South Side, Pittsburgh: neighborhood guide

South Side sits on the south bank of the Monongahela, directly across the river from Downtown. Its spine is East Carson Street, which runs about 30 blocks east from Station Square and holds more restaurants and bars than any other Pittsburgh neighborhood. Behind the storefronts, narrow rowhouses fill the blocks inland.

The district splits in two. The Flats, close to the river, hold the shops, bars, restaurants and most of the rental apartments. The Slopes rise steeply above them, where tall narrow houses sit shoulder to shoulder and the city maintains concrete and wooden stairways that residents use as shortcuts up and down the hill.

The rowhouses and ethnic churches date from the steel era, when millworkers lived here and the mills lined the river. The mills are gone; the bar-and-restaurant economy replaced them. In summer, South Side is one of the few parts of Pittsburgh where you can eat and drink at pavement tables.

Mount Washington borders the neighborhood to the west. Its bluff rises roughly 150 m above the river valley and gives the classic view back over the rivers and Downtown. Two incline railways climb the slope from near Station Square.

Stay in South Side if your trip is built around eating, drinking and walking. You can leave your hotel, pick a different bar or restaurant every night for a week, and walk to Station Square and over the Smithfield Street Bridge into Downtown in about 20–30 minutes. The T light rail and the 48 and 51 buses make the rest of the city reachable without a car.

Look elsewhere if you want quiet. Carson Street on a Friday or Saturday night is loud until late, and the bars empty onto the pavements. Drivers should also weigh parking: on-street spaces exist on the side streets and there are metered lots, but weekend evenings are tight.

Two alternatives. Downtown puts you next to the museums, theatres and the Point, with more hotel choice and easier transit. Oakland is the museum-and-university district east of the river, quieter at night and better if your days are about the Carnegie museums and Phipps Conservatory. If you want a food-and-market neighborhood with a calmer evening, look at Strip District-Lawrenceville.

East Carson Street is the address for both. Expect a long run of neighborhood bars, pubs, pizza and sandwich places, plus a growing set of sit-down kitchens. The mix changes often, so check current listings before you commit to a specific place.

Pittsburgh's local specialties are worth trying while you are here: a Primanti-style sandwich with fries and slaw inside the bread, pierogies, and a slice from one of the city's pizza counters. South Side has its share of all three alongside the standard American bar menu.

Reservations matter on Friday and Saturday evenings in summer and on Steelers or Pirates game days, when the whole strip fills up. Weeknights are easier. Tipping is expected at sit-down restaurants, 18–22%.

From Downtown, the simplest crossing on foot is the Smithfield Street Bridge to Station Square, then east along Carson Street. Six bridges cross the Monongahela into this area and most meet Carson Street after the crossing; the Liberty Bridge is the exception and links to PJ McArdle Roadway toward Mount Washington instead.

By transit, the T light rail stops at Station Square just after crossing the river, then runs through a tunnel under Mount Washington. Buses 48 and 51 run from Downtown past Station Square down Carson Street into the heart of the neighborhood, and the 54 connects South Side with Oakland. Routes and frequencies change, so check schedules before you rely on a specific bus.

By car, take I-376 from Downtown or the eastern neighborhoods and cross at the Fort Pitt, 10th Street, 22nd Street (Birmingham) or Hot Metal Bridge, depending on where you are coming from. Once in the Flats, park on a side street or in a metered lot and walk.

For Mount Washington, ride the Monongahela Incline up from near Station Square to Grandview Avenue. It is the quickest way to the viewpoint and the start of the walk along the bluff.