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OT: Old School Pittsburgh Area restuarants

Picolo Picolo (downtown)
Pasta Piata (Shadyside)
Carleton House (downtown)
Hot Dog Shop (Butler)
Cantor's (Oakland)
 
Love this thread, probably been to about 75% of these places. But I haven't seen Grant Bar in Millvale mentioned, so I'll add that one.
Speaking of bars...the Triangle in Swissvale is the place to go for hoagies. I grew up on their battleships. Not a bar known for hanging out. Lunch or their outstanding sandwiches to go. Living away from Pittsburgh for 30 years, I miss those more than anything.
 
Not living in Pittsburgh over the last umpteen years - I really like Monterey Fish Grotto - for the old heads, The Oyster House fish was always money and just a drive by - no one beat The House of Sauce for ribs.
 
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Love this thread, probably been to about 75% of these places. But I haven't seen Grant Bar in Millvale mentioned, so I'll add that one.
Turtle soup and banana cream pies and butterfly shrimp.
Dining here is a trip back to the 50s and 60s.
 
This was a nice trip down memory lane. I can close my eyes and imagine the unique smell and vibe of almost all of these places. I’ve lived all over but just something different about those Pittsburgh restaurants.
 
LOL....another one as a kid/young adult.......Chi Chi's. Who didn't like Chi Chi's? Probably as unauthentic as it came, but man I loved that place. I used to get the seafood enchiladas all the time.

I think they were the 3rd Mexican place to enter the area, I believe first was Franklin Inn (still around) and then Tequila Junction. Now, every other corner in Lawrenceville, Shadyside and Oakland has a taqueria. I agree as a teen that was the place to go, good when it first opened, but like many chains started losing something on their fastball and it went downhill at the end.
 
Turtle soup and banana cream pies and butterfly shrimp.
Dining here is a trip back to the 50s and 60s.

I think the guy who made the pies either died or retired. Kind of a typical yinzer joint, not real friendly, I remember once at work we tried to order a whole pie for takeout and the lady who answered wouldn't do it and said what do you think we are a bakery?
 
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I think they were the 3rd Mexican place to enter the area, I believe first was Franklin Inn (still around) and then Tequila Junction. Now, every other corner in Lawrenceville, Shadyside and Oakland has a taqueria. I agree as a teen that was the place to go, good when it first opened, but like many chains started losing something on their fastball and it went downhill at the end.
Hey, as a kid I loved Red Lobster. It was a treat. My god, I had to eat at one 2 years ago and I was horrified on how bad it was. Except for the cheese biscuits.
 
Not always...like many family owned joints, owner is getting up there in age and wants out with no succession plan in place. Business has been listed for sale for a while now.

That's very true. But besides this scenario with Bella, I also know the owners have told my wife and I that they just can't get anyone to work. They're tired of the hassle. So it's a combination of factors with them. I know they didn't make this decision hastily, that's for sure.
 
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If memory serves me my parents used to take the family to luigi's which was In the Southside and on Thursdays they would have all you can eat spaghetti unfortunately the place burned down
 
Hoffstots 1960. My first birthday party with kindergarten buddies. 1960. I felt like a king at the age of 5.
 
Polis was great. Tivoli Rodi road in Penn hills was a great Italian restaurant allegedly frequented by mafia. Dells in Bloomfield. And the pleasure bar Bloomfield
 
My parents and the 4 oldest kids in our family had Pitt fb season ticket, mid 70s through the 80s. Pre-game, my parents would do their adult stuff at the Black Angus. 3 of my siblings would walk to McDonalds. I would split off from them, walk to the book store, buy a motorcycle magazine to read at halftime, then walk to Orign Hot Dog for some cutting edge video games and some dogs. We’d all meet up ag the Black Angus and walk up Cardiac Hill for the game.

And yeah, post game we would go have dinner, sometimes at Chi-Chis off of 19, sometimes Sir Pizza on the Northside. Other places too. Great memories.
 
Speaking of bars...the Triangle in Swissvale is the place to go for hoagies. I grew up on their battleships. Not a bar known for hanging out. Lunch or their outstanding sandwiches to go. Living away from Pittsburgh for 30 years, I miss those more than anything.

