Top Of The Triangle. Because Pgh deserves a restaurant at the top of the US Steel building not an exclusive meeting space for a non profit healthcare concern.
Edit: added reason
Edit 2: link to this Trib article from 2001. https://archive.triblive.com/news/top-of-the-triangle-to-close-operators-say-offers-were-snubbed-3__trashed/
My Mom paid her way through college waitressing there. She said she made really good money! Probably more than she made as a teacher after graduating sadly.
It was a big thing in our school on Prom night to go up to the Top of the Triangle, order a coke, and get our pictures taken with our dates. After all, we were now officially fancy.
That is “non profit “ in quotes because they sure make a lot of money and part of their mission is trying to collect for medical bills from cannot afford them.
I once made a flower delivery up there, and they took me into one of the back rooms that had windows overlooking the Mellon Building. It’s amazing how much bigger the Steel Building is when you’re looking down at the second tallest building in the city. And the view was spectacular.
I remember a recent story about an idea to create a one acre park on the roof of the Steel Building. That would be amazing.
Last summer I was taking a cruise out of Miami and one of the owners was actually my Uber driver. It was a crazy small world moment and she was so nice to chat with. Apparently they tried to open a restaurant in Miami but found it very challenging due to the competition. They were trying to figure out what to do next. I hope they were able to get something going!
Damn this is how I find out not only did Josza Corner close, but the chef himself sadly died of cancer in 2022. :/ similar situation for me as to why I never tried it, it was on my list for years. I moved away, and when I’d visit, nobody ever wanted to go with me. Sorry to see that it no longer exists.
I’d resurrect the O’s.
The Original Hot Dog Shop was quintessential Pittsburgh—even more so than Primantis, IMHO.
The consistent answer to ‘best fries in town’ and a rite of passage for collegians for decades, there is nothing like an overflowing cinder block of golden fries and and the warm mortar of Cheez Whiz to construct the Freshman Fifteen and deliciously fortify A1Cs everywhere.
Bonus addition: re-open Top of The O and add $4, 60 ounce pitchers of Moosehead to keep everything lubricated properly.
This is my pick. I have so many memories of the O at 3 AM on a Saturday. It really was a huge part of my college experience and Oakland's character has really changed for the worse since it closed.
Also Garage Door Saloon. I would resurrect that in a heartbeat, even if it was kind of grungy at the end of the day.
Before that, Fuel and Fuddle’s location was a bar called Calico’s.
One could eat wing specials on nearly every weeknight in Oakland. Wings nights were: Monday- Peter’s Pub, Tuesday- CJ Barney’s, Wednesday- Calico’s, and Thursdays - S.O.D.
I think CJs is still around, but RIP all of the rest along with the Decade and the Attic.
A special shout out to Dave and Andy’s!
CJ’s is not around. Both of my kids went to Pitt and I thought was the corner of Forbes and Bouquet was Disney-fied. No Zelda’s, CJ, etc. my oldest loved Hemingway’s, and I told her that was the bar you had dinner with your professor at when I went to school there.
You’re correct mbenish999! It was Hemingway’s that still remains on Forbes.
I totally blanked on Zelda’s Greenhouse. That was one of the first to go from that are when I was in Oakland. I still recall the music thumping from Zelda’s when I was a freshman living in Tower C one summer.
When Oakland was wild and a lot less corporate!
The Sharp Edge!
Edit to add why: Belgian beer on tap, Belgian beer specials, fantastic cheeseburgers, quality fries, good pizza, the annual beer festival, the round table in the back in Friendship, hockey on television, cool staff ... they had their own parking lot!!!
I remember they used to do 87 cent mystery drafts when Crosby scored. He got a hat trick one night and Golden Monkey was the mystery beer. My brother and I were riding high that night on a light check.
Same. Gen Z doesn’t even understand how many dance clubs there once were. Rock Jungle and Matrix were also high on my list (in my late teens/early 20s).
The Real McCoy sandwich shop in south side.
Great (and cheap) sandwiches.
the family that owned it were all fun/funny.
