fftf: Pittsburgh Food Recs, the Breakfast/Bakery/Cafe edition 🌆
my fav things to eat in 'da Burgh, as they (we?) say...
Hi. A quick housekeeping note that I am currently publishing this newsletter once a month, with hopes of increasing that cadence by early 2025. My goal is to publish at the beginning of each month… but I promise to publish by the end of each month. If I can, I will pop in more often. Thanks for your patience while I slowly get back in the swing of work/writing while also mostly caring for my 5-month-old and 2-year-old :).
Also, this post is really long and full of photos, so you may have to click “expand” or read it in browser. If you have issues, please reply and let me know and I will try to help!
Hello friends,
It mostly feels like fall here in Pittsburgh. The leaves are almost gone from the trees and the gray days are beginning to make themselves known, causing pings of DREADing winter.
Today’s issue goes out to all my Pittsburgh readers - some new ones and a lot of longtime followers. I’ve been excited to write this one for a while… and I wasn’t really thinking when I promised to publish it at the end of Election week. Oof1! Still gonna go for it, and I hope it’s a nice, light balm to your potentially otherwise serious reading.
For those of you who don’t live in Pittsburgh or plan to visit, you will learn a bit about my going-out-to-eat life here in a small city with a very small food scene (especially compared to San Francisco, where I most recently lived).
After two years of living here, I do not claim to have been everywhere / tried everything, but I’ve been around enough to have some favorite spots and bites. I must note that exploring the food scene when you have two babies is very different than it would have been without them. As such, I feel that I know more about the Breakfast/Bakery/Cafe scene than I do about dinner restaurants, so that is where I’m starting with my recommendations today, with more editions to come in the future!
Although I very much wish the food scene here was bigger and better and healthier and that there was more going on, I have enjoyed the challenge of sleuthing around to figure out the tastiest things in the neighborhood. I’ve been interested to discover that if you want to be in the know about the food scene of Pittsburgh, you VERY MUCH need to be on Instagram to figure it out. Comments, photos, and stories is how I’ve found many of my favorite vendors, and it’s also how many of the local food businesses do ALL their updates/announcements. Many of them don’t have a website at all, so I will often check the business’s Instagram before going to make sure they are open/see if anything is new.
The small food scene is also funny in that it seems like everyone in it is… really good friends with each other!? For example, the soup lady2 is dating the breakfast sandwich guy; and they all sell their stuff through the green market goddess, Gina, who is essentially the mayor/mother of Liberty Ave. In a small city like this, you REALLY run into people, so I’ve seen the chef/owner of Fet Fisk (a new, great restaurant recently featured in the NYTimes) getting both my favorite breakfast sandwiches AND my favorite Italian sandwiches within the last two months…
Before I get into my recommendations, I’d like to give you a quick briefing of my tastes so you can decide how to read these recs and whether you’d be into the same things as me…
What I look for when eating out is as follows:
Extreme deliciousness first, of course!
Use of locally-sourced produce (and preferably mentioning it!) and other high-quality ingredients (for example, organic flour).
A place that is making their food from scratch and as many food components as possible (sauces, ferments, pickles, salad dressings, etc) are made “in house.”
Veggie-forward food, and/or use of alternative/unique/whole-grain/specialty ingredients.
Menus that change often-ish, to keep things interesting and fresh (and seasonal)!
BONUS: Good vibes / thoughtful design aesthetic - I prefer lots of wood and natural materials and not-too-fancy.
I’ll first give you the overview, with detailed descriptions and photos below that.
