Brighton Heights Home to Historic Architecture and Up-and-Coming Businesses
Located about five miles north of downtown Pittsburgh, Brighton Heights is a neighborhood defined by historic homes, public green spaces, new and time-honored businesses and a welcoming community.
Tom Friday’s Market, located on California Ave., is a prime example of a business that put down roots in this upper Northside neighborhood. As one of the last remaining full-service butcher shops in the city, Tom Friday’s has been serving customers a full selection of meats, groceries and produce since 1955.
Newer businesses include Muns Pizza, which was formerly a popular pop-up before opening a brick-and-mortar site in 2026, and Allegheny City Brewing, which opened on the same day—and on the same block—as Muns Pizza this past April.
Offering tongue-in-cheek “munthly specials,” Muns Pizza is best known for its Yinzerpolitan-style pizza, which owner Dan Tomcik has called a combination of true Neapolitan and old-school Pittsburgh pizza. Right next door is Allegheny City Brewing’s 42-seat taproom that offers up to eight of the brewery’s beers on draft, as well as craft cocktails, hard ciders, seltzers, wine, nonalcoholic beers, hop waters and craft soda options.
“Brighton Heights is a great place; I moved here 22 years ago, and my kids have never lived anywhere else,” said Kate Kelley, owner of Mustard & Relics, which opened in Brighton Heights in 2015. “It’s in such a great location; I can’t imagine leaving here.”
Kelley originally had a business in Lawrenceville before leaving it to raise a family. When she decided to go back into business, there was a storefront available in Brighton Heights, just two doors up from her home. Mustard & Relics is a vintage shop that contains items from all of Kelley’s favorite eras, including clothing, small pieces of furniture, glassware and jewelry. She also carries work by local artists and attracts a varied and loyal clientele.
“The vintage clothes usually attract teenage and college-age girls, but I also have people come specifically for records, old books, and more,” she said. “The other day, I had someone come in from the Bay Area in San Francisco, who had made a list of places to shop in Pittsburgh.”
One of the things that Kelley likes about living in Brighton Heights is that the community is a good mix of generations and is home to a large number of artists.
“You see kids in our community pool and then older people there for the adult swim, and everyone comes out for parties in the park, which is a great showcase for artists and a good chance for neighbors to get together,” she said.
Monthly block-style gatherings are held at Legion Memorial Park on Brighton Road, which serves as the neighborhood’s main venue for open-air community gatherings. Brighton Heights is also home to St. John’s Green, an eco-friendly community park with a functioning rain garden and walking paths; Jack Stack Park, home to the local city swimming pool; and Marmaduke Park, which features an updated youth playground and a dedicated dek hockey rink.
According to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, 259-acre Riverview Park, which is nestled between Perrysville Avenue, Woods Run and Marshall Avenue, is known for its wooded trails and dramatically steep hillsides as well as an extensive network of trails. The park is also home to the landmark Allegheny Observatory, a visitor’s center, and a swimming pool and activities building.
Brighton Heights is also known for its historic architecture, which includes classic four-squares, Tudor-style homes, Craftsman homes and more. The annual Brighton Heights House & Garden Tour, now in its 20th year, attracts visitors to the area to admire both the stunning interior architecture—including ornate woodwork and stained-glass windows—and manicured urban gardens. This year’s event, held in early October, will feature eight properties, including a once-condemned farmhouse that is now an architectural showcase.
Everyone’s Welcome
According to Karis Bowman, owner of California Coffee Bar, having a business in Brighton Heights is a chance to visit with locals as well as people from all over the city.
“I really like the community here; we have a lot of great customers and that makes my life so much easier—I love to see their smiling faces,” she said. “We have a lot of regulars—neighbors that are eager to support and help out, and the town holds a lot of community events, which is good for business.”
California Coffee Bar carries a number of different drinks, including coffee, tea and smoothies, as well as breakfast, sandwiches and acai bowls. “For a long time, we were one of the only places serving food on the strip, and we became a great hub for the community,” said Bowman.
While the shop mainly serves locals during the week, she said that on weekends, people turn up from all over the city. They also come for the different events, like the Summer Series Program and the monthly Night Market organized by the Brighton Heights Citizens Federation.
“I’m just so grateful for the people here; not only for our customers, but my staff, some of whom have been here five or six years,” she said. “I’m grateful to have a team that I can trust who works well together to keep the ship running. And I’m thankful for the customers that keep coming back, and talking to others about how much they love coming to our shop.”
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