Pittsburgh's Best Dives

Cuisine isn't all wine and cheese. If you want to find where the young folk go these days to have a good time and save some cash, you've come to the right place. What follows is an (incomplete) list of Pittsburgh's greatest dives--places where you can bury your sorrows in food (and drown them in ale) without laying waste to your wallet. Your body may hate yourself for this tomorrow, but man, you're going to love it tonight.

Quick Tips:

The highest concentration of good, cheap food and drink is on the South Side and in Oakland, which are the two places where most of Pittsburgh's students and young people like to live. Beyond that, local favorites dot the landscape; of these, the most accessible are those on or near the trolley line, as noted below.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you're looking to ditch the designated driver, do us all a favor and stick to spots along the trolley line--the Strip District and some of the South Side, perhaps--or somewhere like Oakland, which is an easy bus ride from the trolley line's downtown hub. Also, check the PATransit website (www.portauthority.org) for the schedule of "drunk buses" that connect the trolley line and the downtown to most of Pittsburgh's hottest spots.

This classic wing joint, which originated in nearby Sharon, PA, has expanded into a regional chain, with a number of Pittsburgh-area locations, as well as sites in Ohio and a handful of other states. The Robinson location (a short drive from the airport) is their original Pittsburgh location, and with its motor sports-themed decor, it does the best job of retaining the old flavor of the chain. Other settings vary from sports bar-esque (Route 51) to quasi-fast food (at Heinz Field and PNC Park). At any Lube, the wings are the main attraction: though menus vary by location, most full-service Lube restaurants feature all 18 flavors, ranging from the syrupy-sweet honey mustard to the devastatingly hot "atomic." "Louisiana Lickers," a combination of Cajun and barbecue, is the Lube's signature taste; this reviewer is partial to "Arizona Ranch," which is ranch with some Buffalo-style cayenne zing. The place is packed on Tuesday nights for their all-you-can-eat special (at $11.99, one of the best deals in town), and lunch buffets are offered every weekday. The beer is decent, too--most locations will have local-favorite Yuengling on tap, which is, quite frankly, a great beer to binge drink while you're binge eating wings!

This local South Hills classic offers some of the best old-school thin-crust pizza in town. And the dirty little secret? It's even better cold. Many a hangover has been soothed by a dose of Campiti's pepperoni-and-sausage. Also, it's right near the Potomac "T" stop, so you can get here without a designated driver if you're staying anywhere along the line. A great place to go to quell your end-of-the-night munchies, and the leftovers can make a quick meal the next day—pure classic!

This is perhaps THE Pittsburgh classic, featuring Primanti's renowned "almost-famous" sandwiches and copious amounts of local-favorite beer. The chain has been expanding lately, and now has locations in or near most of the major nightlife areas (Market Square, the South Side, Oakland, the Strip, etc.) and shopping districts (Route 51, Robinson, Cranberry, etc.). Heinz Field and PNC Park also have outlets with limited menus. The main locations are all friendly, well-appointed sports bar-esque pubs with ample selections of decent cheap beer. Details can be found at www.primantibros.com.

Long story short: If you only eat one meal in Pittsburgh, this should be it, as the Primanti's Sandwich (choice of meat, with Provelone, Polish vinegar slaw, and French fries on top, all between two slices of airy Italian white bread) is the Burgh's signature taste. Chances are this is the first place your hosts will think to take you for grub. You have to taste it to believe it—any Pittsburgher can tell you how suddenly and unexpectedly the Primantis craving can attack. We lucky yinzers can eat them any time we want, though—you'll have to get your fill while you're still here!

BONUS: For reasons none of us can quite comprehend, Primanti's—otherwise a Pittsburgh-exclusive chain—has also opened two Ft. Lauderdale, FL, locations. What is up with that?