Lawrenceville
Every spot we rate in Lawrenceville, ranked honestly 1–5 by a local across food, vibe, value and service. Morcilla leads at 5.0. Nobody paid to be here.
Spanish, Tapas · $$$ · 3519 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
A five, and a four-time James Beard nominee's best work. Spanish small plates and house charcuterie with a precision nobody else in town touches. Go hungry, over-order, don't rush it.
Order: House charcuterie & pintxos
See Morcilla on the map →
French · $$$$ · 3517 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
The one that just edges out the rest. A French bistro firing on every cylinder. Flawless technique, a serious bar, a room that feels like an event. Expensive and hard to book; both are earned. The current king of the Burgh.
Order: Rotisserie chicken for two & a stacked raw bar
See Poulet Bleu on the map →
Thai · $$$ · 5321 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Real Thai cooking in the prettiest garden in the city. Easily a top-tier date night; book ahead in summer.
Order: Crispy duck in the garden courtyard
See Pusadee's Garden on the map →
Pizza · $$ · 3615 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Sourdough pizza from people who clearly obsess over dough. The menu and hours are limited. Quality over breadth.
Order: Soppressata & hot honey sourdough pie
See Driftwood Oven on the map →
New American · $$$ · 4306 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
A small, sharp kitchen with a daily-changing menu and a cult following. Trust the specials; seating is limited.
Order: Whatever's on the chalkboard
See The Vandal on the map →
Austro-Hungarian, European · $$$ · 4129 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Csilla Thackray took the old Merchant Oyster space and filled it with her Hungarian grandmother's cooking, langos, paprikash, tafelspitz, done with Vandal-level precision. The Central European wine list from the Allegheny Wine Mixer's Sean Rosenkrans is reason enough to go. Nobody else in the Burgh is cooking like this.
Order: Chicken paprikash with the Titusz torte to finish
See Titusz on the map →
Italian · $$ · 3801 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
A warm, no-frills trattoria with honest handmade pasta. Tiny and beloved. Book ahead.
Order: Tuscan-style handmade pasta & gnocchi
See Piccolo Forno on the map →
Pizza · $$ · 5123 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Wood-fired pies and natural wine; the clam pie is a sleeper. A little pricey for pizza, but worth it.
Order: Clam pie & natural wine
See Pizza Lupo on the map →Vietnamese, Cafe · $ · 4502 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
A tiny Penn Ave counter cranking out some of the best bánh mì in the city for the price of a fancy latte. The grilled pork with pickled veg on a crackly baguette is the order, and the iced coffee will end your afternoon nicely. No frills, all flavor.
Order: Grilled pork bánh mì and a Vietnamese iced coffee
See Bánh Mì & Ti on the map →
Japanese, Izakaya · $$$ · 202 38th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Yakitori, ramen, and cocktails in a dark izakaya with a great patio. Solid date spot; portions run small.
Order: Yakitori, ramen & a hidden back garden
See Umami on the map →
Japanese, Korean, Asian · $$ · 4407 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Roger Li folded the old Ki Ramen and Ki Pollo into one BYOB 'Asian soul food' joint, and the mashup just works. The gochujang fried chicken is shatter-crisp and the shoyu ramen broth is clearly made by someone who simmers it forever. Bring your own bottle, order too much, eat with your hands. No-frills, all flavor.
Order: Gochujang Korean fried chicken with biscuits
See Nanban on the map →
Wine Bar, Small Plates · $$ · 4839 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
A sommelier-run corrective to Pennsylvania's soulless wine-buying experience. A tight, globally minded list built around character and farming, not points. Drink in or grab a bottle to go, with a few smart bites to keep you honest. The kind of small, opinionated room every neighborhood wishes it had.
Order: A glass of low-intervention something with a snacky plate
See Solera Wine Co. on the map →
Cocktails, Bar · $$ · 4325 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
The cocktail bar Lawrenceville actually needed. Artsy, plant-draped, half hippie cafe and half serious drinks den. The bartenders care, the seasonal cocktails are genuinely creative, and they'll bend over backwards for an allergy. It's a drinks-first spot, so set your expectations on the bites, but for a low-key Butler St nightcap it's a charmer.
Order: A creative seasonal cocktail in the plant-strewn room
See Bar Botanico on the map →
Belgian, Fries · $ · 4213 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
A whole storefront on Butler & 43rd dedicated to doing one thing right: proper double-fried Belgian frites with a wall of fifteen-plus dipping sauces. Is it a one-note act? Sure. But it's open late, it's cheap, and it scratches an itch nothing else in the Burgh does. Get the andalouse and the samurai, thank me later.
Order: Double-fried Belgian fries with the sauce flight
See Mr. Friez on the map →