Gaucho is an upbeat Argentinian restaurant located in the outskirts of the Strip District.  Gaucho has quite a hype, and the food there lives up to it. The restaurant is known for their savory cuts of beef and long lines. In the past, I have seen lines that have wrapped around the building with people just waiting to get in and order. I would highly recommend going early for dinner; we went to Gaucho at 3:30, and we still had to wait in line to order. The line is well worth the wait because the food is fantastic.

The way Gaucho works is you order at a counter and then are seated, and you wait for your food to arrive. This system worked well, and people kept moving quickly through the line. They have the very large menu on a chalkboard for patrons to see. The actual restaurant space has a front and a back seating area; the back seating area is larger, but both places are open and welcoming. Gaucho offers different cuts of meat and seafood, as well as starters, sandwiches, and sides. Pricing varies between dishes, but the portion sizes are fair compared to their prices.

The menu at Gaucho was very large and diverse.

We got three side dishes along with our main courses. Everything came out together, which made the table a little crowded, but all of the food was good, so that wasn’t really an issue. Our first side was the Verduras Gaucho, which was ratatouille. This dish was nothing special; it did taste good, but I wouldn’t get it again. Nothing really stood out in the dish, and it was all the same flavor. Although the ratatouille was disappointing, the other sides made up for it. We also got three empanadas; we ordered the vegetarian, chicken, and steak. The crust on the empanadas was light and flaky, and it did not get soggy from the filling. The different fillings were all good in their own way. The steak was well-seasoned and flavorful; this was our favorite empanada. The vegetarian empanada was very good and the flavors of the vegetables were present, but they did not have a distinct flavor; however, it was still good. The chicken empanada was our least favorite because the chicken was dry. Although it was well seasoned, the dry chicken was a let down. The flavors of the empanada were still good, but the chicken was disappointing. Our favorite side was the Papas Dulce, which had mashed sweet potatoes, caraway seeds, and vanilla. The different combination of the potato, the seeds, and the vanilla tasted amazing. I had never had something like this, but I am happy I tried it. I would highly recommend this side; no flavor was too strong and the potatoes had a slight kick to them, adding another dimension of flavor.

The three empanadas.

The Papas Dulce and the Verduras Gaucho.

For my main dish, I got the Cordero, which had wood-fired lamb chops, a blackberry sauce with peppercorns and thyme, toast, and a tossed salad. The meat was very smoky and tender; it was also not overcooked or undercooked. The blackberry sauce added a touch of sweetness to the meat; although I was hesitant about the sauce, it added a nice touch to the dish. I have to say something about the bread because I could taste the smoky flavor, and it was a great addition to the dish. I got the half portion, which felt small, but with all the sides, I was not hungry when I left Gaucho. For my mom’s main dish, she got the Camarones, which was seared shrimp with rosemary, garlic, and lemon. The rosemary was very present in the dish, but it did not overpower the other flavors. The shrimp was cooked well, but there were not that many pieces of shrimp (she got the small). Due to the fact that there were not that many shrimp, my mom ordered a salad after we were seated, which the server was happy to get. For my brother’s main dish, he got the Bite de Gaucho, which was a ribeye steak. The meat was cooked perfectly and was well-seasoned. The dish also came with the same bread my dish came with, as well as a small side salad. The meat was smoky and had a nice crust to it. Out of all of our main dishes, I would recommend all of them; they all were cooked perfectly, and they each had their own unique flavor.

The Bite de Gaucho

The Camarones

The Cordero

The wait staff at Gaucho was very nice and understanding. We had never been to Gaucho before, and we did not realize that the patrons got their own sauce and silverware before they got seated; our server was kind to explain what to do and where to go to get what we needed. We also needed an order to take out with us, and they were good at remembering the bring it to us instead of us having to ask. When my mother also wanted a salad after we ordered, they put an order for a side salad in for us and got it to my mom quickly.

The side salad my mother ordered after we were seated.

