Where to get breakfast in Pittsburgh
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
A filling and delicious local breakfast is a great way to start your day’s adventure in Pittsburgh. Before exploring the many parks, museums, and historical attractions in The Burgh, I recommend supporting a local business over a common chain. I find that (the majority of the time) local breakfast joints tend to offer higher quality home-cooked food, locally roasted coffee, and a more eclectic ambiance than you find at your standard chain like Ihop and Denny’s.
Since moving to the ‘Burgh, I have spent many weekends exploring the local food scene. Here are a few of my most recommended cafes to add to your bucket list.
Central Diner and Grille
Location: Robinson
What to try: Garden Omelet
This popular family-owned Greek-American cafe serves a huge menu of breakfast classics (available all day). This place is bustling no matter what time you visit. I’ve never seen this place empty.
Whether you are craving a savory omelet, a sweet stack of pancakes, or something a bit healthier like a yogurt parfait or avocado toast, you will find it all at this local diner. The Garden omelet is a really tasty combo of fresh veggies like peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, cauliflowers, and broccoli. Each entree comes with potatoes and toast. The potatoes are definitely the best in town and they give you a lot of them which earns bonus points with me.
Central is located in Robinson, a suburb located about 15 minutes outside of the city. I am not a huge fan of this suburb to be honest, but I come out here occasionally to shop at the mall. If you are seeking tasty comfort food, a great value, and a cozy homestyle ambiance, definitely add this old-school diner to your must-try list. This is the best classic diner in the metro in my experience.
Read more about my experience at Central Diner
Mediterra Bakery
Location: Sewickley, Mt. Lebanon, & Lawrenceville. Update: They recently opened a new cafe in Cranberry.
What to try: Shakshuka
Nearby attractions: Main Street (Sewickley), Main Street (Mt. Lebanon)
I’ve tried many and the best bakery/coffeehouse is hands down Mediterra. With 3 locations, it’s easy to incorporate into your itinerary. Mediterra bakes the most delicious artisan breads and pastries daily. Everything is so fresh and delicious especially the chocolate croissant, cinnamon rolls, and Danish. Festive seasonal pastries and desserts keep things interesting all year-round. I wrote a guide covering my favorite treats – basically you can’t go wrong with anything you pick here. Everything is top notch.
As for the breakfast menu, there is lots of tempting options such as Quiche, Four Grain Porridge, and Milk Bread French Toast. My favorite entree which I always order is the Shakshuka, a traditional Middle Eastern dish consisting of poached eggs in savory tomato based sauce.
The house coffee is great (and you can enjoy numerous refills!) and they also offer a number of espresso drinks including seasonal specials. Best of all, the ambiance is gorgeous – the perfect elegant vibe for a romantic weekend date. Just get here early as this place gets busy (I often seen no seating available after mid morning!).
Tip: Visit the farmers Market in Sewickley after breakfast.
The Porch at Schenley
Location: Schenley Park
What to try: Quiche of the Day
Nearby attraction: The Carnegie Museums
In my experience, The Porch at Schenley wins the award for best outdoor patio. The gorgeous outdoor space overlooks a large park. It’s the perfect laid-back setting for a relaxed weekend brunch experience. Each entree is made from scratch using ingredients from their local gardens or sourced via local partners. Their menu changes along with the seasons with specials frequently on the lineup. It’s a bit pricey but worth it in my opinion for the nice setting and use of high quality ingredients.
I recommend trying the wonderful Quiche of the Day (I recently tried a tasty white cheddar and spinach variety) or the delicious breakfast burrito. While servings are a bit small for the price, the food is delicious and the focus on farm-to-table ingredients is a rarity in this area. Treat yourself to a mimosa, cappuccino, or espresso and enjoy the lovely park-like setting just a little bit longer. This is my favorite place to dine during the warmer spring and summer months. You won’t find a more beautiful patio in the city.
Read more about my experience at the Porch
Dor-stop
Location: Dormont
What to try: Breakfast Burrito
This homestyle diner in historic Dormont is a long time favorite (it opened in 1986) known for their hotcakes. Options include apple cinnamon, chocolate chip, oatmeal, banana, and pumpkin. In recent years, the diner has become popular with tourists thanks in part due to Guy Fieri’s visit.
On Season 5, Episode 1 (What’s for Breakfast) of the Travel Channel’s uber popular Diner, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Guy can be seeing ordering the Jumbot, Dor-Stop’s signature egg dish featuring ham, onions, green peppers, home fries, tomatoes, cheese, and Italian toast. Neither of us eat ham so we opted to skip out on Guy’s chosen entree.
