Good food spot with pretty great happy hour deals. Just off Walnut St., Shady Grove has a pretty…read moregood vibe. Great place for brunch or dinner. They have nightly specials too. There's an upstairs balcony area and a few outdoor chairs on the street. It's definitely a great vibe in the summer. I do wish there were more TVs behind the bar but there is at least one, however unless you're going there to watch Pittsburgh sports, I doubt they carry any other teams. Anytime I've gone the service has been attentive and on key. No complaints abt that. Overall worth a visit

Thoroughly enjoyed my meal there. They have so many different cuisines so plenty of options. Their…read morevegetarian options are especially welcome-- there's no chance you'll be limited to bland basics. I stopped by when I was jonesing for fried green tomatoes. A good call! It's spacious and staff is friendly and quick. I will go back soon.

I haven't been here in years but the food was just as good as I remember and the service was great…read more I was first sat by the window in the main bar and it was so loud that I could barely hear we asked to move and they moved us quickly to the back bar area, which was nice and they checked to see if it was OK we said yes, but they still offered us the very back room that seemed like it was for private parties and that's where we ended up moving to. They turned the volume of the music lower and even adjusted the heat as it was just the two of us back there the waitress was still very attentive and helpful although she could have easily forgot about us. I was sold on the chai apple martini, even though I was hesitant because it felt more like a Christmas drink and it was February, but it was delicious and I got another one. I ordered the pork chop medium well the sauce was delicious. However, the pork chop was dry. I still ate the whole thing because the sauce and everything accompanying it was amazing. My friend ordered the pesto pasta, which I tried. I really enjoyed it too, especially the Barrata. his steak was also ordered medium well and was drier than my pork chop. I couldn't eat it, but luckily it was not my meal. He did didn't seem to mind too much. The vibes were high all night, even though we were in the back partly because of the waitress, but mostly because of what seemed to be almost a Rihanna only playlist lol

We have been to the Urban Tap twice in the last two weeks. Let me say what I love: good quality…read morefood and so many beers on tap. We have come for lunch and dinner and both are great. Their beers are excellent; I am an IPA guy and they always have two beers on special. Last time I got a decent IPA, 20 oz worth, for $5 because it was a special. My wife and I split the chicken sandwich and they divided the sandwich and fries on to two plates without asking. Their fries are really good; their fries are fresh cut and perfect. The environment is quiet and not rushed. Service is very good. I can say that we will be regulars here; close location and nothing to tell me to go elsewhere.

A large group of us stopped by on Wednesday night and it's huge so fantastic for groups! The beer…read morehalf side is on the right hand side when you walk in and you can get cocktails at the bar on the left hand side. They had a good amount of well crafted cocktails and I especially loved the clarified Stone Nectar. They also have food and we shared a pepperoni pizza and it was pretty good!

Super hip and attractive bar with a unique menu of cocktails and wine (beer in the beer room) and…read morefriendly service.

Visited Palm Palm for Mother's Day dinner and had a great experience. The food was flavorful,…read morebeautifully plated, and fresh. The lobster rolls were delicious, the salmon was cooked perfectly, and the pistachio dessert was amazing. Our server, Daron, was attentive, friendly, and made the experience even better despite the holiday rush. Great food and great service and a beautiful atmosphere. I'll definitely be back.

A classy atmosphere with endless options of culinary excellence!…read more At the top of most Pittsburgh searches for trendy restaurants, Palm Palm delivers on all aspects. Simplistic, covered parking with a large parking structure attached to the restaurant. Elegance encapsulated with the high ceilings, modern fixtures, and classy atmosphere. The food is next level. With so many awesome small plate options, we decided to get drinks and share in the opportunities. This may be of benefit, as Palm Palm brings out food when it is ready instead of waiting to serve a full course to a party. Let's review the small plates: - Roasted Broccoli Caesar - roasted tender and perfectly coated with the brioche and parm - Focaccia Bread Board - fluffy, salty focaccia with somewhat simplistic board options of butters and jam - Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup Dumplings - easily our favorite bite!! Served in a spoon with creamy soup floating a perfectly filled dumpling of cheese goodness - Truffle Spaghettios - hello childhood, you missed the mark. These spaghettios may have you thinking nostalgia but the flavors are stellar. - Mini Lobster Rolls - chilled, copious lobster on a buttery crisp roll... shhhh they brought us a second one for free!!! - Waygu Meatballs - the plating is top notch. Little meatball holders to allow the French onion to soak in and the cheesy to perfectly melt across them all. Melt in your mouth meatballs with seasoning to make your want another! - Classic Oysters - a nice starter for the birthday boy! For drinks, we loved their homemade sodas - Lemon Ginger, Strawberry Passion Fruit, & Sunset Fire added the perfect sip between bites! And of courseeeee... you need desserts! Why not turn them into shareable small plates too!! - The Orange - levels of orange flavor perfectly paired together with sweetness to enhance the palate and enjoy! - Dark Desire - rich, dark chocolates with flairs of chocolate work. So goooood!! - Key Lime Pie - wooowww citrus overload. But so moist and yummy. Our waitress was phenomenal. Giving great suggestions, ensuring we always had dishes cleared and glasses filled... and even telling us menu changes that made some dishes not worth it anymore. Wow!! This is celebration station too! With the sparkler extraordinaire almost every table was celebrating someone or something while we were there. It's no surprise that this place is, was, and will be a trendy spot in Pittsburgh!!

