top of page

I went to 4 Pittsburgh neighborhoods to find good fall drinks. Here’s what happened.

Writer's picture: Studio Four-One-TwoStudio Four-One-Two

By Kylie Norris




I went to 4 Pittsburgh neighborhoods to find good fall drinks. Here’s what happened.


So in case you couldn’t tell from the title, I love coffee. I wouldn’t call myself an addict because I typically don’t have it before noon, but almost every day, you can find a mug or cup of joe in my hand at least once.


Despite my passion for the drink, there is one phenomenon I’ve always been opposed to: the yearly unveiling of pumpkin spice drinks before the temperature even gets below ninety degrees. Summer is my favorite season, and part of the reason is because of the sweet teas, iced coffees, and smoothies that can make a vacation, barbecue, or just a hot day in the backyard feel like a moment in paradise. To me, pumpkin is an autumn thing, yet starting in mid-August, the entire country interrupts the summer fun and goes “pumpkin crazy” for lattes, macchiatos, and cold brews featuring the fruit. My ideology is that until I have to start wearing long sleeves every day, I’ll be drinking iced coffees or iced americanos.


However, it’s at that point in the season when enjoying a fall drink is acceptable, so I decided to explore the city through coffee. Over the past two weeks, I went around Pittsburgh on a mission to find coffee shops that sell unique, fall-flavored beverages. This is how it went.


Day 1: Oakland


On the first day of my coffee journey, I was going to be crazy busy studying for midterms and running errands, so I wanted to stay near Pitt. After my lecture in Alumni Hall, I walked ten minutes along Fifth towards CMU to Crepes Parissanes, a small French coffee shop and bakery. I had been there for breakfast before (order the Nutella crepes, thank me later), but this time, I was just going for a drink. I asked the man at the front if they had any fall-related drinks he would recommend, and he pointed to the Paris Fog, a hot tea with steamed milk. While it wasn’t coffee, it seemed like my best bet, so I ordered it with their special Espiritu de Noel tea, which had vanilla, orange, and cinnamon notes. The man said the French “mix teas like perfume,” carefully crafting the perfect flavor, and since Crepes Parissanes imports all their teas from the Old Country, I had high hopes. Ultimately, it did not disappoint at all, and it was a great pick-me-up before my next class. Overall, the atmosphere was chill and laid back, and it’s small and quiet enough to get some work done while you’re there. Being such a short but beautiful walk from campus, this place provides a nice boost of serotonin throughout your entire trip.


Divvy, the new place on Forbes, was the next place I hit. I hadn’t eaten anything that morning and had stuff to do, so I needed food and some energy to power me from noon to the end of the night. The area had a classic coffeehouse vibe with a black and gold interior, red and pink furniture and decor, and fake plants around the whole place. There were a lot of kids doing work, lounging on the chairs and couches, and sitting at the tables and chairs, but it wasn’t too busy or loud. Since I had a class soon, I couldn’t stay long, but I noticed that they had real espresso mugs if you needed a quick shot of caffeine that got the job done while you were studying. I ordered the Iced Latte with pumpkin syrup and their new pepperoni roll, which came to a total of about eight dollars. The roll was shaped like a Stromboli and tasted like a pizza roll, and you could taste the pumpkin in the sweet latte. It was similar to Starbucks, so if you’re into that type of coffee, check this place out.


Day 2: Oakland Continued


I had seen this tiny hidden coffee place called Redhawk Coffee on Yelp while researching for this story, and I was a little intrigued when I found out it was on Meyran Ave. I walked over and found that it was exactly that. The interior had a wooden theme, and it kind of felt like a drop-in coffeehouse due to the small size but welcoming environment. They had a few small tables inside, but outside, there were long tables with blue and white umbrellas where a few people were doing work. Acoustic music played through a speaker, and it was kind of like a breath of fresh air during what was definitely a crazy day for me. They were advertising locally sourced hot apple cider on their Instagram, and since it was a little late for coffee, I just had to try some. It was probably the best apple cider I had in a few years, and it tasted homemade and fresh. At four dollars, it was a little pricey for me, but it was definitely worth it at least for the first time.


Day 3: Shadyside


I had extra time on my hands, so I decided to leave Oakland and find a neighborhood to explore. A friend told me about Coffee Tree Roasters in Shadyside, and since it was after 4:00 pm, most other places were closed. I decided that this was a sign to check this place out since I wanted to do some studying while I was there. I’m SO GLAD that I did because this is one of the top coffee places I went. What was cool to me was that the outside area is connected to the inside by a huge opening in the wall they close off in the colder months. If you want to feel like you’re outside, you can sit there, but the place goes deep enough that there’s a real indoor sitting area towards the back. It seemed like a coffee bar more than a coffee shop, and the brick walls, black tables, and wooden chairs made the place feel very fall. They had an Iced Pumpkin Pie Latte, which actually tasted like pumpkin pie, had a good amount of milk, and preserved the flavor of the coffee. It was very refreshing as an afternoon snack, and they have different desserts, chocolates, and pastries, too. They had a pitcher of complimentary water, and there were plenty of people working, talking, and reading. I was productive while working here and will definitely be back!


