My Best of the ‘Burgh: Ollie’s Picks

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD | A SELECTION OF GOODIES FROM DOBRA TEA

Best Tea Shop: Dobra Tea

Nestled in the heart of Squirrel Hill, Dobra Tea is an authentic, Bohemian-style tearoom with an extensive menu featuring more than 100 teas from around the world. It combines a cozy atmosphere with traditional flavors, creating a space that its owners call “something between a bar and a church.”

It aims to serve teas in a traditional way, often without sugar or milk, and to only sell teas that meet or exceed strict EU standards for pesticide residues. The environment inside ranges from meditative to upbeat.

When business is slower, the shop is populated mostly by students or young professionals with laptops, seated comfortably on zafu zabutons as they sip tea from traditional vessels.

As day turns to night, the shop’s extended hours — it’s open until 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8 p.m. on Sundays — makes it a popular spot for larger groups meeting for a social hour, students working on group projects or families catching up over a pot of Magnolia Mao Jian.

It’s one of the few places in the city that’s open late and isn’t a bar. In addition to tea, the shop also serves sandwiches, small bites and larger plates meant for sharing, but it doesn’t serve alcohol. Instead, its owners say the shop is focused on being a place for relaxation and community — a third space, separate from home or work, where people can meet and engage.

We recommend grabbing a plate of Moroccan spiced oranges, a chocolate medicine ball and a pot of Lapsang Sourchong or Nepal Ilam.

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

Best Antique and Repurposed Store: Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

Do you need pipe cleaners? How about a box of vintage photographs? Hot metal glue sticks? DIY ornament kits? Or some old trophies and medals?

Whatever your artistic vision may be, the Center for Creative Reuse is bound to have what you’re after. Located in Construction Junction at the intersection of Point Breeze, Homewood and Wilkinsburg, Creative Reuse is a thrift store, art shop and sustainability enterprise all wrapped up into one.

It invites people to donate craft supplies that they aren’t using and to shop for supplies that have been donated by others; the business says it receives an average of 55 tons of donated art and craft supplies each year, which are diverted from landfills and can instead spark creativity in the communities it serves.

In addition to its role as a secondhand craft store, Creative Reuse also hosts a range of classes and programs for all ages. These range from zine and DIY journal making to jewelry making and puppet making, all with the goal of prompting participants to think about their contribution to their local community, about how reuse can become a part of their artistic practice and about how they can create the world they wish to see through art, reuse and community connection.

Best Piercing Services: Hot Rod Piercing Company

If you have it, they’ll pierce it — within reason, of course.

Hot Rod Piercing Company has been “keeping Pittsburgh beautiful” since 1993, the studio says, but it’s also committed to keeping Pittsburgh safe; the South Side piercing shop requires all of its employees to be members of the Association of Professional Piercers, an international nonprofit health and safety organization that sets the standard for modern body piercing.

There are no statewide standards for body piercing in Pennsylvania, but all APP members have met or exceeded environmental, health and safety and educational criteria — something that Hot Rod Piercing Co. says sets it apart.

The shop also offers quality jewelry, from ornate investment pieces to budget-friendly options that won’t break the bank, even while maintaining its high standards. Its piercers are also trained in the most up-to-date sterilization methods and piercing techniques. (There are also some piercings that Hot Rod won’t do, and that’s actually a good thing.)

The shop does not accept walk-ins; you must make an appointment online.

Best Food Truck/Best Local Coffee Shop: The Roaming Bean

At The Roaming Bean, coffee comes to you.

The regional coffee stand specializes in providing coffee catering services for a range of occasions. Its aesthetically pleasing coffee truck can be found just about anywhere, from special events like Bethel Park Farmer’s Market and Saxonburg’s Mingle on Main Market to more common locales, like college campuses and strip malls.

The pop-up shop is perhaps best known for its creative concoctions. The tiramisu latte comes with an entire lady finger cookie, which is delicious, and the berry chantilly latte is topped with blueberry cold foam and crushed dried fruit, which creates a visual that’s as colorful as it is tasty.

If you’re a more traditional coffee enjoyer, there’s still something for you at The Roaming Bean; their menu also features classic black coffee and cappuccinos. The coffee cart also offers fresh baked goods from local bakeries, including the Finleyville-based pastry caterer, Icing on the Cake, and it’s inclusive of dietary restrictions.

You can usually find a selection of gluten-free options, as well as a menu of alternative milks. In addition to its mobile espresso shop, The Roaming Bean also opened a permanent, brick-and-mortar home on Smallman Street in the Strip District in January.