Jess’s Pittsburgh Food Recs, Breakfast/Bakery/Cafe edition, November 2024
Favorite Coffee Shop: KLVN, by far my favorite place for coffee, and to work/hang/meet people, and with good food options
Best Croissant: Egg-in-a-Hole Croissant at Five Points Artisan Bakeshop
Best Bagels: Three Brothers Bagels; Runner-up: Pigeon Bagels
Favorite Cookies:
Sesame Buckwheat Cookie at Third Space
Double Chocolate Cookie at Madeleine Bakery
Favorite Breads:
Third Space’s Seeded Whole Wheat Loaf
Madeleine Bakery’s Multigrain Loaf
Forno Brenci’s Chocolate Cherry Loaf or other special/seasonal loaves
Best Italian Sandwiches: Forno Brenci @ Bloomfield Farmers Market
Best French sandwiches: Madeleine Bakery
Best Breakfast Sandwiches: Thyme Machine
Best Unique Cafe Menu Items: Chickpea Pancakes and Sweet Potato/Oat Waffle at Mediterra (multiple locations)
Best Salad(s): Apteka, hands down (not much competition on salads, unfortunately)
Favorite Coffee Shop: KLVN
Of all the places on this list, KLVN is my most frequented location. I go here at least once a week, partly because it makes me feel like I’m in San Francisco :). Their coffee is our favorite in all the ‘Burgh, which is also why I need to go weekly, to get beans! They roast their own beans right in the shop, so you can watch if you feel like it, and enjoy the popcorn-ish, toasty smell of roasting coffee while you work. KLVN roasts with a lighter flavor profile than other Pittsburgh roasters, which is my preference, but may not be everyone’s. They serve their drinks in extremely beautiful, artistic mugs, and make impressive latte art. And they use delicious local milk. The space is large and industrial, but made warm with all the handcrafted, light wood furniture and a plethora of plants!
Food: They also have homemade food 8am-2pm daily. ALAS, since I first wrote this, they have changed the menu, and I haven’t tried any of the new stuff yet. (I previously liked their breakfast sandwich *without ham, hummus toast, and the waffle is a nice treat.) The homemade no-bake peanut butter granola bar (in the cooler) is also a tasty snack that tastes fab with coffee! Jazzy and I sometimes fight over this bar. (It is on my list of recipes to replicate myself at home…) Also, I have recently started bringing my own jars to fill with coffee and they are happy to do that. Insider info: depending on who’s ringing you up, if you buy beans they sometimes give you a free drink. They also sell Dandelion Chocolate (my favorite chocolate from SF). And one other thing to note is that for alt-milks, they only have oat.
For working: KLVN is my preferred spot to work at all day (read: a few hours #momlife). It’s enough of a crowd for that community vibe, but you can always find a seat. They only have two outlet seats, though, and the chairs aren’t the most comfortable (mostly stools and wood benches), but the coffee and bright vibe make up for that! They do have several spots where you can stand and work comfortably, which are great if you are also wearing a baby and typing (As I was at various times while editing this post)!
Note: check KLVN’s Instagram for the latest menus/info (where I just learned that the breakfast sandwich is back!)
Best Croissant: Egg-in-a-Hole Croissant at Five Points Artisan Bakeshop
The Egg-in-a-Hole Croissant at Five Points is only made on Saturday & Sunday, and usually sells out by 9am! So to get this treat, you’ll have to call ahead and/or show up on a Saturday/Sunday between 8-9am, eek! It is SO delicious and worth it, though. Flaky croissant dough, with an egg cooked with scallions and cheese on top - YUM! Definitely definitely call ahead, we’ve had too many instances of showing up at 9:30/10am, only to be extremely disappointed that they were already gone for the day. All Five Points’ croissants are very delicious, especially fresh out of the oven.
Best Bagels: Three Brothers Bagels in Glenshaw
This place is absolutely worth the trip! Their bagels are perfectly soft and light with a nice crust. They have a full menu of hot bagel sandwiches as well, though we are a “classic lox” kind of family. I especially enjoyed the heirloom tomato bagel special while it was running this summer!
About a 20-30 min drive north of the city, depending where you live, Three Brothers makes for a fun Saturday morning family outing. (Note that they are closed on Sundays.) We recently discovered Kiwanis Park right nearby, which is the perfect naturey place to enjoy your bagel and then work off the carbs on the playground! The locals were very friendly and even invited my husband to join their pickup basketball game.
Runner up: Pigeon Bagels - We were long time fans of these bagels in the city, which are notoriously good; however, since discovering Three Brothers, we find their bagels to be undeniably more delish. However, I do think Pigeon has the best smear, especially the herb one which is actually a light green color because they blend/whip it or something. Try Pigeon for sure, although be prepared to wait in a long line unless you are going on a weekday during off hours. If you do go, we love adding the homemade pickled banana peppers to the Classic Lox on Everything :).
