Ok Pittsburgh foodies, I am on a mission in 2025 to hit all of the restaurants on this list. Some are fairly new & some are long standing institutions in the burgh. No matter when each spot opened, I have had my eye on each of these eateries & am making a point to visit each one this year! I am off to a HOT start already knocking 10 spots off as of 7/16.
Amazing Dumplings
My reel on Amazing Dumplings is live on my insta & some pics are posted below! The owner, Ping was an absolute delight to chat with among all of the incredible food. Did you know they have over 12 types of dumplings?! And don’t think the deliciousness stopped with the dumplings! The general tsos chicken, spicy noodles & fried scallion pancake were sooo tasty. This was the perfect family style meal with a friend & made the most delicious leftovers. If you’re someone who likes spice, the chili oil dumplings were UNREAL.
Duo’s Taqueria
Duo’s, Duo’s, Duo’s – my sweet hidden gem of the burgh. I cannot BELIEVE it took me this long to get to this authentic Mexico City-inspired eatery. Chef Marcella Ogrodnik, has created the most beautiful slice of Mexico City cuisine & culture right in the East Liberty neighborhood of the burgh. From their agave-based spirits that are 100% owned & operated by Mexican families or corporations, to their handmade tortillas & tamales, Duo’s is the full experience. They use a process called nixtamalization, a technique thousands of years old, to create their fresh, delicious corn tortillas. You won’t find this anywhere else in the burgh! Not to mention Chef Marcella Ogrodnik is Michelin trained from her time at French Laundry.
Now let’s talk dinner & drinks…I started with their Paloma, a classic cocktail & my friend opted for one of their agua frescas, refreshing flavors on rotation. Incredible start. Next up we ordered the guacamole. It was perfectly simple with a bit of spice from the Serrano peppers & so incredibly fresh. Up next was the ceviche de coco. I am having an everlasting battle between if this dish or the al pastor tacos took first place for me but they are both just so excellent in different ways so l call tie! The ceviche was made in a unique way where the red snapper, cucumber, celery & avocado marinated in a habanero coconut broth. I have never seen this before, but oh my goodness the flavors were OUTSTANDING.
We each ordered tacos as well, I got the Al pastor & my friend got the suadero. The one thing that impressed me most about my Al pastor was that the tortilla & meat were nice & hot, but the salsa & pineapple were chilled so you could tell the tacos were prepared & brought straight to the table without sitting out. We had to cap our meal with a warm churro & chocolate sauce because after all that deliciousness we needed to see what they brought to the table with dessert. I kept raving over & over about every minute of the experience to our fantastic waitress Phoebe (a true icon). This is a top 5 restaurant in Pittsburgh for me. Reel linked here & pics below!
Dish Osteria
I feel like a fraudulent Pittsburgh blogger for it taking me this long to go to Dish!!! Guys, I can’t even describe. I had heard about this restaurant back during the pandemmy in 2020, so it’s been a long time coming but oh was it worth it. Located in southside, I was confused how I had never come across Dish with all the time I spent as a southside rat after college. Now I know why, it is legit in a HOUSE off of Sarah Street LOL. It truly made it all the more authentic & reminded me of my dining experience at Olamaie in Austin, TX which was stunner – if you want to read about that, check out my Austin Travel Guide!
Anywho, back to Dish. My two friends who also LOVE food & I went to dinner for what turned out to be a celebration of one of them passing their boards! We had made the reservation ~3 weeks out to get a good time slot at 7:45pm. We started off with a round of cocktails, 2 of us getting their featured cocktail, the Fig Manhattan & the other getting the Signorina Ciccia which was dangerously delicious with prickly pear syrup. For apps we did the Carpaccio di Manzo & the Insalata Mista WOW. The carpaccio was so fresh & delicious with the arugula, beef tenderloin, Reggiano, lemon & extra virgin Sicilian olive oil combo. For mains we ordered a solid variety. I had the Gnocchi al Ragù di Agnello, one friend had the Fettucce di Mare allo Zafferano & the other ordered the Involtino di Maiale. Every single one of us was so blown away. The way I’ve eaten probably hundreds of pounds worth of gnocchi in my life & this was by far the best. They perfected the shape & texture while still allowing it to be fluffy & light so I didn’t feel like I had a ball of pasta in my belly lol. The lamb shoulder ragu was so incredible with shredded lamb in the perfect amount so it didn’t overwhelm the dish. Will absolutely be getting this again, tbh my mouth is watering writing this HAHA.
