Restaurants in South Park Township

Opened in 2003, Mexi-Casa’s playful take on Tex-Mex dishes quickly earned it the tagline “Pittsburgh’s Least Authentic Mexican Restaurant,” according to the Dormont-Brookline Patch. The full bar pours domestic and imported beers as well as hand-mixed margaritas on the rocks margaritas in five fruity flavors. The chef adds his own creative flair to each dish, resulting in globe-spanning combinations such as the Mediterranean quesadilla, pretzels con queso, and the Acapulco burrito—a blend of pulled pork, grilled pineapple, and trilingual cheeses. The menu also offers more traditional Tex-Mex dishes, including more than 40 burrito combinations, soft-shell tacos, and house-made guacamole.

The full bar pours domestic and imported beers as well as hand-mixed margaritas on the rocks margaritas in five fruity flavors. The eatery’s late-night menu offers a limited selection of appetizers and entrees, chicken wings in six sauces.

The original McFadden's, founded in New York City, was known for throwing the wildest parties in the area, and the franchise's myriad locations now carry on the tradition throughout the United States. Resident DJs blast dance beats throughout the night, and, more often than not, both staff and patrons confuse the bar and the dance floor. Guests can steady themselves with burgers or pub fare and watch a Pittsburgh team on one of the 30 high-definition TVs around the bar. The bar also hosts bachelor, bachelorette, and birthday parties, as well as corporate events or fortnightly gatherings to howl at passing satellites.

The chefs at California Taco Shop borrow culinary inspiration from Mexico and the Golden State as they fill fresh tortillas with meats and veggies. Their tacos, tortas, and burritos—stuffed with carnitas, beef tongue, and shrimp—transport tongues to sunnier locales with their authentic, equatorial spice and peppers.

Taste of Dahntahn revels in its Pittsburgh heritage—its name represents the Pittsburghese pronunciation of “downtown,” and its menu presents a local twist on international dishes. Executive chef Lee Corbett, who trained in the culinary arts in Baltimore, joins forces with bar manager and Pennsylvania native Eric Lynch to curate the cocktail and food menus where Asian-style chicken, French steaks, and Italian pastas coexist peacefully alongside East Coast seafood dishes. Their bar space brings culinary wanderers back to home turf with Pittsburgh-themed décor, which is highlighted by nine TVs screening local baseball, hockey, and football games, as well as a jukebox that plays the mayor’s high-school mix-tapes.

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.