Pittsburgh cracks Yelp's list of top 10 cities for foodies

Shirley McMarlin
Monday, March 11, 2019 10:42 a.m. | Monday, March 11, 2019 10:42 a.m.

Tribune-Review File

Burgatory is among five Pittsburgh-area restaurants that helped make the city No. 8 among Yelp’s 2019 Top 10 Foodie Cities. Here is Burgatory’s Piggy Butter and Jelly burger.

Pittsburgh’s rich and diverse food scene has earned another accolade, this time ranking No. 8 among Yelp’s 2019 Top 10 Foodie Cities.

The online review forum is on board with BBC Good Food, which also named the ‘Burgh as a Top 10 foodie destination for 2019, and the James Beard Foundation, which places local restaurants and chefs on its semifinalist list for the 29th annual James Beard Awards to be announced May 6.

“The Steel City’s unique blend of cuisines could be attributed to its ideal location straddling both the East and Midwest,” Yelp says.

Eateries giving Pittsburgh a boost in “climbing the culinary charts” include:

Bigham Tavern, 321 Bigham St., Duquesne Heights — Pub grub including 30-plus flavors of chicken wings.

Food and beer pairing @BighamTavern on point last night with beers from @OddSideAles, @dogfishbeer, @SingleCutBeer and @HopFarmBeer #craftbeer #mountwashington #weremorethanjustwine #drinkthegoodstuff #barfood #greatwings #burgersandbeers pic.twitter.com/Zz0rSlXNmK

— Bin 412 (@bin412pgh) January 13, 2019

Burgatory, multiple locations — Burgers, what else? And don’t forget the milkshakes.

#WeekendBrunch B.O.D. Garlic Crusted Fiddy Fiddy with White American, Fried Egg, Grilled Ham, Bacon & Strawberry Maple Coulis on French Toast. pic.twitter.com/GdFFFhBJRB

— Burgatory Bar (@BurgatoryBar) March 9, 2019

Tako, 214 6th St., Downtown — Inventive Mexican street food with a So-Cal surf vibe.

Tako in Pittsburgh has the best tacos I've ever had in my life and the Al Pastor may be one of the best bites I've ever had #fooddayfatty

— Sean Merinar (@bigdaddymerinar) April 23, 2016

Musa Caribbean/Cajun Fare, 2318 Broadway Ave., Beechview — Spicy gumbo, jerk pork, West Indies curry and more.

There is no match for Musa. https://t.co/zuL8KJMcOF

— Pittsburgh City Paper (@PGHCityPaper) March 8, 2019

Pitaland, 620 Brookline Blvd., Brookline — Mediterranean bakery offering its namesake flatbread and chips, baklava and more.

Thank you Yelp for recommending Pitaland as one of the Top Spots in Pittsburgh to eat! WE ARE HONORED! Also, a huge thanks to WQED Pittsburgh for the amazing video! https://t.co/85jRqs56ij

— pitalandPGH (@pitalandPGH) March 8, 2019

The foodie cities list is designed to help Yelp users plan their spring travels.

The 2019 Top 10 includes:

1. San Francisco

2. St. Louis, Mo.

3. Honolulu

4. Plano, Texas

5. San Diego

6. Las Vegas

7. Richmond, Va.

8. Pittsburgh

9. Baltimore

10. Austin, Texas

“In order to rank the best places for foodies, our Data Science team looked at a number of different factors. Yelp’s data science team compared cities’ new restaurants, looking at ratings, reviews, cuisine diversity and percentage of food photos, to reveal where Yelpers love to eat right now,” Yelp says.