Everything was great! Food, service, drinks, atmosphere it was all a great experience.read more

The best tacos!!! And you can customize the tacos to your liking! great service also!read more

Great food! Nice people. Atmosphere is inviting and not overly done. Negative reviews seem to come…read morefrom people with unrealistic expectations

I've been to G's twice. It is a really nice neighborhood restaurant. They have 37 different Gins!!!…read moreThey do a rotating set of gin cocktails, tonight I started with a hendrick's cucumber gimlet. I really liked it. It was a little sweet, but I like it that way. We shared the mushroom tart. It was loaded with mushrooms, with a little whipped feta on top. It was super delicious. I got the butternut squash risotto with grilled shrimp. The flavor was great, with browned butter. I would have liked a little more butternut squash pieces, but loved it anyway. One dinner got the pot roast which was perfectly cooked with a delicious. The only dish that was below part was the veal meatballs with spaghetti. Just a little plain and dry, maybe I'm just not a veal fan! We ended with a lemon brûlée. WOW! Love the lemon flavor, with a little crispy top. we will definitely be back!

This is a rarity in Pittsburgh and I'm glad it exists. We dined at Spork before they switched to…read morethe tasting menu and wasn't too fond of it-my opinion has changed! There is a hard start time as the tasting menu is done in a large group setting-serving everyone at once. So, we found ourselves wandering around the neighborhood and then standing in front of the door waiting for 6pm to strike, I felt like a creep. The area itself is an open floor plan so when they welcome you in, it's confusing to see the table we will be seated around but also see little stations for the canapés. Little awkward. We found a two-seater, and as a plus size woman I felt a bit cramped. My husband and I are both tall (5'11" and 6'3" so we were both fighting over who got the bench seat vs the little stool. There's always that awkwardness when you're looking around trying to figure out what the heck is about to happen and wondering..when is it time to EAT. We did 3 or 4 canapés which were all enjoyable-one that stands out to me had goat cheese and beets-yum! We are asked to take our seats at the large table and ...awkward again bc we are just kind of all looking around waiting. I have a sensitivity to alcohol so I did the N.A. pairing and I didn't feel like I missed out on much. The sommelier did a great job at explaining the notes and why each pairing happened. I really enjoyed the tasting menu. The chef kept us abreast of what we were trying and looped in other accompanying staff which gave us some of their backstory which was nice. I love that the restaurant has an urban garden and tries to reduce waste-that's so important. Minus 1 star because of the clunkiness of the bench area vs the large table where we ate and the cost. $275/pp plus tip isn't something that many can swing in a blue collar city.

Everyone was warm and welcoming at One by Spork, and I really wanted to love it--especially after…read moreseeing so many glowing reviews. I've pondered for about two weeks whether I wanted to post this review, but it is my honest experience. I've experienced a lot of tasting menus, including a ridiculous number of James Beard and Michelin-level restaurants, so I had high expectations. The atmosphere felt more casual than anticipated, and the space--surrounded by fermenting and dehydrating equipment--wasn't the elevated setting I associate with a $275 tasting. The noise from the machines during the first part of the meal was also distracting. It still felt like a place that was recently converted from a different concept. I know they are showcasing different was of preparation but the setup was cluttering. Service and pacing never quite clicked. Guests start in a lounge and are served about five canapés with an awkward pace and sequence. The lounge area isn't unique and doesn't feel distinctly set apart from the dining room, and the entire 6 p.m. seating hinges on everyone arriving on time. When several diners showed up late, the evening's rhythm stalled before the first course even landed--an unfortunate distraction for a format that relies on flow. The food showcases some thoughtful ideas, but the execution struggled, with some dishes having way too many ideas and/or elements. Very little was memorable, and many dishes arrived lukewarm, if not cool. Unlike most chef's counters and/or tasting menus where the kitchen and assembly are combined, Spork carries all the plates and cooked ingredients from the kitchen to a cold stainless steel counter, then assembles for guests. The result is a disjointed service and errors in food quality. The required drink pairing added a significant cost, and while a few pours worked well, others overshadowed the dishes instead of lifting them (cocktails specifically). But they actually grow many of their own herbs and vegetables right next door and most of dishes looked great. The Maine scallop with calamari was the standout. I have no issue spending hundreds for a great dining experience, but for $275 + tax + tip...I expected a more polished and cohesive experience, and much better execution with the food--temperature and flavor. With some adjustments around the dishes, service, and the mandatory pairing, it could come closer to matching the price point.

