Living in Saxonburg, the food options are quite limited. It’s easy to exhaust the places like Batch or Kelley’s, and although both of those are lovely establishments, there’s no reason that we should restrain ourselves to just these restaurants. In this article, I’ll be teaching you how to eat like a queen, giving options for all mealtimes ranking them on a scale dictating their extravagance from how transcendent they’ll make you feel. I will be representing this by using the little levitation Oscar looking man 🕴️. That one. I will be using a scale of 1-5, one being the least breathtaking and 5 being I died and went to food heaven.
Breakfast
🕴️🕴️Cummings Coffee: While this isn’t a whole sit down and eat place, it is a lovely coffee shop located on Route 8 with delicious coffee and hot chocolates to die for. They also have some biscotti and other pastries, overall just a good way to start your day.
🕴️🕴️🕴️Wunderbar Coffee & Crepes: This little crepe joint out in the sleepy yet charming town of Harmony, PA is a great breakfast destination. They specialize in crepes, but they have some sammies and other such products. But I mean, if you go to a place with crepes in the name, what are you gonna do, not get crepes? That would be like going into a Giant Eagle and not buying a very large bird; you just have to! My family may have become a birdhouse because of it, but it’s just what you have to do.
🕴️🕴️🕴️Canela Cafe: Found in downtown Butler, this cafe will have you raving and rolling out because of all the good food you’ve eaten! If it’s your first time going, I’d highly recommend getting their signature cinnamon roll pancake. It’s two giant pancakes with delicious cinnamon sugar goodness and a cream cheese frosting drizzle on top. I would like to take this time to officially go on record and state that these are the best pancakes I’ve ever had, and I mean that. They have little latte flights for you and a friend and a cute interior, great lighting too.
🕴️🕴️🕴️🕴️Mediterra: Though it’s the furthest away, all the way in dreaded Sewickley, you won’t regret going after trying the food. This place has a lovely, rounded out menu along with a whole bakery where you can pick up a fresh loaf of bread or a pastry. It’s definitely also the priciest around here (typical Sewickley pigs) but for a little treat-yo-self excursion, it’s a good spot to hit!
Lunch
🕴️🕴️🕴️Bloom Cafe: If eating a quality sandwich or salad with a nice slice of coffee cake while surrounded by light and flowers sounds like a good way to spend a midday hour, then Bloom Cafe is a great place for you. This cafe is right by Mars and has some of the best lunch food, this coming from someone who isn’t very enthusiastic about lunch. When the weather is nice, there is outdoor seating where you can have a view of the tree nursery, or year round you can choose to sit in the Quality Garden’s greenhouse, where you can stroll along rows of flowers. The food is good, the atmosphere is enchanting, and the plates are really cool!
🕴️🕴️🕴️🕴️🕴️Sally Anne’s: Oh my. I love this place and you should too. In downtown Pittsburgh lies a little brunch place where you can get some of the best donuts and food imaginable. Not to mention the entertainment that is a retro Nintendo game in every booth, so while you wait for your food you can play old school Mario Kart or best selling ostrich game: Joust. I cannot explain to you how cute and darling the interior of this building is or how good the food is; you’ll just have to see and taste for yourself. Unless it’s a Monday or Tuesday. God forbid.
Dinner
🕴️🕴️🕴️The Chop Shop: I was exposed to this restaurant by my dear allergetically challenges pal Willow Danehy during a night in Butler. While the name might leave you cautious of the quality of food here, I can attest that you will be pleasantly surprised with them even having vegan options! Along with getting a delicious seitan gyro (seitan is a meat substitute, like tofu or tempeh. Don’t make fun of me, I know how the idea of not eating meat is received here), I had some scrumptious sweet potato fries (you’re probably fuming right now) and an AMAZING oreo milkshake.
🕴️🕴️🕴️🕴️ShuBrew: This Zelienople brewery and American/korean fusion restaurant is the perfect combination of whimsy and flavor. They offer your classic bar food, but also serve kimchi and fried rice. They also specialize in Detroit style pizza, which is quickly climbing my pizza hierarchy. I went in the summer, so I was able to eat on their rooftop dining area and got some live music! Very fun place, plus if you go on a Thursday, you can partake in the Mingle on Main of good ol’ Zellie.
🕴️🕴️🕴️🕴️🕴️Täkō: Lordy lordy!! This, my friends, may be in my top 10 restaurants that I’ve been to. Don’t ask me what the other 9 are. This spot serves, surprise surprise, tacos, but not just any tacos. They serve the best tacos you’ve ever had in your fricking life!!! You can choose to either sit outside or inside their funky building. The lighting is very dark and red with an ocean theme for decoration. I was so full after eating here that it physically hurt me, but it hurt so good. It is quite pricey, I won’t lie, but at least once in your life, you must dine here. Live a little!
Dessert (because what’s life without dessert?)
🕴️🕴️🕴️Milkshake Factory: Im sure most of you have heard this one, but it still deserves a place on this list. Some of the best dairy concoctions come from this place, and it’s a great late night option for all my sweet tooths. Sweet teeths? Teeth?
🕴️🕴️🕴️🕴️Churn: If you want the best ice cream in the WORLD, you should probably go to Italy or something. But if you’d settle for the best ice cream in Gibsonia, a high honor, then Churn is where you want to be! All jokes aside, this is some of the best ice cream I’ve had, and although their new location isn’t quite as cozy feeling, there is still great seating for socializing whilst lickin’ on your hopefully-anything-other-than-mint-chip-or-black-cherry-please-for-the-love-of-Beyonce-stop-with-these-flavors ice cream!
🕴️🕴️🕴️🕴️🕴️Sheetz: Ah, full circle, it’s good to be back. I know the point of this article was to shed light on the other options for food that aren’t what every teenager goes to at 11 at night, but when I tell you that the Cinnabon pockets at Sheetz are one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, I am dead. serious. Served hot, but somehow not mouth-burning hot, these little cinnamon goo filled pastry pockets with a healthy dip of cream cheese frosting will bring you to the verge of tears. Maybe it was because of the absolutely miserable state of everything I was in after the musical that made them taste so good to me the first time I had them, but they have had a chokehold on me ever since.
