Ritter's Diner

I love Ritter's Diner! Located near Shadyside hospital on Baum Boulevard in the Oakland/Bloomfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh, this diner is a total classic. Some might say it's old and run down, but I think that's part of the fun. Open 24 hours a day, it for some reason reminds me of what an all-night diner in a real big city would be like. Busy all the time, with seasoned waitresses barking orders at the short order cooks.

The dining room is broken out into several areas. A small one to the left of the entrance, a long galley with booths and counter seating, and a back room with big round tables to accommodate larger groups. Some of the bigger booths have these awesome individual mini-juke boxes that for a few quarters let you pick songs from classic albums. Sadly we were seated at a two person booth on this crowded Saturday morning, so we didn't get to annoy the customers next to us (this time).

As implied by the unsightly ATM machine in the middle of the floor, Ritters is "Cash Only". The breakfast menu is what you would expect to find in a diner like this - Lots of egg dishes, and plenty of griddle fixings. My favorite is the onion omelet which comes with fried potatoes & toast. Husband picked a "New Breakfast Item" called the "Birmingham Omelet" which was a mix of kale, black eyed peas, ham and onions (also served with carbs on the side). Oh, and one lonely pancake.

Everything was great, and served pretty quickly. This is a great place to people watch, too. Always a very diverse set of customers, and I counted no less than 8 waitresses running around. A definite Pittsburgh icon.

Gab & Eat

Another sizzling hot summer Saturday in Pittsburgh. After taking the puppies for their morning walk to the park, we headed for breakfast at Gab & Eat in the Carnegie neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It's in a tiny, old little strip mall but boy was it busy! Not everywhere we visit for Saturday breakfast has a line outside the door, but we were treated to one today about 6 tables deep. Usually a good sign that the food is worth it the wait!

The restaurant is just as small on the inside, but they have found a way to stuff as many tables and seats into the space as they can. The lighting is all a dingy fluorescent, but the walls are covered with collages of customers enjoying themselves sitting right in the very booths we were waiting in line for. And of course lots of Steelers and Pens support in this Pittsburgh establishment.

We had been here several years ago - back in the days before Allegheny county went non-smoking. Thankfully the air was much clearer this time, but surprisingly there was no air conditioning. And since the grill is right there in the dining area across from the counter seating, combined with so many people, it was pretty warm.  Not sure if the a/c was broken, but I didn't have the heart to bring it up to our poor waitress who had to suffer all day in the heat.

Everyone who worked here was always seen hustling around and doing their best to keep everyone happy. The menu was typical greasy-spoon fare, with griddle food galore. I had 2 French toast made with thick Italian toast, with a side of bacon, and Husband chose the "mixed grill" which was scrambled-up eggs, hot sausage, onions, peppers & potatoes. Oh, and don't forget 1 pancake on the side!

The food was not very quick in arriving at the table (not a surprise given the number of people seated). Everything was very tasty, but Heavy on the tummy. My bacon was a little over cooked for my taste, but there was plenty of it. The French toast was definitely more fried than toasted, making it a bit crispier than what is typical - yummy but definitely not healthy! 

All in all, this is definitely a place that locals love. Not only are the walls filled with snapshots of Gab & Eat's "regulars" but they are also filled with the "I was here" graffiti that is evidently encouraged by the owner. Definitely gives it the small-town feel, that is nice to see in a big city. But that's one of the best parts of Pittsburgh - it's really just a combination of neighborhoods with strong feelings of community. That's one of the reasons we love it!

Sugar Cafe

Welcome to the dog days of summer! It's been in the 90's every day in Pittsburgh this week, and even hotter in lots of other places in the country. Nearly all of our Saturday was spent indoors in some fashion, starting with the best part of the day - Breakfast! I first found out about Sugar Cafe when researching the Dorstop Restaurant which is just down the street, and was reminded about it again when our favorite Dozen Bake Shop closed a couple weeks ago (so sad!). Sugar Cafe will be taking over wedding orders that Dozen was scheduled for in the upcoming months.

