East Carson Street runs the city's longest bar strip. Dish Osteria, Acacia speakeasy, La Palapa and the Saturday-night crowd fill the flats below the slopes.
Dish Osteria on the South Side serves Sicilian-leaning Italian in Pittsburgh. A small candlelit room locals have booked for special nights since 2000.
Signature: Sicilian pasta, Seafood
Order: A seafood pasta and whatever Sicilian special the kitchen is running that night.
Tip: Dinner only, no lunch. The room is small and books up; reserve ahead for weekends.
La Palapa on East Carson Street in the South Side serves regional Mexican cooking in Pittsburgh. Mole, tacos and margaritas on the bar strip.
Signature: Mole, Tacos
Order: A plate of mole and a round of tacos, with a margarita.
Tip: Good before a South Side night out. The mole is the standout; reserve weekends.
The Pub Chip Shop on East Carson Street in the South Side serves British fish and chips and savoury pies in Pittsburgh. A pub kitchen on the bar strip.
Signature: Fish and chips, Savoury pies
Order: Fish and chips wrapped in paper, or a savoury meat pie.
Tip: Deep-fried British comfort on the South Side. Good ballast before a night out.
Delanie's Coffee on East Carson Street in the South Side is a work-friendly cafe in Pittsburgh. A two-floor room with coffee, food and wifi on the bar strip.
Signature drink: Drip coffee
19 Coffee Company roasts small-batch coffee in Washington in the south hills of greater Pittsburgh. A specialty roaster supplying cafes across the region.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Eighth & Hays on West 8th Avenue in Homestead is a wine bar in greater Pittsburgh. An approachable glass list and small plates on a river-town street.
Signature pour: A glass off the by-the-glass list
Wine focus: Approachable wines by the glass
Food: Small plates
Acacia on East Carson Street in the South Side is a low-lit cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. A calmer corner of the bar strip built for conversation.
Signature drink: Custom cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: A quieter spot on a rowdy strip. Tell the bartender what you like and let them build it.
The Finch on South 2nd Street in the South Side is a cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. Drinks and small plates in the old Duquesne Brewery distillery complex.
Signature drink: Cocktails
Food: Small plates
Tip: Set in the historic distillery complex. A more grown-up South Side option.
The Pub Chip Shop on East Carson Street in the South Side fries British fish and chips in Pittsburgh. Paper-wrapped cod and savoury pies on the bar strip.
Try: Fish and chips
Hitchhiker Brewing in Mt. Lebanon brews IPAs and barrel-aged beers near Pittsburgh. A South Hills taproom with a second spot on the South Side.
Tip: Two locations; this Mt. Lebanon original is the brewhouse. Barrel-aged releases are the draw.
Burgh Bits & Bites walks East Carson Street on the South Side in Pittsburgh. Tastings from small local businesses paired with the historic story of the flats.
Burgh Bits & Bites walks Brookline Boulevard in Pittsburgh, tasting from some of the city's best small businesses. A historic narrative of the South Hills neighbourhood.
The South Side Soup Contest runs each February in Pittsburgh. Walk East Carson Street sampling soups from 20 local restaurants and vote for the city's best bowl.
Tip: Ticketed crawl along East Carson. Dress warm; the sampling is mostly walk-and-taste.
Gaynor's School of Cooking on East Carson Street in the South Side teaches hands-on classes in Pittsburgh. Knife skills, technique and global cuisines in a Victorian building.
Gaynor's School of Cooking on the South Side teaches a knife-skills class in Pittsburgh. A focused session on technique, cuts and kitchen confidence for home cooks.
The Pub Chip Shop on East Carson Street in the South Side serves cheap fish and chips in Pittsburgh. Paper-wrapped cod or a savoury pie for under $15.
Try: Fish and chips
The Grand Concourse at Station Square runs a grand Sunday buffet brunch in Pittsburgh. Carving stations and a donut machine under the old train station's.
Order: Work the carving stations, the donut machine and the Bananas Foster.
Waffles INCaffeinated on East Carson Street in the South Side is a waffle-focused brunch spot in Pittsburgh. Sweet and savoury waffles and big coffees.
Order: A loaded waffle and a strong coffee; the savoury waffles are the move.
The Pub Chip Shop on East Carson Street in the South Side fries fish and chips late in Pittsburgh. A pub kitchen for ballast during a South Side night out.
Try: Fish and chips
La Palapa on East Carson Street in the South Side serves tacos and margaritas late on weekends in Pittsburgh. A bar-strip Mexican kitchen for a late-night.
Try: Tacos and margaritas
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in Mill Run pairs an architecture pilgrimage with the Laurel Highlands table near Pittsburgh. The cafe cooks local.
Ohiopyle pairs waterfalls and white water with a small-town table southeast of Pittsburgh. Ohiopyle Bakery bakes bread each morning; Paddler's Pizza faces.
Farmington anchors the southern Laurel Highlands' dining near Pittsburgh. Stone House cuts and dry-ages its own steaks; Bittersweet Cafe bakes pies.
Acacia on East Carson Street in the South Side is a speakeasy-style cocktail bar in Pittsburgh. Low lights and custom cocktails in a calmer corner of the bar strip.
Tip: Tell the bartender what you like and let them build a drink. Quieter than its neighbours.