18 ranked
The best New American restaurants in Pittsburgh
18 New American kitchens on the map, from cheap counters to the full sit-down. Downtown carries the most of them, and every one is ranked by the same 1-5 score as the rest of the site.
- 1Emerson's4.8
Downtown · $$$ · No. 9 of 157 overall
Upstairs in the Thompson Building off Market Square, and the best-kept date secret Downtown has. Firelight, a wine list with real depth, cocktails built like they matter, and a kitchen that outcooks the 'bar food' label by a mile. The hush is the luxury.
Order: A fireside Old Fashioned and the truffle fries
- 2Lilith4.8
Shadyside · $$$ · No. 11 of 157 overall
Jamilka Borges and Dianne DeStefano cook Puerto Rican and Sicilian like two memories arguing in the best way, and the city has decided this little emerald room is sacred ground. It earned a 2026 James Beard semifinal nod for good reason. Start with the bread service, the pan sobao alone is worth the table, and finish with the baked Alaska. Getting in is the hard part.
Order: House bread service. Pan sobao & Mallorca
- 3Eleven4.6
Strip District · $$$$ · No. 19 of 157 overall
The reliable big-night-out flagship. Polished and consistent for years. Not cutting-edge, but it rarely misses.
Order: Polished special-occasion dining
- 4One by Spork4.5
Friendship · $$$$ · No. 25 of 157 overall
Eighteen seats, one seating a night, and a James Beard-nominated chef working fermentation and preservation like a magician at a 275-dollar counter. It's the most ambitious cooking in the city right now. Book weeks out, surrender to the menu, and don't you dare ask for substitutions.
Order: The ever-changing ~10-course chef's-counter tasting
- 5Altius4.4
Mt. Washington · $$$$ · No. 27 of 157 overall
The skyline view does some of the work, but the kitchen holds up its end. You're partly paying for the window, and honestly that's fine.
Order: Tasting menu with the skyline in the window
- 6
Garfield · $$$ · No. 32 of 157 overall
A plant-filled, sunlit room with assured cooking. Polished, though occasionally pricey for the portions.
Order: Greenhouse-cool seasonal plates
- 7The Vandal4.2
Lawrenceville · $$$ · No. 36 of 157 overall
A small, sharp kitchen with a daily-changing menu and a cult following. Trust the specials; seating is limited.
Order: Whatever's on the chalkboard
- 8Bar Marco4.1
Strip District · $$$ · No. 37 of 157 overall
The old No. 1 Engine House, and one of the rooms that taught this city to take cocktails seriously. Menu turns over constantly, which is either the appeal or the risk depending on your mood.
Order: Whatever the kitchen is excited about
- 9Fig & Ash3.9
North Side · $$$ · No. 48 of 157 overall
Everything meets the fire first, and this kitchen knows exactly when to pull it. Deutschtown's grown-up dinner - order across the wood-fired half of the menu and pass every plate around.
Order: Whatever came off the wood fire
- 10
Troy Hill · $$ · No. 68 of 157 overall
A from-scratch kitchen and bottle shop locals quietly love. Seasonal and thoughtful, if a bit out of the way.
Order: Hyper-seasonal small plates up the hill
- 11
Downtown · $$$ · No. 73 of 157 overall
Pittsburgh's first bar ever nominated for a James Beard Outstanding Bar Program, and the whiskey wall, 600-plus bottles up a two-story shelf, still stops you cold. After a stint dark, it's back, and the kitchen is more than an afterthought: the dirty pasta and the rabbit-and-dumplings hold up next to anything dahntahn. Dark, clubby, and built for a serious drink.
Order: The dirty pasta with duck, off a wall of 600+ whiskeys
- 12Hey Babe3.4
East Liberty · $$$ · No. 111 of 157 overall
Folded into the historic YMCA-turned-Maverick Hotel, this throwback lounge nails the moody-music, low-light, order-another-round vibe the old Ace corner always wanted. Cain and Hirst know this scene cold, and the seasonal bites punch above 'hotel bar.' Walk-ins only. Embrace the no-plans energy.
Order: Crispy eggplant with whipped feta, pine nuts, and basil oil
- 13
Downtown · $$$ · No. 121 of 157 overall
Handsome room, proper martini, and a kitchen still finding its feet - plates have come out slow and heavier than they should. Worth it for the drink and the pre-theater walk; keep the expectations at the bar.
Order: A martini at the bar
- 14
Downtown · $$$ · No. 123 of 157 overall
The gastropub that helped revive downtown. Solid brunch and cocktails; a touch pricey for what it is now.
Order: Duck-fat roasted potatoes + a serious cocktail list
- 15Sally Ann's3.3
Downtown · $$ · No. 126 of 157 overall
Richard DeShantz's veggie-forward daytime spot in the Cultural District, with patio seating on 6th Street and a menu that makes eating healthy downtown feel like a treat instead of a chore. Everything's well-seasoned and sharply executed. The smoky beets are a sleeper. A little pricey for lunch, but it never disappoints, n'at.
Order: Veggie-forward grain bowl & smoky roasted beets
- 16
Oakland · $$$ · No. 137 of 157 overall
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
- 17
Oakland · $$ · No. 138 of 157 overall
Reliable farm-to-table by the park, built for an Oakland lunch. Pleasant and fresh; rarely thrilling.
Order: Wood-fired flatbreads & farm veg
- 18Ritual House3.1
Downtown · $$$ · No. 144 of 157 overall
A grand room for steaks and a raw bar. It looks the part; the cooking is good-not-great for the price.
Order: Hand-cut Certified Angus steak
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Every list on this site is cut from the same board: 157 restaurants scored 1-5 by one critic, where nothing can be bought. How the ratings work →