first food post pt. 2

I’m still cooking up another game theory-related post that will take a bit more time to finish (and so here is another Pittsburgh related food post). The last post covered only some of the neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, so here is the other batch of places that the typical CMU student only goes to sometimes.

• Strip District: This neighborhood is well known for the food scene and the grocery stores. When I lived in North Oakland, I would occasionally walk here (which, in retrospect, was a very sketchy path). I used to go to the Strip District a bit during freshman year since this is where the Red Cross office in Pittsburgh.
  • Restaurant: Coop de Ville (although I have not bought food from this place in person) is my absolute favorite takeout fried chicken place. I’ve gotten GrubHub deliveries from there many times.
  • Coffee: De Fer Coffee and Tea happens to be my favorite coffee shop to work at in Pittsburgh just because of the vibe and the ability to take a nice walk in a cool area afterward.
  • Misc: Klavon’s, which unfortunately may not be open anymore, is my favorite ice cream parlor in Pittsburgh. I happen to be a fan of sundaes and Klavon’s is miles above the competition. Also, Macaroni Company is a cool grocery store.
• Downtown: I rarely went downtown sophomore and junior year (because of the pandemic) and so I didn’t have as much exposure to this area of Pittsburgh as I did with many of the others. One factor that did help me get more familiar with the area was that I interned at PNC the summer before my senior year, which, in addition to being able to go out for lunch, introduced me to a lot of people who also had their lists of Pittsburgh favorites.
  • Coffee: I never managed to go to Gasoline Street Coffee Company until after I had graduated, but it has a nice vibe (they have a chess board) and has pretty good coffee.
  • Lunch Places: Arrepittas has a filling combo platter that would always satisfy my craving for Latin American food. Sree’s Foods, on the other hand, was one of the few Indian places I enjoyed in Pittsburgh. It was started by this couple from Hyderabad and I feel like they would give me a little extra food when I spoke in Telugu.
• Lawrenceville: This is a neighborhood that is known for some refined restaurants. I’ve only been here a few times so I can’t speak to much.
  • Restaurant: Picolo forno is a nice Italian place; can’t say much more than I enjoyed my experience there. Condado’s on the other hand is a Pittsburgh classic (known for its fusion tacos) and whenever I get takeout from Condados’s it’s always from this specific location.
  • Coffee: I have surprisingly been to a handful of coffee shops here but Espresso a Mano stands above the rest.
• Southside: Although there are a few spots that I absolutely adore from this neighborhood I’ve actually only visited in person two-three times.
  • Restaurant: The place I’ve gotten the most takeout from in Pittsburgh is Cilantro and Ajo (I don’t even remember how many times now). The plantains side dish is by far the best plantains I have ever eaten and their cilantro crema is also absolutely amazing.
  • Coffee: Delanie’s Coffee is my pick for the Southside. Not going to lie this is the only coffee place I have gotten coffee from in Southside but it was still pretty decent.
• Northside: Most people don’t even know the name of this neighborhood other than the fact that it’s home to The Mattress Factory. I can’t say I’m much better to be honest though since this is the neighborhood that I’ve been to the least (although I did know the name).
  • Restaurant/Coffee: 40 North at Alphabet City is the only place I’ve been that I feel is worth putting on this list. There’s an attached bookshop, and bookshop food combined places are always pretty cool.
• Bloomfield: This neighborhood in my opinion is a weird in between going places neighborhood and so I’ve grouped an interesting swath of area into this place.
  • Restaurant: The first time I went to Apteka I had an amazing time. The second time I will say was not nearly as good of a time as the first and so I’m conflicted since I came out of the place the first time thinking that it was the best restaurant in Pittsburgh and the second time thinking it was subpar. Regardless it’s a place that has to be mentioned.
  • Coffee: Ineffable Ca Phe is a Vietnamese place that, in addition to coffee, also sells Bahn Mi’s. It also has a lot of space and quite a few outlets so nice place to camp out to get some work done.
• Other mentions: Wheelfish is the best barbeque place I have been to in Pittsburgh (although it is in some suburban neighborhood that requires a car to get to). The Exchange is actually on the CMU campus and one of the places I think 90% of CMU students can agree upon as being good.

So that’s my big list of places I wanted to write down somewhere and share. I will also reiterate my list is from the perspective of a college student who is on a budget 99% of the time. I know for a fact that there are some places (especially Downtown, West Southside, and the Strip District) where some better-endowed people tend to go. Regardless I’m confident that anyone will have a good time at each of the places on my list.