Pittsburgh – A morning in the Strip District

Perhaps Pittsburgh, in Western Pennsylvania, is better known for its three rivers, its steel production and for Andy Warhol. Perhaps at first glance, it’s not the city for a morning tasting tour. Don’t judge Pittsburgh by its cover. It might look slightly rough around the edges, but a morning stroll in the Strip District might be exactly what you’re after.

We stayed at the old-fashioned, historic William Penn Hotel Downtown with roots back to 1916. The hotel is on the list of Historic hotels in America and is being preserved to remain how it used to look when it was new. The gorgeous lobby now hosts a Starbucks and a restaurant, and the rest of the hotel has plenty of dining options, as well as a lovely little Speak Easy lounge hidden away on the second floor.

From the hotel, it’s only a 20 minutes walk to The Strip District, a warehouse district and previously industrial part of town. The Strip District has developed for over 200 years and now hosts wholesalers and business owners from all over the world in a multicultural melting pot where local food is mixed with European influences from Italy, Greece and Poland alongside newer additions from Africa, Mexico, Carribbean and many others.

Our first stop was The Enrico Biscotti Company. Get a couple of traditional biscottis to go – they offer a wide variety of different flavours. They do have a café, but you will want to dip your biscottis in the lovely cappuccino from La Prima coffee bar around the corner. Cross your fingers for sun and see if you can secure one of the few outdoor tables outside the coffee bar.

La Prima is yet another proof of Pittsburgh’s Mediterranean influence, and is an excellent Italian-style espresso bar. They say they have the best cappuccinos in the area – and they really are worth a try. There are lots of locals here – a mixture of middle aged men solving world problems, casual business meetings and girlfriends gossiping. Oh, and the ever optimistic sparrows, desperate for a bit of biscotti.

Next door to La Prima you’ll find The Pittsburgh Popcorn Company selling freshly popped corn in many flavour combinations. My personal favourite is the toffee version, but they also do chocolate, cheese, dill pickle, buffalo and movie style butter to mention a few. Best of all; they let you taste everything before you buy! Buy for yourself and your friends, there are many different sizes.

After The popcorn we wanted to try some local spirits. It may have been early, but when a city has local editions on offer it would be rude to miss out! Pennsylvania Libations is your next stop. All local liquors and brews; rums, beers, vodka, gins – everything made locally.

As they say themselves: “Pennsylvania Libations connects distillers, small businesses, and individuals, to one another, with the intent of growing, experiencing, and preserving Pennsylvania spirit.”

They’re generous with samples and we got a full dark rum tasting with one of the knowledgeable staff members. They really take pride in knowing each individual producer here and you’re sure to find a good, local match! There are constant events and tastings going on, so it’s worth checking in if you know you’re coming to Pittsburgh.

Our plan for lunch was to head to Gaucho Parilla – an Argentinian restaurant serving a wide variety of healthy dishes and wood fire grilled meats, fish and vegetables. It is located at the very beginning of The Strip District, so walking back you can take a peak into the many local shops on the way. I particularly enjoyed the friendly S & D Polish Deli offering us Eastern European sweets, as well as many delis with impressive cheese selections; even including some Norwegian brown cheese. In return for helping the cheese seller pronouncing it correctly, I got to taste plenty of mature cheddars! There was a lack in cheeses from the local area but I managed to get a Pennsylvanian cheese to enjoy.

Finally at Gaucho we took our time deciding from the massive chalkboard menu on the wall. There are plenty of options and a lot of healthy varieties. We decided on the catch of the day; a beautifully grilled fish on a salad of roasted and fresh vegetables. It’s a casual place where you order at the counter, but the food is truly colourful and full of flavour.

Thanks to the lovely Leigh for joining me on my Pittsburgh food walk!