From Wikitravel

South Side is a Pittsburgh neighborhood that contains more restaurants and bars than perhaps anywhere else in the city. It is bounded by Station Square on the west and extends 30 or more blocks to the east. On the north its boundary is the Monongahela river and it extends inland many blocks. The central artery is East Carson street on which most of the restaurants and bars are located.

[edit] Understand

Historically the area was home to the millworkers for the steel mills that once lined the Monongahela river. Since most of these workers came from eastern Europe there is a European feel to it: small homes built right next to each other, dozens of churches of various ethnic persuasions and even more neighborhood bars and small shops all mixed helter skelter together.

Today the mills are gone and shopping centers are springing up in their place. The older area is an interesting place to wander and people-watch because it is very dense and you can easily walk almost anywhere. It is one of the few places in Pittsburgh where, in the summer, people eat and drink at tables outside restaurants.

There are two main sections of South Side, aptly named the "Flats" and the "Slopes". The flats of course are near the river while the slopes begin several blocks south of the river and extend farther south up a very steep hill. On the flats are shops, bars, restaurants as well as many interesting homes and apartments. On the slopes are houses, hundreds and hundreds of narrow, tall homes, cheek-to-jowl with one another, perched precariously on the hillside. One area of the slopes, suitable for goats, is called, appropriately, Billy Buck Hill! There are dozens of streets and pseudo-streets (steep concrete and wooden stairs maintained by the city) which residents use to get up and down. No need for a workout at the gym if you use these routes.

There is also a pretty walk right along the river that extends for miles where from the woodsy bank you can view the sleek downtown area right across river.

[edit] Get in

From Downtown go south across the Monongahela river. There are four bridges you can use to cross the river. All intersect with East Carson Street after you cross the river. Beginning at the west end of Southside is the Smithfield Street bridge, which will take you directly to Station Square (an interesting stop on its own -- see below). You may also cross a little further east using the 10th Street bridge, then turn left on East Carson street for the South Side Shops and Restaurants. Farther east, you may cross the 22nd Street bridge, also known as the Birmingham bridge. Then turn right for the South Side Shops and Restaurants. Still farther east you may use the Hot Metal bridge, so-named because it was formerly used to transport ladles of molten steel from the blast furnace on one side of the river to the rolling mill on the other. This will take you directly through the South Side Works.

On the flats you can sometimes find on-street parking on the side streets and there are also some metered parking lots.

[edit][add listing] See

• Station Square, 10th and East Carson St, [1] was at one time a railroad station. The original station, fully renovated, is still there. Now housing the Gandy Dancer Saloon and the Grand Concourse restaurant, it is a beautiful example of the grand train stations of the past with a huge, beautiful colored glass skylight that seems to be a mile in the air, feaux marble columns and fine wooden appointments. You may still see a train passing on the tracks between the station and the river, but they are freight trains, not passenger trains.

In the many ancillary buildings (some new, some original) that surround the station itself are a unique entertainment and office complex. One is tempted to use the term "mall", but that really doesn't cover it. In the space between the buildings you will find several artifacts of the steel industry past on display: huge ladles and furnaces and other equipment.

• The Gateway Clipper Fleet [2] will give you the feel of the old days when paddle wheel boats plied the rivers in a never ending stream pushing barges and transporting passengers up and down the Ohio, Mississippi riverways. Today they will take you for a short tour of the nearby river system and point out many of the interesting sights to be seen along the water. There are also ethnic dinner and dance night cruises, where you can eat galumkies (Polish stuffed cabbage) and polka away the evening on the river. Its dock is immediately west of Station Square. Check the link out for directions, events and schedules.

• South Side Shops and Restaurants [3] are strung out along East Carson street from about 10th street to 27th street, an unbelievable melange of quirky shops, used book stores, tattoo parlors, mystic readers, and ... well you get the idea. Mixed in with all these are so many bars and restaurants that if you attempted to have one drink in each—people have attempted—you would not make it nearly from one end to the other before requiring assistance. There are fine restaurants mixed in too. The street traffic on a weekend night can be formidable, but fun if you have the right constitution.

• South Side Works [4] is the reconstituted site of the old Jones & Laughlin steel mill in Southside. Today it has become a residential-commercial-industrial park, but it also has some bars and restaurants, the appropriately named, Hot Metal Grill, for example. It also contains a complete football field where the Pittsburgh Steelers practice and where, logically enough, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center maintains a center for the study of sports injuries. This is a work in progress and new facilities, including a ten theater film complex, are sprouting like mushrooms.

[edit][add listing] Do

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit][add listing] Eat

• Don's Green Front Inn, 2341 E. Carson St, +1 412 488-3140. Bar and restaurant, a peppy crowd, and friendly bartenders.

• Cheesecake Factory, 415 South 27th Street, in the SouthSide Works plaza, near the Hot Metal bridge +1 412 431-7800. A busy, upscale bar and restaurant with good food, a long list of drinks, a trendy crowd, and excellent dessert.

