Submitted by bkvagnini t3_10a6arl in pittsburgh
I am moving from Florida in a few weeks and realized that there aren't any Whataburger restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. Is there anything similar or is there the same thing but with a different name (like Carl's Jr/Hardees or White Castle/Krystals)?
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Thanks in advance
OTB had some of the best fries I ever had! Burgers are tasty also
Yeah those fries are seasoned so well that ketchup is almost a disservice.
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Give us the names of a few that have great (1)chicken tenders and fries,(2) fried chicken (3) burgers I know of Hotdog shoppe re. burgers but I don't know any that have good fried chicken or tenders and fries.
Hardee's in Millvale
…there’s a Hardee’s in Millvale!?! How did I not know this!?
It’s super close to the Rita’s. Good double shot in the summer.
I found this out like 5 years ago, Im from the south hills and it's really tucked back in Millvale. A nice surprise.
Probably wouldn't exist if it wasn't the only Hardee's in town!
I think OP wasn't looking for Hardees specifically, they were just saying that Hardees and Carl's Jr are basically the same place with different names. So they want a Whataburger under another name, if there were such a thing.
It’s really good for a fast food burger. I don’t know how they aren’t more successful as a company.
bottom of the fast food chain
No regional burger chain in Pittsburgh. Five guys maybe the closest?
My god I would love a Krystal’s or White Castle in Pittsburgh.
I guess we’re getting some chicken finger place.
I’ve never been, but I hear what we need is a Culver’s
Raising Cane’s is the chicken place you’re thinking of.
Raising Cane’s is terrific!
It’s no Bojangles.
I would do anything for a Bojangles near pgh
Agreed, I’ve honestly looked into how much a franchise is, but don’t have the money or the will to run a fried chicken place. Haha
I always found their chicken too greasy. Buds Chicken in Florida is the best hands down
I’ll keep my eyes open next time I’m down there. If there’s two things we lack in Pittsburgh, it’s good fried chicken and BBQ.
Yeah, it’s the only thing I miss about the South
Couldn’t agree more, let’s start our BBQ and fried chicken Pittsburgh empire!
I love it, and their crinkle fries are perfection.
Canes is over priced. The tea and lemonade are excellent. The chickens just good.
At this point in time just about everywhere is overpriced.
Culver's is excellent.
Culver’s has deep fried cheese curds that are pretty good
I would kill for a White Castle.
I could obliterate a sackfull right now
Mom?
I grew up with Krystal (southern transplant here). I prefer them to White Castle.
Ditto, but I’ll take what I can get. Love those Krystal chili cheese pups as a palate cleanser.
Bc you're a mustard person. Also the reason why I enjoy them way more than the ketchup smothered White Castle
Used to be a White Castle in Oakland.
Wasn’t there in in the North Side too by the Dirty Bird?
Not sure. I used to be in Oakland all the time.
Moonlit burgers in Dormont has smash burgers, (never had in and out or what a burger)
They have one right across from Duquesne campus. Right down from the basketball arena.
Definitely not like Whataburger at all…but still excellent.
We have Rallys
Rally’s is pretty close.
I miss Whataburger. Jack in the box. Del taco.
I saw In n Out is slowly moving east.
I think Burgatory has really decent burgers. My folks love Tessaros but I haven’t been in years.
I like Burgatory burgers but their sides are not very good. The shakes are good, but those must be hard to mess up.
BRGR’s sides are generally better. Their poutine is good though not quite authentic.
Burgatory's poutine? That's probably their best side.
No, BRGR's.
Been there a few times, but rarely out there during meal times. I prefers Ma's Honey, which I get breakfast stuff. Wish they would have eat in again, since they use to offer caribbean dishes before covid.
Whataburger is not that good. We need an In N Out here before mehburger
In n out taste like Steak 'n Shake
No way in n out is way better and cheaper 👀👀
Who needs in and out when we have pittsburgh sandwich society.
Next time I am headed to Mr Smalls I am checking that place out
Gtfo you Whataburger heathen!
J/k both are at various times fantastic and mediocre.
My father was from Texas and loved whataburger. I tried it a few times in Mississippi and was not really impressed. In N Out in Texas was good but there is something about a San Diego or Los Angeles In N Out that holds a special place in my heart (probably the cholesterol clogging it)
You would think that would be reversed re. Texas and CA In-N -Out and cholesterol.
I have no idea if it’s similar but since you specifically mentioned it, there is a Hardees.
Are there more of them than the one in that millvale/shaler corridor?
Nope. Millvale is the only Hardee’s in the area
You can do what I do, and…..travel to the panhandle to visit my parents and always get Whataburger and/or Culver’s.
