Gab & Eat | Best Breakfast in Pittsburgh?

A City for Breakfast Lovers

Pittsburgh is a great breakfast town. Places like Pamela’s, DeLuca’s, Square Café and Dor-Stop all have their devotees. But there is nowhere I would rather be for an early morning meal than at a counter seat in the Gab & Eat. A blue collar urban hash house just west of downtown, it just might serve the best breakfast in Pittsburgh.

Must Eat: Mixed Grill

The mixed grill stars. It’s a hodge-podge of potatoes, peppers, onions, eggs, and meat. You can get ham or bacon, but I recommend house-ground sausage. Sweet is more savory than sweet. The heat of coarsely textured, succulent hot sausage sneaks up on you. Most diners can handle it. But on some occasions, it does pack scorching heat. I definitely suggest getting a half-order, which is enough to satisfy most appetites. Only the most prodigious eaters can take on the whole mixed grill.

I also recommend pancakes and eggy French toast, both of which come one at a time or in short stacks of two or three.

Lunch, Too

At lunchtime, they make fine looking hoagies and club sandwiches. Those in the know get burgers, which are slim patties edged with gnarly crust. Good as lunch may be, during a recent noontime visit it was hash browns, pancakes, and plenty of that sausage that crowded the grill. Even at noon, you can have the best breakfast in Pittsburgh.

Gab & Eat = Chat & Chew

As good as the food is, the Gab & Eat goes beyond just a place to eat. Locals congregate here, fueling up for the day ahead or winding down after the night shift. Thick Pittsburgh accents make the banter back and forth between regulars, waitresses, and cooks very entertaining. I don’t remember an occasion while eating at the counter when I wasn’t pulled into the conversation.

Gab & Eat is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch. No credit cards; bring cash.