Kristy A.
Yelp
Maybe a 3.5 for me. Overall, I love the buy-local and farmer's market concept. The Squirrel Hill Market is a decent one - focused on local foods and not crafts and such. They have a selection of fruits and veggies, breads, cheese, honey, meat, and pasta along with several food truck/cart options if you want to eat while you shop. Many of the vendors offer samples, which I have found are more plentiful in the first weeks and then taper off a bit. I have seen some live music there as well.
Here are the basics. The market runs on Sundays from 9-1. We walk to it, so I can't comment on the parking; but since the venue is actually taking up one of few parking lots in the area, I would hazard a guess that it is hit or miss. Bring cash, as most of the vendors do not take cards. There is a little kiosk that you can charge at and get tokens or something, but that seems like too much of a process for me. Come hungry, as there are several vendors serving meals and they are all pretty tasty.
Now for the reason that it isn't a five star rating. This market is expensive. There are usually 4-5 fruit/veggie vendors of varying sizes and price shopping is tough since not all of them clearly mark their produce. Having shopped here several times though, I can say that you are absolutely paying more than you would at Giant Eagle (and significantly more than at Aldi). For fresher items, I am willing to pay it, but I don't notice that difference on many of the items. You do get some fresher and more flavorful items sometimes, but it's hit or miss. The other specialty vendors (cheese, pasta, meat, bread) are also expensive, but I do notice more of a quality difference there and generally shop those more than the produce folks.