Oakland
Updated August 2026 · 7 spots reviewed
Oakland's food scene runs 7 deep here, anchored by Cork & Crust at 4.7/5.
Every rating below is one critic's 1 to 5, scored on food, vibe, value and service. Cork & Crust leads at 4.7. Nobody paid to be here.
Oakland tops these boards
Italian, Pizza · $$$ · 5130 Bigelow Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
A Forbes Five-Star chef came home and picked pizza as the hill to die on. Three-day dough, blistered and structurally serious - proof a hotel restaurant can be the whole reason you drive to Oakland.
Order: The 72-hour dough pizza
Full review →On the map
American · $$ · 413 S Craig St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Oakland's grown-up table, the one you take your parents to on move-in weekend. Nothing on the menu is trying to surprise you and that is precisely the point.
Order: The chicken sandwich
Full review →On the map
American, Bar · $$ · 208 N Craig St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
The bar half of a much-missed restaurant, and it outlived its parent for good reason. A serious burger, hand-pinched pierogi, and one of the better short cocktail lists in the city.
Order: The burger and a plate of pierogi
Full review →On the map
Japanese, Sushi · $ · 415 S Craig St #3708, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Assembly-line sushi built for students in a hurry, and better than that description deserves. Cheap, quick, consistent. Not a date, a solution.
Order: A build-your-own roll, fast
Full review →On the map
New American, Farm-to-table · $$ · 221 Schenley Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Reliable farm-to-table by the park, built for an Oakland lunch. Pleasant and fresh; rarely thrilling.
Order: Wood-fired flatbreads & farm veg
Full review →On the map
New American, Cocktails · $$$ · 5130 Bigelow Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Perched atop the Oaklander hotel with one of the few real skyline-and-Cathedral views in the East End. The cooking is good-not-stunning, but the rooftop terrace on a clear night does a lot of the heavy lifting. Come for sunset drinks.
Order: Rooftop plates with the Cathedral in view
Full review →On the map
Burgers · $ · 3716 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Oakland burger counter built for a student budget and a 2am appetite. Fine at noon, essential at midnight.
Order: A build-your-own with the fried egg
Full review →On the mapWhere Oakland spills into next.
