If you wish you could experience the mythical, mystical aesthetic of Halloween year-round, Allentown is your spot. The south Pittsburgh neighborhood has found its niche as a goth or metal meeting place with oddity shops, a themed cafe, and more curiosities along its business district.
1 Thing To Know
The neighborhood once operated five inclines, and in 1888, it was the first site west of the Allegheny Mountains to run an electric streetcar. This accessibility to transportation led to Allentown’s early development, and it was a popular spot for laborers to settle. You can still see the trolley lines on Warrington Avenue, but there aren’t any regular stops there anymore. It’s now an emergency route for when the South Hills Transit Tunnel is closed.
Crack open a NA drink at The Open Road in Allentown. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Eat & Drink
☕ The former Black Forge Coffee House is now Grim Wizard Coffee, featuring the same heavy jams and dark coffee.
🍺 Verona-based Inner Groove Brewing put down roots in Allentown with a taproom and outdoor space for events and food trucks.
🍝 Sit down for a family-style Italian meal at Alla Famiglia. Just don’t fill up on their homemade bread and “holy oil” — there’s lots of pasta to go around!
🍳 Don’t forget mainstays like Breakfast at Shelly’s and Leon’s Caribbean Food.
🍔 I’m still mourning the loss of dinner service at the vegan, Asian-fusion restaurant Onion Maiden. The good news is that you can still get their food for take-out or find their Chick Habit pop-up at the Bloomfield Farmers Market.
Halloween goodies at The Weeping Glass in Allentown, Pittsburgh. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Shop Local
🍾 The Open Road is a nonalcoholic bottle shop with a variety of sober seltzers, cocktails, and more. Stop in before they move to Garfield!
🔮 The Weeping Glass is an “oddities and curiosities” shop with unusual gifts, antiques, books, candles, and more.
🛍️ Snag one-of-a-kind apparel, artwork, books, and zines at Star Mind Shop, plus beautifully detailed Kendamas.
💎 Artist and designer Puvithel shares handmade jewelry, accessories, clothing, and handbags that make a perfect statement at an Allentown haunt.
🕯️ North Avenue Candles offers scents for literature lovers. City Cast Pittsburgh podcast host Megan Harris recommends the ginger peach, inspired by the novel "James and the Giant Peach."
🍸 Dr. Tumblety’s is a “time-inspired specialty shop” that also has a secret speakeasy, The Storyville Lounge, behind a hidden door.
Bottlerocket Social Hall in Allentown, Pittsburgh. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Go, See, Do
🪴 Take home a new plant baby from Soil Sisters Plant Nursery, and chat with IRL sisters Raynise and TaRay Kelly about how to care for them.
😂 Go to a stand-up show, movie screening, book launch, or even take a comedy class at Bottlerocket Social Hall — an indie arts venue and bar that's basically a time capsule for 1970s Pittsburgh.
💀 Exercise among the misfits at Death Comes Lifting, featuring strength training, yoga, Muay Thai, bootcamp classes, and more.
🌙 Find over 100 “unusual and offbeat” artisans, crafters, live performers, and food and drink vendors at the Allentown Night Market on Oct. 5, a bi-annual event hosted by The Weeping Glass and Hilltop Alliance.
Admire fall foliage in Emerald View Park. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
🌳 And of course, take a stroll through Emerald View Park for a beautiful snapshot of the city.