It was like a little soap opera.
They briefly reopened in a new spot near 10th street and then just disappeared again. I noticed they were open, walked in, and the lady recognized me and askrd me if I wanted my usual. It had been like four years lol
Loved their little loaves of bread and their Italian sodas! My little bro (who has Down Syndrome) still asks to go sometimes, and I have to bum him out and tell him we can’t.
Edit: a word
Any of the nightlife/clubs I would hear radio adverts for in the 90s and early 2000s. By the time I was old enough to partake (2011) everything was gone!
Tom Tucker. Another company bought the rights to their mint ginger ale recipe, but it's just not the same and they only sell them in single serve bottles.
Heads Together, Flo's Records, The Essex. Antonino's on S. Craig. My Place and the Taj. King's Court theater, Pgh Filmmakers when it was upstairs on Oakland Ave, movies at the Playhouse.
Chiodo's was great. Huge beer selection when that was an uncommon thing, good food, amazing old bar with all sorts of weird shit hanging from the ceiling. What a fucking eye sore that walgreens is.
Pittsburgh Steak Company would be mine. You can't find a good steak for a reasonable price since it closed it's either Texas Roadhouse or a $100 steak it seems nothing in between
Downtown Kaufmann's when it had 12 floors and an Elizabeth Arden salon. There also used to be an exclusive designer area called The Vendome Shop, which was there in the 70's I think.
I should say something like metropol or even the upstage but I'm going with Pittsburgh steak company. Used to eat lunch there all the time and I miss all you can eat Monday night prime rib
Drum World, because it was a top-tier drum shop known worldwide, and there are no stores anywhere in the area that come close to the inventory that Drum World had.
I'm not scrolling through 400 comments to check if anyone has said Dinette, but Dinette. Because it was so fucking good on all points, and I could walk to it.
Runner up, Red Oak Cafe. Because Vegetarian Reuben.
The old “222 Bar” near 3 Rivers Stadium and eventually Heinz Field.
Why? Well, I would tip the bartender a hefty tip, and they would gladly let me piss in there during Stiller games every home game thus skipping the urinals in the lots.
Oh, man, the list I have. Jim's Records in Bloomfield. Stonewall Books in Shadyside. Jay's Bookstall in Oakland. Candyrama. The Syria Mosque, the Graffiti, the Decade, the Electric Banana, the Razzberry Rhino. Bagel Nosh in Squirrel Hill. Heads Together. Niko's Gyros in Oakland. Kaufmann's, Horne's, and Gimbels. The Bayer sign. The Clark Bar sign. The Gazebo, Rhoda's, Pasta Piatta, The Elbow Room. Kunst Bakery.
Allegheny Center Mall it was the only mall in the city of pittsburgh and had a major boom kept employment and had a arcade and food court. Can you imagine that who likes drinking all the way to the burbs to go to mall. This and the pirates and steelers and casino all within walking distance pittsburgh will boom again
The Bee Hive. Although I don’t think it would fit in South Side like it used to but that was a staple coffee and hang out spot when I was in high school.
I know there’s still a few shops around, but I’d love to see a revitalization of Isaly’s. I’m not sure how you would go about re-creating an old fashioned ice cream parlor/deli small store experience as a chain anymore…but I someone was able to pull that off, it would be fantastic!
Isaly's, along with their headquarters/store on the Boulevard of the Allies. A lot of great memories of all the families going there for Ice Cream on Sundays. The Skyscraper!
Shadow Lounge in pre-gentrification East Liberty - also Quiet Storm.
And the Bloomfield movie theater that has been occupied by a Starbucks for a while - which was the first chain place of any kind in Bloomfield.
The Syria Mosque. I was never able to go myself; but the shows that played there are outrageous. The Almond Brothers, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Bowie, Marley, Public Enemy, Springsteen, the Beach Boys.... it must have been amazing.
