Chef Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group$$$east-libertyBook 1 week ahead
Fish nor Fowl on Penn Avenue in Garfield serves a creative New American menu and cocktails in Pittsburgh. A plant-filled DeShantz room hard to put in one box.
Order: Share across the menu; the kitchen is built for grazing. Pair with a cocktail.
Tip: Good for groups who want to order broadly. Reserve for weekends.
Chef Monterey Bay kitchen$$$$mount-washingtonBook 1 to 2 weeks ahead
Monterey Bay Fish Grotto on Grandview Avenue serves fresh seafood with the skyline view from Mount Washington in Pittsburgh. A special-occasion room.
Order: A grilled fresh fish off the daily list, with a window table at dusk.
Tip: Take the Mon Incline up to the room. Window seats book first for the view.
Chef The Vandal kitchen$$$lawrencevilleBook 1 to 2 weeks ahead
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.
Chef Bridges & Bourbon kitchen$$$downtownBook 1 week ahead
Bridges & Bourbon on Penn Avenue downtown pairs a high-end cocktail program with New American plates in Pittsburgh. A room for a dressed-up night.
Order: A cocktail off the long bourbon list, then share New American plates.
Tip: Handy before a Cultural District show. The cocktail program is the headline draw.
Chef Talia kitchen$$$downtownBook 1 week ahead
Talia Cucina on Sixth Avenue downtown serves modern Italian in a film-noir room in Pittsburgh. Handmade pasta and rotisserie meats in the Cultural District.
Order: A fresh pasta and whatever is turning on the rotisserie, with an Italian red.
Tip: Dark and dressy downtown. Reserve for pre-theatre dinner in the Cultural District.
Chef big Burrito Restaurant Group$$$shadysideBook 1 week ahead
Casbah in Shadyside serves Mediterranean wood-grilled cooking and a serious wine list in Pittsburgh. A long-running big Burrito Group room on South Highland.
Order: Mezze and a wood-grilled main, paired off the by-the-glass list.
Tip: The patio is the seat in warm weather. Reserve for weekend evenings.