For celebrating a birthday, anniversary, work promotion, graduation, or any other special event in Pittsburgh, dining on Mount Washington is a must. It’s a great location to enjoy a beautiful view. While there are several upscale restaurants looking out over the city from Mount Washington, one go-to favorite is Monterey Bay Fish Grotto.
This fine-dining seafood restaurant is located on the aptly-named Grandview Avenue. You take a glass elevator up to the top of a building facing downtown to get there.
To start, you need to get the crab cakes. (I don’t even know if you can describe these as crab cakes, really. They’re more like big piles of crab meat sprinkled with a bit of breading and seasoning.) You can get these a meal as well. They’re also sometimes part of a seafood sampler appetizer that’s always a good choice.
Monterey Bay Fish Grotto is known for its seafood, so you can’t go wrong ordering from the “Fresh Fish” part of the menu. The entrees are organized by fish type and the different spice rubs that are best for each. You can mix and match these as well. The sides are shareable so you can get a veggie or mac and cheese to share between two people.
While the food, service, and overall ambience is wonderful, the real reason to keep coming back to Monterey Bay Fish Grotto is the view. Overlooking the point, it’s the perfect spot to sit and enjoy a picturesque view of downtown Pittsburgh and the North Shore. The restaurant also has a lounge that opens at 4:30 p.m. if you want to grab a drink to enjoy the view without making a dinner reservation.
And finally, not to be missed is the dessert menu. Monterey Bay is best known for its unique angel food grilled cheese sandwich. It’s a caramelized angel food cake sandwich filled with cream cheese and topped with berries and toasted almonds. They may even comp your birthday or anniversary dessert (but you didn’t hear that from us), so it’s definitely worth ordering if you’re celebrating a special occasion.
The next time you’re considering a special night out, consider taking a drive — or the incline — up Mount Washington to enjoy the great food and breathtaking views.
