How complete is our map?
Readers asked a fair question: can a neighborhood really have nowhere to eat? So we went back through every Allegheny County food permit and every food place mapped on OpenStreetMap, and checked each place we showed as empty. Updated Oct 28, 2026.
3,788 → 4,493
places on the map, before and after
+705
new listings from permits and OpenStreetMap
31 → 26
neighborhoods and towns with no listing
374
markets and groceries with food permits, on their own map layer
| Source | Before | Now | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Directory before this update (county permit records) | 3,788 | 3,788 | none |
| Added from active county food permits | 0 | 302 | permit ID shown on its page |
| Added from county permits: clubs, posts and fire halls | 0 | 165 | flagged “may be members only” |
| Added from OpenStreetMap only (no permit match) | 0 | 238 | flagged “unverified” |
| Total on the map | 3,788 | 4,493 |
By region
| Region | Before | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Pittsburgh | 1,441 | 1,659 | +218 |
| Allegheny Valley | 199 | 247 | +48 |
| East Suburbs | 285 | 336 | +51 |
| Mon Valley | 366 | 469 | +103 |
| North Hills | 544 | 634 | +90 |
| South Hills | 508 | 579 | +71 |
| West & Airport | 444 | 568 | +124 |
Filled for the first time:
The 26 places still at zero, and why
For each one we pulled every county food permit ever filed inside its official boundary14 and every OpenStreetMap food place inside it2. Most are small, mostly residential neighborhoods or boroughs. If you know a spot we missed, tell us and we'll check the permit.
| Place | Type | What the records show |
|---|---|---|
| Arlington Heights | Neighborhood | 1 food permit on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Bedford Dwellings | Neighborhood | 14 food permits on file over the years; 1 was a restaurant, bar or bakery, no longer open; active now: child care, convenience and packaged food stores, and school kitchens. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Beltzhoover | Neighborhood | 42 food permits on file over the years; 14 were restaurants, bars or bakeries, none open today; active now: a senior meal program. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Bon Air | Neighborhood | 2 food permits on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Chartiers City | Neighborhood | 1 food permit on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| East Carnegie | Neighborhood | 8 food permits on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery; active now: a banquet hall, school kitchens, and senior and adult meal programs. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Esplen | Neighborhood | 12 food permits on file over the years; 5 were restaurants, bars or bakeries, none open today; active now: convenience and packaged food stores and warehouses. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Fineview | Neighborhood | 13 food permits on file over the years; 1 was a restaurant, bar or bakery, no longer open; active now: a small market; markets layer: Mercy Market. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Glen Hazel | Neighborhood | 8 food permits on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery; active now: care homes and other institutions, hospital and institutional kitchens, and senior and adult meal programs. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Hays | Neighborhood | 8 food permits on file over the years; 2 were restaurants, bars or bakeries, none open today; active now: convenience and packaged food stores and school kitchens. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| New Homestead | Neighborhood | 2 food permits on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Ridgemont | Neighborhood | 29 food permits on file over the years; 14 were restaurants, bars or bakeries, none open today. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Spring Hill-City View | Neighborhood | 14 food permits on file over the years; 2 were restaurants, bars or bakeries, none open today; active now: care homes and other institutions, school kitchens, and small markets; markets layer: Meme's Market. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| St. Clair | Neighborhood | 7 food permits on file over the years; 3 were restaurants, bars or bakeries, none open today. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Stanton Heights | Neighborhood | 17 food permits on file over the years; 4 were restaurants, bars or bakeries, none open today (latest: Rolling Pepperoni, out of business); active now: school kitchens. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Swisshelm Park | Neighborhood | 2 food permits on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Upper Hill | Neighborhood | 25 food permits on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery; active now: care homes and other institutions, child care, school kitchens, and small markets; markets layer: Miami Market and Schenley Heights Community Market. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Windgap | Neighborhood | 14 food permits on file over the years; 3 were restaurants, bars or bakeries, none open today; active now: a church kitchen and school kitchens. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| South Versailles | Town | No county food permit of any kind has ever been filed inside the boundary; OpenStreetMap shows no food places. |
| Churchill | Town | 13 food permits on file over the years; the only active restaurant permit is a private country club (Edgewood Country Club Restaurant); active now: a club pool snack bar and school kitchens. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Ben Avon Heights | Town | 1 food permit on file over the years; the only active restaurant permit is a private country club (Shannopin Country Club Restaurant). OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Thornburg | Town | 5 food permits on file over the years; 1 was a restaurant, bar or bakery, no longer open; active now: child care, food processors, and warehouses. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Glen Osborne | Town | 1 food permit on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery; active now: a school kitchen. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Rosslyn Farms | Town | 2 food permits on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery; active now: a food processor. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Sewickley Heights | Town | 4 food permits on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery. OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
| Trafford | Town | 2 food permits on file over the years; none ever for a restaurant, bar or bakery; active now: farmers market (seasonal). OpenStreetMap: no restaurant, cafe or bar. |
What counts as a place to eat
On the map
Restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, bars and taverns, breweries, wineries and distilleries with a tap room, bakeries, ice cream and dessert shops, delis and takeout. Clubs, legion and VFW posts, and fire halls with a county restaurant permit are shown with a “may be members only” tag.
Separate
Groceries and small markets with a food permit are on the map's markets layer, not counted as places to eat. Food trucks move, so they're on the food trucks list instead of the map.
Left out
Schools, hospitals, jails, child care, senior meal programs, caterers, commissaries, warehouses, food processors, vending, and stands inside stadiums, arenas or casinos. Campus dining halls listed in OpenStreetMap were dropped when they sat inside a university, school or hospital campus.
| Permits left out, by reason | Count |
|---|---|
| retail/convenience/packaged only | 902 |
| institutional/retail | 425 |
| school | 394 |
| unit inside a venue (stadium, arena, casino, theater, park) or banquet/catering kitchen | 241 |
| child care | 235 |
| hospital/institution | 170 |
| adult food service | 140 |
| commissary | 138 |
| caterer | 135 |
| other nonrestaurant () | 127 |
| religious kitchen | 121 |
| new permit, unclear use | 95 |
| food processor | 92 |
| community service | 75 |
| warehouse | 61 |
| transient processor | 56 |
What we know is still missing
- 71 active restaurant permits have an address the Census geocoder couldn't place, so they aren't on the map yet.
- OpenStreetMap only listings (238) have no county permit match. Some may have closed or be inside another business. Check before you go.
- Places that opened after the county's last permit refresh won't show until the next refresh.
- 298 food trucks hold county permits but aren't mapped because they move.