Restaurants in West Mifflin

The 509 Café partners with nurturing goddess and retired insurance agent, Mother Nature, to use only the freshest ingredients in each dish. The lunch menu offers salads ($7.99) and sandwiches ($6.99 for a whole), many with a Southwestern spin; the Sonoran salad tops its mesa of mixed greens, grilled chicken, and roasted-corn and black-bean salsa with a Southwest vinaigrette and tortilla strips, while the Mohican burger sports Angus beef under roasted poblano pepper, served on a cheddar-jalapeno bun. The 509 Café is vegetarian friendly and offers a spicy black-bean burger as a replacement upon request. For diners who love beef but hate patties, the ranch roast-beef sandwich ($3.99 for a half) tantalizes with tender roast beef sliced thin and drizzled with ranch dressing. Quesadillas are available in both full ($6.99) and half-size portions ($3.99). Add a side such as Southwest potato salad and a drink for just $2. The 509 Café's breakfast menu is served all day and features classic Southwestern fare such as pancakes ($4.99), french toast ($4.99), and breakfast sandwiches ($3.99), and is served all day.

When guests walk into the bright blue confines of Square Café, they find owner Sherree Goldstein and her friendly crew serving up smiles and steaming cups of custom-blended Kiva Han coffee. Preparing eclectic breakfast and lunch dishes, chefs crack shells for three-egg omelets, green eggs and ham with homemade pesto, and form their own housemade veggie burgers. Attentive servers endlessly refill freshly brewed ice tea and help health-savvy diners find the best menu options. Inside, colorful local artwork fuels discussions about which colors deserve to be primary, and on the sidewalk patio, diners can scan the street for signs of Square Café's vegetable-oil-powered Mercedes.

Gayot proclaimed Square Café a "vibrant eatery," describing the "generously portioned, cooked-to-order breakfast and lunch items on huge square plates." In addition to the well-crafted eats, the staff's energy and enthusiasm keep the café's sizeable crowd of regulars coming back—the manager, Kevin, even sports a Square Café tattoo as evidence.

Owner and chef Omar Mediouni imbues La Casa Tapas and Wine Bar's menu of traditional Spanish and Moroccan small plates and entrees with local ingredients and an appetite for culinary fusion that, according to Pittsburgh City Paper, "combines sophistication and comfort, authenticity and simplicity." Flagpole-addicted tongues warm up with a choice of 16 hot tapas, including the chorizo catalan's spicy sautéed sausage and spinach in a red-wine reduction ($10), and tomatoes, sweet pepper, and eggplant form the base of a duo of Moroccan dips ($8 each). Larger entrees ($16–$28) sneak garbanzo beans, chicken, lamb, and eggplant into piles of couscous or saffron paella rice like parents tucking Easter eggs into an egg carton.

Nestled within a brick house along a neighborhood street in Shadyside, La Casa Tapas and Wine Bar greets springtime by opening its patio to warm breezes and showers of cupid arrows. Inside, a hanging Spanish guitar, lanterns lit by candles, and the wide grin of a bright red hearth contribute to a cozy, eclectic spirit.

Unlike a shark's instinct to bite stuff and never stop swimming, most sea creatures are known for their anti-survival instincts, which include tasting delicious and come-hither claw gestures. Wright's starters highlight ocean fare's succulent Freudian death drives with a rich lobster bisque ($4.50), seared Ahi tuna over seaweed salad ($12), and baked New Zealand green-shell mussels with aged cheddar ($12 for 12). The New Orleans shrimp or oyster po' boy ($10.50) and an Angus steak burger ($9) headline the bread-padded entree selections while Wright's crab cakes ($21.50) mimic their hot- and pound-cake brethren in deliciousness.

Buon Giorno Café serves up fresh, homemade, and upscale Italian breakfast and lunch fare to famished downtown workers and hopelessly hungry romantics alike. A small breakfast menu offers a tasty break with veggie-stuffed frittatas ($5.50), fresh pastries ($1.25–$4.75), and caffeine-infused coffee creations ($.85–$3). The daily lunch menu rotates house-made dishes, unique to each location, every giorno. Permanent lunch staples such as the antipasto salad ($8.25), pasta ricotta ($8), and Italian hot sausage sandwich ($6.75), are stuffed full of imported Italian specialty foods.

Providing authentic Middle Eastern eats crafted from the finest, freshest, and most personable of hand-picked ingredients, the menu at Tyma’z serves up a variety of home-style, family-friendly dishes with complimentary aromas and sporks. Guests can begin with a selection of appetizers served with pita bread, such as the hummus ($5) or the laban ($3), a thick, creamy yogurt dish. Post-warm-up, diners can slink into more substantial entrees served a la carte or as a dinner with a side salad and rice pilaf. Experience dishes such as m’loukhieh ($10/$13), a plate of seasoned chicken and greens cooked in spicy juices, or the vegetarian-friendly sleek ($8/$13), a serving of kale telepathically cooked with onions, black-eyed peas, and spices. Bottomless beverages such as soda, lemonade, tea, and coffee are available ($2), or guests are welcome to bring their own libations for a small fee of $2 per person.