The 38 Essential Pittsburgh Restaurants

"Pittsburgh’s smaller, independently owned restaurants are often deeply personal endeavors. Soju, Simon Chough’s Korean-fusion restaurant in Garfield, takes that notion to the max. He offers an array of Korean dishes inspired by his grandmother’s recipe while weaving his distinctive touch through the menu with dishes such as galbi jjim morphed with elements of French onion soup like Hawaiian bread croutons and soulful kimchi jjigae with three versions of kimchi. When offered, Chough’s mandu are among the best dumplings in Pittsburgh. Cough extends the grace of the space to others through an ongoing series of pop-ups that allow Pittsburgh chefs to express their culinary voices." - Melissa McCart, Hal B. Klein