City rankings are stupid and dumb and you should never take them seriously. Unless, of course, when they say something I like. Then they should be taken as gospel.
So, when Pittsburgh makes a listicle entitled “Best Foodie Cities in America (2025)” I will help spread that propaganda far and wide. I’ll even break my own rule of never using the word “foodie” in print because that word is clearly cursed and should be tossed in the same dumpster as “quirky.” I do think Pittsburgh has a pretty good relationship with food, for a city without a great historical connection to a signature cuisine (like New Orleans or Napa Valley). This wasn’t always the case.
The data on Pittsburgh in the study by Wallethub is pretty interesting, even if you don’t agree:
- Overall rank for Pittsburgh: 13th
- 33rd – Cost of Groceries
- 19th – Restaurants per Capita
- 1st – Affordability & Accessibility of Highly Rated Restaurants
- 1st – Gourmet Specialty-Food Stores per Capita
- 1st – Craft Breweries & Wineries per Capita
- 1st – Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita
- 12th – Number of Grocery Stores per Capita
Those No. 1 rankings are pretty surprising, but they do speak to a lot of the good things about living in Pittsburgh. And the “Cost of Groceries” — well, that checks out too, due to the near-monopoly of a certain avian megafauna.
Pittsburgh punches above its weight in many food categories, though it could obviously improve in many others. You may disagree; that’s kind of the entire point of these things, actually (anger = engagement!). Food is something literally every city wants to be known for. Nobody is going to sheepishly admit “Ah, well, we suck at food,”and try to stake their reputation on something else.
So, here’s a list of places for sale/rent and the closest nearby place to eat. Feel free to add or substitute your own.
For sale: 634 ½ 5th Ave., Coraopolis, $164,900.
I don’t know much about Honduran food, but the pupusas, empanadas, and camarones at Five Stars in Coraopolis have convinced me it’s time to find out. Prices at this homey, unpretentious spot are quite good — not unlike the price for this little wood-frame house, which features front and back porches, hardwood floors in the living room, and even a little backyard that might grow back from dusty scrubland with a few good days of rain.
For rent: 5442 Stanton Ave., Highland Park, $1,395/month.
Despite being a short, flat walk from the endless bounty of East Liberty, Highland Park has its own cluster of nice spots to eat. There’s inexpensive Japanese pancakes/street food at Teppanyaki Kyoto, fiery Thai takeout at Smiling Banana Leaf, and Italian ice and custard at LaScola’s. Highland Park also has some of the most beautiful housing stock in the region, including this lovely turn-of-the-century red-trimmed example, and a fair share of it is for rent.
For sale: 1803 Monongahela Ave., Swissvale, $199,000.
The only place I’ve ever seen a Swiss restaurant was in Canada of all places, and nobody’s really clamoring for that here. Luckily, Bombay to Burgh continues the local tradition of putting excellent Indian restaurants into places you’re least likely to find them. (Udipi by the gravel pit in Penn Hills is the undisputed champion.) This Swissvale home isn’t near Regent Square or even Edgewood Town Center, but it is part of a cluster of commercial buildings on the other side of South Braddock Avenue. It’s got a lot of ‘80s character left, from tiled kitchen floors to fluffy white carpet, if that’s your thing. A recent price cut of $40K is quite substantial.
For rent: 342 S. Graham St., Shadyside, $1,250/month.
The ‘90s were wild. Like, I may or may not have lived on this street, which may or may not have been next door to a meth lab run by a suburban cop. What are the problems plaguing Shadyside now? Coffee shops closing too early? Lines too long for crepes at Café Moulin? (It’s worth the wait, though).
For sale: 518 Lloyd St., Point Breeze, $269,000.
You don’t usually see price points like this in Point Breeze, and almost never when attached to homes as well-maintained as this 1915 brick rowhouse. And yet, even here, there was a $10,000 price cut just this week. Point Breeze has everything going for it except restaurants, but I’d like to point out the enduring quality of Point Brugge, for just picking an unpopular (yet tasty) cuisine, Belgian, and sticking with it through thick and thin. Vive les moules frites!
For rent: 1823 Thomas Blvd., Apt. 3. Homewood, $1,675/month.
The price cut mania that has swept through the for-sale housing market hasn’t made much of a dent in rents … yet. But if there’s a recession on the way — which seems likely — then it will knock down the rents at some point. The downside (as someone who has lived through a few of these) is that everything else that requires money will be worse. But hey, Homewood’s The Dream and Showcase BBQ will help soothe your pain with sweet, tangy barbecue sauce. Pro tip: don’t count on Google to tell you when they’re open; you’re better off looking for recent action on the smokers outside.
This article appears in Fall Guide 2025.
