The Waterfront

The Waterfront is a great addition to Pittsburgh shopping. There are many nice restaurants and shops and the Loew’s theater is a gem. In peak hours it is difficult to park near the boutique stores. Some of the store choices are questionable but other establishments among the best in Pittsburgh. I particularly enjoy the Bar Louie, Barnes and Noble and many of the chain stores in the strip mall. The Giant Eagle location is the best in Pittsburgh.
All in all this is a nice Mall with many top notch establishments but others that are mediocre. For people that shop and frequent these establishments it is annoying to have events that block the traffic flow and impede parking. Groups of rude kids from time to time spoil the day. The traffic flow through the circles is slow as people wait and wait and wait for parking spots to open.

The Waterfront is one of my go-​to destinations for dining, shopping, entertainment, and bike riding. There is so much here. Since I travel for work, there’s no issue finding a clean restroom or a place to park and have lunch.
My favorite establishments include Target, Chik Fil A, Loews movie theater, Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, Marshalls, Yankee Candle, and Charming Charlie to name a few.
Trains come through pretty consistently during the day which can temporarily back up traffic on both sides of Amity Street.

Contrary to most people, I cycle to the Waterfront more often than I drive here to visit. My favorite area of the Waterfront is the little-​known park next to the Pump House (a small museum), where I like to sit and watch trains cross the bridge over the Mon. My second favorite area is the trail itself, both for its own beauty and the feral cat colony that lives along it.
Needless to say, what most people come to the Waterfront for is the shopping, entertainment, and dining options. The Waterfront is the largest retail power center closest to Pittsburgh, and has at least one big box store from every major category. Target, Giant Eagle, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Petco, Lowe’s, etc., etc. In addition to this, there’s a gym, a Dave and Buster’s, and a Loew’s movie theater that are major draws. I tend to get suckered into visiting when I go to see a current movie that isn’t playing at the Manor. I’ve been to D&B’s once – while it’s fun, be sure to bring your credit card as it also gets pricey fast. For other stores, I tend to go to East Liberty/​Shadyside, since it’s a lot closer to where I live, and I can satisfy most of my daily needs there. There isn’t an enclosed mall here – Robinson or Ross Park are similar places where you can find one of them.
As for dining options, I generally pass on most of them, given that they’re also mostly chains (TGI’s, Uno, Rock Bottom, EnP, etc.). If you must dine at the Waterfront proper, I recommend Burgatory (get the NoWait app to get in line virtually, since the wait can be long and they don’t accept reservations). Otherwise, I recommend crossing the RR tracks on Amity St. and checking out some of the local dining options available in Homestead (e.g., Dorothy 6, Blue Dust, Gran Agave).
As others have mentioned, aside from its proximity to the East End and sheer size, the Waterfront’s major advantage is its copious free parking availability. If you want to hit several big box stores in one trip and the lack of a mall doesn’t bother you, it’s worth checking out. And if you’re like me and are more attracted by trails and parks than stores, the Waterfront is worth checking out for that reason, as well! 3.5 stars.

The Waterfront encompasses a vast array of shopping and dining experiences. On one side there is an AMC multiplex theater. They have a «central area» which has Starbucks in the middle of a diamond roundabout with various stores nestled all around it.
A lot of the stores you can find elsewhere including some of the restaurants. Outside the central area you can drive to places like Mitchell’s, Red Robin, Eat and Park, along with Target and other stores or dining. You need to know your way around to actually figure out that there is a long road that leads from Sandcastle to east Homestead. Nevertheless you can enter Homestead from various points of entry along the way.
One of the biggest determent for me is the fact that if you want to enter the Homestead High level bridge then you are forced to turn right towards Squirrel Hill and then find someplace to turn around once you have crossed that bridge. Likewise on as you are coming from Squirrel Hill you can only turn right to ride down into the area.
The 2^nd is parking. It can be a madhouse if you come at the wrong time. People are always vying for spots but there is a large parking area near PF Changs and it goes as far as Macy’s. There are a few stores here that you won’t find elsewhere so I go here as I need to. It is decked out very well for the holidays. When this place opened years ago it was the in place to visit with a Dave and Buster’s and they even had a diner where Bar Louie now stands. Still it is not going out of your way for unless you have a specific store in mind.

I’m an outdoors guy so anytime I’m in a city and it has a place like this I’m a huge fan. I remember going to Pittsburgh as a child and can see the 100% turn around. It’s a gorgeous and safe place to walk and jog.

