Pittsburgh's historic wholesale market street between 16th and 22nd. Wholey's fish, Penn Mac, Enrico Biscotti, the original Primanti's and DiAnoia's run the Penn and Smallman strip.
DiAnoia's Eatery in the Strip District serves house-made pasta and Italian breakfast in Pittsburgh. A corner room often voted the city's best Italian.
Signature: House-made pasta, Pasta sfoglia
Order: Whichever hand-rolled pasta is on the board, with a cocktail and a pastry from the cafe case.
Tip: Open early for breakfast and lunch; dinner books up on weekends. The bakery counter runs separately at the front.
Balvanera in the Strip District serves Argentine asado in Pittsburgh. Chef Fernando Navas runs the wood-fired grill in a converted 1920s terminal warehouse.
Signature: Grilled steak, Empanadas
Order: Empanadas to start, then a grilled cut with chimichurri and a Malbec.
Tip: The dining room takes reservations; the bar and bodega area are first-come walk-ins. Parking lots sit behind the Terminal.
Eleven in the Strip District is big Burrito Group's flagship in Pittsburgh. Contemporary American cooking and a longtime special-occasion address.
Signature: Seasonal tasting, Composed mains
Order: Let the kitchen run the seasonal menu; pair it off the deep cellar list.
Tip: The dressiest of the city's big rooms. Reserve well ahead for celebrations and ask about the chef's counter.
Eleven in the Strip District is big Burrito Group's flagship in Pittsburgh. Contemporary American cooking in a restored warehouse with a deep wine list.
Order: Let the kitchen run the seasonal menu and pair off the cellar list.
Tip: The dressiest of the big rooms. Reserve well ahead and ask about the chef's counter.
Balvanera on Smallman Street in the Strip District serves Argentine asado in Pittsburgh. Chef Fernando Navas runs the wood grill in a 1920s warehouse.
Order: Empanadas, a grilled cut with chimichurri and a Malbec.
Tip: The dining room takes reservations; the bar and bodega are first-come.
DiAnoia's Eatery in the Strip District serves chef Dave Anoia's house-made pasta in Pittsburgh. A corner room often voted the city's best Italian.
Order: Whichever hand-rolled pasta is on the board, with a cocktail.
Tip: Open early for breakfast; dinner books up on weekends. Reserve ahead.
Primanti Bros on 18th Street is the 1933 Strip District original in Pittsburgh. The sandwich with fries and vinegar slaw stacked inside the Italian bread.
Signature: Almost Famous sandwich, Capicola and cheese
Order: An Almost Famous sandwich with grilled meat, slaw and fries packed inside the bread.
Tip: This is the original location, open since 1933 and late into the night on weekends.
Kaya on Smallman Street in the Strip District serves Caribbean cooking from big Burrito in Pittsburgh. Jerk, plantains and rum cocktails in a bright room.
Signature: Jerk plates, Plantains
Order: A jerk plate, fried plantains and a rum cocktail.
Tip: A big Burrito Group room good for groups. The brunch and rum list are draws.
Iron Born Pizza in the Strip District bakes crispy-edged Detroit-style square pizza in Pittsburgh. A pan-pizza specialist that grew out of a stall.
Signature: Detroit-style pizza, Pepperoni square
Order: A Detroit-style square with crisped cheese edges and pepperoni.
Tip: Different from the Pittsburgh-square style; this one is Detroit pan. Squares sell out.
De Fer Coffee & Tea on Smallman Street in the Strip District is a roomy cafe in Pittsburgh. A roastery cafe with a long tea list and space to sit and work.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
The James Cafe on Smallman Street in the Strip District is a modern cafe in Pittsburgh. Coffee, light plates and a clean room in the market district.
Signature drink: Latte
Pane e Pronto on Penn Avenue in the Strip District is DiAnoia's Italian cafe in Pittsburgh. Cappuccino, focaccia and pastries a few doors from the restaurant.
Signature drink: Cappuccino
Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange in the Strip District is a cafe and roaster in Pittsburgh. Coffee roasted on site plus dozens of loose-leaf teas.
Signature drink: Single-origin coffee
The Enrico Biscotti Company in the Strip District hand-shapes Italian biscotti in Pittsburgh. A small bakery and cafe with a brick-oven cooking class.
Worth the queue: Hand-shaped biscotti
Mancini's Bread on Penn Avenue in the Strip District has baked Italian bread in Pittsburgh since 1926. The Signature Twist is its most famous loaf.
Worth the queue: Signature Twist loaf
Pane e Pronto in the Strip District is DiAnoia's Italian bakery cafe in Pittsburgh. Focaccia, pastries and espresso a few doors from the restaurant.