Not really except for maybe five guys. But what you should absolutely get instead is Moonlit Burgers. You can thank me later
Texan also living in Pittsburgh and to put it plainly, no. Pittsburgh food ain’t it. Especially the Mexican food.
There is a place on 51 “Pittsburgh BBQ” (I think) that makes a mean smoked chicken if you miss Texas bbq. It probably won’t be as good as home but it’s the best we got.
I’ll check it out thanks
That’s a high bar Tex
Pittsburgh has great food. Just not whataburger or Mexican. Texan here. Way more food options than Austin.
In n Out coming to TN, apparently a warehouse too to possibly expand on the east coast. Would love one of those!
I'm a Texan living in Pittsburgh and the answer is........No, not even close. I've heard Moonlit is good but I haven't tried it yet.
moonlit is good but not really comparable to whataburger. It's more like a 5 guys
Forget Moonlit. It’s only good because Pittsburgh proper has no similar alternatives.
You want a real smash burger? Then you’ll have to broaden your horizons and expand your search.
Go to Freddy’s Frozen Custard. The closest one is technically in Dover, Ohio, but it’s faster to drive to the Akron location. Great stuff. Stellar fries if you ask for seasoning. Pro tip: their hot dogs are from Vienna Beef.
And, if you do go to Ohio, you can, indeed, hit a Culver’s, but other than their cheese curds and krinkle kut fries, they are inferior to Freddy’s, though still a step above Moonlit.
If it were the Spring, the real answer is Greensburg’s own Tastyland, whose burgers not only fully eclipse Moonlit, but Freddy’s, Culver’s, and crossover to blow cheffy, pub, and other local offerings right off the grill. Pro tip: bacon double with onions, ketchup on the side, with a bag of carnival-like fries and a Dole Whip for dessert.
Can’t wait and don’t wanna drive? Go get a cast iron skillet, commercial flipper, Martin’s Potato Buns, Cooper American, and the best damn ground Chuck you’ve ever had from Bardine’s Country Smokehouse and learn how to make your own.
You can thank me later.
The best smash burger I’ve had in the Pittsburgh area is absolutely one I’ve made at home. One of the easiest meals in my repertoire.
Burgatory is a local chain, pretty solid burgers and milkshakes
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Hardees in Millvale
Honest to god, good place to get great burgers or dogs for a great price. Dog and burger in Bloomfield. Beats McDonald’s prices and surely beats the taste. My bust suggestion next to five guys.
No and we don't have anything close.
We have almost (or maybe actually) zero 24 food places. We have few drive throughs and none of them are compelling. There is great food in PGH but it's not cheap, not fast, and not available late.
I'm embarrassed for my pgh brethren for they know not what a whataburger is.
All of the suggestions here are bad. There is nothing like a whataburger in PGH.
Yes, there are lesser fast food burgers and there are fast casual burger joints with decent burgers. But nothing even close to a Whataburger.
Nothing close to Whataburger here. A few Culver's in Ohio, which are pretty good but a little over an hour away.
Jerry's Curb Service in Beaver is pretty good though.
Whataburger, to me, tastes just like Sonic. If you want to stick with fast food, I’d go there
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No. You won’t be happy with any of the alternatives. I suggest that you take this as an adventure and try out the local flavor. You may or may not like it and either way is fine but don’t try to replace things you already know or else you’ll just end up disappointed.
A whataburger substitute needs a thin patty & mustard. Lots of good burgers here but no similar burger encountered so far.
Rallys in Penn Hills?
I hate that one. I've never eaten in there but I hope it burns to the ground. When it first opened, it drew so many people that the whole area was gridlocked. Hours at a time, every day, for weeks. I'll never get those hours back where I just wanted to get home from work but no, the drive through line spilled into the road for 300 yards in both directions. Jammed the entirety of Rodi road, from the Parkway to Frankstown.
Go to Moonlit Burgers for a beautiful smash burger
Never been to Moonlit, but Burgh'ers Brewing has some great smashburgers. Their rosemary fries are great too.
Lived in Texas.. Whataburger is just a McDonald’s/Burger King knockoff minus the patty melt.
Just go to McDonald’s??
Whataburger's way better than McDonald's. Better than Hardees. Not better than Five Guys and a lot of the more modern "better burger" chains, though.
That was a lot of words to say I have shitty tastebuds.
mcvoid1 t1_j42ih07 wrote
No Whataburger is a south thing, like Texas and Florida.
The bad news: We don't really have a lot of presence in food chains, especially in the city. The suburbs have more.
The good news: That's because we have outstanding Ma & Pa places all over that beat the pants off of chains, and the chains just can't compete. I worked on the south side for a while and loved Over the Bar.