Pittsburgh's best restaurants: Dining guide

If you're looking for Pittsburgh's best restaurants, the city offers a variety of notable destinations. Each restaurants has its own signature dishes and ambiance, so you can enjoy a wide range of culinary experiences.

If you are looking for the city's best sandwich, head straight to Primanti Bros.

Here is a sampling of Pittsburgh's best restaurants you'll want to try on your next visit. Find a comprehensive restaurant listing on the Discover the Burgh blog.

Eleven
1150 Smallman St.
412-201-5656
elevenck.com

Eleven's location in a rehabilitated warehouse alongside old rail lines combines an elegant setting with one that recalls the city's industrial history. Seasonal ingredients are used liberally throughout the menu, which features plenty of seafood, chicken and beef dishes, along with a delicious selection of cheeses, wine, beer, cocktails and desserts – if you don't fill up on the house-made bread.

Enjoy a nightly tasting dinner or a casual dinner at the bar, and you'll be treated to an intimate, hospitable atmosphere.

Gaucho Parrilla Argentina
1601 Penn Ave.
412-709-6622
eat-gaucho.com

Gaucho specializes in wood-fired food with an Argentinian flair. It's a very popular restaurant that doesn't take reservations, so be prepared to wait a bit. It's a little different from some restaurants since you'll order at the counter and then be seated. Your name is called when your food is ready and will then be delivered to your table.

Small plates are available if you'd like to share a few. Sandwiches such as carne – steak with grilled peppers and caramelized onions – can be ordered as-is or deconstructed. Salads, steaks and special plates, which include options such as pork chops, grilled chicken, steak or tilapia, are also available. If you'd like to have some alcohol with your meal, you'll have to BYOB, but the restaurant charges no corkage or bottle fees.

Fl.2
Fairmont Pittsburgh
510 Market St.
412-773-8848
fl2pgh.com

Fl.2 serves up delicious modern American dishes, and diners particularly love offerings like the burger and pork belly. Happy hours are held weekdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and a raw bar with oysters, cold water lobster, beef tartare and more is available nightly from 5 to 10 p.m.

Family-style dishes, such as whole Laurel Hill trout, cast iron ribeye and heritage rotisserie chicken, are also available at Fl.2.

Morcilla
3519 Butler St.
412-652-9924
morcillapittsburgh.com

Although it's still relatively new, Morcilla has already made its mark among Pittsburgh best restaurants. It serves amazing Spanish dishes, including Morcilla sausage, duck confitado a la plancha and oxtail montadito.

The tapas menu is extensive, and you can also choose to sit at the bar and enjoy snacks like conservas or charcuterie with your drink. Either way, the atmosphere is lively and fun.

Pizzaiolo Primo
8 Market Square
412-575-5858
http://pizzaioloprimo.com

Nearly everything on Pizzaiolo Primo's menu is handmade, including meatballs and pasta and sweet fennel sausage. Pizzas are baked in wood-fired brick ovens that yield an authentic Neapolitan pizza. If you'd rather try another Italian dish, you'll have plenty to choose from, including spaghetti pomodoro, rigatoni polpette and penne vodka.

Dine on the first floor, which has a fun European ambiance, or choose the second floor, which is more relaxed and overlooks a piazza.

Cox Media Group