The short version
Penn Hills is a home rule township east of Pittsburgh. It's the second largest municipality in Allegheny County1, and in 2020 it had 41,059 residents, the most of any municipality outside the city2. Our directory lists 78 places to eat and drink here, 5th among those municipalities34.
Penn Hills stands out in two ways. 62% of its listings are independent, well above most big suburbs, and 19 have a full bar, the most of any municipality outside the city3.
Frankstown, Saltsburg and Rodi
Frankstown Road leads with 24 listings, followed by Saltsburg Road with 17 and Verona Road with 73. Rodi Road (Route 791) is the link between Frankstown Road and I-376, lined with restaurants, fast food, gas stations and hotels used by travelers off the Parkway1. Plum Creek, on the eastern border, passes North Bessemer Field, Milltown Community Park and Penn Hills Community Park on its way to the Allegheny1. The Penn Hills School District runs Penn Hills Elementary, Linton Middle School and Penn Hills High School1.
Pizza and bars and pubs tie for the top category with 14 listings each, followed by burgers (5) and sandwiches and delis (4)3. It is a neighborhood bar and pizza town more than a destination dining town.
From Pitt Township to Penn Hills
When Allegheny County was formed in 1788, this land was part of Pitt Township. A new township was carved out of Wilkins in 1850, named Adams, then McNair, and finally Penn Township in 1851. It became Penn Hills Township in 1958 and a home rule municipality in 19761.
The township has more than twenty neighborhoods, including Blackridge, Churchill Valley, Lincoln Park, Rosedale, Universal and Verona Hilltop, and six streams, among them Plum Creek and Sandy Creek, which drain to the Allegheny River on the township's northern edge1.
Groceries and libraries
Grocery stores here include Community Super Market, Giant Eagle #69, Giant Eagle #78, Leonard Labriola Foods, and Shop 'n Save Penn Hills5. Penn Hills has two libraries in the inventory: Lincoln Park Library and Penn Hills Library5.
Who lives in Penn Hills
Penn Hills had 41,059 residents in 2020, down from 42,329 in 2010 (-3%)26. The median household income is about $65,479, the median age is 45.2, and 30% of adults hold a bachelor's degree7. About 25% of homes are rented.
About 4% of working residents take transit and 13% work from home7.
Pairing Penn Hills with its neighbors
Penn Hills has ten land borders. Verona and Oakmont lie to the north, Plum and Monroeville to the east, and Wilkins, Churchill and Wilkinsburg to the south, along with the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of East Hills, Homewood North and Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar1.
For a food day, the river towns are the obvious pairing: Oakmont and Verona are short drives down from Frankstown Road, and both have their own guides here. Penn Hills itself is better for a neighborhood bar or a pizza than for a destination meal; 1 listing in our data has a patio3.
Then and now
The township's earliest counts: 1,821 people in 1860, 2,685 in 1870 and 3,291 in 18801. Penn Hills had 41,059 residents in 20202. Penn Hills also has a sizable Italian American population1, which fits a directory where Pizza ties for the most common category. The township uses the ZIP codes 15235 and 151471, which is worth knowing because many listings use a Pittsburgh mailing address. Our directory counts 30 chains and 48 independents3.
Penn Hills is one of the few big suburbs that lost residents between 2010 and 2020 (-3%)26. Its restaurant scene has stayed local: 62% independent, against far lower shares in Robinson, Ross and Monroeville3.
How Penn Hills compares
Set against the 129 municipalities outside the city on this site, Penn Hills ranks 5th by number of listings and 74th by listings per square mile. The typical (median) one has 14 listings and about 6 per square mile; Penn Hills has 78 and 434. Its independent share, 62%, is below the median of 75%, and 24% of its listings have a full bar, against a median of 27%.
For getting around, 1% of working residents walk to work and 4% take transit; the medians across these municipalities are 1% and 2%7. 13% work from home, against a median of 19%7. Penn Hills has 264 active transit stops, 1st on this list, and about 30,181 scheduled trips a week (3rd)8.
Picks, inspections and new places
This week's Spotlight picks are Carol of Casey's Pizza (pizza), Jefferson Hideaway (bars & pubs), Pirollo's Delicatessen (sandwiches & delis), Sichuan Palace (Chinese), La Peri Dolci (bakeries), and Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard (ice cream & dessert). Each is independent and its latest county inspection on file reads “Inspected & Permitted”9. Picks rotate every week.
We matched 56 of Penn Hills's 78 listings to Allegheny County Health Department records from Aug 11, 2025 to Jul 28, 20269. Every matched listing's most recent placard is “Inspected & Permitted”. 11 facilities here passed a preoperational inspection in that window, including Verona Sunoco, High End Lounge, and Four Seasons Pizza.
Getting there
The transit file lists 264 active stops in Penn Hills, the most of any municipality outside the city, served by 5 route codes (77, 79, P16, P17, and P78) and about 30,181 scheduled trips a week8. The busiest stop is Frankstown Rd opp. Duff Rd (212 weekly trips). Interstate 376 crosses the southern edge of the township1.
We matched 56 Penn Hills listings to county health inspection records9.
Penn Hills by the numbers
Counts from our directory3. Land area from Census TIGER/Line county subdivisions4.
Listings by category
Main food streets: Frankstown Road (24), Saltsburg Road (17), Verona Road (7), and Rodi Road (7).
New and changing
These Penn Hills facilities had a preoperational inspection from the Allegheny County Health Department between Aug 11, 2025 and Jul 28, 2026. That inspection happens before a food facility opens, changes owners or reopens after major work9.
- Verona SunocoInspected & Permitted
- High End LoungeInspected & Permitted
- Four Seasons PizzaInspected & Permitted
- Ruth's WayInspected & Permitted
- Fellini's PizzeriaInspected & Permitted
- Verland Foundation / FlamingoInspected & Permitted
- Sichuan PalaceInspected & Permitted
- Heritage Grove at Penn HillsInspected & Permitted
Things to do nearby
Libraries and museums
- Lincoln Park Library
- Penn Hills Library
Source5 County asset inventory as of March 2020; not every record verified.
Markets and groceries
- Community Super Market · supermarket
- Giant Eagle #69 · supermarket
- Giant Eagle #78 · supermarket
- Leonard Labriola Foods · supermarket
- Shop 'n Save Penn Hills · supermarket
Source5 County asset inventory as of March 2020; not every record verified.
Transit details
Transit
264 active stops, about 30,181 scheduled trips a week, by bus. Busiest stop: Frankstown Rd opp. Duff Rd (212 weekly trips). Park and ride: Hebron United Presbyterian Church Park & Ride5.
Source8 Check PRT for live times.
How working residents commute
Percent of workers 16+, 2020-2024 estimates7.
Who lives here
Survey estimates for small towns have wide margins of error.