Gaucho is located on the outskirts of the bustling Strip District, which is outside of Downtown. I would highly recommend trying Gaucho; although they did not have many options for vegetarians, meat-eaters would enjoy what they have to offer. The Strip District has many shops and restaurants, and it is a great place the spend the day.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Location: 1601 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Telephone: (412) 709-6622

Hours: 11am-9pm (Tues-Thurs) 11am-10pm (Fri-Sat) Closed (Sun-Mon)

Accepts: Credit cards, cash

Parking: Street

Pricing: $$

Noodlehead is a casual noodle shop located in the outskirts of Shadyside, toward East Liberty. Noodlehead offers inexpensive noodle and soup options in an industrial-style restaurant. I went to Noodlehead on a Friday night, and I had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. Business picked up quickly, and there were many people waiting when I left; there were so many people that they were almost out the door. My advice would be to get there early on weekends because it got very busy very quickly.

The restaurant was very intimate with dim lighting and casual seating. Service moved quickly even though there were many people there. There were tables and bench tables, as well as bar seating and stools at tables. Noodlehead serves lunch and dinner, and their main focus is on providing good noodles at an inexpensive price. The restaurant is very family friendly and has many options for everyone. All soups at Noodlehead only cost $6 and all noodle dishes only cost $9.

The menu had a variety of options.

To start, we had the sweet potato triangles and the pulled pork belly steamed buns. Both dishes were fantastic and set the bar high for the rest of the night. The sweet potato triangles were perfectly sweet and crispy. They were not greasy at all, and they had a light texture. They reminded me of sweet potato fries with an Asian flare and better than normal sweet potato fries. They came with a dipping sauce that provided a savory twist that helped tone down the sweetness and provide a nice contrast.  I would very much recommend these. The pulled pork belly steamed buns were fantastic, and I could have eaten them for the rest of the night. The pork and the sauce that were on the bun provided a nice mix of savory and sweet flavors while the pickled cucumbers added a bitter taste in a good way; all of the different flavors added up to a fantastic dish. The steamed bun was perfectly stretchy and delicious. The starter only came with two, which I was disappointed by because they tasted so great, and I could have had more. After having the starters, I had high expectations for our main dishes.

Our starters were fantastic, and the pulled pork steamed buns were our favorite.

For my main dish, I got the sukothai, which was a soup with rice noodles, pork, cilantro, peanuts, green beans and a hard boiled egg. The different combinations of flavors all tasted great together, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The soft noodles, which were not chewy, were contrasted by the crunchy green beans. The hard boiled egg added a nice touch of protein along with the pork, which were in the shape of little meatballs. I have to say that it was difficult to eat at times, and I did have to use both a fork and a spoon for my soup, but it was definitely worth it to order. The flavors of the pork and the broth along with the noodles tasted great, and it was our favorite main dish. For all the main dishes on the menu, except for the curries, the customer can choose the level of heat, ranging from 0 to 5 (0 being the least spicy; curries can only go from 1 to 5. I got my soup at a 0 because I can’t handle spice).  My mother got the Chiang Mai curry, which had egg noodles, chicken, mustard greens, bean sprouts, and crispy shallots all in a curry coconut milk sauce. The portion of the noodle was very generous for only $9. All of the flavors were present in the dish, including the coconut milk in the curry sauce, which was great because it added a nice touch of sweetness. The crunchy shallots added a different texture that kept the dish interesting. The amount of the curry was hard to finish because the portion was so large, but it was definitely worth it.

The soup was great and inexpensive.

The curry had a large portion and tasted great.

The wait staff at Noodlehead was extremely nice. We needed a noodle dish to take out, and they got that for us quickly. While we waited for our table, the hostesses were very kind and friendly. Our server was mindful of us, despite the restaurant being busy. He asked if our meals were good, and our table was cleared quickly between starters and our main dishes.

Noodlehead is located in the outskirts of Shadyside, near East Liberty. There are many restaurants and shops in this area. My favorite ice cream shop, Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream, is right next door to Noodlehead. I highly recommend Noodlehead to anyone who is looking for inexpensive, but good, lunch and dinner option in a modern space.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Location: 242 S Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Hours: 12pm-10pm (Sun-Sat)

Accepts: Cash only

Parking: Street

Pricing: $