Best restaurant experience we've had since moving to Pittsburgh, not even close…read more My wife and I had our first night away from the kids in a long time, and we wrapped it up with brunch here on Sunday, turns out they had just started brunch a week ago. We randomly walked into it and got very lucky. We ordered the masa pancakes, breakfast burrito, and al pastor tacos. Unreal across the board. The pancakes had these crispy, buttery edges with incredible flavor and syrup. The burrito was perfect, every bite hit and you could tell the tortilla was homemade. And the al pastor tacos were insane, honestly better than what I've had in California and Mexico. We were completely full and still kept eating like idiots because it was that good. Service somehow matched the food: * Lacy (server) was awesome, attentive, sweet and dialed in * Ella (host) set the tone right away with a warm welcome * Migdalia (bar) crushed it, (jumping bean is to die for) * Olivia (AGM) clearly runs a tight operation, she was friendly, passionate and made sure to check in with us You can feel that people actually care here, which is rare. How is it even possible to have both perfect food and service?! We'll be back next week for dinner, can't wait. If you're debating it, don't!

I'll start w a summary - Overall, the food was okay. I wouldn't come back for it but the service is…read morewhat puts this place down so much. The manager was the only person that seemed professional and attentive. Bar seating was so uncomfortable that I ended up standing for some of my meal. Entered around 7:45 and was told it was 45 minutes for a seat so we gladly took bar seating. Staff initially politely greeted us. We ordered our appetizers and a drink. My girlfriend's espresso martini was stiff and flavorless. The tostado de atún & flauta de tinga were both good. The problems started after our apps. We waited quite some time before the bartenders asked us what we wanted for an entree. For a period of time our waters were empty. Our dinners came out and the birria was okay but not great, kind of a watered down broth with an aftertaste of spice. The gringa al pastor tacos were good. The pollo rostizado was too messy to want to eat in a restaurant. The bar lighting was also so dim that my friend didn't realize the color difference to realize what was salsa vs black beans. We then waited at least fifteen minutes after our meals were finished if we wanted dessert. There were two bartenders that didn't seem to communicate at all so one asked us if we needed anything else after we were waiting 10+ minutes for our desserts already. The desserts - flan & tamal de cacao - were fine. The flan was thicker & creamier than most, which I preferred and had a strong caramel taste if that's your thing. The mousse was airy but the tamal was 99% corn and 1% chocolate flavoring.

Very cute and cozy cafe. The service was friendly and nice…read moreThe prices are pretty good and the offer very large (it took me time to choose) The mocha dirty chai was a dream ! The vegan plate was good A must to go

Do you even know Pittsburgh restaurants, if you don't know Square Cafe?…read more Was it packed? Yes Did we have to wait? Yup But isn't that what we want for our favorite businesses ... and isn't even better when they are fully equipped for their popularity and make the experience great through it all We were immediately greeted by the hostess and given an accurate wait time. You could see the runners and bus team hustling to move along service and turn over tables. As soon as we were seated, the waiter came over and told us to be easy with orders and honestly our coffees and our meals came ridiculously quickly given that every table was fully seated. Okay... so that's how they are awesome despite the overwhelming popularity. Let's just cover the real scoop as to why they are so popular. The restaurant is colorfully decorated with local art and contact to purchase the displayed items. The table has a QR code of Pittsburgh Bucket List places to visit.. so this place is built on community. The menu is filled with modern yummy takes on food, options for every diet, and some extremely inventive local favorites.. I couldn't see a Reuben Benedict and not order it. Marbled Rye toasted with freshly pulled apart corned beef, Russian dressing, and of course a perfectly poached egg with hollandaise. My wife ordered the Chive Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich... and let me tell you that biscuit would be good for every meal of the day! The seasonal drink menu sounds delicious too but we went with a Chai Tea Latte and a French Toast Latte. This place is a Pittsburgh destination! You gotta go to Square Cafe!

Totally forgot what I got but ik the chargrilled oysters were so packed with flavor and freaking…read moredelicious, regular oysters were also so fresh and wonderful. Highly recommend coming in happy hour. Look at my funky fresh fun friends and our spread!

Chargrilled oysters are top tier!…read more Oysters were great and so were the Brussels sprouts! The place has a nice, fun vibe and the atmosphere matches the cuisine. Service could have been a little better. There was some confusion with assigned sections according to the waitress, but the place was not crowded and we were one table away from a table she was serving. The place is also very small... So we sat around waiting for an extended amount of time. I will be back to try more items and DEFINITELY for the chargrilled oysters.