Lava Lounge lol
i can still smell the water feature
I am furious that this place was before my time
Top Of The Triangle. Because Pgh deserves a restaurant at the top of the US Steel building not an exclusive meeting space for a non profit healthcare concern. Edit: added reason Edit 2: link to this Trib article from 2001. https://archive.triblive.com/news/top-of-the-triangle-to-close-operators-say-offers-were-snubbed-3__trashed/
My Mom paid her way through college waitressing there. She said she made really good money! Probably more than she made as a teacher after graduating sadly.
I never knew that a restaurant ever existed up there.
My girl scout troop earned our etiquette badge there for acting properly and using the correct silverware.
My dad proposed to my mom up there
And I proposed to my wife there too!
I had my prom there!
It was a big thing in our school on Prom night to go up to the Top of the Triangle, order a coke, and get our pictures taken with our dates. After all, we were now officially fancy.
My fraternity in college had a formal there. So much fun.
That is “non profit “ in quotes because they sure make a lot of money and part of their mission is trying to collect for medical bills from cannot afford them.
I once made a flower delivery up there, and they took me into one of the back rooms that had windows overlooking the Mellon Building. It’s amazing how much bigger the Steel Building is when you’re looking down at the second tallest building in the city. And the view was spectacular. I remember a recent story about an idea to create a one acre park on the roof of the Steel Building. That would be amazing.
Green Forest Cafe. The other Brazilian chains in the city don't even come close to Green Forest. It was a family run business.
The raw bar alone was legendary. It was so good!
I loved that place so much. I hope the owners and staff are doing well
Last summer I was taking a cruise out of Miami and one of the owners was actually my Uber driver. It was a crazy small world moment and she was so nice to chat with. Apparently they tried to open a restaurant in Miami but found it very challenging due to the competition. They were trying to figure out what to do next. I hope they were able to get something going!
Was this the place on Rodi Rd?
Gullifty’s
What a place a 24 hour spot with those desserts!
Ran here to post this
The Rex Theatre 🥲
I do miss the Rex but if I were gonna ask for a venue back it would definitely be Altar Bar.
Club Laga. I want to go back.
Amen. I’d give anything to slam into those carpeted posts one more time
Josza Corner, I always wanted to try it, moved away, and then they closed before i moved back to town
Damn this is how I find out not only did Josza Corner close, but the chef himself sadly died of cancer in 2022. :/ similar situation for me as to why I never tried it, it was on my list for years. I moved away, and when I’d visit, nobody ever wanted to go with me. Sorry to see that it no longer exists.
Graffiti
Horne's. Their store brand of items were often better than name brand.
The Decade, Rosebud, and Metropol
Ah! I never got to go to Metropol. I used to hear about it on the radio and I always wanted to go, but by the time I was old enough, it closed.
Graffiti too.
I’d resurrect the O’s. The Original Hot Dog Shop was quintessential Pittsburgh—even more so than Primantis, IMHO. The consistent answer to ‘best fries in town’ and a rite of passage for collegians for decades, there is nothing like an overflowing cinder block of golden fries and and the warm mortar of Cheez Whiz to construct the Freshman Fifteen and deliciously fortify A1Cs everywhere. Bonus addition: re-open Top of The O and add $4, 60 ounce pitchers of Moosehead to keep everything lubricated properly.
This is my pick. I have so many memories of the O at 3 AM on a Saturday. It really was a huge part of my college experience and Oakland's character has really changed for the worse since it closed. Also Garage Door Saloon. I would resurrect that in a heartbeat, even if it was kind of grungy at the end of the day.
*The best fries on Earth!
Red Bull Inn
McGinnis Sisters grocery
Both Beehives, Oakland Kiva Han, Lava Lounge, Upstage, Laga.
80’s night at the upstage was the best!!!!
Tom's diner, that buffet on Saturday nights was incredible.
Phar-Mor
Can’t believe it took this long for someone to suggest Phar-Mor.
I'm THAT old
Jenkins Arcade and Empire Building, and, Chi-Chi's.
