Visiting Pittsburgh - What should I eat and do? (Allentown: house, safe area)

[Psykomonkee]

I'll be visiting Pittsburgh in the near future...

Can you guys help me figure out what I should eat/try and what I should do?


My FOOD interests are (in order):

-Anything unique to the town I'm visiting (most important)
-Whatever the locals eat most (also important)
-Breakfast Food!!!
-Vietnamese Food
-Mexican Food
-Bakery Sweets!!! (LOVE Donuts & Cake)
-Japanese Food
-Pizza

My DOING interests are:

-Something a 10 year old can do
-Sightseeing
-Window Shopping
-Nature+Urban mix/contrast (like a beautiful urban greenspace)
-Tourists Traps
-Old Town Districts
-Historical sites and tours
-Sports (visiting with Buckeyes fans)
-Cars (Supercars, Luxury Cars, Drag Racing)

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[svband76]

Two offbeat suggestions:

Do any portion of this hike. You can be on trails while overlooking the city on a hillside. It's safe enough for a 10 year old.
https://mwcdc.org/park/

Walk around Market Square downtown. At Prantl's Bakery get a mini burnt almond torte to share and go a few doors over and get a coffee from Nicholas Coffee and sit in Market Square table outside and enjoy. Both places have been around forever.

Have fun.

[New Waver]

I like the above suggestions. While in Market Square, steer clear of Primantis and their lousy sandwiches. They are an overrated embarrassment to Pittsburgh. There is a good Mexican Restaurant called Last Velas in the Square.

[Twenty Years in the Burgh]

Hello, Pittsburgh visitor. Here's a rough overview of a few different things to eat and do:

Breakfast: Deluca's in the Strip District, Johnny's (formerly Pip's) Diner in the West End (a great place to hear Pittsburghese in its native habitat) , or, since you've going to have a ten-year-old dining companion, a visit to any of the Pamela's in the area for their famous crepe-like rolled pancakes might be in order. If you go to the original in Millvale (called P and G Diner in this small river town just across the river from Pittsburgh proper) and save enough room, you can stop by across the street for some of the best French pastries in the area (Jean-Marc Chatellier's French Bakery). If you're up *reeeeealy* early and are up for an adventure, head up further into the West End for some fabulous cake doughnuts at the little pink crack house (Better Maid Donuts). If you do go the breakfast doughnut route, follow the signs to the West End Overlook for a great view of the city. Two birds, one stone...

The Strip District should handle several of your other food requests in a uniquely Pittsburgh environment. Pho Van is my favorite pho in the city, a wander around Reyna's Mexican grocery is always fun.

You might want to save a visit to Umami (Japanese street food/roboto grill in Lawrenceville) for a time when you don't have a child with you, but it's pretty awesome both food and atmosphere-wise. If you're into dim sum (I know it's not Japanese, but...) and want to visit a bustling city neighborhood, check out Everyday Noodle in Squirrel Hill. There are several city parks and museums not far from here (dinosaurs at the Carnegie!), so this might also check several boxes. If your child companion is into oddities, a visit to Trundle Manor in Swissvale might also be in order. (Look it up--it's, umm, different, but pretty cool. I've taken several friends there and they've enjoyed it immensely.)

A visit to the Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville or to Riverview Park in Observatory Hill might check your urban/greenspace boxes. Plenty of safe areas to walk in both with the added bonus of the Observatory at Riverview and resident herds of deer at the cemetery.

There are so many things to do, see, and eat here. This was a just a general overview, so hopefully others will chime in with even more suggestions. Have fun and let us know what you think!

[SteelCityRising]

Hello there!

Welcome in advance to Pittsburgh! I do like all of the above suggestions. Here are a few more.