Favorite Cookies:
Sesame Buckwheat Cookie at Third Space - this is my recent addiction and another of Jazzy’s favorite “teet”s (treats) - it doesn’t necessarily sound amazing but it has THE BEST chewy texture and perfectly balanced, not-too-sweet flavor. I love Third Space in general - they just recently opened their bakery location, formerly having only been at the farmers market! (Note they are only open Thurs-Sun.)
Double Chocolate Cookie at Madeleine - this one is a rich treat with at least 2 kinds of chocolate. There’s just something special about it; chocolate lovers - seek it out!
Favorite Breads:
Third Space’s Seeded Whole Wheat Loaf - this is my favorite for the whole wheat/healthier-bread lovers! Great flavor and texture and super soft when it’s fresh, with a nice seedy crust. Third Space uses a lot of interesting, unique flours and ingredients. I love that ethos!
Madeleine Bakery’s Multigrain Loaf - I’m a multigrain lover and this is my fav in the city. This one is much whiter than the Third Space loaf, more of a French style I guess?
Forno Brenci’s Chocolate Cherry Loaf or other special/seasonal loaves - see below for more on Forno Brenci. He makes all kinds of different loaves, but his special and seasonal experiments are my favorite. Keep your eye out for the chocolate cherry - it’s a special not-crazy-sweet treat to keep sliced in the freezer and enjoy with coffee!
Best Italian Sandwiches: Forno Brenci @ Bloomfield Farmers Market
Forno Brenci is an Italian Bakery vendor at the Bloomfield Farmers Market with a GORGEOUS display of sandwiches, breads, focaccias, pastries and other treats (their ramp butter this year was DIVINE!). The sandwiches are by far my favorite thing - he always has a vegan and vegetarian option as well as a few with Italian meats. These can sell out by 10 or 10:30am on a busy day, and the line will be long, but it’s worth it! You can get your sandwich warmed in his little oven, or take it home and heat yourself (420 degrees for 5 mins is their recommendation and it is spot on)! These sandwiches are perfectly balanced with thin, homemade focaccia and delicious inside cheeses, sauces, and veggies. I’ve gotten my whole family going crazy for these - my dad will even drive down early in the day just to get them, and my Nonna was also recently impressed!
In another fun Pgh food scene romance (heehee!) - Daniele, the Italian baker/chef, works the stand along with Sarah3, his romantic partner, who owns the hip local bar, Tina’s. In the winter when the market is only open ~2x/month, Forno Brenci operates at Tina’s on Sunday mornings. I didn’t make it last year, but hope to check it out this winter!
Best French Sandwiches: Madeleine Bakery - a gem of a tiny bakery over in Swissvale near Frick Park. This one is a drive for me, so I don’t get there too often, but it is also worth the trip! My favorite thing are their French sandwiches. They have a truly special ham and cheese with very good quality ham, cornichons and mustard. Their spring veggie sandwich was truly fabulous - it was all green insides of peas, asparagus, and herbs inside a super fresh, crusty mini baguette. I haven’t been able to go this summer or fall but I’m interested to see what other seasonal sandwich fillings they’re cooking up! Realizing while I’m writing this that these are ANOTHER favorite food with a small time window! The sandwiches aren’t usually ready until 11am and often sell out by 12 or 1pm so unfortunately you gotta go in the right window! I recommend calling ahead to check what they have!
Best Breakfast Sandwiches: Thyme Machine - a newish kid (cart?) on the block that is a major crowd favorite! Thyme Machine is a food cart on Liberty Ave that operates Wed-Sun mornings from roughly March-December. Super delish and flavorful breakfast sandwiches on home baked poppy buns with all in-house sauces and using the best veg from all my favorite farms. I recommend going Wed-Fri to avoid the line, altho there is usually at least a small one. We love the avocado/mushroom sandwich and the seasonal broccolini! They will also let you change up the cheeses/make small changes, which is nice. Ryan, the sandwich man, runs not only a clutch sandwich operation but also a hilarious and entertaining Instagram account to go with it. I also recommend checking it before you go because sometimes they have random closures, often due to the challenges of operating on the street! The folks here are super nice and fun and they have great playlists.
