PITTBURGH'S LEGENDARY
HARDWOOD GRILL
PITTBURGH'S LEGENDARY
HARDWOOD GRILL
SERVING BLOOMFIELD SINCE 1985
For over four decades, Tessaro’s has been the place Pittsburgh comes for a real burger – house-ground chuck, hand-formed patties, and a hardwood grill that fills Liberty Avenue with a smell that’s hard to walk past.
Every burger at Tessaro’s starts with beef that’s ground in-house each morning. The patties are hand-formed – never pressed, never frozen – and cooked to order over local hardwood coals on a cast-iron grill. Fresh buns arrive daily from Sanchioli Bakery right here in Bloomfield.
You can order yours from four ounces to twelve. Pittsburgh rare to well done. Dressed however you like, or nothing at all. Grill master Courtney McFarlane has been tending that fire since 1987, and the burgers show it.
The menu doesn’t stop at burgers. Hardwood-grilled steaks, beef ribs, chicken, and seasonal specials round out the kitchen – everything touched by the same open fire. And the bar, with its original art deco fixtures and glass rod lights, has been pouring cold ones since Prohibition ended in 1933.
Recognized as One of America's Best Burger Restaurants
Tessaro’s has earned national recognition from some of the most respected food publications in the country – named one of the 100 restaurants America can’t afford to lose, called the best burger in Pennsylvania, and a perennial winner of Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best of the ‘Burgh.
Tessaro’s has never chased trends. The menu has grown, the dining room has expanded, and the accolades have stacked up – but the hardwood grill is the same, the beef is still ground fresh every morning, and a cold beer at the art deco bar still tastes exactly right after a long week.
Come in Tuesday through Sunday. We’ll have a burger waiting.
REMEMBERING KELLY HARRINGTON
Kelly Harrington had a clear concept of what he wanted to share with the world: a genuine, authentic and honest hamburger. It is really no surprise because all these qualities also describe the kind of man Kelly was: no frills, no fuss.
When he took over the Bloomfield neighborhood bar, Kelly kept the name but changed the menu and from then on Tessaro’s has been serving what has been described over and over again as one of the nation’s best burgers.
If you have traveled through or lived in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Bloomfield anytime within the last 25 years, chances are you’ve caught the rich aroma of succulent, half-pound, all beef, ground chuck burgers sizzling on Tessaro’s hardwood grill wafting down Liberty Avenue or one of its cross streets. With an in-house butcher grinding out marble-to-meat ratios of perfect proportions and a custom crafted iron grill coaxing rivulets of juices onto the flames, our aim is to deliver a dining experience that is as honest and as authentic as Pittsburgh itself.
Kelly always loved his hamburgers. Most little kids when asked what treat they would like to have would probably say, “Candy!” or, “Ice cream!” Not Kelly. The only treat he liked more
than a burger was two burgers.
OUR HISTORY
The historical building at 4601 Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield tells one of the many Pittsburgh stories. Built in 1892 by an Irish widow, the store was known as Keely Brothers, and they sold wallpaper. The wonderful tin ceiling still adorns Tessaro’s bar area. Until 1933, the store served Bloomfield as a dry goods emporium.
After Prohibition ended, the store became the tavern known as “O’Connell Cafe in 1933. The art deco style bar with the glass rod lights gives it that warm glow even to this day.
Several bars operated during the next few decades: C&L Cafe, Letwin’s Tavern, Patsy Leon’s Bar, & Warnock’s Bar. In 1982, Richard Tessaro bought the business and named it after himself.
The final incarnation began in 1985 when Kelly Harrington bought the business and the building. It has become known throughout the Pittsburgh area and beyond as a neighborhood bar and restaurant with award winning food, particularly its hamburgers and steaks.
Kelly expanded the restaurant in 1995, acquiring the building next door and knocking out walls to accommodate the growing crowds.
In 2015, the Harrington family added an outdoor patio, bringing al fresco dining to Bloomfield for the first time. Today, the original tin ceiling from 1892 still hangs above the bar – a reminder that some things are worth preserving exactly as they are.
COME FIND US IN BLOOMFIELD, PITTSBURGH!
Tessaro’s is located at 4601 Liberty Avenue at the corner of Taylor Street in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood – one of the city’s most historic and walkable communities, just minutes from Lawrenceville, Shadyside, and Oakland.
We’re open Tuesday through Sunday. No reservations required – walk-ins always welcome. Street parking is available on surrounding blocks.
Location
4601 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
PHONE
(412) 682-6809
Hours of operation
Tuesday – Saturday
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Sunday
4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Monday
CLOSED