Worth the queue: Focaccia and pastries
My Sweet Lilly on Penn Avenue in the Strip District rolls Italian pastries and crisp pizzelles in Pittsburgh. Open daily 8am, closing 4pm to 5pm.
Worth the queue: Rolled pizzelle
De Fer Coffee & Tea roasts in small batches and pours in the Strip District on Smallman Street in Pittsburgh. A cafe and roastery with a deep tea list.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
La Prima Espresso Co. roasts Italian-style espresso in the Strip District in Pittsburgh. An old-school counter where the produce trade gets its caffeine.
Sources from: Italy-style blends, Central America
How they serve: Espresso, Whole bean retail
Allegheny Coffee & Tea Exchange roasts on site in the Strip District in Pittsburgh. Beans roasted in-house plus over 40 varieties of loose-leaf tea.
Sources from: Africa, Central America, Indonesia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Bar Marco on Penn Avenue in the Strip District is a natural-wine bar and restaurant in Pittsburgh. A high-ceilinged room with a downstairs tasting room.
Signature pour: Natural wine by the glass
Wine focus: Natural and biodynamic wines
Food: Seasonal small plates
Pittsburgh Winery on Penn Avenue in the Strip District makes wine on site in Pittsburgh. A cellar tasting room with house-made wines and live music.
Signature pour: A house-made red in the cellar
Wine focus: House-made wines
Food: Cheese boards
Wigle Whiskey on Smallman Street in the Strip District is a distillery and tasting room in Pittsburgh. Grain-to-glass whiskey and cocktails.
Signature drink: House whiskey cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Take a distillery tour, then drink cocktails in the tasting room. A Strip District original.
Primanti Bros on 18th Street is the 1933 Strip District original in Pittsburgh. Open daily, late on weekends. At 46 18th St. Booking recommended.
Try: Almost Famous sandwich with fries and slaw inside
S&D Polish Deli on Penn Avenue in the Strip District is a deli, grocery and pierogi counter in Pittsburgh. Hand-pinched pierogi with imported cheese.
Try: Pierogi and Polish plates
The counter at Wholey's on Penn Avenue in the Strip District fries a famous fish sandwich in Pittsburgh. Order it from the fish market and eat it standing.
Try: Fried fish sandwich
Jimmy & Nino Sunseri on Penn Avenue in the Strip District bakes a two-pound pepperoni roll in Pittsburgh. The signature stuffed bread to grab.
Try: Pepperoni roll
The grill counter at Salem's on Penn Avenue in the Strip District serves halal shawarma in Pittsburgh. Wraps, kebabs and grilled plates from the butcher.
Try: Shawarma and grilled plates
OddFellows on Smallman Street in the Strip District scoops weird-flavor ice cream alongside Posman Books in Pittsburgh. Open daily 11am to 8pm.
Try: Scoop ice cream in oddball flavors
Enrico Biscotti on Penn Avenue in the Strip District sells hand-shaped biscotti to go in Pittsburgh. Grab a bag of Italian cookies while walking the strip.
Try: Hand-shaped biscotti
Mancini's Bread on Penn Avenue in the Strip District sells its Signature Twist loaf in Pittsburgh. A century-old bakery counter for bread and sandwiches.
Try: Signature Twist bread and sandwiches
Cinderlands Warehouse in the Strip District is the brewery's big taproom in Pittsburgh. Hazy IPAs, saisons and a serious kitchen in a brick warehouse.
Tip: The Warehouse has the full kitchen; Long Story Short on Butler is the smaller taproom.
Wholey's on Penn Avenue is the Strip District's landmark fish market in Pittsburgh, in business since 1912. Fresh seafood and a fish-sandwich counter.
Tip: The giant fish sandwich at the counter is the move. Look for the moving fish sign out front.
Pennsylvania Macaroni Company has run the Strip District's Italian grocery in Pittsburgh since 1902. A cheese counter, 200 cuts of pasta and olive oils.
Tip: Penn Mac to locals. The cheese counter is the heart; take a number and wait.
WFH Oriental Food Market on Penn Avenue in the Strip District stocks one of Pittsburgh's deepest selections of East Asian groceries. Open daily 9am to 6pm.
Tip: Good stop for Asian produce, dried noodles and sauces while walking the Strip. Walk-in, no reservation.
Salem's Market & Grill is the Strip District's halal butcher and Middle Eastern grocery in Pittsburgh. Spices, halal meat and a grill counter since 1983.
Tip: Shop the grocery and eat from the grill counter. The shawarma and spices are the draw.
Reyna Foods is the Strip District's Mexican grocery in Pittsburgh since 1988. House-made tortillas, dried chiles, Mexican cheeses and a back taqueria.
Tip: The house-made tortillas are the reason to come. Grab tacos at the back counter too.
