1 17
1 17
Burgers, barbecue, chicken and Italian are featured prominently at trendy Pittsburgh restaurants.
Chefs Sonja Finn (of Dinette) and Becca Hegarty joined forces for this progressive but approachable restaurant in the shared atrium between the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Website: thecafecarnegie.com
Address: 4400 Forbes Ave.
Phone number: 412-622-3225
Number of seats: 100
Entrée price range: $13-$17
Popular dishes: Pulled chicken salad with grilled bread, winter lettuces, currants, pine nuts, scallions and red wine vinaigrette; roasted leg of lamb with chickpea purée and escarole on toasted rosemary garlic bread with shoestring fries; vegetable pot pie with Brussels sprouts, cremini mushrooms, pearl onion, carrots, butternut and red wine velouté, served with mixed lettuces
What others say: “Over the last few years, some of the country’s better museums have worked to change that perception by offering better dishes that please both visitors to the institutions and also are a draw for locals in search of a good meal. With opening of The Café Carnegie … Pittsburgh is set to join that roster of cities.” — Hal B. Klein, Pittsburgh Magazine
The interior
Leg of lamb sandwich
This Italian gem took on its shine after husband-and-wife team Dave Anoia and Aimee DiAndrea traveled to Italy on their honeymoon and transplanted the fundamentals of what they learned to a new eatery in the Strip District.
Website: dianoiaseatery.com
Address: 2549 Penn Ave.
Phone number: 412-918-1875
Number of seats: 85
Entrée price range: $14-$33
Popular dishes: Meatball panini with momma’s meatballs in red sauce and quattro formaggi (Gorgonzola, mozzarella, Parmesan and Fontina), served on filoni bread; potato gnocchi with meatballs, red sauce and pecorino Romano; cacio e pepe with spaghetti, grana Padano, pecorino Romano and black pepper
What others say: “The eatery’s name combines their surnames, and some recipes have been handed down through generations in both families, including one for meatballs that quite possibly altered the course of Ms. DiAndrea’s family’s existence. During World War II, her grandfather was stationed at the Army’s Medford Air Field in Oregon and was scheduled to ship out for combat. He volunteered for kitchen duty one evening and made his mother’s spaghetti and meatballs recipe.” — Dan Gigler, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The bar
Cacio e pepe
After working in some of Pittsburgh’s favorite restaurants, chef Derek Stevens went his own way to open this inventive, idiosyncratic eatery powered in part by a wood-fired rotisserie and grill in the historic Union Trust Building downtown.
Website: unionstandardpgh.com
Address: 524 William Penn Place
Phone number: 412-281-0738
Number of seats: 175
Entrée price range: $14-$42
Popular dishes: Union Standard burger with Jubilee Hilltop Ranch beef, "everything" potato roll, cheddar, Bibb lettuce, marrownaise, sweet onion and bread and butter pickles; wood roasted Locust Point chicken with hearty greens and sweet onion salad and shmaltz vinaigrette; wood grilled Lauren Bay calamari with escarole, roasted lemon and white beans
What others say: “It’s quite possible that chef Derek Stevens has the only resume in Pittsburgh — maybe the world — with a direct connection to Chuck E. Cheese and Henry Clay Frick. Over a quarter century his career arc has taken him from a high school job at a North Hills franchise of the kiddie pizzeria to his new restaurant in a century-old building commissioned by the Pittsburgh industrial titan.” — Dan Gigler, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Calamari
Bread
Roasting ranks among the noblest of arts at this hip, stylish, Italian-inclined bistro for followers of the long-loved fine-dining establishment Vallozzi’s, which is run by the same family.
Website: taliapgh.com
Address: 425 Sixth Ave.
Phone number: 412-456-8214
Number of seats: 50 in the dining room, 10 at the chef’s counter, 16 at the bar
Entrée price range: $16-$49
Popular dishes: Rotisserie roasted Porchetta with herb salad; ricotta gnocchi with short rib, Calabrian chile, tomato and bottarga; duck breast with leg confit, mushroom farrotto, Brussels sprouts and chile
What others say: “With an open kitchen, contemporary cool decor, hip-hop on at the bar and even a menu of shooters made from Italian liqueurs and top-shelf spirits, the Vallozzi’s new sibling restaurant Talia … is sophisticated but with a sense of humor. This is more like Ferris Bueller in a beret, sneaking out the Ferrari roadster.” — Dan Gigler, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Porchetta
Duck breast
Roasted chickens
“Where there’s smoke there’s swine.” So goes a tagline for this barbecue house by the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group (operators of Meat & Potatoes, Butcher and the Rye and Tako).
Website: porkandbeanspgh.com
Address: 136 Sixth St.
Phone number: 412-338-1876
Number of seats: 120
Entrée price range: $10-$38
Popular dishes: Frito Pie with smoked brisket, poblano salsa, tomatillo salsa verde and house cheese whiz; pulled pork; pastrami pork belly; Double Down sandwich with pickle brine fried chicken, pork roll, foie gras torchon, truffle Mornay and iceberg
What others say: “Tear into the spare ribs at Pork & Beans to experience the restaurant at its grease-in-your-beard best. You first hit the smoky and slightly sweet bark and then the meat, which tugs slightly, falling off the bone as you munch into its unctuous fat.” — Hal B. Klein, Pittsburgh Magazine
Smoked meats
Dirty fries
![](https://www.restaurant-hospitality.com/sites/restaurant-hospitality.com/files/styles/gal_landscape_main_2_standard/public/Link%20-%20trending-tables-pittsburgh.png?itok=P97YoXMf)