Whether you have your own bike or prefer using Healthy Ride, you need to refuel after a ride. Or in the middle of your ride. Or as you ride from snack to snack, we don’t judge! But if it’s a sunny – or, more likely, humid – day, you might prefer stopping somewhere that other people won’t notice your eau de ride. So, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite stops near the bike trails that run throughout the city!
Millvale
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail runs through Millvale, with convenient free parking at the Millvale Riverfront Park. There are tons of great options in Millvale, but we especially love Grist House and Strange Roots. Both offer plenty of outdoor seating, and it’s always nice to celebrate with a post-ride beer.
North Shore
Keep riding from Millvale on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, and you’ll end up at the North Shore. Again, there are roughly a thousand restaurants you can choose from! Southern Tier, Steel Cactus, Burgatory, Tequila Cowboy, and Jerome Bettis Grille 36 are all good options.
Downtown
Take the Three Rivers Heritage Trail across the Fort Duquesne Bridge, and you’re downtown. We love hanging out in Market Square for a break during a ride. There are plenty of dining options with outdoor seating. Or pack a picnic and hang out for a while at the Point!
Strip District
Instead of heading to the Point, you can take the Three Rivers Heritage Trail past the Tenth Street Bypass and make your way into the Strip. Venture off the trail for more snacks and drinks at Wigle, The Pennsylvania Market, Gaucho (check out our faves there!), or even Peace Love and Little Donuts for a sweet treat.
Station Square
Pretend we’re back at the Point. If you ride the Three Rivers Heritage Trail across the Fort Pitt Bridge, you’ll end up at Station Square. You can stop and catch a Riverhounds game, or grab a bite somewhere like Hard Rock Cafe.
South Side
But, if you keep riding past Station Square, you’ll find yourself in the South Side. Where there are another million choices! Some of our favorites include Pipers Pub (for obvious reasons), Double Wide, Doce, and OTB Bicycle Cafe. We really must insist you stop at OTB, which stands for ‘over the bars’ because it has ‘bicycle cafe’ in its name. They have a huge bike corral in front for easy parking, and the menu items have fun bike-related names like The Bicycle Advocate (as a shoutout to Bike Pittsburgh) and Tangled Spoke Dip.
Keep riding!
After the South Side, you can continue on to the Waterfront. Or keep riding (and eating!) the whole way to D.C.! Yes, all on the trail. Technically, two trails: the Great Allegheny Passage (aka the GAP) and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (the C&O). Over 330 miles of beautiful biking…which earns you a lot of snacks 😉
Fun fact about Lauren: she rode from Pittsburgh to D.C. a couple years ago! Read about it here and here – with plenty of tips on where to stop and eat along both trails.
