cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A neighbourhood spot with carefully made drinks in Manchester.
Signature drink: Cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: A low-key North Side cocktail bar. Good for a quiet drink off the tourist track.
Poetry Lounge on North Avenue in Millvale is a cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A moody, literary-themed room mixing creative drinks just over the city line.
Signature drink: Cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: A short hop into Millvale. Worth it for the atmosphere and the inventive cocktails.
Pierogies Plus in a former gas station in McKees Rocks makes pierogi by hand near Pittsburgh. Owner Helen Mannarino learned in Poland; the potato.
Try: Hand-made pierogi
Gus and Yiayia's cart on West Ohio Street on the North Side has scooped shaved-ice balls in Pittsburgh since 1934. A summer-only, cash-only cart.
Try: Shaved-ice ice balls
Penn Brewery in Deutschtown is Pittsburgh's oldest brewery, set in the 1800s E&O Brewery building. German lagers and a beer hall on the North Side.
Tip: Order the Penn Pilsner and the German plates. Oktoberfest is the big event here.
Grist House Craft Brewery in Millvale brews a rotating lineup near Pittsburgh. An outdoor-leaning brewery with food trucks and a beer garden.
Tip: Food trucks rotate daily; check the calendar. The outdoor patio is the seat in summer.
Allegheny City Brewing on Foreland Street in Deutschtown brews neighbourhood craft beer in Pittsburgh. A small North Side taproom in the old Allegheny City.
Tip: A walkable North Side stop near Penn Brewery and the Mexican War Streets. Family-friendly.
Southern Tier Brewery on North Shore Drive sits on the riverfront near the stadiums in Pittsburgh. A big brewpub with a full kitchen and a river patio.
Tip: Handy before a Pirates or Steelers game. The riverfront patio is the seat in warm weather.
The Greater Pittsburgh Food Truck Festival runs each May in Pittsburgh. Dozens of food trucks, live music and drinks across a multi-day open-air gathering.
Tip: Ticketed and busy; go at off-peak hours to skip the longest truck lines.
Pierogies Plus in McKees Rocks sells hand-made pierogi cheap near Pittsburgh. Order by the dozen to take home, or eat them fried at the gas-station counter.
Try: Hand-made pierogi by the dozen
Kabab King on McKnight Road serves cheap halal Pakistani food near Pittsburgh. A plate of biryani or seekh kebabs feeds you well for little in the North.
Try: Biryani and kebabs
Gus and Yiayia's cart on West Ohio Street on the North Side sells cheap ice balls in Pittsburgh. A few dollars buys a shaved-ice ball at the 1934 summer cart.
Try: Shaved-ice ice balls and popcorn
Fig & Ash on East Ohio Street in Deutschtown runs a wood-fired weekend brunch in Pittsburgh. American comfort plates from an open hearth on the North Side.
Order: Whatever comes off the wood fire, plus a brunch cocktail.
Harmony in Butler County pairs a preserved 1800s Harmonist village with a small-town table north of Pittsburgh. Burgh Bits & Bites runs a tasting walk.
Sewickley is a walkable riverside village just northwest of Pittsburgh. The Mediterra bakery cafe anchors a smart Broad Street near cooking classes.