Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has a lot of local flavor to offer visitors. Since the area is surrounded by fertile farmland, many restaurants in the city use only locally sourced ingredients in their fare. You can pick up fresh produce and meats at numerous farmers markets and grocers. If you’re looking for a way to experience a true Pittsburgh meal, explore the following restaurants and markets that use or sell only local foods.
Experience Farm-Fresh Tastes at Legume
Image via Flickr by Edsel L
Get a delicious meal made with ingredients that will both nourish and comfort you at Legume. While Legume isn’t a vegetarian restaurant, it uses the vegetables as the focus of the meal. By using only in-season produce, the chefs create varying specials based on what is available each day. Plus, the lamb, goat, pork, chicken, and beef are sourced from the western Pennsylvania area.
Since the restaurant relies heavily on the produce it receives each day, the menu is constantly changing. Recent dishes have included goat cheese and pepper jelly crostini, greenhouse Hakurei turnips, and General Tad’s tempeh.
Shop for Great Ingredients at Market St. Grocery
If you’re on the prowl for fresh groceries to cook your own meal, look to Market St. Grocery. This much-anticipated store opened in 2015 on the street that bears its name in Market Square. It offers a number of locally produced products such as cheese, bread, cold cuts, and baked goods. Stock up on all the ingredients you need to prepare yourself a delicious home-cooked meal. Make sure you book a Pittsburgh hotel using Hotel Planner to get a room that comes with a kitchenette so that you have the appliances you need for cooking.
If you don’t feel like cooking, Market St. Grocery also operates a small cafe that’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Grab a meal from the prepared foods refrigerator or sit down for a casual bite to eat in the cozy space.
Seek Out the Farmers’ Market Cooperative of East Liberty
East Liberty is a neighborhood experiencing a renaissance thanks to establishments such as the Farmers’ Market Cooperative of East Liberty. It’s a permanent, indoor farmers market that’s open every Saturday from 5 a.m. to noon. You don’t need a membership to shop here. Instead, the cooperative part means that the farmers who sell their produce each week are the ones who collectively own the market.
Stop by on a Saturday to take advantage of nearly every piece of produce you desire. You’ll also enjoy fresh cheese, house-made vinegar, fresh cuts of meat, and freshly prepared doughnuts.
Find Your Cure
Another blossoming restaurant in the Lawrenceville neighborhood is Cure, which specifically focuses on highlighting cuisine based on the four seasons of western Pennsylvania. It has collected many awards since its opening in December 2011, including being named one of the Top 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit magazine.
The restaurant is open only for dinner and serves an a la carte menu. Sample dishes include beef tartare, burnt wheat tagliatelle, and Laurel Hill Farm trout.
The next time you’re in Pittsburgh, be sure to visit some of the establishments above that are committed to providing fresh, local flavor. You’ll be able to get the true taste of Pittsburgh that chains and dive bars can never provide.