Swissvale
A Pittsburgh staple for more than 65 years, serving huge hoagies with a full bar

You can’t mention Pittsburgh hoagies without mentioning the Triangle Bar & Grille; it's also one of our 33 favorite sandwich shops in the entire country. This local institution has been serving “Battleships” (aka outrageously large, 27-inch Italian sandwiches) for more than 60 years from its old-school corner lot in Swissvale. The original Italian is the biggest seller at this cash-only joint, packed proudly with salami, ham, provolone, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Triangle also offers hoagies with roast beef, corned beef, turkey, ham, capicola, and pastrami; whatever you get, you'll be ordering by the size, from the "Super Battleship" (a Battleship with double the meat) down to the "Torpedo" (a 6-inch hoagie), depending on how hungry you are.
What you're getting: The original Italian Battleship
 
Is the Kings in Harmarville still there?. We used to stop there after every Pirates and Penguins game on our way home via Rt 28. Bad food, but great Ice Cream sundaes.
 
Speaking of bars...the Triangle in Swissvale is the place to go for hoagies. I grew up on their battleships. Not a bar known for hanging out. Lunch or their outstanding sandwiches to go. Living away from Pittsburgh for 30 years, I miss those more than anything.

I think new owners since you were here 30 years ago. Still good, but they are big time nitters :confused:
 
I used to love Pasta Piatto in Shadyside.

Carmassi's on Rt19 in Ross Twp
Carmody's in Wexford
 
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I think new owners since you were here 30 years ago. Still good, but they are big time nitters :confused:
That sucks. I still hit town a little every year for Pitt and Penguins games, plus my brother and a couple long time friends are still there. Don't find myself near the old neighborhood ( Park Place ) too often.

If the subs are of the same quality, I would still love to have one. I would just send the little lady in to get it so I wouldn't have to look at any nitter trash.
 
That sucks. I still hit town a little every year for Pitt and Penguins games, plus my brother and a couple long time friends are still there. Don't find myself near the old neighborhood ( Park Place ) too often.

If the subs are of the same quality, I would still love to have one. I would just send the little lady in to get it so I wouldn't have to look at any nitter trash.

you'll be happy to know the Dari Delite reopened after many years.

 
Can’t believe that no one listed The Original Hot Dog Shop! Best dogs and fries ever!
Yes. Too painful to bring up. Even though I no longer live in the Burgh, I get bummed every time I return and am reminded the O is no longer there. One of my go-to late night snack stops back in the day. By snack of course I mean sharing a giant order of fries with cheese and gravy and getting my own dog with mustards and onions.

Ths O, Primanti’s, and Mineo’s. My three late night options back in the day. Thankfully the other two are still around.
 
you'll be happy to know the Dari Delite reopened after many years.

As someone who grew up in Swisshelm Park the Dari Delite was the goto after winning in Little League. Also, Rudy Martino's Original House of Submarines aka Rudy's has the best hoagies in Swissvale/Pittsburgh, I think they're only open at lunchtime though.

What about George Aiken's? They had locations all over the city and their chicken was great, my Aunt never cooked so she'd always bring Aiken's chicken to cookouts.

Did anyone else goto the Brown Derby at Monroeville Mall?
 
the one that used to be on 6th street in downtown? Yeah that was decent, it's been a few different things since then, a BBQ joint most recently I think
Yes. Great chicken parm, fried zucchini and antipasto. My family loved that place on weekends to see the Steelers..Guys trained at the Duquesne Club, I believe.
 
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So much is made of our renaissance of a foodie city and all of these places, but what about the old classics. Does anyone still go and what are they like?? So many are gone like Tambellini's, Montemurro's, Poli's, Primadonna, etc..etc...

But what about Rico's? The Hyeholde? Soba/Uni? Monterrey Fish Grotto? LeMont? Grand Concourse? Joseph Tambellini? Big Jim's? Out my way, Hoffstot's? The Villa? Wooden Angel?? Etc....feel free to add your own. But Just wondering how some of these are now, and if they are still good??
We recently ate at the Hyeholde & it's still very good.
 
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