TastyBurgher

Murray Avenue Grill
1720 Murray Ave
Squirrel Hill, 15217
412-521-1272
Lunch: M-Sat 11:30-4; Brunch: Sun: 11:30-2:30
Dinner: M-Sat: 4-11; Sun: 3-11

Every town in America has its Grill, and in the case of Pittsburgh, every part of town.  We’ve got Union Grill in Oakland, Hot Metal Grille in South Side, Walnut Grill in Shadyside, and Murray Avenue Grill in Squirrel Hill, and that’s just in the East neck of Pittsburgh.  I’d say, across the board, all Grill-style restaurants serve mediocre food.  Each one certainly has its star dishes, but I theorize that people go because it’s easy and in their neighborhood.  I live in Squirrel Hill, and so my Grill is the Murray Avenue Grill, which I cordially invite you to ‘get all up in’. (more…)

La Feria
5527 Walnut St
Shadyside, 15232
412-682-4501
M-Sat: 11-10

YUM!  La Feria is my favorite treat ever.  La Feria specializes in bringing Peruvian culture to Pittsburgh.  Hot Damn, we are a lucky city!  Look at all the ethnic places we have available to us: Vietnamese, Japanese, Indian (Northern and Southern), Korean, Ethiopian, Argentinean, Mediterranean, German, French, Caribbean, Belgian, British, Filipino, and I’m happy to include on the list, Peruvian.  One thing missing is a strong Cuban restaurant in the area, but fortunately for us La Feria can fill a little bit of that niche with its shredded beef dishes and plantain influences.  It is so much more though.  La Feria has a titillating ingredient list featuring pumpkin, sweet potato, corn, sour cream, beans, raisins, olives, cilantro, Peruvian peppers, fried banana, quinoa, and hominy.  These things go into stews, soufflés, and casseroles, which are described as zesty, spicy, and sweet.  Seriously, you’ll need to wipe your chin after reading this menu.  But it isn’t just a trick of the adjective – this stuff is darn tootin’ delicious! (more…)

El Campesino

4063 William Penn Hwy
Monroeville, 15146
412-373-1772
OR
4771 McKnight Rd
North Hills, 15237
412-366-8730
M-Th: 11:30-10; F: 11:30-10:30; Sat: 12-10:30; Sun: 12-9

I have this little theory. The closer you are to Mexico, the better your Mexican food is gonna be. Be it Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, or Actual-Mex, its gonna be better. Also, it only matters as the crow flies. For instance, FL will have better Mexican than Missouri, even though it might be a longer drive from FL. If you take a boat across the Gulf you’d be there in no time! The only thing wrong with this theory is that I live in Pittsburgh and it means we haven’t got a chance. We aren’t ever going to have the awesome Mexican that places like California, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona do, but we must do with what we’ve got. There is no way I am just going to NOT eat Mexican food while I live here. That just isn’t possible. So we’ve got a few meager options. El Campesino is one of them. It’s not my favorite one, but at least 1) its not a national chain, 2) its not as busy as MadMex on Cinco de Mayo so you can still get a margarita with that quesadilla, and 3) it’s only half bad. (more…)

D’s SixPax & Dogz
1118 S Braddock Ave
Regent Square, 15218
412-241-4666
M-W: 11-11; Th-Sat: 11-Mid; Sun: 11-10

D’s used to be the secret hideout no one but the neighborhood and beer connoisseurs seemed to know about. You’d go, the bar would be packed, one of the two tables would be full, and you’d grab a beer, have a seat at the other table, and order a dog. Well, the secret must have gotten out because about a year ago D’s started being so packed you could barely get back to the Beer Cave! What happened? A combination of word-of-mouth and their propensity for making a good dog seemed to have exploded them into the consciousness of Pittsburgh. It was tough for a while, what with being so packed you could barely open the cooler door to grab a cold one, but then they apparently made enough money to expand! And what an expansion it is! D’s is the same old sweet combination of neighborhood bar, exotic beer heaven, and hot dog slinger as it ever was – only now they’ve got the right size britches. (more…)

Kiku
Station Square, 15219
412-765-3200
Lunch: Tu-Sun: 11:30-2:00
Dinner: Mon-Th: 5-10; F & Sat: 5-11; Sun: 5-10

Kiku is a Japanese restaurant in Station Square.  Suffice it to say, Station Square is not really my ‘style’, so I never thought I’d find a place to go there that I thought worthwhile.  That is, besides the Grand Concourse for brunch, and that store with the skank-ho dresses.  But seriously, restaurants in malls bother some people.  I grew up in Southern Florida where even the churches are in strip malls, no lie!  So I’m used to doing everything in malls, but even so I have learned that in Pittsburgh the equation is ‘mall restaurant = crap’.  But this restaurant breaks the rule!  Kiku serves semi-excellent sushi for a semi-excellent price!  (more…)

Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor
3801 Penn Ave
The Strip, 15222
412-434-0451
May-September: M & Tu: 10-5; W-F: 10-9; Sat & Sun: 12-9
October-April: M-F: 10-5; Sat: 12-9; Sun: closed

What an amazing place! I will always love Klavon’s, our very own local family-run authentic soda fountain in the Strip. It isn’t retro, it simply IS authentic. The story goes that the owner’s grandparents closed up the 1920’s shop after one too many downtown floods, and when the grandkids went to check out the old building decades later they found a pristinely appointed full service ice cream store, replete with weird old medicines (can you believe people used to take some of this stuff?) and usable furniture and equipment. In fact, the only new things in the whole store are the milkshake maker and the ice cream itself! (more…)

Greek Food Festival
St.Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral
419 S Dithridge St
Oakland, 15213
412-682-3866 (phone)
412-683-4960 (fax orders, lunch only)
May 7^th – 12^th
Sun: Noon-8; M-Th: 11-2 & 5-9; Fri: 11-2 & 4-10

It’s that time of year again!  A harbinger of good weather and fun times, the Greek Food Festival is upon us.  What luck I have to still be working nearby enough to walk to St.Nicholas Cathedral in Oakland every day for lunch!  Some people may not be ‘into’ food festivals at churches, but this is not one to be missed.  You don’t go just for the food – you go for the experience! (more…)