While the service is not as friendly as it appears to be on TV and the ambiance a bit blah, the food is decent enough. Mike really enjoyed his Breakfast burrito featuring a mix of scrambled eggs, cheese, and sausage or veggies, topped with salsa and sour cream. I would say visit this cafe for the historic ambiance or if you are a fan of Guy Fieri – otherwise there are better diners in town.
Read more about my experience at Dor-Stop
Cafe Moulin
Location: Shadyside
What to try: Tivoli crepe
Nearby attraction: Frick Park (featuring hiking trails, tennis courts, gardens, and a museum)
If you love crepes, then you will want to plan a visit to Shadyside to enjoy brunch at Cafe Moulin. This charming cafe’s menu includes an assortment of sweet, savory, and omelet crepes. Options include tantalizing selections such as a Cheesecake, Spinach and Feta, and Chocolate Dream.
Not a fan of crepes? A small selection of specialty French Toast and Egg toasts dishes are also available. For a fresh, yet filling meal, I recommend the Tivoli crepe featuring cherry tomatoes, spinach, pesto, and mozzarella cheese. The serving is a bit small and it’s overpriced, but any crepe lover should be pleased. We thought the coffee was pretty decent too so no need to hit the drive thru. The ambiance is nice, although a bit busy on weekends. Overall, this is one of my favorite brunch date choices.
Read more about my experience at Cafe Moulin
Pamela’s Diner
Location: The Strip, Mt. Lebanon, Oakland, Millvale, Shadyside
What to try: Blueberry Hotcakes
Nearby attraction: Check out the sports stands, ethnic grocers, coffeebars, and Heinz Museum in the Strip
This super popular local diner first opened in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood in 1980. Today, there are 5 locations spread throughout the ‘Burgh. Unfortunately, the flagship cafe closed down in 2021.
Pamela’s is most well known for their crepe style pancakes and Lyonnaise potatoes, although you can find just about anything on the menu. Most notably, President Obama enjoy Pamela’s trademark pancakes at the Strip District cafe during a campaign stop in 2008. This Strip location was one of the first restaurants we tried after moving here. Even on a weekday morning, the place was still packed.
Pancakes aside, the omelets are also quite good especially the broccoli cheddar and veggie. On one side note, the coffee is just sub par and only served in paper cups which definitely makes me dock a few points (I recommend stopping by nearby La Prima Espresso before/after your meal).
Read more about my experience at Pamela’s
Cafe Raymond
Location: Strip District
What to try: Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes
Nearby attraction: Take a bike ride along the gorgeous Three Rivers Heritage trail which runs to Point State Park
This popular American cafe is located in the Strip District. If Pamela’s has a big line (which it usually does), Cafe Raymond is a great alternative. To be honest, I actually prefer the food here even though Pamela’s gets more press.
All baked goods are made from scratch. Most notably, Raymond is known for their trademark blueberry ricotta pancakes, served with local maple syrup. If you have a sweet tooth, this is definitely the way to go. I was definitely impressed with this entree even though I usually don’t go for sweets.
Other goodies include French Toast with strawberry compote and blueberries, Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly, and a Vegan Quinoa Bowl. The coffee is excellent and thankfully unlimited. The ambiance is nice although it gets pretty noisy and cramped on weekends. Unfortunately, it’s a counter service restaurant and the line can be long.
Read more about my experience at Cafe Raymond
Mel’s Petit Cafe
Location: Mt. Lebanon
What to try: Coffee cake
Nearby attraction: Mt. Lebanon Park (a gorgeous green space with many amenities including: basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, bocce courts, indoor ice rinks, and a racket center
This casual upscale French cafe and bakery is a fantastic choice if you are heading to the Mt. Lebanon neighborhood. We tried this cafe out randomly one day to take a break from our usuals (Orbis Caffe, Mediterra) and we were pleasantly surprised with the nice ambiance and quality food.
Although Mel’s is most well known for their selection of savory and sweet crepes, they also serve excellent coffee (from local roaster La Prima), in addition to tasty pastries. Both the coffee cake and muffins are wonderful budget friendly alternatives to the crepes. If you do wish to indulge, the Banana Chocolate crepe will satisfy any sweet tooth. The ambiance is charming and tranquil, and thus, the perfect destination for a date!
More ‘Burgh dining options
Note: I have also written a guide to the best ‘Burgh coffeehouses. This city offers such a wonderful indie coffee scene – one of the best I’ve come across in my decade plus of traveling. Definitely skip the Starbucks and Dunkin’ donuts while vacationing here.
The restaurant scene was just so-so for me as I am a vegetarian and the options are a bit limited in comparison to other cities I’ve lived in. Nevertheless, I was able to enjoy a number of local establishments. You can check out my full ‘Burgh dining guide for further details.
