My favorite coffee shops in Pittsburgh
I’ve seen the coffee scene explode in Pittsburgh in the last 15 years. Here’s a list of coffee shops I find interesting for various reasons. Sometimes folks ask about this, so I’m putting together this document.
I’m into specialty coffee. Light roasts, single origin. I take my coffee black and my espresso straight-up.
Margaux
This shop cares about their coffee. Good food. Lots of seating and usually filled with people working and meeting. It is down the street from Duolingo.
It transforms into a bar at night, which is pretty cool.
Margaux
This shop cares about their coffee. Good food. Lots of seating and usually filled with people working and meeting. It is down the street from Duolingo.
It transforms into a bar at night, which is pretty cool.
Where?
East Liberty. Street parking. Near Carnegie Library and lots of restaurants.
KLVN
They roast their own beans. A funny anecdote when I visited early on—I was browsing the beans they had on sale and asked what level of roast they were because it wasn’t marked on the bag. The barista indignantly said, “You’re new here, aren’t you? We only do light roasts.” Despite that, I’ve found the staff pretty chill.
They serve food. It’s not usually hard to find a seat.
KLVN
They roast their own beans. A funny anecdote when I visited early on—I was browsing the beans they had on sale and asked what level of roast they were because it wasn’t marked on the bag. The barista indignantly said, “You’re new here, aren’t you? We only do light roasts.” Despite that, I’ve found the staff pretty chill.
They serve food. It’s not usually hard to find a seat.
Commonplace Coffee
These folks have been around since I got into coffee. They’ve grown to a bunch of shops around the area. The one I frequent is in Squirrel Hill. They are consistently solid, are always updating their offerings, have knowledgable staff.
Commonplace Coffee
These folks have been around since I got into coffee. They’ve grown to a bunch of shops around the area. The one I frequent is in Squirrel Hill. They are consistently solid, are always updating their offerings, have knowledgable staff.
The Boredom Set
This shop just opened up a few months ago. I met one of the owners downtown at Market Square. He used to work at Defer, has done some barista competitions, and now starting his own thing.
The coffee bar coexists with a vintage clothing store (Heat Check).
The Boredom Set
This shop just opened up a few months ago. I met one of the owners downtown at Market Square. He used to work at Defer, has done some barista competitions, and now starting his own thing.
The coffee bar coexists with a vintage clothing store (Heat Check).
Where?
Shadyside
De Fer Coffee & Tea
This shop has it all. Eclectic local goods like sausages, chocolate, ceramics. Good food, live music. Oh, and alcoholic drinks too.
Where?
De Fer Coffee & Tea
This shop has it all. Eclectic local goods like sausages, chocolate, ceramics. Good food, live music. Oh, and alcoholic drinks too.
Where?
Main shop is in the Strip District. They have a small outlet in Hunt Library on Carnegie Mellon University.
Arriviste
Cute shop with loyal following. Does Kalita on a Modbar, serves an espresso flight. Warning: no outlets and limited seating—this place is for enjoying coffee and conversation. I enjoy chatting with Kim, the owner. Micro-roaster that uses a Bellwether machine.
Where?
Arriviste
Cute shop with loyal following. Does Kalita on a Modbar, serves an espresso flight. Warning: no outlets and limited seating—this place is for enjoying coffee and conversation. I enjoy chatting with Kim, the owner. Micro-roaster that uses a Bellwether machine.
Where?
Shadyside (5730 Ellsworth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA, 15232)
There are a ton of shops in the burgh. These are just the ones I frequent.
Shops I haven’t been to in a while that are worth mentioning
Constellation
Espresso a Mano
Tazza d’Oro
Redhawk
What do you think?
I’m Ben Tsai. Let me know what I missed, or any other details I should include. I’m on Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads. I blog at bentsai.org.