Market Square

Another Pittsburgh treasure. What a beautiful tree. Nice place to visit with family and friends or alone early in the morning when you can be the only one there. Solitary viewing of site such as these are not possible in NY or Chicago. Go Pittsburgh!

I come to Market Square weekly during free yoga season. This yoga class is family-​friendly, and it gets packed. The location is a bit odd because people hang out and watch 200 people do yoga on Sunday mornings, but I love the free yoga initiative!
In the winter, there is a really cute Holiday area that is fun to hang out in on the weekends. There are crafts, holiday-​themed food, and fun!
If you are just hanging out in Market Square with no set purpose, there are plenty of places to eat and grab a drink.

If you’re looking to sit back and relax in a bustling city setting and maybe do some people watching and take in the city atmosphere then this is the place to do it. The guy working at the Pittsburgh Visitors Center told me that Market Square used to be the old city center of Pittsburgh. I have to say that to me this place was like the Times Square of Pittsburgh minus all of the giant screens. I say this because Market Square is a building enclosed area sorrounded by mostly chain restaurants and other businesses filled with lots of people, very pedestrian friendly and tables to sit at outdoors in the middle of everything. Lots of downtown workers were just hanging out here on their breaks too. It also reminded me a lot of Bryant Park in NYC with a great urban park feel to it. Lots of tables to sit at, lots of big buildings around to look up at, and lots of people making their way through the area. You get a great view looking up of Pittsburgh’s PPG Place skyscraper which is an awesome modern glass skyscraper which is in my opinion Pittsburgh’s most impressive building. My recommendation: if you find yourself strolling around downtown Pittsburgh and you want to take a rest then head over to Market Square, grab a drink and an outdoor table (maybe a snack too), and just take in your sorroundings. While doing so don’t forget to look up at all of the great architecture around you.

Great place to hang out, people watch & have a cocktail, lunch or dinner. We like to go to local spots like the Original Oyster House or Primanti Bros, but there are chains in the Square as well. Lots of fun!

In my opinion the best time to visit Market Square is at night. It’s just fun and you can find a spot appropriate for just about any attire… whether it’s fancy schmancy or chillax wear, you’ll fit right in. It’s a little part of the city that comes alive and a place I visit with friends when it’s tough to decide on a destination for evening fun where I don’t have to really give much thought on being amongst the wrong crowd. You have Winghart’s, Primanti’s and Nola, just to name a few and Perle if you want to get your groove on… even if it’s in the center of Market Square (no, that wasn’t me you saw). Lol
Visit…you won’t regret it!

It’s so cold that I think if I hit my thigh it would just break right off…
Iv been to market square quite a few times…
downtown near market square… where there are more upper scale restaurants. but not quite as much shopping… so sad… this is a beautiful area to walk around in or just sit outside in the square and relax… staying here you would also be pretty close to the strip district which is very fun during the day and has great nightlife as well! you can walk all around downtown over the bridges and see the rivers and the beautiful views of the city!

We just love going to market square ! We always seem to find a good parking spot and it’s free after 6:00 !! Great restaurants and there is a Starbucks too !!!

This is a beautiful time of year to head down to Market Square! Through 12/​23, the Holiday Market is set up and worth a browse through. The vendors are mostly selling ornaments and other crafty items so it’s a nice stop for any last minute Christmas gifts. There are several restaurants surrounding the square which is very convenient when you get that shopping hunger pain (or maybe it’s just me that gets that, haha). They also have a couple food booths (a German themed one run by NOLA and a cookie booth) if you’d prefer to stay outside and eat or just get a snack. On a side note, Market Square is also great in the summer. The restaurants have outdoor seating and it’s great people watching. Sometimes there is live music too. Parking is not a desirable situation (street parking nearby is difficult to find), however on Saturdays during the holiday season parking was free so that was a nice holiday gift from the city of Pittsburgh!

