Pittsburgh's Cure restaurant has consistently been ranked as one the best in the city by various publications.

And as per their website, Cure is a neighborhood restaurant with a small menu focused on local urban Mediterranean food. Justin Severino's vision of Cure is for it to be a reflection of the seasons in Western Pennsylvania and its local farms.


Severino, a three-time James Beard Foundation award nominee for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic and a 2015 and 2014 winner of FOOD & WINE The People’s Best New Chef Mid-Atlantic, is a skilled whole animal butcher who brings an extensive charcuterie program and flavors of an Italian-American upbringing to his menu.



Cure opened in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh in December 2011. In 2015, Pittsburgh Magazine name Severino Chef of the Year. In 2012, Cure was named one of the Top 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appétit magazine and one of the 25 Best Restaurants in Pittsburgh Magazine. Morcilla opened in December 2015 just a few blocks away from its older sibling, bringing Spanish-style charcuteria and traditional pintxos to the neighborhood.

We had a reservation right at their opening time, and we made our way in just as they unlocked the doors. I already knew I had my eye on the "salumi," which is a platter of homemade charcuterie bites: duck speck, fiocco, guanciale, salami fernet, finocchiona, salami negroni, nduja, pate campagnola, ciccioli, and accompanying mustards, pickled veggies and crostini.

Wow. This is really my kind of dining - lots of bites to choose from with wildly different - but complementary - flavors. A beautiful display. I had a bit of everything and then some. The pate was especially tasty, and the pickled veggies add the perfect acidic contrast.

This is how it should be done, folks. We have some top-notch snacks in the house, and it's unlike anything I've had before. Just quite lovely, and I can't wait to try their future charcuterie offerings.

Grade: A