Pittsburgh's Unexpected Fresh Seafood Haven Is A Mouth-Watering Market With Good Prices And Signature Dishes
Two things to know about Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's geography: It's landlocked, and it's full of hills. The latter is why Pittsburgh has earned the title of America's death stair capital. But the hills also provide picturesque perches over the skyline at West End Overlook. As a landlocked city, Pittsburgh surprises many visitors when they realize one of the Strip District's most iconic landmarks is a fish market. This landmark, Wholey Fish Market, has been a Pittsburgh staple for over 100 years.
An ironic twist in the legacy of Wholey's, back when it was founded in 1912 by Robert L. Wholey, is that it was a poultry market, not a fish market. It wasn't until the business moved to the Strip District from the Diamond Market that it shifted the focus to seafood.
According to Dan Wholey, the founder's grandson, via Off the Bluff, "A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter asked [Dan's father] if he could sell a bushel of crabs that he had brought back from Maryland." Soon after, Wholey's began sourcing fish and seafood from all over the country and internationally. Today, the market sells over 500 types of seafood, kept fresh by the 40,000 pounds of ice the market makes daily. The market also employs a marine biologist to keep the live sea critters — including lobsters, trout, and tilapia — taken care of.
What to eat at Pittsburgh's Wholey Market
You can, of course, browse Wholey Market's wide selection of seafood and take home some fresh fish to cook yourself. The market has a deli stocked with poultry and red meat options, too. But arguably the best way to sample Wholey's is to get an in-house sandwich, which can be made from any of the fresh fish sold in its stalls.
One TripAdvisor reviewer raved, "Loved the crab cake sandwich. Their tartar sauce and seafood cocktail sauce were both store made and best I've ever experienced." The sandwiches are priced well, with most in the $6.50 to $13 range. Some other highlights from the Wholey kitchen menu include lobster crab bisque, lobster mac and cheese, and Boston clam chowder. There's also the option to get a sampler meal, which includes a small portion of various seafood offerings.
The market opens daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Sundays, when it opens at 9 a.m. You'll find Wholey's in the Strip District, right off of the Liberty Ave. at 17th Street bus stop. It's about an hour from the Pittsburgh International Airport by public transit or 30 minutes by car. From Wholey's, you're also about a 10- to 15-minute bus ride from Randyland, the free open-air museum known as one of America's most colorful landmarks.