Though known to many as a hotspot for weekend nightlife, the South Side’s eclectic stores and rich history make it a great place to be all week.
Stats (from Niche)
- Population: Flats 6,736, Slopes 4,288
- Size: Flats 0.94 sq. miles, Slopes 0.716 sq. miles
- Median Rent: Flats $1,255, Slopes $1,131
- Median Home Value: Flats $241,406, Slopes $118,748
Don’t Miss
There is no shortage of bars on the South Side. East Carson is Pittsburgh’s Bourbon Street, with all manner of watering holes packed onto every block. Whether you’re sipping elaborate cocktails at the speakeasy-style Acacia, throwing back a pint of Fathead’s award-winning beer, or hopping between the street many dives, the neighborhood has your tippling needs covered.
But there’s plenty of inexpensive and tasty eats as well. Spots like the Double Wide Grill and OTB Bicycle Café offer varied menus that cater to vegans, meat eaters and everyone in between. And for cheap, quick and addictively delicious fare, it’s hard to beat the Cambodian food served up at Cambod-ican Kitchen or the outstanding tacos at Doce Taqueria.
The South Side has plenty of fancier dinner options as well. Stagioni is one of the best, offering refined Italian food and drink in cozy, intimate settings.
For an after dinner java, head to Big Dog Coffee or the Beehive, two of the city’s coolest coffee shops. Or stop by the Milk Shake Factory for a variety of decadent shakes and sweets.
You can always find something interesting at the South Side’s City Theatre. The theatre company is dedicated to commissioning and producing brand-new works from innovative playwrights.
Live music is abundant on the South Side. You can catch shows nearly every night of the week at venues like Club Café, Rex Theater and The Smiling Moose.
Shopping options are as quirky as the rest of the neighborhood. The South Side is home to an array of boutiques and shops, including record store Dave’s Music Mine, counterculture clothing shop Slacker, and The Cuckoo’s Nest Magic Shop.
Opened in 2004, South Side Works is a large open-air complex that includes a movie theater complex and numerous places to shop and eat such as the Cheesecake Factory, Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh, Sur La Table and REI.
Best of all? The South Side Riverfront Trail provides five miles of beautiful trail for hiking and cycling with stunning city views as well as a forest of trees.
Fast Facts
The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods—South Side Flats and the primarily residential South Side Slopes.
There are 68 sets of public stairs in the South Side Slopes, totaling 5,447 steps. Each year, the neighborhood holds StepTrek, a self-guided exploration of the steps that raises money for the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association.
The South Side was originally split into four neighborhoods: South Pittsburgh, Birmingham, East Birmingham, and Ormsby (named after John Ormsby, one of Pittsburgh’s earliest settlers).
The South Side was once the center of glass production in the United States. In the late 19th century, the neighborhood was home to nearly 100 glass factories.
Kaufmann’s Department Store got its start in the South Side. It opened on East Carson Street in 1871 before eventually relocating to its iconic Downtown location.
East Carson Street is a nationally designated Historic District, and strict rules govern the alterations of storefronts and buildings.
The South Side Riverfront Trail connects with the Great Allegheny Passage, which goes all the way to Washington, D.C.
More South Side News
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