Located on adorable little Potomac Avenue in Dormont, this little cafe was busy today for breakfast. I really like the color scheme of the restaurant, and found it quite interesting to see the kitchen up in the loft.

The menu is very small, and after snatching a seat, we ordered up at the counter of the giant posterboards. I picked a couple interesting items: the Oatmeal with clover honey, toasted almonds, candied ginger & blueberries, as well as a Buttermilk Biscuit with honey butter & homemade jam. Husband chose the Buttermilk Waffles with maple syrup, raspberry jam, vanilla crème fraiche.

Appropriately, everything can be summed up in one word:   Sugar.   The shop is aptly named, that's for sure. Don't get me wrong, everything was extremely tasty. And clearly everything is well planned and very much different from the typical greasy spoon we so often experience for breakfast in Pittsburgh. Definitely appreciated. But sugar overload was quickly reached from every angle. I found myself craving eggs & toast at the end of it all. But no fault of the restaurant - They have provided services exactly as advertised! 

If ever I'm in need of a sweets fix, I know just where to go. The specialty of Sugar Cafe isn't intended to be breakfast - it's the bakery desserts that looked totally amazing. We saw things in the pastry case like tarts and cupcakes and scones that made my mouth water to no end. There's a cute little coffee-shop-style seating area in the front of the store, sporting some wonderful words of wisdom: "KEEP CALM and EAT CUPCAKES"!

Good advice if I ever heard it. Can't wait to go back.

Joe's Rusty Nail

Anyone who has done research on the "Best Places for Breakfast in Pittsburgh" will undoubtedly run across the Rusty Nail in Bellevue, just north of the city. So it was just a matter of time before we ventured up there for a Saturday morning adventure. Unbeknownst to us, we also picked the weekend Bellevue has their annual sidewalk sale, so we were treated to all sorts of activity along this classic Main Street-type neighborhood.

We arrived around 10am, normally a busy time, but according to our waitress even busier thanks to the extra traffic outside. The dining area is very small, with no waiting area (we stood outside for a few minutes) but inside is jam packed full of tables and mix/match wooden chairs and a few benches thrown in for good measure. I really liked the giant wooden buffet at the back of the room.

We ended up seated at the very front of the restaurant, near a bright sunny window. The breakfast menu was not very large, likely because you are encouraged to order from their daily specials offerings - so that is just what we did. Husband was sensible and picked the mushroom, spinach, and asiago cheese omelet special which came with "black oak ham" & toast (though he also added a stack of pancakes!) and I was bad and picked "The Stacker" special which consisted of 2 potato pancakes topped with 2 sausage patties, scrambled eggs and sausage gravy with a biscuit & cantaloupe. (Hey, at least it involved fruit!)

There was so much food, but it was all really delicious. A little too much gravy, but everything else tasted amazing, and was presented beautifully. After the mad rush died down, the owner came out and spoke to as many tables he could, several who were obviously Saturday regulars. Nice to see hometown service. Oh, and the Rusty Nail is cash only - not too many of those places left either!

O'Leary's Southside Cafe

Another Saturday in Pittsburgh! Just down the street from where we had breakfast last week is a tiny little storefront on Carson Street called O'Leary's Southside Cafe. And when I say tiny, there are only 5 tables and 5 counter stools. Small as it was, we didn't have to wait in any line, which is always good when you're hungry! We've walked/driven right past this place many times, but it just seems to be one of those shops that blends right into the scenery. Although it does have a funny exhaust fan that sticks out above the door, so you would think it would be more noticeable.

The inside wasn't much more to look at. There is a really cool old, tin ceiling, but not too many pictures or decorations on the walls, and just bare minimum on the "cafe" tables & chairs. 

Like the decor, the menu was really minimal as well - just one page for breakfast (served exclusively on weekends) and one for lunch. My favorite menu item is "VAY". Never heard of anything like this before - just described as "peanut butter, bacon & mayo" ????????

