Help! Need good dinner with a view in Pittsburgh
 

We are headed to Pittsburgh over the July 4th weekend. On July 5th or 6th we would like to eat at one of the many restaurants that have a view from Mt. Washington. In most cities, if the view is great, the food is not and overpriced to boot. I am hoping that Pittsburgh is the exception. Any advice would be appreciated. Price is not a big concern if the food and experience are good. Thanks in advance.

ttt

Hi,
I would recommend either the Le Mont Restaurant or Isabela's on Grandview. The latter was named "most romantic" and the view is wonderful.

Check out citysearch.com for the addresses & phone numbers to make reservations. They also have reviews there including prices, etc.

Have a great time in a beautiful city!

When we lived in Pittsburgh, we always took out-of-town guests to Monterey Bay for drinks and appetizers, timed around sunset, and sat in the lounge that's on the level below the restaurant - no reservations taken for the lounge. You can also have dinner in the lounge - same menu as in the restaurant . . . We had dinner there once and decided it was better to go for drinks and the view at sunset, then go elsewhere for dinner. We never ate at Isabella's but it seems to get good reviews. If you decide to go somewhere else to eat, we had a great dinner at La Strada (downtown) a few weeks ago -- try the tuna martini if you go!

I looked up all the restaurants on the citysearch site and there seem to be several that would work just fine. I think that we will start trying to make a reservation for that Saturday after the 4th and see how far we get with availability. Any other suggestions for Pittsburgh "landmark" eating would be appreciated...from Breakfast to late-night and desserts/ice cream. Again, thanks for the input.

do a Pittsburgh search here...have answered question before as have many others...w/good suggestions...Grandview Saloon is another rest on Mt Washington and reasonable or it was...Andy Warhol on the North Side(the 2 stadiums are there too)..and the strip district(part of town/no strippers there)...ck out the search...

Pittsburgh has many fine restaurants with and without views. However, I would not recommend the Grandview Saloon as a place to go while in Pittsburgh. The only thing they have going for them is a deck with a view of the city. The food and drinks are both overpriced and it is basically a locals bar. If you are not a local from Mt. Washington be prepared for rude or indifferent service from both the waitstaff and the owner. I would never go back having had one too many bad experiences there. I would recommend the Georgetowne Inn as a good place to eat on Mt. Washington. I was there in April and the food and service were both great. The Georgetowne has a very nice view and is not very pricey compared to other Mt. Washington restaurants. I have not been to Le Mont in a few years but when I was there the food was good but pricey, probably the most expensive on Mt. Washington. I have heard good things about Monterery Bay although I have yet to eat there. It has arguably the best view on Mt. Washington since it is located in a highrise. You also may want to try Station Square. There are many restaurants along the river with a view of the city and you can take the incline to Mt. Washington after your dinner. Enjoy your trip to Pittsburgh!

Go to the Shadyside area of Pittsburgh. It is fabulous, and you will find every type of food available. Eat breakfast at Pamela's on Walnut Street in Shadyside. Get some burnt almond torte from Prantl's bakery--you will LOVE it!

Isabella's is my favorite restaurant on Grandview!

IF you want real Pittsburgh food....go to Primanti's....of course there is one at the Pirate's game if you don't make it to the original on the strip or there is also a location on the South Side (Carson St).

Shadyside is NICE...but I don't think there is much for 18 yr olds. Shopping---a lot of your basics and some quite pricey items--- Jimmy Choo shoes! They do have nice restaurants and it is a pretty place to walk around but I find it a bit hard to get too and parking is RIDICULOUS...I have had to spend 20+ minutes each time and had to wait for cars to leave from the parking deck.

It all depends on where you are staying and how comfortable you feel driving around. IF you don't have a local driver you will probably be very frustrated getting around. Bridge closures, detours, etc....one way streets, bad signs ("turn here" but then you follow that sign and NEVER see another one).

You can ride the T (train/subway) from Station Square into downtown or you can ride it around downtown for FREE (as long as you don't cross the river).

Hi,

cool a question about Pittsburgh.

Mount Washington:
Been to Monterey Bay fish grotto: didn't like the restaurant but loved the bar.
Grand View saloon: they have a deck and tables by the window on the upper floor. Ok, the food is overpriced for burgers, but it's still cheaper than le mont.

Le mont/isabella : never been, some friends did. They prefered Isabella, but Le Mont is a local institution.

Other food to do:
the O' : burgers, hot dogs, and very good fries in oakland (forbes avenue). very populat with students

pamelas: prefer the one located in oakland, the one in shadyside is too dark and dirty. be careful : people line up in the WE to get their pancakes!

Shadyisde is very nice area for shopping, very european. The shadyside grill is a good spot for food, further down on ellsworth avenue is Soba, (pan asian restaurant, i love it, it's quite original)

If you go antiquing on ellsworth avenue you can also eat at Cafe Zhino, a small bistrot.

you should be able to read reviews about restaurant on wqed.org web site, click to get to the pittsburgh magasine pages.

On a saturday morning you should go to the strip district, it's an area with many small grocery stores. Make sure you get some biscottis from Enrico's, de lucca is an other good spot for breakfast.


Celine



Where will be your hotel ?

Grandview Saloon on Mount Washington

One we like is Lidia's, but it's in the Strip District - not too far from Mt. Washington. Lidia's restaurant is owned by Lidia Bastianich, the Italian Chef on PBS. I think her daughter runs this one. The only other ones are in NYC and KC. Try the tiramisu and the pasta trio.

We had a great time in Pittsburgh. Sorry I am just now posting. We ended up eating at Monterrey Fish Grotto on Mt. Washington. We were staying with friends and that is where they had made reservations. We had a large party and the food was very good but not fantastic. There service was excellent. I did love the bar area and seating there, and their wine list was good. We shopped on the strip and ate ice cream and ate at Primanti's. Also ate at PNC park.......

Thanks to everyone for their comments and suggestions. Turned out that many of the eating decisions were made by others in our party. :)