Market Square is the central area of Pittsburgh. It is a nice walking area with vehicle traffic detoured. In the summer it hosts various food vendors and sometimes speakers or impromptu concerts.
During the winter it hosts the People’s gas holiday market. There is «Santa’s House» along with a variety of different shoppes from various ethnic groups as well as a few food vendors. This is the 3^rd year for this attraction. Most of the vendors are the same but they will change one of two.
One of my favorites is Linda Barnicott who works with Wendell August in painting or have aluminum ornaments made of Pittsburgh or other famous cities. Her art work is very good and makes excellent gifts for people who don’t live in the city.
Nearby is PPG place which will be reviewed separately along with it’s holiday tree and ice skating rink. During the holiday season they offer horse drawn carriage rides as well as a complementary trolley. Parking is normally free on Sats. in certain garages in Dec.
It makes for a nice family visit of a European holiday market.

Some good restaurants around as well as a nice place to sit and relax.
They have a lot of special events n’at going on at various times.

Well, Market Square is a decent feature in downtown. It’s a square (look at the pictures) that’s kind of a park in the middle of the city. It’s lined with shops, mostly restaurants. But most of the restaurants are chains, which is a bit of a let-​down.
If you’re close, walk or bike over and have a look. Maybe I’m all wrong — if I am, please post your own review and let us know what you think!

I really enjoy Market Square. I often come here to enjoy my packed lunch when the weather is nice or sometimes order a cheese fry from the infamous Primanti’s and enjoy that outside at a table
I caught the tail end of the (one would say scary) old Market Square. I have to admit it was intimidating to walk around those dark, tree shadowed corners alone as a 17 year old in the big city (I’m originally from the suburbs & tried to head to the city every chance possible to get away from home).
It (Market Square) is all good now though :)
Market Square was actually Bobby’s original proposal spot, but due to the severe rain on a Wednesday afternoon during my lunch, the spot was changed to the Wintergarden at PPG :)

Market Square is and always has been a unique and pleasant place to spend a few hours. Although it used be known for the homeless and pigeons a while back, even then it was a unique experience. Not too much of that now and the transformation was definitely a good one. There is shopping, dining, entertainment, and housing all within the general area. It’s clean and has plenty of room to handle the lunch and dinner rush. It’s a different atmosphere that makes people friendly and want to talk and interact. If you haven’t been there, go there. There are a few parking garages within three blocks of the square and there is pay parking on the streets but hard to find a spot in the square. They do have valet parking so if you don’t mind paying a bit extra for parking it makes the most sense.

Very cool area. I’m not originally from Pittsburgh, and when I came, I was shocked at the lack of a go-​to «commerce/​entertainment» district.
Well, market square is about the best Pittsburgh has to offer. It’s not a big city, and most of this area (market square) really shuts down after 5pm, but it is somewhat lively on the weekends.
Much cleaner, and presumably safer, than South Side; although SS’s bar scene/​nightlife is much, much better.
It has a wide array of restaurants, both in choice of cuisine and prices. Not many shops around, and most are widely disbursed.
Overall, this area has soooooo much potential; but, in comparison with other cities, Pittsburgh’s lack of a viable public transportation system really holds places like Market Square from being a premier entertainment destination.

A nice area right in the middle of the city to have some lunch or to sit outside at one of the many movable tables and chairs to enjoy the weather, scenery, and passersby. The restaurants around the square are okay but nothing really great. Ever since they remodeled the square a while back it is much better. Cars used to be able to go right through the middle of the square and now they have to go around the perimeter. I think it would be best with no cars are all, but this change was better than nothing.
They also have lunchtime events such as farmers markets, Christmas markets, concerts, and other small events and sometimes there are even larger evening events as well.

This review, if done a few years ago, could have gone a different direction. But with the remake of Market Square I’m happy to be giving it a five star rating.
No more chopped up areas for sitting and no more street cutting right through the middle of the plaza. Market Square is a great place to be able to take a little escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. With all the restaurants that line the plaza you can definitely have an outside meal at one of the many table that are available to sit at.
This place is great for events too. Most people know of the St. Patrick Day’s festivities, but almost always there is something to do here. From Christmas to First Night. I even had the chance to attend a wedding in Market Square. Talk about amazing. The city surrounding you and you make the day that much more special.

