The world looks a little different these days. But, there’s still plenty to enjoy – and plenty to eat, drink and experience (at least, virtually) in Pittsburgh.
1. Order in from a new restaurant.
The day before Governor Wolf ordered that all Allegheny County restaurants cease dine-in service, we published our latest roundup of new restaurant openings (not the best timing ever, right?). While you can’t visit any of those restaurants right now, you can at least try their food. The Standard Market & Pint House is serving food through the Pittsburgh Food Hall, BrewDog Pittsburgh is open for beer to go, Spello is open for takeout, and takeout and delivery options are available from Baby Loves Tacos, Millie’s Homemade, Butterjoint All Day, Hapa Hawaiian Grille and Off the Rails BBQ, too.
2. Get yourself a seriously good breakfast. We can’t tell you how happy we were to hear that 350° Bakery is back open for business…. with a few adjustments, of course. They’re now offering weekly pre-orders for Friday pickup for items like cinnamon rolls, scones, strawberry puff tarts, biscuits, cookies and more. Order online.
3. Celebrate Star Wars Day with Turner’s. This one is for all the Star Wars fans out there. Turner’s Dairy is celebrating May the Fourth (if you know, you know) with a super limited-edition Blue BANTHA milk – their newly-released blue Birthday Cake milk, with a different label (and yes, the sell by date actually is May 4). Grab it while you can!
4. Treat yourself to a gift card. ‘Tis the season to spend some cash on gift cards. Seriously, there’s no better time to invest in your favorite restaurant or small business. If you want to get a little extra for your dough, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and Strip District Neighbors have launched a program to give you a 25% bonus on gift cards from select spots. Order here.
5. Get some kitchen tips from Pittsburgh pros. During the pandemic, lots of Pittsburgh businesses have been finding new ways to connect with their fans. Go online to learn how to bake bread like the team at Enrico Biscotti, make pasta from the chef at DiAnoia’s Eatery, and learn some bread-scoring techniques from Mediterra Bakehouse.
6. Grab a dinner (and some beer) at a brewery. We still aren’t able to gather like we used to, but some breweries are giving us the next best thing and hosting a regular roundup of food trucks onsite each night, which makes getting dinner and drinks a breeze. Brew Gentlemen in Braddock regularly hosts Blowfish BBQ, Gyros N’at, and Blue Sparrow and Eleventh Hour Brewing in Lawrenceville releases a weekly list with options like Pita My Schwarma and Pittsburgh Tortas.
7. Peep these PGH bakers on Instagram. During these crazy times, we’ve been self-soothing by immersing ourselves in gorgeous photos of baked goods. Cakes, pies, cookies… we’re obsessed with it all. Want to get in on the action? Follow Pittsburgh bakers like @kait_bakes, @iamrachelbakes, @sweetdreamsbyallison, @maisycakesbakes and @mediterracakehouse and see the edible art that they’re creating.
8. Get a frozen cocktail… to go. Some of our favorite Pittsburgh restaurants are churning out frozen cocktails (with malt-based beverages, so they’re on the right side of Pennsylvania’s law), and offering them to go. Mad Mex, Muddy Waters and Bird on the Run have frozen margaritas, LowKey Tacos has White Claw slushies, and Harris Grill is offering growlers of frozen cosmos.
9. Have a strawberry pie. It’s officially strawberry season, and Eat’n Park is celebrating in a big way. Starting May 1, the restaurant chain’s famous homemade Strawberry Pie (the recipe has been unchanged since 1954!) will be available for purchase for the season. Order online for takeout or delivery.
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