Whether you’re looking for great shopping, exciting nightlife or a great place to live, the centrally located neighborhood of Shadyside has you covered.
Stats (via Niche)
- Population: 14,317
- Size: 0.921 sq. miles
- Median Rent: $1,285
- Median Home Value: $371,444
Don’t Miss
With business centers on three different streets—Walnut, Highland and Ellsworth—there is plenty to check out. Luckily Shadyside is a very walkable neighborhood, and you can easily hop from one to another on foot. Parking? That’s another matter.
For casual dining, Noodlehead’s brand of Thai street food and noodle dishes is a local favorite. For burgers, try Stack’d or their newer sister restaurant, The Tipsy Cow.
For fancier eats, head to one of Big Burrito’s spots—Casbah, Umi and Soba are all in the neighborhood.
Your options for drinking are just as vast. The dark and cozy Le Mardi Gras is adored for its extremely stiff drinks made with freshly squeezed juices. Mad Mex and The Yard are both good bets for beer, with dozens of taps and lots of specials.
If you’re longing for dessert, grab the famous and absolutely mouthwatering Burnt Almond Torte at Prantl’s, some wildly great ice cream at Millie’s or gelato at Mercurio’s (they make great pizza as well).
Sure, there are plenty of chain retailers in Shadyside. But where the neighborhood really shines is in its array of independent shops and boutiques. From unique gifts at Kards Unlimited to quirky home furnishings at Penhollows to vintage clothing at Hey Betty!, an afternoon spent browsing the shops of Shadyside is a pleasant one indeed.
Since it’s smack dab in the middle of everything, green space is at a bit of a premium in Shadyside as is parking. But the neighborhood does border Mellon Park, a historic and beautiful park with a walled garden and various sports fields and courts.
And if you’re in Mellon Park, be sure to check out the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, which hosts a variety of film, photography and fine arts classes and exhibitions.
On a sunny day, stroll down Fifth and the surrounding streets to admire the eclectic architecture and beautiful Victorian mansions, some of the most impressive residences in the city.
One of Shadyside’s biggest attractions is Jam on Walnut, a summer concert series/block party that draws thousands of people to the neighborhood. The annual Art Festival on Walnut Street, held at the end of the summer, is worth a visit as well.
Fast Facts
Shadyside has changed drastically over the past two centuries. Originally farmland, Shadyside began evolving into a residential neighborhood in the late 1800s. It remained primarily residential until the 1950s, when Walnut Street’s retail stores began to expand.
Roslyn Place, a short street off of Ellsworth Avenue, is one of the country’s only remaining wooden streets. The tiny cul-de-sac is “paved” using 26,000 oak blocks.
Shadyside was a haven for hippies in the 1960s and 70s. The neighborhood was so rich with art, music and counterculture, in fact, that a 1963 Pittsburgh Press article called it “Our Greenwich Village.”
Though hard to imagine now, Shadyside was once home to an iron furnace and a small oil refinery.
More Shadyside News
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