Allegro Hearth Bakery

Taste: ⁵⁄₅
The pastries here are wonderful. Not too sweet aka Americanized. Very european. The popular ones always run out. I spend about 20 dollars worth of pastries each time I go, so I wish they had a «pastry punch card» since I buy sweets more than bread.
Breads are good too, but the challah is not as wonderful as I had expected. Challah was not as soft and sweet as I wanted. The other breads are delish too.
Cake: the cupcakes are good. Very basic, no crazy flavors. I wish they did wedding cakes.
Price: all the price are excellent. More than grocery, but definitely affordable, usually 3 – 6 dollars per loaf depending on how fancy.

We have a weekly ongoing order sourdough pick up and it’s awesome but you know what’s not so awesome after the initial awesomeness wears off?
Their fucking baked goodies that are fucking delicious, that’s what. We wind up dropping an additional 15 or so bucks weekly on treats that stockpile somewhere on my body, somewhere.
I immediately feel guilty after scarfing up said treats, swear it’s the last time, convincing myself that next week bread pick up will be different, planning a get on the right track eating and exercise plan and come Wednesday, the cycle repeats.
Actually, your like sugar pushers and I’m just another addict in denial.
See you next Wednesday!!!

the country seed bread is just outstanding. i first had it at a breakfast place down the street and found myself going back just to get this bread! i looked everywhere to try and find something like it but nothing else even comes close so i went back to the restaurant to ask. now that i know where it comes from i drive all the way from the south hills to get it and it is worth the trip every time.

We buy all our fresh breads here; the sourdough is perfect and they have excellent baguettes, great for brie and arugula sandwiches! The desserts (cupcakes, cookies, etc.) however, are not on par with the breads. Buy your breads here but look elsewhere to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I don’t usually go out of my way for groceries of any kind, but I make a special stop here every week or so just for bread. Sourdough is my favorite, of course, but their multi grain loaves are awesome, too. They occasionally make banana bread, which is off the chain delicious. They also sell blocks of cheese, and I’ve found some of my favorites at a cheaper price than at Giant Eagle or the East end co-​op. The frequency card is nice, too. Who doesn’t love free bread?!

This bakery can really be considered a staple of Squirrel Hill. It might not be as well-​known as Gourmandine, but this is quite good for something a bit more local. Lots of pretty and inexpensive sweet treats, with the chocolate snowball being one of my new favorites. Food and service have never failed to be up to par every time I’ve visited.

I don’t know what to make of this place. The breads are delicious and my husband looooves the lemon bars. But they have the worst inventory management. Be prepared for them to be out of whatever you came in to buy as early as 9 or 10 am each day. I thought it was a fluke the first time it happened, but it keeps happening. We are advised to call the day before to «reserve» things. Buying bread shouldn’t be this competitive. But if you can land the loaf you want, it IS very tasty.

This is my go to bakery whenever I need a cake or pie to take somewhere. Everything is delicious, but the Apple Crumb bar, & Lemon bars are out of this world. Friendly staff, & always a great selection of sweets & breads.

This place is great! We love the cupcakes and crusty breads. Prices are very reasonable.

Highly recommend! The bread and cupcakes are always fresh and delicious. This is my go to bakery for bread and sweets. It never disappoints.

I want their cocunut cookies!!! Now :) fresh non-​processed bread is a must and allegro heart has been our choice more than a year – we usually buy their organic French peasant or baguettes, pretty good!

this bakery is conveniently within walking distance from my apartment, which naturally puts it as a frequent stop on my way home. their beautiful breads are baked on stone hearth and vary from crusty shelled ciabattas to soft eggy challah bread. not only do they offer breads, but their front cases are filled with baked goods, including muffins, brownies, cakes, cupcakes, croissants, and so much more!
their staff are very familiar all the items, so don’t afraid to ask questions, especially about serving suggestions about the bread :)
also, don’t forget to ask for a bread punchcard… buy 9 get 1 free!

This is an excellent bakery. Allegro Hearth is so good that it was a major factor in my decision to move to Squirrel Hill.
Allegro Hearth makes a wide variety of crusty breads, which are tantalizingly laid out on wooden racks. The loaves generate a haunting aroma that seeps out into the street; I get swept into the shop like an ant mindlessly following a pheromone trail.
I tend to either get the sourdough, their multigrain or their dark caraway rye depending on my mood. The sourdough is probably my favorite; it has a wonderful thick crust and a tangy open crumb. The rye has a nice strong caraway flavor. I once got their cinnamon swirl bread, but consumed it at such an alarming rate that I will never again purchase it. It is worryingly delicious. I cannot trust myself around it. I can also recommend their baguettes and batards.
Allegro has a modest selection of bread accompaniments. They have a small selection of nice cheeses and tubs of a small green olive that I like.
Their other baked treats are also excellent. I’ve purchased a few of their delicious cakes. Their eclairs are also good, but I’d recommend purchasing them earlier in the day. Later in the day the filling makes the pastry a little soggier than I like.