We had to get dessert of course so we did a tiramisu & a panna cotta. Apparently I’ve never had good panna cotta before because the way this dessert changed me….seriously I have never liked panna cotta & Dish’s was preferred to the tiramisu in my opinion. Not to say the tiramisu wasn’t a classic delight, I just truly have never experienced panna cotta like that before. The service was 100/10 & I will be back over & over from now on. Go make those resys peeps!
Pino’s
Another Italian joint knocked off the list! Pino’s is a long standing institution tucked away in the Point Breeze neighborhood & boy is this a GEM. I first heard of Pino’s years ago when I was doing research for an article for Made In PGH on Italian joints serving homemade pasta. I hadn’t made my way there until now, but I’m so glad I made it a point to go this year. The vibes were giving quaint neighborhood restaurant which was perfect for a lil girl date! We each ordered a glass of wine to start the evening, I chose Sauvignon Blanc & my friend chose Chianti. They also had cocktails which sounded fab, although I just wanted to go classic with a white wine.
For food we each started with a salad, I chose the Caesar because who doesn’t obsess over a Caesar salad?? You could even add anchovies for $2, but I wasn’t feelin THAT wild lol. For my entree, the rec came from my friend Jess, who frequents Pino’s! She said the bolognese was to die for & specifically called out the ideal pasta shape. She was 100% right. The bolognese was incredible & the shape of the housemade pasta really took it over the top in the best way. Also the dollop of seasoned ricotta, chef’s kiss 🤌🏼🤌🏼
I had to save room for dessert, so I took home half of my bolognese for lunch the next day, which was absolutely incredible even in leftover form. Dessert was the Chocolate Budino, Italian custard with honey infused mascarpone whipped cream on top. I wish I could have this dessert every single day of my life oh my gosh it was the perfect elevated version of chocolate pudding. This is a meal I could have over & over. I also had my eye on the Sausage Arrabbiata so I’ll have to go back for that pasta & some of their pizza!
Oak Hill Post
When Oak Hill Post announced earlier this year that they were closing their doors for other creative pursuits, I was devastated. I couldn’t believe that a spot I had heard such great things about was closing right when I was making a point to visit. Luckily, they announced they were doing order ahead takeout orders for some of their breakfast classics on weekends so I still had my chance. I placed an order at noon on Wednesday when they open them up for the weekend & set my pickup for Sunday afternoon! My roomies & neighbor all got in on the order so we had 2 classic sausage biscuit sandwiches, 1 classic biscuit sandwich & an order of French toast. Sadly, I didn’t have the greatest experience… When I picked up my order I was eager to take a photo of my sausage biscuit sandwich with the sign out front of Oak Hill Post & I had noticed we were given 2 classic sandwiches & only 1 sausage. When I went back inside to let them know we had received the wrong sandwiches, I was met with a pretty combative tone from the staff & was told I was wrong. I was in fact not wrong (which I knew & felt uncomfortable having to explain). They remade the sandwich & had a more positive tone when I received the order the second time. Not sure if the woman was having a bad day, but it was pretty awkward. After I got home & tried the biscuit I was pretty underwhelmed. The sandwich was pretty bland as a whole, especially the biscuit. It really didn’t taste like much, I didn’t even finish mine. Not sure if I just caught them on a rough day or what, but this one was my first bummer of the check-list.
Nanban
If you are someone who remembers Ki Pollo & Ki Ramen, Nanban is their child. As Executive Chef Roger Li made room for one of my favorite restaurants, The Parlor, he condensed the two previous restaurants on Butler Street into one fast casual concept. Nanban serves up ramen & fried chicken making this the perfect destination for Asian soul food.
I ordered the Spicy Chicken Sando (thigh meat, rayu cucumber, inferno honey, toasted sesame slaw, la-zi seasoning) & wowowowow. I am not typically a thigh meat gal, but this sandwich was amazing. The combination of the spicy chicken & the acidity from the cucumber & sesame slaw was just divine. I did the combo meal which came with a side of waffle fries tossed in nori powder. We loved those so much we ordered an extra side of the fries LOL. My roommate got the Shio Udon (udon noodles, crispy pork cubes, kikurage mushrooms, miso butter corn, a nitamago egg, and scallions) & the flavors of the broth alone were INCREDIBLE. This is the perfect quick & easy nighttime bite that will satisfy all your cravings. This is definitely no surprise to me, as Roger Li puts out some of the best concepts in the Burgh. Stop by this counter service spot when you’re popping around Lawrenceville!
