The 8 best restaurants in North Side

Steakhouse, American, Seafood · $$$$ · 247 N Shore Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

A grown-up special-occasion steakhouse on the North Shore where the staff actually knows what they're doing and the beef shows up cooked exactly how you asked. Get the colossal shrimp cocktail, order a ribeye, and finish with the banana foster butter cake before you waddle out to the ballgame.

Order: Bone-in ribeye, ordered "Rooney" style with lobster and mushrooms piled on top

New American, Wood-Fired · $$$ · 514 E Ohio St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Everything meets the fire first, and this kitchen knows exactly when to pull it. Deutschtown's grown-up dinner - order across the wood-fired half of the menu and pass every plate around.

Order: Whatever came off the wood fire

Sandwiches · $ · 927 Western Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15233

A sandwich shop that named its best seller after a quarterback and never looked back. Enormous, greasy, exactly right after a game or before a shift.

Order: The Roethlisburger

Thai · $$ · 856 Western Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15233

A dependable Northside Thai with a lovely hidden patio. Curries are reliably good; nothing flashy.

Order: Fragrant curries + a hidden back patio

Mexican, Tacos · $$ · 1108 Federal St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Bright, casual tacos and margaritas near the ballpark. Easy and fun, not destination Mexican.

Order: Tacos & margaritas before a game

German, Comfort · $$ · 537 Suismon St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

A Deutschtown German tavern with schnitzel, house sausages, and big steins. Kitschy, cozy, and a genuine North Side staple.

Order: Schnitzel, sausages & a stein

Food Hall · $$ · 200 Children's Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

A food hall that's only as good as the current stalls, which rotate. Fun with a group, hit-or-miss solo.

Order: Four rotating chef-driven kitchens

German, Brewpub · $$ · 800 Vinial St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

The city's oldest craft brewery, doing German food in Troy Hill's shadow. The lagers are the real accomplishment. Go when the biergarten is open.

Order: A pierogi plate and a lager