I stopped in to buy birthday cupcakes for a friend, but ended up getting brownies and chocolate croissants and lots of bread. I try to stop in here once a week for my bread now. They have a lovely selection of breads, from walnut raisin to ciabatta. So far, I’m not a fan of the chocolate croissants, but the breads are scrumptious.
The employees there are really nice and make helpful suggestions. The prices are pretty good. The same kind of bread is the same price at Giant Eagle (about $ 4 – 5), but I think the one at Allegro is fresher. Plus, I like the idea of supporting a local bakery that makes small-​batch breads. There is also a shelf by the door that has day old bread for 40% off. I got one once and it still tasted pretty fresh.

Go smell this bakery. It is one of the best smelling bakeries of all time. When you are done inhaling free happiness, talk to one of the awesome workers behind the counter. Generally, they’re a pretty friendly group.
The cupcakes with raspberry icing ($ 2.11 including tax) are delicious! They use real raspberries, which you can see in the icing. Now, don’t quote me on this, but I BELIEVE one of the employees told me they use all natural ingredients, at least for these cupcakes. Cool!
I have tried many samples of their bread and been super impressed, and I cannot walk out of her without buying one. The loaves are super reasonably priced. I love the sour dough, cinnamon twist, and Italian. They also have bread cards!!! Buy eight loaves and get one free! What a steal!

I stopped in this afternoon with some friends and picked up a chocolate petit four, since one of them recommended it. It was quite good – very moist and chocolatey, with smooth, thick chocolate icing on top and vanilla icing in the middle. My only criticism is that I thought it could be a bit more complex flavor-​wise and in terms of texture. It was still very good, though, and the price was right at $ 2.25.
Obviously, this isn’t a complete review since I haven’t tried any of their bread, which is what seems to be their specialty. If/​when I try it, I’ll write an update.

Though it is not far from where I live and I’ve heard good things about the place, it never occurred to me to visit this place until this year.
Pastry: I like their brownies a lot. It’s crispy and crunchy outside, and moist inside. Another item I like is the snowball. The chocolate cake and coconut flakes work well together. I’ve tried another few things too, but these two are my favorite so far.
Bread: I feel like it’s a good place for me to know European style breads better. I used to prefer Asian breads with lots of fat and sugar, but they are more like «dessert» for me now. I plan to try all of their bread :) The only problem is that it takes too long to finish one.
The staff are really friendly.
Huh, I drove pass the bakery once around midnight, and it smelt heavenly!

My boyfriend stopped by here a few weeks ago and surprised me with some delicious pastries. I gobbled them up, and I wanted more. Unfortunately, he forgot the exact name of the bakery. He knew where it was though, and when we passed by today, we decided to stop.
Walking in feels so right. They have racks of fresh bread with minimal preservatives. The options range from kalamata-​olive loaves to sourdough and so much more. It smells like a delicious carb heaven in here. The real beauties are in the display case in front of you though. Cupcakes, cookies, cakes, pastries and all kinds of things. A lot of them are pastries I have never heard of, so I assume they are Jewish pastries. Correct me if I am wrong, though.
I picked out a brownie with walnuts and a cherry-​cheese shortbread-​type cookie. My boyfriend got a lemon bar, the very last of something delicious and hard to pronounce and a blueberry shortbread-​type cookie. I apologize for not knowing the names of these, but you’ll know what I am talking about if you visit!
I absolutely adore this place. The staff is super friendly and willing to help you, and they are patient. The prices are so affordable. We walked out with a bag full of yummies for under $ 7. You can’t beat that, considering most pastry and bread shops charge a small fortune. Skip the Starbucks cookie tomorrow morning, and come here instead! You won’t regret it.

I’ll definitely be popping in here whenever I am going through Squirrel Hill!
The prices are extremely reasonable. Most of the pastries were around $ 2 each which makes them cheaper and I’m sure more delicious than anything you could waste your money on at a Starbucks.
The bread and cheese that I got was delicious. They have a small cooler with just about every type of cheese I could ever want. I got a great little wheel of sharp provolone for $ 3.
The girl working the counter was sweet as could be and chatted me up a bit. I’m always looking for bread options other than generic grocery store loaves. Looking forward to trying some different bread next time.

This place is AMAZING!!! I literally stopped buying bread at giant eagle because it was sheer crap compared to Allegro. Bread is baked fresh DAILY and they have all sorts to choose from.
The french bread is always good… if you’re looking for something for sandwiches, I’m always for the ciabatta (or ciabatinis), sourdough, or traditional rye (i think this is better than the russian rye). Italian is good too, and they can slice it thick for some monster sandwiches. Of course, their challah is DELICIOUS, and they make a ton of it around the Jewish holidays.
Be sure to grab a bread card and get it stamped! I think it was buy 8 loaves get one free… something like that. I filled up a fair share of bread cards while I was living in Squirrel Hill.
If you live around the area, walk past around 9 or 10 while they’re baking… my girlfriend says it smells just like France.