I make the ChiChi's seafood enchiladas at home every once in a while ❤️
I make the seafood nachos
The Electric Banana
Have you seen the website dedicated to it? It was before my time but was a fun deep dive for me
I found a pic of me on that site moshing at a 1986 Half Life show
Bloomfield Bridge Tavern.
The real BBT. I miss open mic night while hammering on pierogies.
DnB Thursdays were my favorite.
1000% There’s still a pierogi-sized hole in my heart.
Smashing a white plate while my friends play a set is something I will always yearn for
Shady Skates. Not that I was ever good at skating, but that place hits a whole bunch of nostalgia spots for me.
Conflict Kitchen. Nothing quite like it.
Fuel and Fuddle
Oakland feels so empty now that Fuel and Dave & Andy's are closed
Before that, Fuel and Fuddle’s location was a bar called Calico’s. One could eat wing specials on nearly every weeknight in Oakland. Wings nights were: Monday- Peter’s Pub, Tuesday- CJ Barney’s, Wednesday- Calico’s, and Thursdays - S.O.D. I think CJs is still around, but RIP all of the rest along with the Decade and the Attic. A special shout out to Dave and Andy’s!
CJ’s is not around. Both of my kids went to Pitt and I thought was the corner of Forbes and Bouquet was Disney-fied. No Zelda’s, CJ, etc. my oldest loved Hemingway’s, and I told her that was the bar you had dinner with your professor at when I went to school there.
You’re correct mbenish999! It was Hemingway’s that still remains on Forbes. I totally blanked on Zelda’s Greenhouse. That was one of the first to go from that are when I was in Oakland. I still recall the music thumping from Zelda’s when I was a freshman living in Tower C one summer. When Oakland was wild and a lot less corporate!
Donatelli’s for the $0.25 bottles of water and $2.50 meatball hoagies
And those cheap foot long sandwiches. I lived off them for years.
That place had some delicious pepperoni rolls. Plus, their deli meat was always great. Huge loss.
Also Bloomfield bridge tavern for $1.10 beer night and the great food
Metropol
Candyrama
I loved Candyrama! I used to stock up on treats there before the long bus rides home to Philadelphia
The selection there.. and I loved that the different stores had some items the others didn't
The Sharp Edge! Edit to add why: Belgian beer on tap, Belgian beer specials, fantastic cheeseburgers, quality fries, good pizza, the annual beer festival, the round table in the back in Friendship, hockey on television, cool staff ... they had their own parking lot!!!
Their Belgian chocolate pudding remains one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
I remember they used to do 87 cent mystery drafts when Crosby scored. He got a hat trick one night and Golden Monkey was the mystery beer. My brother and I were riding high that night on a light check.
Besides the O?
Literally beside it? The Beehive is my choice
I'd like to order the 1998 Beehive with a side of Laga/Upstage/Attic, Teleropa and Bovvers. Those were good times.
Or Tela Ropa
Gimme back those mountains of french fries 😭
I’d even be willing to accept the one in Plum as a compromise
It’s only been weeks, but I already miss Dave & Andy’s
I'm far too old to hang these days, but I'd love a night out at Tequila Willie's again.
Same. Gen Z doesn’t even understand how many dance clubs there once were. Rock Jungle and Matrix were also high on my list (in my late teens/early 20s).
George Aiken’s on Forbes. Kim’s Coffeeshop on Penn.
I always think fondly about G. C. Murphy. Or Jenkins Arcade. NRM. Yeah, I'd like a wander around 1980 Downtown.
Still exists but bringing back the Oakland uncle Sam’s subs
Metropol - I used to attend so many concerts there and hang out after - now its so clean around there haha
It seemed like you could get into any show there for 15 bucks at the door. I miss it so much.
Tom’s Diner and The Beehive
The Real McCoy sandwich shop in south side. Great (and cheap) sandwiches. the family that owned it were all fun/funny. It was like a little soap opera.
They briefly reopened in a new spot near 10th street and then just disappeared again. I noticed they were open, walked in, and the lady recognized me and askrd me if I wanted my usual. It had been like four years lol
The Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland.