Day 4: Back to Shadyside


Okay, so there may have been more than just 24 hours between day 3 and day 4, but we won’t count that. Okay? Okay. Today I went to Adda Coffee and Tea, and honestly, it was really just okay. I mean, it was also a half-hour till they closed, and I had spent a good 15 minutes trying to find the place, so I was already feeling defeated (pro-tip: when you get to the building that Maps says it’s at, you have to go up the stairs to get to the street it’s on. Otherwise, you’ll just be walking near abandoned buildings). Adda has a turquoise exterior that carries into the inside, and it has a nice outdoor seating area where you could get work done and be productive. Since it was basically empty and was closing soon, I didn’t spend too much time inside, but they had some baked goods and sold bottled drinks, chocolate, and gifts. It was a little expensive, but I ordered the Hot Caramel Apple Latte. It had a nice thin layer of steamed milk but a lot more of a coffee taste than a “mainstream” American latte has, and I couldn’t really taste the flavoring. Since it was hot, it did feel like a fall drink, but it was not the best place on this list.


Day 5: Lawrenceville

Traveling here is a little annoying because the buses that go to and from Oakland don’t come frequently, so I made sure I hit two places here. Espresso A Mano had a few places to sit outside, and even though it was a little far, the walk was really nice with cool buildings and gardens to look at. Around the area, there are a lot of shops and places to eat, so you can spend a good amount of time there. It's basically empty at 1:40 pm, but it gets busier around 2. The inside had a brick interior, painted tile, wooden tables, places to stand and drink espresso, rock music playing in the background, and a good atmosphere. They sell San Pellegrino cans, water, seltzer's, Diamond Dog ice cream, and different drinks and pastries. There were all kinds of classic espresso and coffee drinks, and you could add syrups or shots of espresso to your drink as well. I wasn’t too hungry and just needed a break, so I ordered a spiced espresso to drink there and sat at a table to do homework. I like the taste of coffee and typically don't enjoy more “diluted” drinks, so this was perfect because it gave a good fall taste, preserved the espresso, and was quick and easy. I absolutely will be coming back!


Convive Coffee was a very different kind of place than the other shops I went to. There was no outdoor seating, and the places they had to sit inside were almost all couches with low tables. It felt like a living room, which is why I don’t recommend coming here to do work. Convive had a white and green inside with lots of plants scattered around, and the menu at the front is comprehensive and well-organized, which makes it easy to order quickly. They have plenty of fall flavors like pumpkin spice, apple caramel, and more. I ordered a Honey Cardamom Latte because it sounded different, and I also bought a Cranberry Orange scone. The latte was hot, sweet, and a little fruity (cardamom is dried spiced fruit, so I could tell the flavor clearly came through properly), but the actual taste of the coffee was not overpowered at all. The barista even did art on top of the thin layer of froth, which was beautiful. Even though it may not be apt for productivity, if you need a place to hang out with friends or just scroll through Instagram, this is the spot.


Day 6: Let’s Not Talk About Downtown


I planned this really poorly. Like I said, most coffee places close between 3 or 4 pm, so it’s no surprise that arriving Downtown at 2:30 pm on a Sunday was not going to give me time to try any of the places I had on my list. Conveniently for me, a lot of them had also changed their hours or closed completely just for that weekend, and throughout the afternoon, I was faced with several well-written paragraphs taped to doors explaining how sorry they were. By that time, even the places that weren’t on the original list that I could have gone to were closed, too. It was a very unsuccessful day for me, but Rock’n’Joe Coffee, Gasoline Street Coffee, and Bruegger’s Bagels were the places I was originally going to check out.


Day 7: Southside


My unsuccessful trip Downtown was completely balanced out by my experience here. It’s this old-looking red and black concrete building called Cup ka Joe. The interior feels like a Panera, but the music playing in the store elevates it to a hip neighborhood coffee joint. They had a nice outdoor seating area with hanging lights, flower boxes, and a place to play big Connect 4, and the garage door-like opening connected the outside to the inside. The tables were basically empty at 5 pm, although many people dropped by during that time. Walking up to order, I saw so many cleverly-named coffee flavors you could add to any drink, like Hocus Pocus, Chai Latte, Campfire, and many more. They even had different flavors of apple cider! I was planning on just getting one cup of flavored hot coffee since it was late, but they had so many options that I got two. I tried the Berries and Cream, which was blackberry vanilla, and Snickerdoodle, which was cinnamon, vanilla, and spiced brown sugar. Not only did they cost less than three dollars each and came out right after I ordered them, but they were SO GOOD. I like black coffee, and since I wanted to evaluate the actual flavors for this article, I didn’t add cream or sugar or anything. For both of them, the syrups came through to make the coffee sweeter and more flavorful, and even if you don’t like black coffee, you really don’t have to add too much to change the taste.


Overall, this was a great experience. I loved having the opportunity to check out new parts of the city, even though sometimes, it was a hassle finding time to get out and explore, especially during midterms. Making a schedule of when I could go out and figuring out which places would be good for studying versus just relaxing helped a lot. While I had some bumps along the way and wasn’t able to go to as many coffee shops as I expected, I now have a list of reliable places to go, and I’m excited to find more. Traveling through different neighborhoods of Pitt was super fun, especially since I was doing it through coffee. I recommend you choose a type of cuisine or food item and find places around Pittsburgh to visit based on that. Whether it’s Vietnamese, Polish, or Latin American restaurants, or pizza, sub, or boba joints, you’re sure to find something interesting and have a good time!


32 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page