The short version
Bloomfield is often called Pittsburgh's Little Italy because it was settled by immigrants from the Abruzzi region of Italy and has long been a center of Italian American life in the city1. Our directory lists 82 places to eat and drink there2.
Two numbers stand out. Bloomfield has 14 listings with a patio, more than any other neighborhood we track, and 22 with a full bar2. Bars and pubs lead the count (12), followed by pizza (9), sandwiches and delis (8) and coffee and cafes (8). 66% of listings are independent.
Liberty Avenue
Bloomfield's business district runs along Liberty Avenue1, and the directory agrees: 42 listings have a Liberty Avenue address, with Baum Boulevard (15) and Penn Avenue (12) a long way behind2. You'll find restaurants and bars along with a supermarket and an Italian market, salons, bookstores and barber shops on the same street1.
Since 2002 Bloomfield has hosted Little Italy Days, a large annual festival1. The festival's dates and footprint change each year, so check its organizers before you plan around it. On an ordinary night, more than half of the neighborhood's patio listings have a Liberty Avenue address2.
Besides restaurants and bars, the Liberty Avenue business district has West Penn Hospital, a supermarket, an Italian market, salons, bookstores, barber shops and a gym along the Liberty Avenue business district1.
From farmland to Little Italy
The land was sold by Casper Taub to his son in law John Conrad Winebiddle, whose descendants split it into lots around the time the area was annexed to Pittsburgh in 18681. The name most likely comes from the flowers that bloomed near the original town site1.
German Catholic immigrants arrived first and built St. Joseph's Church in 1886. Around 1900, Italians from five towns in Abruzzo settled here and founded Immaculate Conception Parish in 19051. The two parishes merged in 2001. A piece of sports trivia: after the Steelers cut him in 1955, Johnny Unitas played a season for the semipro Bloomfield Rams on a field under the Bloomfield Bridge1.
Architectural historian Franklin Toker called Bloomfield “a feast, as rich to the eyes as the homemade tortellini and cannoli in its shop windows are to the stomach”1. The festival has also become unpopular with some residents1.
Where Bloomfield ends is a local argument. The city puts the eastern boundary at Graham Street, but many residents consider Gross Street the edge with Friendship, the point where frame rowhouses give way to larger brick Victorians1. This guide uses the city's official boundary3.
Steps, parks and the market
Bloomfield sits on a plateau above the Allegheny, separated from Polish Hill, North Oakland and Shadyside by the ravine that carries the East Busway1. There are 7 sets of public city steps here, with 180 steps in total; the longest, Ella St from Lorigan Way to Minerva St, has 974.
The city lists 3 parks (Friendship Park, Morrow Triangle Park, and Osceola Park) and 2 playgrounds56. The park beside the Bloomfield Bridge has public bocce courts, a playground, a softball field, a skate area and a dek hockey rink1. The county's farmers market list includes Bloomfield Farmers Market7.
Those stairways link the main residential area and Lorigan, Juniper and Neville streets below, shady streets that are popular with dog walkers, runners and cyclists1.
Who lives here
Bloomfield had 8,665 residents in 2020, against 8,442 in 2010 (+3%)8. About 51% of residents are between 25 and 44, and about 68% of occupied homes are rented9. In recent years the neighborhood has attracted young adults and students in recent years, drawn by affordability and history1.
At about 9.5 listings per 1,000 residents, Bloomfield is busy without being overwhelmed28.
How Bloomfield compares
Set against the 78 city neighborhoods and areas on this site, Bloomfield ranks 8th by number of listings and 6th by listings per square mile. The typical (median) one has 6 listings and about 12 per square mile; Bloomfield has 82 and 11723. Its independent share, 66%, is below the median of 80%, and 27% of its listings have a full bar, against a median of 25%.
For getting around, 14% of working residents walk to work and 15% take transit; the medians across these neighborhoods are 4% and 12%9. Bloomfield has 93 active transit stops, 6th on this list, and about 37,701 scheduled trips a week (7th)10.
Picks, inspections and new places
This week's Spotlight picks are Mary's Bar (bars & pubs), Angelo's Pizzeria (pizza), Phat Bagels (sandwiches & delis), White Whale Bookstore Cafe (coffee & cafes), Rocky's Cafe (burgers), and Los Cabos Mexican Restaurant (Mexican & tacos). Each is independent and its latest county inspection on file reads “Inspected & Permitted”11. Picks rotate every week.
We matched 48 of Bloomfield's 82 listings to Allegheny County Health Department records from Aug 11, 2025 to Jul 28, 202611. Every matched listing's most recent placard is “Inspected & Permitted”. 2 facilities here passed a preoperational inspection in that window, including Creative Chem Co. and Phat Bagel.
Getting there
Bloomfield has 93 active transit stops, 11 route codes and about 37,701 scheduled weekly trips10. The busiest stop in the file is Centre Ave. at Aiken Ave (1,640 weekly trips). About 15% of working residents take transit and 14% walk to work9.
48 Bloomfield listings could be matched to county inspection records, and the spot pages show the latest date and placard result11. Recent preoperational inspections are listed below11.
Bloomfield by the numbers
Counts from our directory2. Land area from the City's neighborhood boundaries3.
Listings by category
Main food streets: Liberty Avenue (42), Baum Boulevard (15), Penn Avenue (12), and Main Street (3).
New and changing
These Bloomfield 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 work11.
- Creative Chem Co.Inspected & Permitted
- Phat BagelInspected & Permitted
Things to do nearby
Parks and playgrounds
3 city park properties and 2 playgrounds.
- Friendship Park
- Morrow Triangle Park
- Osceola Park
Public art
1 work in the City's public art inventory, including:
- World War II Memorial (Eighth Ward) · Frank Vittor
Source12
City steps
7 public stairways with 180 steps in all. Longest: Ella St from Lorigan Way to Minerva St (97 steps).
Source4
Transit details
Transit
93 active stops, about 37,701 scheduled trips a week, by bus. Busiest stop: Centre Ave. at Aiken Ave (1,640 weekly trips).
Source10 Check PRT for live times.
How working residents commute
Percent of workers 16+, 2018-2022 estimates9.