Even if your NFL draft experience in Pittsburgh is all about football, yinz still have to eat.

The big picture: Whether you're visiting from out of town or making a suburban sojourn, you'll likely get at least 500 recommendations to eat Primanti's french fry-stuffed sandwiches.

But if you've already tried our novelties and you're looking for the best meal, here are our picks — all within a 30-minute walk from the draft stage.

• 🍕 Badamo's Pizza, 1106 Federal St., North Side: Hot, delicious, affordable New York-style pizza by the slice. Order with a Turner's Tea.
• 🥞 The Speckled Egg, 501 Grant St., Downtown: Brunch spot inside the gorgeous Union Trust Building. The buttermilk poppyseed pancakes are excellent.
• 🥩 Meat & Potatoes, 649 Penn Ave., Downtown: Classy joint with great cocktails and an amazing beef Wellington that you'll need to split.
• 🍷 Alberta's Pizza, 917 Western Ave., North Side: Upscale pizza place with authentic Naples-style pies and great Italian wine, cocktails and beer.
• 🥓 Wise County Biscuits, 911 Galveston Ave., North Side: A taste of Appalachia in the 'burgh. Don't skip the country ham biscuit.
• 🍸 Fig & Ash, 514 East Ohio St., North Side: Fancy new American eatery with inventive menu and local ingredients. It's spring: Get something with ramps, aka local wild onions. Great cocktails.

Zoom out: If you decide to venture outside Downtown and the North Shore, these spots offer an exceptional meal, delicious cocktail, and great vibe.

• 🍝 Dish Osteria, 128 S 17th St., South Side: Yinzers love fancy Italian food, and this place is one of the best. Let the excellent wait staff guide you through your meal. There's usually a short line before they open at 5pm to snag a bar seat.
• 🐟 Fet-Fisk, 4786 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield: Fresh off a James Beard semifinalist recognition, this Scandinavian-inspired menu consistently surprises me. If you don't love seafood, the roast half chicken with lingonberries is a crowd-pleaser.

The bottom line: Don't forget to try our great Black-owned barbecues and restaurants, as suggested by Jay Ruff Bone White on Instagram.

• If you want something only found in Pittsburgh, try our classic pierogi joints, the original french fry salad, diners with chipped chopped ham, and our weird pizza styles (pickle, Ohio Valley, and sweet pie crust, just to name a few).

More picks

Pittsburgh's newest park is nearly ready and will open Thursday, the first day of the NFL draft.

Why it matters: Arts Landing converted a vacant lot into a 4-acre green space complete with Downtown's first public playground, plus sculptures, a great lawn and a canopy and stage that will be the Three Rivers Arts Festival's permanent home.

What they're saying: "We built a place for the community in the heart of Downtown," said Gov. Josh Shapiro at a ribbon-cutting last week. "Pittsburgh is on the rise, and this is just the beginning."

• "This park is part of the belief that we deserve better and can have better things," said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato.

Zoom in: A wooden playground has ropes, a slide and climbers.

• The 1-acre great lawn is on a slight hill for views of the stage and Rachel Carson and Andy Warhol bridges.
• There are 23 works of art by 10 artists peppered throughout the park.

State of play: The park will initially be open Thursday through Saturday, 9am–6pm for the Pitt Block Party.

• It will still be enclosed by fencing during the draft and will have a security screening, according to the Cultural Trust.
• A soft opening and removal of the fences is scheduled for April 29.

Between the lines: Arts Landing took 22 months from concept to ribbon cutting, a quick timeline for such a large project, said Cultural Trust CEO Kendra Whitlock Ingram.

Follow the money: The project cost $31 million and is funded by two-thirds private funds and one-third public funds, said Ingram.

What's next: The grand opening is June 5 to coincide with the start of the Arts Fest, per the Cultural Trust.

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💰 Mayor Corey O'Connor is seeking "four- to five-year" agreements with major city nonprofits to boost Pittsburgh's finances, aiming for millions annually from UPMC, Highmark and local universities — reviving an approach used most recently by former Mayor Bill Peduto. (Public Source)

🚓 Pittsburgh police have asked an independent use-of-force expert to investigate after a social media video posted last week shows a city officer striking a handcuffed woman during a drug-related arrest in Homewood.

• The Citizen Police Review Board is also investigating the incident. (Press release / Post-Gazette)

📺 "The Pitt" will return to Pittsburgh this November to film exterior shots for Season 3, set four months after Season 2 and expected to premiere in January 2027. (TribLive)

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Have a drink in a uniquely Pittsburgh way: with a shot of Jannamico Super Punch.

The intrigue: The distinctive Italian liqueur is the Steel City's answer to Malört in Chicago or Fernet-Branca in San Francisco, and it's only really available here.

Zoom in: The Warren Bar and Burrow (245 7th St., Downtown) is the closest place to the draft to try the syrupy shot that has a strong tutti-frutti flavor and subtle notes of warm spices. Other spots slinging Super Punch include:

• Poetry Lounge: 313 North Ave., Millvale
• Moonlite Cafe: 530 Brookline Blvd., Brookline
• Lorelei, 124 South Highland Ave., East Liberty