Wise County Biscuits
If you’ve spoken to me recently, I’ve probably mentioned my new obsession with Wise County Biscuits in the north side. I had heard the hype from many about this farmers market stand turned restaurant biscuit spot & omg the hype is REAL. I visited for the first time on 3/2 & was so obsessed I went back on 3/9 LOL. Wise County offers everything you want in a biscuit – buttery, salty, fluffy, but NOT crumbling to pieces. I do dare say this is the best biscuit I’ve ever had in the burgh.
First time around I snagged a Your Way Sandwich with bacon, scrambled eggs & cheddar cheese along with an iced coffee & the sweet sweet cinnamon sugar biscuit bites, UNDENIABLY DELICIOUS. Next time around I got the Your Way Sandwich with pork sausage, scrambled eggs & pimento cheese with an iced coffee & grits. Two completely different sandwiches & sides, still absolute perfection both times. Their weekend menu is linked here & their weekday menu is linked here. The main difference in the menus is during the week there are also lunch offerings, and on weekends there are more breakfast plate options. The vibes are immaculate & kinda remind me of a diner where it isn’t about a frilly drink menu but really about the breakfast food. They also have a display case filled with yummy pastries & dessert goodies that I had to physically stop myself from ordering on top of my meal LOL.
When you walk in to order, there will likely be a line, but don’t be intimidated because it does go fairly quickly! You’ll wait in line to order, then take a seat & the food will be brought to you. If there is room when you are up to order, you can also opt for counter seating (I did this during my first visit) & you’ll get an adorable view of their baking tin collection on the wall. I couldn’t get over how cute they were! Since we were sat at the counter, we got to chat with the owner & she said they’ve collected them over the years from markets & Facebook marketplace. She had mentioned they had a few they still have to hang up that some regular customers had gifted to them to add to the collection. Speaking of the owner, she & the staff were so friendly & I will probably go back here at least once a month because biscuits & vibes?? What more could you ask for?! 10 outta 10 baby!!! Open 7:30am-2:30pm daily (closed Tuesdays).
Lilith
Be still my heart. Lilith, you showed me the most incredible night. Mentioned in my March newsletter as my favorite dining moment of the month, Lilith instantly popped to the top of my list of favorite Pittsburgh restaurants. I’ve had my eye on Lilith since it joined the Pittsburgh restaurant scene in November of 2023 & can happily say she was worth the wait. At the same time, what a shame it took so long to visit! As a restaurant with passion & craftsmanship at the center of their program, I knew this meal would be special so I wanted to save it for a special occasion. One of my friends, Sophia, is potentially Lilith’s biggest fan so when I saw they were hosting a Galentine’s Dinner (Lilith is run by 2 female chefs HOLLA) I immediately hit Sophia up to be my date! Sadly I got sick & knew that would’ve ruined my experience, so we rescheduled for March. Finally, it was time.
As I walked into this quaint spot tucked off of Ellsworth Street in Shadyside, I could immediately tell the energy was warm, welcoming & honestly pretty fun. Definitely not a place you’d get scowled at for chatting or laughing, which I loved. After sitting down & catching up, we discussed our ordering plan. Sophia recommended we order a few small plates & then one main we could share, saving room for dessert of course. We decided on the fancy lobster rolls, oysters with passion fruit mignonette, tuna tartare & the Japanese sweet potatoes as our small plates, the skate wing as our main & baked Alaska as our dessert. As a treat, the chef sent out the shrimp aguachile small plate as well, how sweet!
Let me start by saying the fancy lobster rolls are an ABSOLUTE MUST. Small but mighty, these were filled with the most delicious lobster salad & the bread alone was buttery perfection. Naturally, we could not leave without dessert, as one of the women in the executive chef duo, Chef Dianne DeStefano, specializes in baking & pastry arts. We chose the baked Alaska feature & I was blown away. I’d never had baked Alaska before, so I was unsure of what to expect, but one thing that came as no surprise was the passion & detail put into this delicious dessert.
The flavors of every menu item were so unique & exciting, but in a way that didn’t overpower the dish or negatively make any one dish stand out when enjoyed alongside the rest. I also loved the array of hot & cold items in our order. The chilled shrimp aguachile, tuna tartare & oysters met the warmth of the buttery fancy lobster rolls, Japanese sweet potatoes & skate wing in the best way. Every bite was truly savored during my experience. Also note we had a very seafood-heavy order, but seafood isn’t the only thing on the menu. It just happened to shake out that way with us both loving seafood.