Oh how I miss the Square! After renting an apartment in the Theater district (and working in Boston — yeah complicated), I had my occasional visits to Market Square. It started out with NOLA (whose food I enjoy — crispy Alligator! and the potent Hurricane) to Winghart’s (great burgers at a good price), then Starbucks and Dunkin (having lived in New England for so many years, I am a fan of DD), and finally Chipotle and Las Velas (Mexican). Well, the food drew me to the Square most of the time, but I soon found out that there was more to it — the Christmas tree lighting, the skating rink, the beginning and end of all events — farmers market, St. Patrick’s day drink fest, a Christmas/​Winter festival, live music and dancing. So now in spite of being a good 20 min drive away, I find any opportunity to visit Market Square when I am in the vicinity.
The roads are paved here and parking is difficult (but not impossible) and during the daytime you will experience a lot of human traffic, however the hustle and bustle of the place, the liveliness, and people-​watching is what makes Market Square even more fun! Agreed that the place is lacking greenery but nonetheless a fun place to visit.

MS has certainly shaped up in recent years. I recall avoiding Market Square as a teenager due to all of the vagrants that tended to congregate in this Downtown Pittsburgh hub, but a few years ago, I attended a rally that was held in the Square and was amazed at its transformation. I thought I had been teleported to London’s Hyde Park!
Lately, weather permitting, you’re more likely to see someone sitting on a bench reading a book than drinking booze from a bottle shrouded in a paper bag, and that’s a positive development.
The most inspiring day of my life culminated here when I participated in the Occupy Pittsburgh march in October of 2011. The scene of drum beats, chants, protest signs, and left-​leaning camaraderie in a chilly Saturday afternoon will flash by my eyes as I take my final breaths.
There’s still some work to do, and I wasn’t crazy for Winghart’s (read my review of you dare), but much is happening here. You’ve got the novel restaurants in NOLA, Diamond Market Grill, and the experimental (?) Bluebird Kitchen (easy five stars from me) that make MS exciting. Conversely, places like Cherries Diner, a Primanti Brothers franchise (they’re everywhere now, haters!), and the long-​standing and underrated Original Oyster House serve as anchors of tradition, providing simple, economical, and pleasurable food, successfully co-​existing with the trendy and exotic.
Don’t be afraid to walk down to this American piazza and experience a microcosm of what Pittsburgh has to offer you all.
P. S. I knocked off a star since Lucretiz does have a point about the needless de-​greening of the area.

They have done a good job fixing up Market Square. You can hit NOLA for New Orleans food. There are 2 Italian restaurants right next door (Bella Sera and I can’t recall the other). There’s Moes, Chipolte, Wingharts, Oyster House, Primanti’s and nearby is Ruth Chris. Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Einstein Bagels are also there.
NOLA and Bella Sera share the same valet parking. It is usually busy at lunchtime.

Do you like Christian music in the afternoon’s in the summer time?
Do you like random homeless people milling about when you’re having lunch?
Do you ever wish that a man would try to sell you frozen steaks out of his book bag on your way home?
Oh and there’s a farmers market every Thursday too.
Bur seriously Market Square does have its downfalls which I don’t see changing anytime soon but it is really a great area that I feel is under appreciated and under utilized by the city. The square is constantly updating and adding new businesses but yet it’s not the true focal point that it needs to be.
It’s a great meeting spot for people; with many new bars around it, to me it’s the go-​to option especially in the summer when you want to go out. How easy is it to get dinner at one place and get drinks next door? If you’re lazy like me then you’ll love that idea. Plus if you’re going to a show it’s right around the corner. Plus although I’m not the biggest fan of its new design it has a very clean look to it which I can appreciate. And there’s a Moe’s there so I will always be a fan of that.