Pittsburgh (Where to eat? What to see?)

[DeathByEagle]

Booked the Hotel, Locked in my seats for Eagles vs Steelers in Oct. Now I need to know where are the top places to eat and things to see/do?

Who knows the town, the best spots etc? I dont care what is the most popular/famous places to eat/see are. I instead what the insite on what are the best places, best food. There are always the places that everyone talks about everywhere are the "most famous" but they suck. Genos and Pats are the most famous through out the world for cheesesteaks. However they are not even in the top 50 in best cheese steaks in philly/south jersey. Im not looking for the Genos and Pats of Pittsburgh. More looking for the John's Roast Pork type of places. As they say, ask the locals. Im sure we have some locals here.

I will be staying in the middle of the city at the Drury Plaza so should be in a prime spot to hit anywhere. Looking forward to some good suggestions.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

There may be a Wendy's open by then... 😄

[CHIP72]

Primanti Brothers sandwiches, which feature french fries and cole slaw ON the sandwich, are a Pittsburgh area institution, but IMO their sandwiches aren't that good because the meat isn't that good.  (To me, most Philadelphia area cheesesteak places are much better.)  Mind you, the only time I ever had a Primanti Brothers sandwich was 20+ years ago.

Most of the time I spent in Pittsburgh was in the late 1990s, but Station Square, just across the Monongahela River from downtown and accessible through the light rail (oftentimes called "the T"), may be worthwhile in terms of food.  Another possibility is to go to the Strip District, located a short distance northeast of downtown, which has some farmer's markets analogous to Reading Terminal Market in Center City Philadelphia; I believe the Strip District markets are most active on weekends.

In terms of sights, one thing you should do is go to the Southside near Station Square and take one of the inclined plane trains (i.e. funiculars) up to the top of Mount Washington just southeast of the Golden Triangle (which is where Pittsburgh's downtown is located) and south of and across the river from Heinz Field.  You'll get excellent views of downtown Pittsburgh, the three rivers junction, and the two large sports stadiums (Heinz Field and the Pirates' PNC Park) from the top of Mount Washington.

[paco]

I was in Pittsburgh for a few months back in 2006 but never really went to any great restaurants.  There was a place on Mount Washington that my team went to that was really good but don't know the name.

 

I did got to Fathead's Saloon a few times and enjoyed my time there.

 

If I remember correctly, the subway is free for the (4?) stops in the city.  If that's the case, it should open you options up quite a bit.

[Shepard Wong]

If you are around Market Square and like Italian, check out Pizzaiolo Primo.  I had gnocchi that was exceptional.  My buddy had a pizza with prosciutto and arugula and he loved it.  If I recall correctly, they had a pretty decent wine/beer selection.  

I grew up with an Italian grandmother that made her own pasta, so I'm pretty picky about Italian food.  The restaurant itself is smallish and unremarkable but the food was really good.

[Shepard Wong]

Also, if you are looking for a place to hang out and drink pre-game, Stage AE was a pretty good spot.  They have an outdoor stage set up for live music and the beer is pretty cheap.  We were getting 24 oz Molsons for $5.  

It's right next to Heinz Field.  We went for a Sunday night game two years back when the Steelers played the Ravens.  It was a good time.

[eagle45]

I lived in Pittsburgh for 7 years and just recently left.  It has become one of the finest food cities in America.  

Market Square has Pizzaiolo Primo, as previously mentioned.  They have incredible traditional italian food, but they have a new chef and things may have slipped a bit.  What kind of food are you looking for?

Pittsburgh is an incredible city.  East Carson St in the South Side for 20-30 night life, strip district has some great clubs and restaurants, downtown for the more upscale places.  

Stay away from Primanti's.  Tourist trap that serves garbage between two slices of white bread.

[DeathByEagle]

Trip canceled. Ticketmaster refunded tickets due to Steelers doing the exact method as the Eagles where they are doing a single game option each week so any and all tickets sold on the secondary market have been refunded and not valid. 

[xzmattzx]

The game occurred, but I have some suggestions for people looking for general suggestions for Pittsburgh:

 

The original Primanti Brothers is worth a stop, just for the sake of saying you were there, like going to Pat's and Geno's once in Philly, or Anchor Bar in Buffalo.

 

For something to do, that is free (except for parking), I like walking around the University of Pittsburgh campus.  Actually, there are a lot of world-class museums in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where Pitt is located.  Plus, the remnants of Forbes Field are there.

 

The Church Brew Works used to be a big deal, 5-10 years ago.  It's a microbrewery located in an old church.  Now, there are microbreweries everywhere, so I think the novelty has worn off.

 

The best microbrewery in Pittsburgh is probably Dancing Gnome.