This article was written by Faith Kazmierczak
Point Park student Mackenzie Manning enjoys going to YuZu Kitchen on Wood Street because she can buy a variety of ramen or stir fry dishes on a 10 percent student discount.
Condado Tacos on Liberty Avenue is the restaurant Point Park student Samair Nefzi loves going to during their happy hour to get build your own tacos and margaritas at a very cheap price.
Saige Smith, a Point Park Student, does not eat out much, but when she does, she takes a trip to The Yard to get grilled cheese, with a side of soup and kettle chips for a very affordable price.
These are among a wide range of downtown restaurants whose student discounts, happy hour deals, weekly specials, and affordable prices offer hungry college students an opportunity to enjoy fine dining that isn’t so hard on the pocket.
“Being on that award winning college budget, it is always great to find restaurants who offer amazing food at a discounted price.” said Nefzi.
You can also find great American, Mexican, and Thai foods at Harris Grill, Las Velas, Diamond Market Grill, Nicky’s Thai Kitchen, and Redbeard’s Sports Bar and Grill.
While Point Park does not have many deals with restaurants around the city, there are a few restaurants that offer student discounts.
Yuzu kitchen is a ramen and robota grill that offers appetizers, salads, and a wide variety of ramen, stir fry, rice and noodle dishes. The salads and appetizers range anywhere from $4 to $8, while the entrees range anywhere from $12 to $15. Manning states, “This restaurant is a perfect place for students because of how close it is located to Point Park and because of their student discount.”
Another restaurant near Point Park that offers a great student discount is Harris Grill, located on 4th Avenue. Point Park student, Samantha Weber states, “This restaurant provides one of the best student discounts. Between 2-4 p.m. and 8-10 p.m., students receive 50% off their meal.” Harris Grill offers a wide range of food including soups, salads, mac & cheese, sandwiches, burgers, and desserts. While some of their prices are rather decent, others tend to be a tad expensive. But the 50% discount makes the trip completely worth it.
For those student who are of age, there are also many restaurants within the Golden Triangle that offer great happy hour deals.
Market Square is home to a Point Park student favorite, Las Velas. According to Point Park student Erin Massie, this restaurant serves “authentic Mexican food.” She enjoys taking trips to Las Velas for their wonderful happy hour prices. “My favorite meal to order during happy hour is their tacos. The meal comes with the three tacos with rice and veggies on the side. This is my favorite meal because it is filling and affordable ($10.99).” The restaurant also has great deals on drinks during happy hour. Massie’s favorite go to drink is the traditional frozen margarita which is $5.
Another Mexican restaurant within the Golden Triangle that offers great happy hour deals is Condado Tacos. This restaurant offers a variety of dips, build your own tacos, and margaritas “Condado Tacos offers state of the art $3 tacos at a normal price and $1 dollar off tacos during happy hour. They also have great margaritas that are about $6 but are half off during happy hour.” said Nefzi. They have a menu of their own tacos, but if you are feeling creative, you can build your own. They allow you to pick from a variety of tortillas, proteins, cheeses, toppings, salsas, and sauces to create tacos of your choice.
You can also find great Mexican food downtown Pittsburgh at a more expensive price at Bakersfield and Täkō.
Market Square is home to a few restaurants that offer a great amount of food for the affordable price you pay.
Another student favorite is The Yard. This restaurant is home to some great bar foods but they are most known for their variety of grilled cheeses. They offer a wide range of appetizers, salads, burgers, and grilled cheese. Smith says, “They give you a great deal of food for a decent price. Every grilled cheese comes with a side of soup and kettle chips that can also be substituted with french fries, sweet potato fries, or tater tots.” Smith’s favorite grilled cheese from The Yard is their famous Mac Attack. This grilled cheese comes with mac & cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon between two Texas toast buns. Most of their meals range anywhere from $9 to $14. If grilled cheese for dinner isn’t enough, they also have a dessert grilled cheese that comes with peanut butter, nutella, and bananas on thick cut Texas toast, deep fried, and topped with marshmallow fluff and chocolate syrup.
Diamond Market Grill is another restaurant in Market Square that offers a great deal of food at an affordable price. You can find basic American food like salads, sandwiches, burgers and barbecue when visiting this restaurant. The majority of their meals are around $9 to $10 and that includes a side of regular or sweet potato fries for sandwiches and burgers. Point Park student Gage Basiletti states, “My favorite meal is the Cajun Bar-B-Que Burger. It comes with barbecue pulled pork on top of the burger along with cheddar cheese and onion straws.”
Other restaurants similar to these in the Golden Triangle include City Works, Winghart’s, and August Henry’s.
One last affordable favorite downtown Pittsburgh is Nicky’s Thai Kitchen. This restaurant is located on the corner of Penn and 9th and is home to some of the best traditional Thai foods. Point Park Student Morgan Strathmeyer states, “They have amazing Thai food including curries and Pad Thai. My favorite meals from Nicky’s are their pineapple curry and pumpkin curry, but my roommates love the Pad Thai.” The entrees can range anywhere from $13 to $19 depending on what you get but their proportions are pretty big.
There are a few restaurants within the Golden Triangle that offer great specials every day of the week.
Redbeard’s Sports Bar and Grill is located on 6th Avenue and offers your typical bar foods including soups, salads, wings, sandwiches, burgers, and drinks. The restaurant has specials every day of the week that they refer to as the “Weekly Lineup.” Alexis Gleason states, “My favorite special from Redbeard’s is their all you can eat wing night on Wednesdays because the wings are so good.” A few other specials include $4 Blue Moon drafts on Mondays and $5 Captain Morgan drinks on Sundays. You can find the whole line up in the link provided below.
The Yard is also home to some great weekly specials. Along with their affordable prices, they also offer some great deals on drinks through out the week. Monday is their local pint night. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., all local pints are $4. They also have Burger & Beer Night on Thursdays. From 7 p.m. to Midnight, you can get the Yard Burger with any 16oz draft ($5.50 & under) for only $10. Check out the link below to see other specials The Yard has to offer.
Click links below for weekly specials at Readbeard’s and The Yard.
http://redbeardspgh.com/downtown/weeklylineup.php
https://theyardpgh.com/menu/market-square-specials/