Restaurants in Penn Hills

Blue Water Tavern resurrects the spirit of the classic neighborhood watering hole with a dinner menu that tastily tiptoes the line between casual and fine dining. Fire up feasting with tapas—small, passable plates that include calamari ($9), hummus ($8), and wings ($9), with the Tavern Trio ($18) collecting your choice of any three tapas. Crop-circle enthusiasts can take a break from extraterrestrial extracurriculars and opt for a veggie pizza topped with artichoke hearts, red peppers, red onions, basil, black olives, and goat cheese ($8), or its pepperoni-topped cousin ($9). Bite into the Pittsburgher burger accompanied by fresh-cut fries ($9), or salute a mermaid mother with the Surf and Turf—a six-ounce filet mignon and a Maine lobster tail ($29). For diurnal diners, Blue Water Tavern offers a lunch menu, while those on a liquid diet can feast upon a few hearty libations from the bar.

Waltz past Woodside Manor's wall of stained glass dating back to 1594, hand-carved oak staircase, and 20-foot pink-sandstone fireplace to take a seat in one of the manor's nine private dining rooms before examining the menu of seafood, sandwiches, pasta, and creative American classics. Woodside's chef Robert Courser turns French fries into elegant pomme frittes, served with thyme, salt, and spicy ketchup ($5), and replaces corndogs' dogs with shrimp and serves the cornshrimps with mustard cream ($12). Bite into a classically prepared Reuben's peppery corned beef and spicy sauerkraut ($9), or invite new flavors to mingle at your tongue's soirée with a chicken diablo sandwich: mushroom, onion, bacon, barbecue sauce, and cheddar cheese ($9). Marsala and piccata are available with veal or chicken ($14–$18), while more seaworthy plates include Chilean sea bass ($30), lake perch ($18), and lobster mac 'n' cheese, crafted with cognac, sherry, a Mornay sauce, Old Bay Seasoning, cheddar, and gruyere ($18).

Inspired by both local and international influences, the chefs of Cornerstone Restaurant & Bar prepare a menu of American cuisine that delights in seasonal ingredients and changes. Housed within a building that was originally a bank—complete with original vault doors—the restaurant has offered tastes of pan-seared scallops, served alongside barley risotto, pancetta, blood oranges and roasted brussels sprouts.

While they sit next to exposed-brick walls, diners can feast on risotto with wild mushrooms, duck confit, pomegranate seeds, and crispy parsnips. Lamb burgers are bedecked with goat cheese, arugula, and a balsamic-truffle vinaigrette, and roasted beets are thin sliced and served with fennel and arugula to make up a salad.

Accompanying these meals are a selection of beers, cocktails, and spirits. Domestic and imported beers reveal microbrew and seasonal tastes, and cocktails deliver everything from fruit-flavored vodkas to straight bourbons.

When you step into Middle Road Inn, you can feel a homey, welcoming atmosphere lingering in the air from its history as both a family home and hotel. The 19th-century building was originally Andre's Silver Star Hotel, a place where people traveling by coach or steam-powered Segway to Pittsburgh would stop for a pub meal and lodging. Wilbert Blazek purchased the site from the Andre family in the mid 1970s, running the restaurant and bar and raising his children in what was previously the hotel area. The Ferragonio family then bought and renovated the space a decade later, adding a new dining room, a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, a deck for alfresco dining, and a game room. The current restaurant also owes its famous hand-breaded fish sandwich recipe to this era.

Photographs of the inn's early days hang on the walls, joining the hardwood ceilings in creating a nostalgic and inviting atmosphere. The food is no less comforting: a handmade pizza or a shredded-pot-roast sandwich covered in homemade gravy pair well with occasional live music. After the meal, guests can head to the game room for video games, pool, or darts and practice their Victorian quadrille moves on the dance floor.

Opening on weekdays at 4:01 p.m. and Saturdays at 11:31 a.m., Shiloh Grill reminds visitors that patience will be rewarded. The restaurant’s most popular offering, the Burgher, consists of half a pound of ground turkey topped with dried cranberries, sage stuffing, and rosemary aioli—a year-round reminder of autumn that balances out the ever-rotating seasonal menus and selection of craft brews. Several events also run throughout the week, such as Wednesday’s tarot readings that always eerily predict when the next card will be drawn from the deck.

The chefs at Taipei bridge the gap between two of Asia’s superpowers, plating Chinese favorites from Taipei duck to general tso’s chicken alongside delicately rolled Japanese sushi specialties. Although their menu is built upon a pair of thousand-year-old culinary traditions, they also understand the value of a speedy bite; each day, they arrange a selection of favorites such as the moo goo gai pan into fast, tasty lunches paired rice, egg rolls, soup, and your own personal fast-forward button.