Restaurants in Mount Lebanon

Near the peak of Mount Washington sits a small and unassuming Tudor building. Aged wooden crossbeams hug its stucco walls, lending it the appearance of a solitary cottage that would not look out of place in the Pennsylvanian countryside. The Georgetowne Inn, however, is not as rural as its exterior might suggest. Its windows look out on a view of the Pittsburgh skyline—that twinkling mass of buildings that rises from the intersection of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.

This dramatic view of downtown Pittsburgh meets its culinary match in specialties such as broiled mushroom caps stuffed with lumps of crab and tender filet mignon topped with slow-melting maître d'hôtel butter. These tender entrees lead into desserts of pecan ball and peach melba—the latter of which was named for opera singer Nellie Melba, whose high-pitched soprano could famously split open the stone seed of a peach.

Those who bite into Jay Lewis's blackened tuna or braised beef might be surprised to learn that he hasn’t had formal culinary training. Though his familiarity with modern ingredients and innovative use of Latin, North American, and European flavors suggest years of training in top international cooking schools, his expertise is sourced from 12 years of experimentation in the kitchen. He and his staff whip up gourmet sandwiches and small plates with local produce, crafting a menu of upscale pub eats that has been lauded by reporters of Trib Total Media.

The clink of cocktails echoes throughout the tavern's two stories. On the downstairs level, bartenders dole out specialty cocktails and fine wines before the sunlit lounge and bar. Lights speckle the ceiling of the main dining room upstairs, illuminating wooden tabletops, and gleaming off the green-tinted floor to expose parents trying to hide their broccoli under their children’s napkins.