We love Pittsburgh! As a Pennsylvanian, I’m embarrassed to say I made my first trip to the steel city in my 30s. What was I waiting for? Pittsburgh’s location at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, where they also form the Ohio river, makes for a stunning landscape surround by unique architecture. And the city’s 400+ bridges also make it a special place to explore and photograph. While there’s plenty to see and do, we thought we’d focus on a few of our favorite places to eat and drink downtown that we discovered on our latest visit.
1. Gi-Jin
This little downtown spot is packed with ambiance and good vibes. Gi-Jin is a Japanese inspired sushi and gin bar by the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group, which operates a number of local hotspots. While it’s pricy, the food and drinks are amazing and totally worth the splurge.
2. Space Bar
For a fun and unusual theme, check out Space Bar. With glowing cocktails, like the Tart-ooine Sour, and dry ice concoctions like the Fifth Ele-mint, you’re bound to enjoy something creative. I stuck with the Espresso Mars-tini, which mixed up the classic with some coconut and rum.
3. Altius
For an elegant dinner with breathtaking views of the city, make a reservation at Altius in the Mt. Washington area. The food is outstanding, the service is super attentive and friendly, and the vibe is meant to impress.
Bonus: For a special treat, take an iconic Pittsburgh incline up to Altius. The Burgh has some of the oldest continuously running funiculars in the United States and the view is beautiful at night. Disclaimer: it was way too cold for us to take the incline on this trip, but we did enjoy the view from the top.
4. Genoa Pizza and Bar
After all the fancy cocktails and upscale dinners, this pizza shop and neighborhood bar is the perfect place to grab a slice and enjoy an IC light on tap. Or, if you’re me, you can ask them to dust off a bottle of Pinot Grigio.
This is a great industry bar, where we ran into some of the bartenders and servers we met at other spots around the city.
5. Market Square
We visited Pittsburgh during the holidays, so we got to explore the lovely holiday market, which was filled with great shopping and food and drink option.
If you’re not here during the holiday season, Market Square is still a great place to explore with plenty of offerings to choose from. But if it is the holiday season, you might even get to meet Krampus!
Where to Stay
We really enjoyed our stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown. It was centrally located, had spacious rooms, easy parking, and fast elevators.
What’s your favorite spot in Downtown Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments.
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Altius is my favourite Ate their many times over the years that my employer’s headquarters was in Pittsburgh