• Le Pommier, 2104 E. Carson St, +1 412 431-1901. Authentic Country French menu.

• Louis Tambellini Restaurant, 860 Saw Mill Run Blvd (Rt. 51), +1 412 481-1118, [5]. A large, classic seafood and meat restaurant in the "Italian-American" manner. Open for lunch and dinner except on Sunday. This gem is a favorite of the local "over 40" crowd. No rock and roll here, just excellent food and a good wine cellar.

• Mallorca, East Carson St at 22nd St, +1 412 488-1818, [6]. From Downtown you can take the 22nd street bridge south across the Monongehala river and you will run right into it. This restaurant specializes in authentic Spanish and Portuguese food, lots of seafood dishes but also very large steaks and chops. Hope you like garlic. In pleasant weather you can be seated outside on the terrace. It has possibly the best waitstaff of any restaurant in Pittsburgh.

• The Grand Concourse, [7] in Station Square. Site of the former train station, hosts a huge Sunday brunch and a beautiful view of the city.

• Café du Jour, 1107 E. Carson Street, (412) 488-9695, Call for a reservation and enjoy a seasonal menu at incredibly reasonable prices. The courtyard provides an intriguing setting for your meal. BYOB (A stem fee applies).

• Beehive Coffeeshop, 1327 E. Carson Street, Ongoing exhibits, a relaxing atmosphere, young crowd, courtyard and a wide selection of gourmet coffees, teas, sandwiches and other snacks contribute to the Beehive's ongoing reputation as one of the best spots in Pittsburgh to relax and socialize.

[edit][add listing] Drink

17th Street Cafe 75 S. 17th Street www.17thstreetcafe.com (412) 381-4566

Angel's Club - Restaurant 2604 Josephine Street (412) 488-2700

Bar Eleven 1101 Bradish St. (412) 381-0899

Bar South Side 153 S. 18th St. (412) 432-7000

Barry's Pub 1009 East Carson Street (412) 481-3480

Blue Lou's 1510-1512 E. Carson St. (412) 381-7675

Blue Note Cafe 1832 East Carson Street (412) 431-7080

Brewski's 801 E. Carson Street (412) 481-9140

Casey's Draft House 1811 East Carson Street (412) 431-3595 Casey's has a midget bartender on Monday's. He walks on the bar and dumps shots into your mouth.

Cupka's Cafe II 2314 East Carson Street (412) 431-9691

Cupka's I 46 S. 27th Street (412) 481-6262

Dee's Café 1314 E. Carson St. www.deescafe.com (412) 431-1314

Don's Green Front Inn 2341 East Carson Street (412) 488-3140

Excuses Bar 2526 E. Carson St. www.excuses.freeservers.com (412) 431-4090

Fat Head's 1805 East Carson Street www.fatheads.com (412) 431-7433 A giant beer selection. They have hundreds of beers.

Games N' At Arcade 2010 Josephine Street www.gamesnat.com (all ages) (412) 481-2002

Intermission Lounge 1908 E. Carson St. (412) 381-3497

Jack's Backroom 1117-1121 E. Carson St. (412) 431-3644

The Jaggerbush- Bar and Grille 133 S. 23rd St. (412) 431-5244

Kaworski's Tavern 132 S. 24th St. (412) 431-0160

Kopy's 80 S. 12th St. (412) 431-9282

Lava Lounge 2204 East Carson Street (412) 431-5282

Mario's South Side Saloon 1514 East Carson Street (412) 381-5610

McArdle's Pub 1600 Bingham St. (412) 431-9358

Nakama Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar 1611 East Carson Street www.eatatnakama.com (412) 381-6000

Onyx Inn 1011 E. Carson St. (412) 431-8958

Piper's Pub 1828 E. Carson St. www.piperspub.com/ (412) 381-3977

Primanti Bros. Blues Café 46 South 18th Street www.primantibros.com (412) 263-2142

Rumshakers 1224 E. Carson Street (412) 431-5910

Shootz Cafe & Billiards 2305 East Carson Street www.shootz-cafe.com (412) 488-3820

Smokin' Joe's Saloon 2001 E. Carson St. (412) 431-6757

South Shore Saloon 601 East Carson Street (412) 488-1960

South Side Caravan Club 1113-1115 E. Carson St. (412) 488-1505

The HKAN Hookah Bar & Lounge 2210 E. Carson St. www.thehkan.com (412) 381-1813

The Smiling Moose 1306 East Carson Street www.smiling-moose.com (412) 431-4668

Tiki Lounge 2003 East Carson Street www.tikilounge.biz (412) 381-8454

Walker's Pub 2024 Sarah St.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Morning Glory Inn, 2119 Sarah St, +1 412 431-1707, [8]. A historic Pittsburgh bed and breakfast in the South Side district. Within walking distance to shops, art galleries, jazz bars, and a variety of gourmet restaurants.

[edit] Contact

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