The waterfront is huge. so huge it has its own wikipedia page, lol. I enjoy coming down here but sometimes you just want to park & get everything done in one walking trip which would be hard if you need to go to best buy, macy’s & also carthart for example. Its not a bad thing that its big, i just personally like more humble plazas lol.
The Waterfront has a great mix of stores and places to eat. Oh and theres a great deal of parking too :)

This place has a miserable pedestrian experience. It’s so spread out that it has multiple bus stops. The sidewalk in front of the Giant Eagle is only a few feet wide and there are poles you need to squeeze around or step into the roadway. If you were in a wheelchair, you’d either have to go into the road or go through the Giant Eagle. And even going through the Giant Eagle isn’t a clear path; they have a display in the way that you have to go around.
Getting to the bridge is a disaster. Leaving via Amity St and the East 5^th Street ramp, be sure to be on the west side of Amity, as there’s no stop sign for traffic crossing the railroad tracks into the Waterfront, and they don’t slow down. When I got up to the bridge, the walk button didn’t work and I had to guess when to cross 5^th. Once I crossed, I looked back and saw that if you’re coming from the bridge on the east side, the walk light signal has been turned so you can’t see it.
If you’re in a car, you’ll probably enjoy all the stores available, there’s a lot. But if you’re on foot, find some place else to shop.

I’m giving the Waterfront 4 stars because I believe the questionable is balanced by the favorable. The bottom line is: if you have friends or family coming to Pittsburgh who aren’t so city-​savvy, the Waterfront can be relaxing territory for them. It has a suburban feel that, while not so flavorful as Lawrenceville or Downtown, can still be entertaining. Expect chain shops and not-​quite-​chain restaurants (Burgatory, Agave, etc.) There are also hotels with large parking lots, another thing visiting family might appreciate.

Did any of you ever play The Sims? This is what The Waterfront reminds me of– lots of colorful people and lots of colorful stores, with a good mix of age, food, stores and entertainment put into a big pile for us to sort through.
I love the Loew’s on one end and Lowe’s on the other, an old favorite is the Heritage Wine Shoppe and a new favorite is Charming Charlies. Bravo!, Yokoso, and PF Chang are favorite center stage oldies with Blue Dust a great option on the fringe.
And what’s not to love about the smokestacks, crane and Carrie Furnace?

The Waterfront is a loose collection of hotels, shops, stores, and restaurants. It is not a mall in my book. That said, everything here is new, clean, and full-​sized (unlike many parts of Pittsburgh). You can drive a car here and just park it in a large, private lot adjacent to your destination.

This «lifestyle center» may seem nice and pretty during the day; but come here after dark, and it’s another story. there are shootings, robberies, gangs, and maybe even murder sometimes. lately a bad element has moved in ever since they put that youth policy into effect at the nearby Monroeville Mall. lots of teens seem to gather here and sometimes stirrup some problems. Did I also mention this shopping center is in one of the worst neighborhoods in the greater Pittsburgh area? I don’t get it why so many people love this place? It would have been nicer if it weren’t in a crappie part of town! Heck Century 3 is a lot safer than this or even Monroeville since they put that thing into act! So good luck shopping here. I hope you don’t get shot.

The waterfront is a nice showcase of corporate America, but make sure to also support local businesses nearby such as Voodoo Brewery, Blue Dust, Nancy Bs, etc.

I had no idea what to expect here – I just knew that the Waterfront was a great place for shopping. I’m not really a fan of shopping, but I loved the Waterfront, more for its setting than its stores. It’s basically a mall, but outdoors. The area is beautifully designed with brick paths and a little bridge. You can also walk along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail across the street from the main Waterfront area. Also, the smokestacks are impressive and somehow don’t seem out of place. There are lots of other large shopping centers in the area as well.
There are lots of dining options here, and the restaurants were packed with at least a 30-​minute wait on a chilly Saturday night a little after 6 pm. Lots of clothing shops as well, a movie theater, a frozen yogurt place, a Barnes and Noble. I enjoyed wandering around the area for an afternoon, but I don’t think there’s much left to explore.

Waterfront in Homestead is a nice place to do some big box shopping, grocery shopping, eat and do some regular shopping or just go to Barnes and Noble if that’s all you wanted to do. We’ve been going to this place for years and whether it was going to Macy’s or eating at Rock Bottom or PF Chang’s there is always something for everybody here.
Costco, Target, Best Buy, Giant Eagle etc. The square where Starbucks is in the middle… nice. While it is a little harder to find parking near the square no matter what there’s always plenty of parking all around.
The bridge to go back towards Beechwood and 367 can be really busy but it eventually clears up. If I feel like taking the scenic route I’ll take Carson instead. This is a great place to do some all around shopping and there is a range of places to eat from McD’s to Longhorns.