Lotus Food Company is the Strip District's pan-Asian grocery in Pittsburgh. House-made tofu, fresh produce and foods from across East and Southeast Asia.
Tip: The house-made tofu and the produce aisles are the draw for home cooks.
Mon Aimee Chocolat on Penn Avenue stocks a vast fine-chocolate collection in the Strip District in Pittsburgh. Bars and confections from around the world.
Tip: Sits at the corner of Penn and 21st. Go for hard-to-find international chocolate bars.
Enrico Biscotti hand-shapes Italian biscotti and pastries in the Strip District in Pittsburgh. A bakery, cafe and brick-oven cooking-class spot in one.
Tip: Duck down the alley to the cafe for lunch. The hand-shaped biscotti are the signature.
Jimmy & Nino Sunseri is a third-generation Italian deli in the Strip District in Pittsburgh. Famous for two-pound pepperoni rolls and fresh-baked bread.
Tip: Order the pepperoni roll, the store's signature. Jimmy is the Strip's unofficial greeter.
Mancini's Bakery on Penn Avenue has sold Italian bread in the Strip District in Pittsburgh since 1926. The Signature Twist loaf and sandwiches to go.
Tip: Grab a Signature Twist loaf and a sandwich. A Strip District bread institution.
Labad's on Penn Avenue is a Mediterranean cafe and grocery in the Strip District in Pittsburgh. Gyros, baba ghanoush, baklava and pantry staples.
Tip: Eat a gyro and shop for spices and olives. A small Strip District favourite for Mediterranean.
Burgh Bits & Bites walks the Strip District in Pittsburgh, tasting through its ethnic groceries. Pepperoni rolls, biscotti, cheese and pierogi with local.
City Brew Tours Pittsburgh runs a 4 to 5 hour all-inclusive brewery tour with food pairings from local brewers, transportation and tasting flights included.
The Original Pittsburgh Taco Festival runs each September at the Stacks at 3 Crossings in Pittsburgh. Dozens of taquerias, tequila and a taco-eating crowd.
Tip: Ticketed; gold tickets get early entry. Tacos and tequila across dozens of vendors.
Enrico Biscotti on Penn Avenue in the Strip District teaches a brick-oven bread class in Pittsburgh. Make rustic Italian loaves, then share a family-style.
Enrico Biscotti on Penn Avenue in the Strip District teaches a Neapolitan pizza class in Pittsburgh. The lead pizzaiolo guides you through dough.
S&D Polish Deli on Penn Avenue in the Strip District teaches a pierogi-making class in Pittsburgh, learning to fold and fill pierogi the deli way since 1957.
Enrico Biscotti in the Strip District runs Italian dinner-and-class nights in Pittsburgh. Cook a course or two, hear the history of the dish.
Primanti Bros on 18th Street is the cheap, filling Strip District original in Pittsburgh. One sandwich with fries and slaw inside the bread is a whole meal.
Try: Almost Famous sandwich
The counter at Wholey's on Penn Avenue in the Strip District fries a cheap, huge fish sandwich in Pittsburgh. A market-counter meal eaten on the strip.
Try: Fried fish sandwich
Pamela's Diner on 21st Street in the Strip District serves cheap crepe-style hotcakes in Pittsburgh. A budget breakfast institution famous for its thin.
Try: Crepe-style hotcakes
Pamela's Diner on 21st Street in the Strip District serves Pittsburgh's most famous hotcakes. Thin, crisp crepe-style pancakes that drew Obama in 2008.
Order: The crepe-style hotcakes, thin and crisp at the edges, with Lyonnaise potatoes.
DiAnoia's Eatery on Penn Avenue in the Strip District serves Italian breakfast and brunch in Pittsburgh. House pastries, egg dishes and pasta in a corner.
Order: Italian breakfast plates and a pastry from the cafe case, with a cocktail.
Kaya on Smallman Street in the Strip District runs a Caribbean weekend brunch in Pittsburgh. Big Burrito's plant-filled room with jerk plates.
Order: Caribbean-leaning brunch plates and a rum punch off the bar.
De Fer Coffee & Tea on Smallman Street in the Strip District is a roomy cafe for a light brunch in Pittsburgh. Pastries, coffee and breakfast plates.
Order: A pastry and a filter coffee, or a light breakfast plate at the cafe.
Primanti Bros on 18th Street in the Strip District serves its fries-inside sandwich late in Pittsburgh. The 1933 original runs to 2am on weekends.
Try: Almost Famous sandwich
Iron Born Pizza in the Strip District serves Detroit-style square pizza late on weekends in Pittsburgh. A crispy-edged pan slice for a Strip District night.
Try: Detroit-style square pizza