Sadly, the VAY was only on the lunch menu, so from the breakfast side, I ordered the ham omelet, which was made using provolone & really delicious ham we watched her carve off the bone, and 3 big eggs, served with potatoes & an English muffin. Husband picked "The Big Boy" consisting of eggs, bacon & 2 pancakes. 

Now if I'm being honest, the food wasn't much to look at when it came out, but the taste of it all completely made up for it. There really was a lot of it, and the quality was all to me very good. Nothing fancy, but better than lots of places we've been. The menu also brags of homemade soups, so some weekday we'll have to drop by and check them out. Maybe with a side of VAY?

Penny's Diner

So our original plan today for Breakfast in was to eat at a Pittsburgh "classic" called Tom's Diner. Located on the Southside, in an awesome old building with high ceilings and lots of city diner charm. Much to our surprise, we arrived only to find the name had been changed to "Penny's Diner". Luckily the new ownership still serves breakfast, so enter we did.

Seems Penny is actually Tom's daughter, and when Dad Tom retired, Daughter Penny made the place her own. According to the menu, Penny already owns 2 diners in the area (in WV & Southwest PA) so the diner business really runs in the family.

I love the decor - particularly the awesome old red vinyl booths. There's also outdoor seating for nice weather like we had today, and there were plenty of waitresses and other help running around like crazy. Unfortunately, we didn't seem to understand the method to the madness and ended up having quite a bizarre experience.

When we first walked in, the hostess, a younger girl, offered to seat us and was leading us to one of several open booths when suddenly, the older woman in charge diverted us to a table in the corner, next to some sort of doorway the staff would rush in and out of. Super strange, not sure if we had a funny look on our face or what, but I would have considered this table to be the last place you would want to seat folks - like only if the rest of the place was completely full and rather than send customers away, consider it the "last" seat in the house. Anyway, it wasn't awesome.

Our waitress, bless her heart, was one of the people always rushing, always forgetting something, always apologizing - what I consider "working hard, but not smart".

As for the food, it was just okay. The menu definitely made it sound much better than it actually arrived. I chose the "Eggs-in-a-basket" which was toast with eggs fried in the middle with bacon and cheese sauce for potatoes. (I think the cheese sauce might double as nacho sauce at lunchtime, but I can't confirm.) And husband ordered the "Farmer's Omelette Special" with sausage, ham, bacon & 2 pancakes, toast and potatoes. (The pancakes arrived halfway through the meal, and the omelet had a really odd taste to it - maybe some apple smoked sausage?)

So all in all, it was a really bizarre experience, that I don't think I can recommend. Maybe it's just that awkward transition time between owners??

The Empty Booth

Frank & Shirley's Restaurant

Once upon a time, before the ban on smoking in restaurants was decreed in the land of Pennsylvania, husband and I visited the haze that was know as Frank & Shirley's Restaurant (and "drive-thru lottery"). We decided to go back again, hoping that this time we would be able to actually taste and enjoy the food we ordered.

As you can see, Frank & Shirley's is not a large place. So when I say haze, really there was nowhere for the smoke to go but everywhere. So this time, knowing the laws would make it different, we headed down Saw Mill Run Blvd. in the Carrick neighborhood of Pittsburgh for our Saturday Breakfast. The place is small and really feels like a classic roadside diner, with two rows of booths and a galley kitchen/grill.

And yes, that is a lottery machine in the corner. So seems like it is locals/regulars who frequent here, and they come for the greasy fixin's and the lottery tickets. There were even blank forms on the tables - so apparently, you can make your picks right at the table and hand them to your waitress to process.

As for food, the menu was pretty limited, just two minimal pages of breakfast and lunch. I picked just 2 eggs with ham & potatoes, and husband chose the western omelet with a side of silver dollar pancakes (yee haw!)

Definitely home cookin' selections. Visit Frank & Shirley's if you're looking for that classic diner experience (I love the blue booths.) Play the lottery if you're so inclined ("Benefits older Pennsylvanians" so they say). And you can even buy a T-Shirt in that diner-blue for just $8!