The duo of Chef Jamilka Borges, leader of the culinary program & Chef Dianne DeStefano, leader of the dessert program has created something truly special in Pittsburgh. I simply cannot wait to go back.
Kyuramen
Oh how I have dreamt of omurice for years… If you don’t know, I am a MASSIVE fan of omelettes, scrambled eggs, really any egg in general, so omurice has been calling to me from afar for far too long. When I first saw the Japanese dish known as omurice on TikTok, I knew I needed to one day try it. If you’re not familiar, omurice is a super cool & unique dish that starts with a scoop of fried rice & is topped with a thin omelette that is cut open to unfold over the rice. It is then traditionally topped with a Demi-glace sauce. ENTER KYURAMEN.
This restaurant in East Liberty & Cranberry (I visited the East Liberty location) touts its Tonkatsu Omurice, a classic omurice topped with pork tonkatsu, as one of their featured dishes. This was my chance to finally try omurice. I was ready. Our server recommended trying both the Demi-glace & the curry sauce since it was my first time trying the dish. What a LEGEND. This was the absolute best move because I split the dish down the middle & poured the sauces accordingly to see which I liked best. I preferred the curry sauce to the Demi-glace, but honestly both were so fab you cannot go wrong. I had chosen to order as a combo which came with a choice of lemonade of Thai iced tea & wowowowow, the Thai iced tea was incredible. With Kyuramen having a full tea bar in the restaurant, they were serving up the best.
Other highlights of the dining experience were the takoyaki octopus balls & the lobster & chashu salad balls. Both of these appetizers had such unique & delicious flavors that I loved. I also ordered the pork gyoza, but tbh I could’ve done without these. I wish I would have saved more room for my omurice LOL. The atmosphere was also very modern & chic, especially for Pittsburgh. There is multi-level seating stacked inside honeycomb shaped tables, large group tables & private tables behind curtains as if you’re in your own little room which is nice for privacy. I will absolutely be back to get my beloved omurice again soon & try out their ramen!
Moonlit Burgers
I CAN’T BELIEVE it has taken me so long to go to Moonlit for 2 reasons – first because I LOVE smash burgers & second because it has been a yinzer staple for a few years now! It’s honestly just hard for me to come across Moonlit because I am never in Dormont or Uptown where each of their locations are, plus if I’m in the mood for a smash burger Burgher’s Brewing is in Lawrenceville (where I live). Alas, the time finally came for Moonlit to have her moment. I had bought my family tickets to the Barry Manilow concert at PPG Paints Arena for Christmas. My parent’s don’t get out too much in the city so we decided to make a night of it & go to eat before the concert. While my sister & I have adventurous palettes, my parents do not LOL. We knew we needed a quick & easy crowd pleaser & Moonlit being right up the hill from PPG Paints was the perfect spot for the fam.
I didn’t want to get too crazy with my burger so I ordered the Classic Moonlit as a single burger. When I go back I’ll definitely do the double, but I didn’t want to overeat before a 3 hour concert. The Classic comes with griddled onions, american cheese, kosher dill pickles & signature moon sauce on a martin’s potato roll. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again SMASH👏🏻 BURGERS👏🏻 NEED👏🏻 TO👏🏻 BE👏🏻 ON👏🏻 A👏🏻 POTATO👏🏻 ROLL👏🏻. It’s just a part of the smash burger experience in my opinion. The combo of the flavors on this burger, WOW they nailed it. Now the one exception to the beloved potato roll is if you are gluten free (like my sister). Moonlit also has gluten free buns available to swap out on any of their burgers. One thing I will note is the signature moon sauce is NOT gluten free & that is due to a small amount of soy sauce that is used, womp womp. Still, my sister enjoyed her burger very much as well.
We also ordered 2 orders of the shoestring fries & they weren’t your typical “side” size, they were whole baskets so thank goodness we each didn’t order one LOL. We got a side of cheese sauce to share as well & again MASSIVE – like a family size Moe’s queso cup full of cheese sauce for $3. We didn’t even make a dent in that. Overall, the vibes were great, the service was super quick & there was tons of seating. They also have a full bar on-site if you’re looking to grab a drink alongside your meal & an ice cream bar that serves up shakes (boozy or regular) & ice cream sundaes. This is a great spot for a casual date, family night, or just to grab food quickly solo.
Alberta’s Pizza
Umi
Brothmonger
Soju
The 412 Franimal 