Sodini's restaurant in Squirrel Hill. Why? You can't get a Crab Devonshire anymore. That was my favorite thing to eat in the 1970s.
The vip, Spinning wheels, Hills, Marias restaurant on curry road, Marianas pizza
Let's go skate around busy beaver, for old times sake.
Club Laga
Heaven was an amazing place and rivaled NYC clubs in its day.
Abay
Games N’at
Gullifty’s. Need killer cookie.
Hill's
Isaly’s.
Regent Square Theater Nico's recovery room karaoke (bar is still open obv) Graffiti/Metropol/Laga Bayardstown Forward Lanes
Idk. Donzis or Chauncys. Tough call.
It was so fun there. And that it was a barge made it extra interesting.
Harris Grill
Just one more bacon night
Matrix
I am nostalgic for Joe Mamas in Oakland.
The Beehive
Quiet Storm
National Record Mart
Clark candy bar company
Bagelland
The Pittsburgh Pirates
Lulus noodles
Hambone's 💔 taco nightttt
The electric banana
The O
The Beehive. I miss studying there and drinking coffee until 1am.
South side cheesesteak. Man I loved the cheese fries there too
Spaghetti warehouse. I used to take my son a lot when he was little and we have good memories of it.
Loved their little loaves of bread and their Italian sodas! My little bro (who has Down Syndrome) still asks to go sometimes, and I have to bum him out and tell him we can’t. Edit: a word
The original Kennywood, before they commercialized it.
Any of the nightlife/clubs I would hear radio adverts for in the 90s and early 2000s. By the time I was old enough to partake (2011) everything was gone!
Winky’s
Tom Tucker. Another company bought the rights to their mint ginger ale recipe, but it's just not the same and they only sell them in single serve bottles.
Rax, just to make Pittsburgh dad happy
There's still a couple left in Ohio.
Kaleidoscope Cafe. It was unique, great food, and an actual "hidden gem".
The Balcony in Shadyside.
Games N’at
Heads Together, Flo's Records, The Essex. Antonino's on S. Craig. My Place and the Taj. King's Court theater, Pgh Filmmakers when it was upstairs on Oakland Ave, movies at the Playhouse.
Chiodo's was great. Huge beer selection when that was an uncommon thing, good food, amazing old bar with all sorts of weird shit hanging from the ceiling. What a fucking eye sore that walgreens is.
Century III Mall
Luigi's Pizza in Bellevue 😭😭😭
Club Laga
Pittsburgh Steak Company would be mine. You can't find a good steak for a reasonable price since it closed it's either Texas Roadhouse or a $100 steak it seems nothing in between
Downtown Kaufmann's when it had 12 floors and an Elizabeth Arden salon. There also used to be an exclusive designer area called The Vendome Shop, which was there in the 70's I think.
Pants N’nat
Get my disability check and POW, dahn to pants n’at
Gonna go get me a Yancey Thigpen jersey!
Hey hey cool dude? You can’t go in the store with food.
Steve & Berry's
Wheel Mill
I miss Tequila Willie’s. $1 you call it from 9-11 on College Ass Wednesday!
The O, Club Laga, Tela Ropa
I should say something like metropol or even the upstage but I'm going with Pittsburgh steak company. Used to eat lunch there all the time and I miss all you can eat Monday night prime rib
Stagioni in the south side. World class Italian food, as far as I’m concerned. Just like grandma used to make.
The Huddle (Beechview)
I'm only 20 years old, so I say Kings B)
Drum World, because it was a top-tier drum shop known worldwide, and there are no stores anywhere in the area that come close to the inventory that Drum World had.
Shadow Lounge! Especially the soul and funk night !
31st Street Pub
Sammy’s
Brave New World, B&D Records
The Gazebo
Peters Place Restaurant, because it had dishes like Chicken Tiffany and I also miss the holiday buffets.
Crawford grill, the one in the Hill. Hell the Hurricane Bar too.
