A regional habit more than a recipe: a salad topped with a pile of French fries, plus grilled meat and cheese. The city's love of fries on everything, plated as a main-course salad.
The Pittsburgh salad grew out of the same fries-on-everything instinct that produced the Primanti sandwich. Diners and bars across the city pile hot French fries on a chef-style salad of lettuce, tomato, cheese and grilled chicken or steak. There is no single inventor; it is a regional convention that visitors notice immediately and locals take for granted. It appears on menus from neighbourhood diners to bar kitchens citywide.
3 editor picks for The Pittsburgh salad in Pittsburgh, ranked by editorial score. All Pittsburgh signature dishes · The Pittsburgh salad across every city.
Tessaro's ★ 4.4
bloomfield · 4601 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Tessaro's in Bloomfield grills its burgers over a hardwood fire in Pittsburgh. A neighborhood bar widely argued to make the city's best burger.
Butterjoint ★ 4.3
oakland · 208 N Craig St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Butterjoint on North Craig Street in Oakland is a bar and restaurant in Pittsburgh. Classic cocktails, a strong burger and house pierogi near Pitt.
The Original Oyster House ★ 4.1
downtown · 20 Market Square, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
The Original Oyster House on Market Square has served fried fish and oysters in Pittsburgh since 1870. The city's oldest bar and seafood counter.