Things To Do

National Aviary

Obviously our favorite place in Pittsburgh :)

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Large indoor botanical garden with lots of different rooms that are themed. Plants are beautiful and interesting.

Duquesne Incline

Cheap and more fun than it would seem. At the top you can get the picturesque view of the Pittsburgh triangle, great photo opportunity.

Gateway Clipper Fleet

Carnegie Museum of Art

Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Frick Park

Huge park in Squirrel Hill. Tons of trails for walking or running or biking. Nice escape from the city. Birdwatching!!

Mellon Park

We spent the early days of our relationship wandering around Mellon Park in September 2020. It has a cute garden with labeled plants and flowers. There's a beautiful fountain area that lots of people do photoshoots at. The park is on the smaller side.

Manor Theatre

Our favorite movie theater! Its small and so much fun, with vintage vibes.

Arsenal Bowl

Mary one time bowled a turkey here. It never happened again.

Neville Roller Drome

Retro roller rink that is super fun.

One Point One Yoga

Mary's favorite teacher is Kelly.

Georgie's Corner Cafe

Wonderful cafe in Shadyside with lots of available street parking nearby. It can get fairly busy. They have indoor and outdoor seating. The food is awesome, as are the baked goods and the coffee.

Pigeon Bagels

Best bagels in Pittsburgh. Mary's favorite is the garlic and sea salt bagel with fig and honey schmear. There's usually a line but it moves fast.

Tous les Jours

The curry croquette is an incredible savory snack. The coconut cold brew coffee is delicious. All of the pastries are amazing.

Five Points Artisan Bakeshop

The ham and cheese everything croissant is delicious. I also love the ham and cheese baguette sandwich for lunch.

Cafe Du Jour

One of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh. Really small hole in the wall space that's a European style dinner spot. They have indoor seating with an open kitchen, and the outdoor patio has tables along with a turtle pond. The chefs and servers are wonderful people. The food is out of this world, especially the soup du jour, salad, and chicken thigh confit. You need a reservation and they take cash or Venmo.

Senyai Thai Kitchen

One of our go-to dinner spots when we lived in Shadyside. The outdoor seating area is really nice. Mary loves the panang curry and the pad medmamuang. Peter loves the green curry.

Girasole

Tiny Italian gem in Shadyside; they do not take reservations, so you have to wait outside for a table if they're full (but its worth the wait). The food is excellent, and the vibes feel authentically Italian. (Note that the restaurant is located down some stairs, but there are usually tables on the sidewalk if the weather is cooperative).

Mercurio's Shadyside

Best gelato in Pittsburgh! They have tons of flavors and we've truly liked everything we've gotten. The pizza and salads are delicious as well.

Lilith

One of the best restaurants in Pittsburgh. The vibes are immaculate. It's a small space with lots of color and character. I had the best steak of my life there. The cocktails are delicious. The menu changes slightly seasonally. You need to plan pretty far in advance if you want a table due to reservations filling up quickly.

Noodlehead

Street noodle #1, chiang mai curry, pork belly steamed buns

FET-FISK restaurant + bar

Also one of Pittsburgh's restaurant gems. The Scandinavian inspired menu is mostly seafood, but includes a phenomenal chicken dish. The french fries are a must have because of the homemade ketchup (its better than Heinz, which says a lot). The desserts are creative and unbelievably delicious. They have fun cocktails and oysters. This restaurant has been listed as one of the best new restaurants in the nation, and the chef is a James Beard award semi-finalist.

APTEKA

APTEKA is a Central & Eastern European cuisine focused restaurant and bar. We have cafe style ordering, and we take reservations for parties of 4 or more through our reservations page: reservations.aptekapgh.com. Parties of fewer than 4 guests are sat on a walk-in basis. Walk-ins are encouraged and always welcome. This is a vegetable restaurant. Everything is vegan. This restaurant is a James Beard award semi-finalist.

Reva Modern Indian Cuisine

Mary's favorite Indian take out spot

Pamela's | P&G Diner

Strawberry hot cakes are a sweet and delicious treat.

Slice on Broadway - East Liberty

Mary's favorite pizza in Pittsburgh - specifically, the cheese pizza with both red and white sauce. Add a side or ranch and its perfect for satiating that pizza craving.

Butterjoint

Really good burgers and fries. The cocktails are always fun and delicious. They have brunch now too.

Everyday Noodles

Delicious classic soup dumplings.

The Porch at Schenley

Large easily accessible restaurant in Oakland with tons if indoor and outdoor seating, good for larger groups of people, easy ordering system, good food.

Millie's Homemade Ice Cream

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Kards Unlimited

Probably our favorite gift shop in Pittsburgh in the heart of Shadyside. Quirky fun store with books, cards, gifts, puzzles, knick knacks, jewelry, stickers. LGBTQIA+ affirming.

Heat Check

Cool vintage clothing store with in house coffee bar.

Kawaii Gifts

Overwhelming cuteness from floor to ceiling!

Ebisu Japanese Life Store

Super cute Japanese store with tons of snacks, food, candy, drinks, skincare products, stationary, blind boxes/gashapon, Pokemon stuff, all imported directly from Japan.

Anthropologie Home Outlet

One of only two in the country, fun to just look around. Check out their Instagram for up-to-date videos of their inventory which changes daily.

Shadyside Nursery

Lovely outdoor nursery with both indoor and outdoor plants. Also has hidden toy dinosaurs you can look for. Nice place to peruse on a summer day.