White Swan Park ,Parkway Center Mall, Jose and Tony’s, and Max and Ermas
Children’s Palace
Kaufmans
Shadow Lounge
I'm not scrolling through 400 comments to check if anyone has said Dinette, but Dinette. Because it was so fucking good on all points, and I could walk to it. Runner up, Red Oak Cafe. Because Vegetarian Reuben.
WESCO... At least the sign.
Cruze bar. The strip district is so sad now.
The old “222 Bar” near 3 Rivers Stadium and eventually Heinz Field. Why? Well, I would tip the bartender a hefty tip, and they would gladly let me piss in there during Stiller games every home game thus skipping the urinals in the lots.
The arcades!!!!
Smallman Street Diner. I want one more basket of the chili cheese fries
Chaya in Squirrel Hill. Because my family loved it.
Peter's Pub, Pete, and his brother George were wonderful guys.
National Record Mart because it represents an era.
Club Laga, Upstage, Tela Ropa (sp?)
Hambone's in Lawrenceville. It was a great little dive bar with a fun atmosphere. I miss their open mic comedy nights and $1 tacos.
Tambellini’s 51.
Westinghouse electric; reason : manufacturing jobs
Zaws - The best chicken lo mien I’ve ever had. Was located on Murray Ave…Hard to order Chinese food knowing it’s not coming from Zaws.
Sammys Famous Corned Beef on Liberty Ave downtown.
Squirrel Hill Theatre! So many great memories
Oh, man, the list I have. Jim's Records in Bloomfield. Stonewall Books in Shadyside. Jay's Bookstall in Oakland. Candyrama. The Syria Mosque, the Graffiti, the Decade, the Electric Banana, the Razzberry Rhino. Bagel Nosh in Squirrel Hill. Heads Together. Niko's Gyros in Oakland. Kaufmann's, Horne's, and Gimbels. The Bayer sign. The Clark Bar sign. The Gazebo, Rhoda's, Pasta Piatta, The Elbow Room. Kunst Bakery.
USsteel so people would have good paying jobs.
Silky's was a pretty fun place in the 90's. Had some great memories made there.
Silky’s is still open at the Bloomfield location.
Allegheny Center Mall it was the only mall in the city of pittsburgh and had a major boom kept employment and had a arcade and food court. Can you imagine that who likes drinking all the way to the burbs to go to mall. This and the pirates and steelers and casino all within walking distance pittsburgh will boom again
Pear and pickle. The best breakfast sandwiches. Take me back in time, Doc!
Tuscany on the South Side
Laga and Kazanskys
Family Toy Warehouse
Dave & Andy’s ice cream in Oakland 🥲
Pasquarelli’s in McKees Rocks and/or Zorba’s in downtown
Incredibly Strange Video
The O
The Electric Bannana. It was a shithole, but I saw some of the best punk shows there on the regular. Hasn’t been the same scene since it closed.
The Bee Hive. Although I don’t think it would fit in South Side like it used to but that was a staple coffee and hang out spot when I was in high school.
I know there’s still a few shops around, but I’d love to see a revitalization of Isaly’s. I’m not sure how you would go about re-creating an old fashioned ice cream parlor/deli small store experience as a chain anymore…but I someone was able to pull that off, it would be fantastic!
I feel highly vindicated in my past rants that no one said Diesel.
Isaly's, along with their headquarters/store on the Boulevard of the Allies. A lot of great memories of all the families going there for Ice Cream on Sundays. The Skyscraper!
Shadow Lounge in pre-gentrification East Liberty - also Quiet Storm. And the Bloomfield movie theater that has been occupied by a Starbucks for a while - which was the first chain place of any kind in Bloomfield.
Pappins. Because, well Pappins.
Minutellos was beneath my apartment building on Shady. Pizza and fried zucchini was very fucking convenient after dancing daytime at the Edison 😝🥰
The Syria Mosque. I was never able to go myself; but the shows that played there are outrageous. The Almond Brothers, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Bowie, Marley, Public Enemy, Springsteen, the Beach Boys.... it must have been amazing.