Hyeholde Named as One of Pittsburgh Region's Best Eateries

Barbara McKenna, owner of said Moon Township has blossomed around the longtime Coraopolis Heights Road eatery, which opened its doors in 1937. 

"We first opened we were really out in the boonies here in Moon," said McKenna, whose parents constructed and owned the restaurant. "The airport was this beautiful dairy farm and there was little going on out here. But we built a clientele." 

That faithful clientele helped earn the restaurant a spot on Pittsburgh magazine's 25-best restaurants of 2012. 

"It's delightful," McKenna said. "Especially now that we're celebrating 75 years in business." 

From Pittsburgh magazine: 

Hyeholde is a destination for fine dining and special events, like the many picturesque weddings that have taken place within its glorious walls.

McKenna's father William Kryskill built the eatery, which stands on a former Moon Township cornfield, to resemble a castle, complete with stone walls, lush gardens and a regal interior.

The restaurant served as a nightclub after the Kryskills sold it in the mid-1970s. McKenna and her late husband purchased the property in 1991 and today, the local landmark serves up American-style dishes with a French influence and plays hosts to events, including picnics and weddings. 

McKenna, who lived in the property as a child, said Hyeholde's clientele has evolved over the decades, from soldiers and airport travelers to now those doing business in the region's burgeoning Marcellus shale industry. 

"When the [Mall at Robinson] came in a lot of restaurants popped up around the area," she said. "But we're different here. We're of a different caliber." 

The restaurant will host a number of events in the fall to mark its 75th anniversary. 

If you're stopping by Hyehold to sample the fare, Pittsburgh magazine makes a few recommendations: 

Start with the signature sherry bisque soup—then follow it with something special, like New Zealand elk with mushroom bread pudding and heirloom beets in a bordelaise sauce or the pan-seared trout with fingerling potatoes, capers, tomatoes and olive oil.  

View Pittsburgh magazine's complete list here.