
Lilith
A Shadyside gem offering coastal-inspired cuisine with Puerto Rican and Sicilian roots, known for its intimate ambiance and exquisite desserts.

Highlights
Must-see attractions
Social
From TikTok & Reddit
Best Time
Blue hour photography, calmer galleries

Lilith

Highlights
Must-see attractions
A Shadyside gem offering coastal-inspired cuisine with Puerto Rican and Sicilian roots, known for its intimate ambiance and exquisite desserts.
Reservations Essential
Due to limited seating, making a reservation well in advance is highly recommended for this popular spot.
Outdoor Dining Option
Consider dining outside on cooler evenings; space heaters and throws are provided for comfort.

Quick Facts
Cuisine
American, Puerto Rican
Price
$$$
Highlights
Discover the most iconic attractions and experiences

Exquisite Desserts
Indulge in desserts like rhubarb baked Alaska and passion fruit cheesecake with sesame brittle. A sweet finale.

Flavorful Coastal Cuisine
Coastal-inspired dishes blend Puerto Rican heritage with Sicilian roots, featuring fresh local produce and seafood.

Intimate & Chic Ambiance
A cozy yet chic setting perfect for intimate dinners or special celebrations, with warm low lighting and thoughtful decor.
Plans like a pro.
Thinks like you
Insider Tips
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit
Reservations Essential
Due to limited seating, making a reservation well in advance is highly recommended for this popular spot.
Outdoor Dining Option
Consider dining outside on cooler evenings; space heaters and throws are provided for comfort.
Save Room for Dessert
Don't miss the delectable desserts like the rhubarb baked Alaska or passion fruit cheesecake.
Try Unique Appetizers
Explore standout appetizers like yuca pierogis or oysters topped with cucumber/apple/horseradish.
Tips
from all over the internet
Reservations Essential
Due to limited seating, making a reservation well in advance is highly recommended for this popular spot.
Outdoor Dining Option
Consider dining outside on cooler evenings; space heaters and throws are provided for comfort.
Save Room for Dessert
Don't miss the delectable desserts like the rhubarb baked Alaska or passion fruit cheesecake.
Try Unique Appetizers
Explore standout appetizers like yuca pierogis or oysters topped with cucumber/apple/horseradish.
What Travellers Say
Reviews Summary
Lilith is celebrated for its exceptionally flavorful and artfully presented coastal cuisine, blending Puerto Rican and Sicilian influences. Diners rave about the intimate ambiance, attentive service, and creative desserts, though some note the seating can feel cramped. Despite minor space constraints, the overall experience is consistently described as a culinary revelation.
"Even in a city as restaurant gifted as Pittsburgh, this is a beautifully curated gem! As others mention, it is a small venue so definitely make a reservation. We went for my birthday and from the moment that they greet you at the door, it’s low key and comfortable while still providing an extremely high quality dining experience. Our server was fantastic and perfectly balanced attentiveness and timing. The food is top notch and carefully layered with flavor and texture. The focaccia and whipped ricotta is delicious and certainly sets your expectation for what’s to come. We had the skate wing and halibut and highly recommend both. The drinks were perfect as well, and even though it’s a smaller space, the seating allows for private conversations. This is just a smart and tasteful restaurant, providing a thoroughly enjoyable evening overall between the ambience, the service, and the food itself. Lastly, the rhubarb baked Alaska is simply divine and I’m not even partial to sweets. It was so excellently executed, it just became my favorite dessert. Thank you for making my night so special! We’ll be back!"
Dorothy Ingram
"Cute little restaurant with limited and very close together seating. I wouldnt call it cozy, id say cramped- pushed together, and loud. However, they also have about half a dozen tables outside and space heaters for those chilly nights. An added plus for cooler evenings, they have lovely throws for those dining outside. Between the heater and the throw, the 55 degree cool evening didnt seem that cool. The food was delicious. The skewer steak was so tender, the meat melted in my mouth. The split pea soup was very good as well. A lot of food-the portions were very hearty. The pistachio buttercream chiffon cake was the perfect ending to a very delicious meal."
Matthew
"For six years I have been looking for a new favorite restaurant in Pittsburgh since my old favorite one closed. I have never found a place that had the perfect food and atmosphere I was looking for until I entered Lilith last night. Everything about this restaurant is phenomenal. The service from being greeted to the absolutely awesome server we had was excellent! The food had a wow factor rarely found in Pittsburgh. I’m not usually a huge fan of how vegetables are cooked most places and the veggies in my dish just blew things out of the water. You could tell they were fresh and local too. The fish I had was just amazing. It was cooked perfectly and full of flavor. Needless to say I will be back again and again now to experience more culinary delights!"
Jared Hoffman
What People Like
What People Dislike
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Lilith is a popular spot with limited seating, so it's highly recommended to make reservations well in advance.
Lilith offers coastal-inspired cuisine that pays tribute to the chefs' Puerto Rican heritage and Sicilian roots.
Yes, Lilith has outdoor seating available, and they provide space heaters and throws for cooler evenings.
Diners highly recommend the lobster rolls, yuca pierogis, beef filet, and especially the rhubarb baked Alaska and passion fruit cheesecake.
Yes, several menu items are marked as gluten-free (GF).
The restaurant has an intimate, cozy, and chic atmosphere with warm, low lighting, making it a great spot for a date night or special celebration.
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Featured in these publications
Best Things to Do in Pittsburgh: The City of 90 Neighborhoods
Restaurants worth seeking out in other neighborhoods include Dish Osteria for Italian on the South Side, cozy Lilith in Shadyside, Fig & Ash on the North Side, Hemlock House in Regent Square, and Ramen King 2 (a bit of a detour in the suburb of Ross).
Best New Restaurants in Pittsburgh
I got my first taste of Lilith, the new Shadyside concept from lauded chefs Jamilka Borges and Dianne DeStefano, at The Vandal last April. The Lawrenceville eatery hosted a wine dinner so the dynamic duo could showcase their coastal-inspired cuisine that pays homage to Borges’ Puerto Rican heritage and DeStefano’s Sicilian roots. The menu featured Japanese sweet potatoes with bearnaise sauce and smoked trout roe, oysters topped with cucumber, apple and horseradish, Snapper wrapped in ramps and banana leaves and tamarind-braised lamb shoulder.
20 Restaurants In Pittsburgh You Should Know, According To A PA Local
You might be seeing double if you hit up Sally Ann's for brunch and Lilith at night in old Shadyside. That's because chef Jamilka Borges — who helms the kitchen at Sally Ann's — opened her own spot, Lilith, with co-founder chef Dianne DeStefano, where these two are cooking up Pittsburgh's best Latin cuisine. Or make that "Sicilian Puerto Rican heritage in Pittsburgh, with Appalachian roots," as Borges described it to Pittsburgh City Paper.
Must-Try Seafood in Pittsburgh
In creating a coastal cuisine restaurant, Lilith’s chef-owners Jamilka Borges and Dianne DeStefano set out to explore their Puerto Rican and Sicilian backgrounds. Both traditions are rich in seafood dishes, and so is their menu. We recently tasted an out-of-this world ceviche that dazzled us with its use of coconut milk and green herb coulis.
Eat Pittsburgh: Shadyside's essential restaurants
Lilith’s passion fruit cheesecake gets added texture from a savory sesame brittle. (Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette). Dianne DeStefano and Jamilka Borges are longtime friends and colleagues who have both made a considerable culinary impact in Pittsburgh over the last decade-plus of their careers.
Social
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit