It’s a neighborhood best known for its abundant squirrel population.
However, Squirrel Hill, one of Pittsburgh’s oldest neighborhoods, is a primarily thriving epicenter of Jewish cultural life.
Squirrel Hill, first settled by farmers and Indian traders, it was used as a wilderness, and hunting area near Fort Pitt in the 1760s. The neighborhood evolved over the years into a haven for Pittsburgh’s wealthy steel and industrial tycoons, who built sprawling mansions and gardens that still stand today.
A road built in 1922 linked the neighborhood to downtown Pittsburgh. And the area’s population skyrocketed. Thousands of eastern European-Jews began moving into small row houses in the neighborhood, bringing their language, traditions, synagogues, and food.
These days, you’re nearly as likely to hear Yiddish as English — about half of the neighborhood’s 25,000 residents are Jewish, though the area is home to a rich tapestry of other ethnic traditions from around the world. You can buy the city’s best corned beef sandwiches and matzoh ball soup at Kazansky’s Delicatessen. Visit Pinsker’s Judaica for a wide variety of Jewish traditional items and books, and pray at any one of 20 synagogues.
The Jewish Community Center, located in two large buildings at the intersection of Forbes Avenue and Murray Avenue, hosts a day camp, English-language classes for new immigrants, and a health/fitness club. “A Simple Treat,” located near the community center, is a kosher bakery where braided challah breads and other pastry treats are baked fresh every day.
Jewish markets and bookstores line the streets of Squirrel Hill’s main shopping district. However, the area is also a gathering spot for a diverse range of other cultures. The neighborhood is home to a host of Asian restaurants including the Rose Tea Café, a traditional Taiwanese eatery that serves a variety of unique bubble teas; Sweet Basil & La Filipiniana, a restaurant specializing in traditional Thai and Filipino food; and the Silk Elephant, an upscale wine bar that serves Thai-style tapas.
Two neighboring Italian pizzerias, Aiellos and Minneos, battle it out daily for the title of Pittsburgh’s best. For a more upscale Italian experience, try the intimate La Cucina Flegrea for a taste of Northern Italy. The Forward Avenue for a Café con Leche at Tango Café, the city’s only traditional Argentinean coffeehouse.
For music, Jerry’s Records is a well-stocked vault of rare vinyl albums, featuring everything from klezmer to zydeco to old-school blues.
The Squirrel Hill neighborhood is also a haven for book-lovers, featuring a recently remodeled branch of the world-renowned Carnegie Library. In fact, Squirrel Hill has a powerful literary pedigree. Michael Chabon, who won a Pulitzer for The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, lived in Squirrel Hill in the early 1980s. Cinematic adaptations of two of his novels, Wonder Boys and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, were filmed in and around the Squirrel Hill locations that inspired them.
While Pittsburgh may be best known for football and its once-booming steel industry, the face of the city is changing. Today’s residents are a cultured, colorful group of people, and if you’re looking for the city’s most eclectic mix of food, shopping, and down-to-earth fun, Squirrel Hill is definitely the place to be.