-National Aviary (rarely as crowded as the zoo, and you get much closer to the penguins!)
-Pad Thai at Nicky’s Thai Kitchen (enjoy dining al fresco in Allegheny West!)
-Kaffeehaus (East Allegheny); La Prima Espresso (Strip District); Gasoline Street (Dahntahn); Espresso a Mano (Lower Lawrenceville); Kaipur (Polish Hill); and Black Forge (Allentown) are some great local coffee options.
-Smallman Galley (Strip District) or Federal Galley (NoVA Place) are two great lunch options to sample up-and-coming local flavor.
-Catoma Street Overlook in Fineview (unique skyline view).
-Edgar’s Tacos (Upper Strip District)
-DiAnoia’s for divine albeit expensive brunch (Upper Strip District)

[Twenty Years in the Burgh]

The Aviary was a great suggestion, SCR--especially as it's close to the Mexican War Streets and Randyland. :-)

[guy2073]

For your 10 year old, a trip on the good ship lollypop is always a good time https://www.gatewayclipper.com/kids-cruises/

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

-DiAnoia’s for divine albeit expensive brunch (Upper Strip District)

Another vote for DiAnoia's, any time of day. I believe brunch is only on Sunday, and it's the only meal they serve on Sunday. But it's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day except Sunday and Monday. You'll need reservations for dinner. https://www.dianoiaseatery.com/

My favorite pizza is from Pizza Taglio in East Liberty. Pizza Taglio Restaurant

I pass on Pamela's and DeLuca's now that we have some better alternatives. If I do go to Pamela's, it's for their pancakes, which are truly better than any I've had anywhere else. The only thing I like at DeLuca's is the breakfast burrito. And as someone else recommended, avoid Primanti's at all costs.

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by Psykomonkee

I'll be visiting Pittsburgh in the near future...

Can you guys help me figure out what I should eat/try and what I should do?


My FOOD interests are (in order):
...
-Mexican Food
-Japanese Food

My DOING interests are:

-Something a 10 year old can do
-Sightseeing
-Window Shopping
-Nature+Urban mix/contrast (like a beautiful urban greenspace)
-Tourists Traps
-Old Town Districts
-Historical sites and tours
-Sports (visiting with Buckeyes fans)
-Cars (Supercars, Luxury Cars, Drag Racing)

[/color]

Originally Posted by Twenty Years in the Burgh

wander around Reyna's Mexican grocery is always fun.

Casa Reyna is a Mexican place in the Strip District. I also recommend a visit. The upstairs is a grocery store. The downstairs is a restaurant. The ceiling is very ugly, but the rest of the restaurant is quite authentic.
The Strip District is a neighborhood of gift stores and ethnic grocery stores. It's very unique, and a fun place to window shop.

If you want unique, local food - then there is a Polish deli (S&D Polish Deli) in the Strip. They have pierogies, if you've never enjoyed them. They're quite popular here.

There's also a very good candy store (Grandpa Joe's) very close to S&D.

At the end of the Strip (where the Strip begins to blend into downtown), you can find the Heinz History Center. This is a local history museum. It also is home to the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. This is recommended.

I also recommend visiting Las Velas. It's a Mexican restaurant. It's on the second floor of a building looking over Market Square. The food is ok. The view is nice.

täkō is a trendy restaurant downtown that allegedly serves a fusion of Mexican & Asian cuisine. It may be of interest to you, though I can't vouch for it personally.

The Ft Pitt Museum and a walk through Point State Park may be nice.

Oakland is also worth a visit. This is home to universities and hospitals.
Visiting Phipps Conservatory (indoor botanical garden, including a tropical forest area) is nice. Visiting the Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning is also very cool, and should be unique for a 10 year old. The Carnegie Museums are quite nearby that too - they have some cool exhibits that may interest a 10 year old (dinosaurs and ancient Egyptian mummies).

[Goinback2011]

If the weather is nice, take a ride on the rivers via the Gateway Clipper, or do a tour of downtown and have a boat ride on the Ducky tour. Catch both at Station Square over the Smithfield Street bridge.