The love for food never ceases in Steel City! There are always new tastes and unique combinations bringing together the food emotions of yinzers. Thus, the food culture of Pittsburgh will forever amaze us! While the city owns a set of iconic dishes that you could drool over, a few hidden gems do exist in this ‘City of Bridges’. How about exploring such quintessential food scenes of this mighty town?
Pittsburgh has witnessed a lot of cultures coming together which gradually paved the way for the ultra-strong blue-collar culture. Immigrants from diverse nations have exchanged their cultures with each other to nurture a unique style of living and food habits. And, this evolution of food clearly reflects through the classic Pittsburghese items like pierogies, Heinz ketchup, and Smiley cookies. But, the list isn’t exhaustive. Some foods have revamped themselves from their original German or Polish origins to become the favorites of yinzers.
Photo from CBS Local
So, here are some of the must-try items at Pittsburgh that can pamper your taste buds forever. Most of us yinzers almost miss many of these foods once outta town. Let’s get the menu ready!
1. The Grand Sunday Brunch
Wanna indulge in a wholesome Pittsburgh food experience? Well, prepare yourself to enjoy a hearty Sunday brunch at The Grand Concourse. Situated in the South Side neighborhood, this restaurant has a massive and classy look, fitting into the grandeur of old train station architecture. The elegant ambiance will just fit right in before you get to drool over a food coma.
The buffet is so appealing that you could almost be stunned in deciding what to have from the endless options before you. Yet, filling up your tummy with sugar-dusted or cinnamon-coated donuts will always happen for sure. Pick the cheesiest or most appetizing filling for your omelet. Or, tuck in to devour some traditional items like bacon, eggs, ham, meat ribs, shrimp, and mussels for an English breakfast table. You could finish up at the dessert station, hogging on pancakes, ice-creams, pastries, or waffles!
Photos by Heather Mull
2. Tessaro's Burgers
Wanna try some giant burgers in Pittsburgh? Then, hit the road towards Tessaro's Bar and Grill. Even without a glamming appearance, this eatery on Liberty Avenue is sure to impress you with its sleek old-school vibes. The burgers here are to die for!
While the menu is so diverse with ribs, steaks, and sandwiches, yinzers love the hardwood-grilled burgers stuffed with a chunky piece of meat and other fillings. You could even customize your fillings and dressings to ramp up a gourmet meal out of their burgers. Especially, the cheeseburgers or just any grilled burgers here are smothered with juicy and smoky flavors. Wait, is it just us, or are you already on the drool end! ;)
Photo from Tessaro’s
3. German Chocolate Cake
How about a dessert all the way from its Texan origin to throw in a sugar delight to your mouths after a hearty meal? This decadent delight isn’t a masterpiece of any particular cafe or bakehouse of Pittsburgh. Instead, the rich and classic recipe has flown down to surprise the bakers of Steel City. Nevertheless, Max’s Allegheny Tavern can still entice you with a piece of heaven. German Chocolate cake has mostly 3 rich layers with chocolate and buttermilk. The frosting and filling is quite a delicacy with a splash of coconut and pecans. A lot of whisking, frothing the eggs, and baking to get the perfect and moist slice of cake!
Photo from Cooking
4. Cheesesteak
Are you up to try the best-ever cheesesteaks in the country? Uncle Sam’s Submarines or Penn Station should be your pick to hog on a tummy-filling portion of cheesesteak. However, you can still whip up your kitchen to cook the authentic Pittsburgh style of cheesesteaks.
Grilled with a generous amount of herbs and dressings, the steak bursts with smoky flavors of garlic and ground pepper. Then, load the steak with cheese slices and grill again to let the real flavors ooze out of it. Savor the delicacy with a side of tomato relish and coleslaw. What a meal for the day!
Photo from Doordash
5. Sarris Candies
Probably no day passes on for a yinzer, without stuffing their pockets with Sarris Candies! This heaven for nibble-treats can be undeniably termed as the iconic chocolate store of Pittsburgh. With their original shop located in Canonsburg, they have numerous outlets throughout the city. Chocolates, ice-creams, or cakes, name all that comforts you and Sarris Candies provide all of them. And, do not forget to munch on their yummiest treats, the chocolate-covered pretzels!
6. Clark Bars
Not just Sarris Candies, but yinzers are quite fond of their another quintessential nibble-treats, Clark bar! This candy bar filled with chocolate and peanuts became a huge hit from 1917 in Pittsburgh. The taffy-centre with caramel does invite a separate huge fanbase for Clark candy bars. When the Irish immigrant, David L Clark developed this unique candy bar, little did he know that this was supposedly a total win? After Clark bars hit the markets, there were many more such as Butterfinger bars, 5th Avenue bars, and Klondike bars that yinzers fell in love with!
Photo from Twitter
7. Fried Zucchini
Is it a little late for starters yet? Maybe not, when fried zucchini is ready for the serve. Though it can’t be claimed as a legit Pittsburgh food, fried zucchini has risen to its popularity from the cafes and eateries of Pittsburgh. Zucchinis are deep-fried until they get their golden glow and served with multiple dips to pull your stomach as the perfect appetizer. Hey, and don’t forget to ask for some marinara sauce to get the zing!
Hog On Many More Classic Pittsburghese Food!
Besides the above ones, Pittsburgh has an almost non-exhaustive list of foods that could just send you to a cloud nine. Some age-old traditions and recipes have made diverse dishes like Haluski, pepperoni rolls, cookie tables, and many others in an exquisite yinzer style. So, find out more about them and explore the enlivening tastes & flavors of this mighty and beautiful city! Or, simply just tuck more space in your tummy to eat a lot more pierogies, fries on salad, almond tortes, and Pamela’s pancakes!!
Go food hunting for the authentic Pittsburghese flavors in style with the cool ‘Yinzer Certified’ t-shirts from Yinzershop!
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