Coming from a city that does not do well with reuse of old sites and structures, I love seeing what can be done with former industrial land.
The Waterfront is a great place to visit for a meal, shopping and entertainment. There are a number of chain restaurants (Uno’s, PF Changs, Red Robin, Eat N Park, Steak and Shake) and there are speciality restaurants as well (Japanese, a brewery and fish market). You can come for a meal and stay for a comedy show or dueling pianos. They also have a Dave and Busters which is fun for a date night, girls night out, etc.
The mix of stores for shopping is interesting. There are some unique finds such as Hometown Sports (which has the typical Pittsburgh sports team merchandise) and a wine store chock full of wine décor, accessories and apparel. You can even sample wines from Heritage Wine Cellars. The rest of the stores are a mix of national chains. Bath and Body Works, Carters, Macty’s, Ultima etc.
Overall, a great destination for shopping and entertainment, but it is much better for the entertainment than the shopping.

Not a bad spot. Tons of chain stores but it makes shopping easy if you have a ton of errands to run.
It took awhile after moving here for me to figure out how to exit the Waterfront without going into Homestead (I think it’s off of Amity Street that you can exit back towards Squirrel Hill/​Shadyside?) so that was annoying, but there is definitely always parking available and it’s convenient when I need to hit Target/​Best Buy/​the grocery store all in one trip.

I have to say I’m a fan of the waterfront. I like all the dining option and even though I’ve heard several major stores have left but there are still some good staples. I like that it’s outdoor shopping. Reminds me of a few places back home. Trying to get into the waterfront can be a bit of a pain if you don’t know the area but once you’ve arrived it’s much easier to find what you are looking for.
The big stacks (?) that they left are also a nice nod to the past. If in the area and wanting a cool place to walk around this is a great option. You can play some games at Dave and busters have a burger at burgatory then watch a movie at the theater.

A nice conglomerate of places to visit on a night out: you can do dinner, movies, and even a night on the town all in the same place! That is the goodness of suburbia. All of the places, for better and for worse, are huge chains (even the Starbucks and Barnes and Noble). The parking is very abundant, but again, it’s sometimes a nightmare to get into and out of the Waterfront. Why don’t they just have two-​way entrances and exits?!

I live only 15 minutes from The Waterfront and really enjoy shopping and dining here. Though I like the old charm of some parts of Pittsburgh, The Waterfront is a nice, modern getaway.
THE PROS
–Many of my favorite retailers and restaurants including Target, Loft, Gap, Costco, Ulta, TJ Maxx, Panera, and LongHorn
–Beautiful Loews movie theater (not to be confused with home improvement store Lowe’s, which is also at The Waterfront)
–Easy to navigate
–Minimal traffic, even on the weekends, particularly compared to areas like The Mall at Robinson or Settler’s Ridge
–Easy and free to park, especially considering the parking challenges and costs at nearby South Side Works or Shadyside
THE CONS
–Primarily chain stores and restaurants (would love a local boutique or two!)
–Relatively frequent «incidents,» likely due to surrounding areas with higher crime
–Terrible Giant Eagle location that has the longest wait time to check out and the most inept employees

Eh?
I don’t know what other kind of reaction to have about the Waterfront overall. I’ve made it clear in other reviews that I absolutely loathe the movie theater located here, so right away the Waterfront’s biggest draw for most people is a dud for me.
None of the shopping or food really stands out enough to make me want to come out here for a day of shopping, either. Everything here is a chain of some sort — chain restaurants, chain shopping stores, just… chains. All of the little shops that I used to love to duck into are gone. Really, there’s nothing here that I can’t find at any other shopping area or mall. The Waterfront’s just more of a generic and convenient shopping center for the locals now, rather than the place to go with my girlfriends for a day out. It’s certainly not going to be my favorite place for a movie night with friends any time soon, either.
I will give 3 stars simply for the amazing amount of parking that was built into the place. I admit, that’s a nice perk here, and it does keep the place from being rated any lower in my mind. But otherwise, the Waterfront overall is pretty meh, and there’s nothing unique to find here. If you live nearby, have fun shopping! If you’re like me and you don’t live nearby, save yourself some gas money: go to the mall nearest to your house. You’re not missing out, trust me.