Great Pittsburgh Restaurants to Try Downtown

This upscale, innovative restaurant in the Strip District seems to end up on everyone's list of favorite Pittsburgh restaurants. It's the flagship restaurant of the big Burrito group which manages several other popular Pittsburgh eateries (including Kaya, Casbah, Soba and Umi). The food is amazing, the presentation is gorgeous, the ambience is unpretentious and the wine list is impressive. What else could you ask for?

In the heart of the downtown Pittsburgh cultural district, this Nuevo Latino tapas restaurant and bar serves up fresh, lively Latin cuisine and delicious island cocktails. The decor is just as bright and fresh as the food!

The big Burrito Group shines again with this fun, fusion restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh's Strip District. If flavor is your top priority in a good restaurant, then Kaya is a good choice - with plenty of spicy and flavorful menu items inspired by a mix of Latin American, Southeast Asian and Caribbean cuisines - fusion at its best!

A bit different than you might expect to find in a downtown Pittsburgh restaurant (think Paris or Manhattan), Nine on Nine features a sophisticated, cutting-edge menu (everything from sting ray to quail) and a warm, elegant, understated dining room. The wine list is also respectable with more than two dozen wines available by the glass.

Nestled inside the upscale, LEED-certified Fairmont Pittsburgh Hotel, this sleek but elegant restaurant is not your typical hotel restaurant. The fusion menu has an international flair, with a strong emphasis on fresh, local ingredients (within a 100 mile radius of Pittsburgh) and unusual small plates. Be sure to save room for dessert!

It's a Pittsburgh staple, but still a favorite. Family owned and operated, the Carlton's atmosphere is upscale and formal with delicious food and one of the best wine lists in Pittsburgh.

A popular Pittsburgh bistro in the downtown Cultural District with California cuisine and an amazing array of wines by the glass.

This restaurant is large and generally hopping - especially during the late night hours. The food is a bit on the exotic side, but with plenty of homecooked favorites (think pork chops or meatloaf, but with a twist). Expect to leave full because the portions are huge.

It's a little further from central downtown Pittsburgh than the rest of the restaurants on this list, but it's still only a few minute cab ride from the golden triangle. Casual, yet stylish, Tamari offers up Latin-Asian fusion with an enticing menu of small plates, ceviches, a full sushi bar, and Pittsburgh's only robata grille, a charcoal-fired hearth used to cook skewered meat, chicken and fish that originated in Japan. Various seating areas offer a choice of atmospheres, but expect noise and buzz. This place is popular.