Runners up: The KLVN breakfast sandwich mentioned above, and Georgie’s Corner Cafe in Shadyside also makes a great breakfast sandwich!
Best Unique Cafe Menu Items: the Chickpea Pancakes and Sweet Potato/Oat Waffle at Mediterra - as a counter to the gluten and carb-heavy recommendations above, I want to also mention my favorite UNIQUE, DELISH, and gluten-free menu items.
Mediterra is a fun bakery and cafe with locations in Mt. Lebanon, Sewickley, and Lawrenceville. I don’t get here too often as neither are super close to me (and they do NOT have wifi at Lawrenceville so not a great place for work!), but I love when I do get to go because they have a BIG menu with a lot of fun and some unique offerings!
The Chickpea pancakes with leek, kale, goat cheese, beet yogurt and pickled root veggies are savory, light yet filling, and super delicious, not to mention beautiful!
The sweet potato/oat flour waffle with lime cardamom labne is also extremely delicious and not too sweet! A waffle to feel good about feeding yourself AND your kiddo!
Best Salad(s): Apteka
It’s not really in the bakery/cafe category, but I’m including this to counter all the carbs listed above. Oh how I WISH there was a cafe that had a fabulous salad, but alas! Oh how I also wish I could list five places for this designation; not the case. Good salads are the thing I miss MOST about the San Francisco food scene. Pittsburgh is depressingly far behind in its salad game… I just don’t see a lot of creativity. I swear some of the restaurants are making the same exact salads they were making when I was a teenager living here 20 years ago!
BUT, thank goodness for APTEKA. They have got it going on with their salads! BEST SALADS IN THE BURGH, HANDS DOWN! And they are large (like I want them to be)! They also change them frequently and with the seasons, another must of a great salad-maker. Now, the bummer here is that Apteka is a very popular (vegan, Eastern-European) sit-down restaurant that’s only open Friday-Sunday. I guess it’s probably my favorite restaurant here, thanks to their creativity, uniqueness, local sourcing and everything-is-made-in-house credo. The vibe is also very much my jam - you feel like you could be at a cool restaurant in a much bigger city, and yet, it doesn’t feel fancy.
We take our kids and they are totally cool with it. You also order at the bar before sitting and the food comes out FAST so it really does work well with the babes. As a gift to you, I will now reveal my Apteka strategy: get in line at 4:30pm SHARP, send the kids/other parent to play in the cemetery4 across the street. In this way, you’re guaranteed to get a seat when they open at 5pm, and you’ll be out of there by 6/6:15pm at the latest!! WINS FOR ALL!
Back to the salads… they usually have at least one green salad, sometimes two. If they have two, get both. If they have one, get two, because you’ll want one all for yourself! When we eat in at the restaurant, we have started ordering extra salads to take home, just so we can eat them again the next day. Pro-tip, Apteka also does a small number of takeout orders. You have to show up in person to put in the order and you can’t do that till around 6pm, but it’s usually ready in 15-20 mins, during which time you can enjoy a drink while you wait! Their drinks are mostly homemade and amazing. I especially love their natural wines AND their wild-foraged, super unique and subtle Pennsylvania TEAS! If you’re gonna do takeout, note that they only do about half the menu as takeout because a lot of it doesn’t translate. Also call ahead and make sure they are doing takeout that night before you show up.
Hope you enjoyed these recs! If you go somewhere, or KNOW somewhere you think I’d like, please reply and let me know!
Stay safe out there.
Love,
Jess
I had to go through and delete about 50 exclamation points from this draft to better reflect my current mood after Tuesday. 😢
Brothmonger just opened a brick and mortar shop! Haven’t gotten there yet but it is top of my list of new places to try!
I’m embarrassed to admit that I thought her name was Tina (bc that’s the name of her bar) this whole time until I looked it up, and discovered the bar is named after her mom, oops!
If you don’t live here, this sounds creepy, I know, but a lot of the green spaces in the city of Pittsburgh are cemeteries 🤷♀️.