Tessaro's Pittsburgh: Burgers, Prices and History

Tessaro’s is a family-run bar and hardwood grill at 4601 Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield, Pittsburgh, and the Harrington family has owned it since Kelly Harrington bought it in 1985. The beef is chuck ground in-house every day, formed by hand and never frozen, then cooked over hardwood on a custom cast-iron grill. Order the Gourmet Kelly Burger ($19.50) or a plain cheeseburger ($17). There are no reservations. You walk in.

Why is Tessaro’s famous? Because it keeps winning. Pittsburgh Magazine readers voted it Best Burger in 2024, and City Paper readers did the same in 2025. Esquire put it on its pandemic-era list of “100 Restaurants America Can’t Afford to Lose,” and in October 2025 a reader-voted OnlyInYourState list called it Pennsylvania’s best burger joint. Below you’ll find the family history, how the grill works, the March 2026 prices and what I would order.

Who owns Tessaro’s? The Harrington family history

Tessaro’s has belonged to the Harrington family since 1985, when Kelly Harrington bought the bar and rebuilt it around burgers. The building is much older. Here is the timeline, source by source.

One caveat: the 1892 and 1933 dates come from the restaurant alone. I found no independent record of either.

Tessaro’s history timeline, 1892 to 2025: Keely Brothers wallpaper store, O’Connell Cafe, Richard Tessaro, Kelly Harrington’s purchase in 1985, the 1995 and c. 2015 expansions, and 40 years under the Harrington family (Table: Burger Breton, data from tessaros.com/about, Patch (2025) and Bloomfield Development Corp. (2015))

Why is it called Tessaro’s?

The name comes from Richard Tessaro, who ran the bar in the early 1980s. Kelly Harrington bought it in 1985, and the name stayed.

Kelly Harrington and the turn to burgers

Kelly Harrington turned a corner bar into a neighborhood restaurant built on burgers. According to the restaurant and to Patch’s 40th-anniversary story, the burger focus started when he bought the place in 1985. He also mentored the cook who still defines it: Courtney McFarlane.

Who runs Tessaro’s today?

The official site says that “matriarch Moira Harrington leads the operations” today. Moira is Kelly’s sister. In 2015, the Bloomfield Development Corp. reported that Kelly’s mother, Tee, owned the restaurant and that his sisters were carrying on his plans, and Patch repeated this in 2025. I could not confirm who owns it in 2026 beyond what the restaurant states, so I stick to its wording.

Courtney McFarlane, the grill master behind the Tessaro’s burger

Courtney McFarlane has run the Tessaro’s grill since 1998, after years of learning the fire under Kelly Harrington. He comes from Discovery Bay, Jamaica. A 2017 Pittsburgh Magazine profile traces his path: he started as a dishwasher in 1987, moved to the grill in 1992 under Mark Benz and took sole charge of it in 1998. The About page puts it more simply: he has been “tending that fire since 1987.”

His whole method fits in three sentences: “Don’t keep flipping it. Let it sit, let it cook. The heat has to dissipate through the meat.” Easy to say. Harder at volume: on a busy weekend night in 2015, it meant grilling up to 550 burgers to order.

How the Tessaro’s Bloomfield hardwood grill works

Tessaro’s cooks every burger over a hardwood fire on a custom-made cast-iron grill, using beef that its own butcher grinds every day. The menu puts it this way: “Our exceptional blend of select beef is ground fresh daily by our in-house butcher & fired over hardwood on a custom made cast iron grill.”

• The beef: chuck ground in-house, formed by hand, “never pressed, never frozen.”
• The size: patties from 4 to 12 ounces. The menu does not say which size is the default, or how the price changes with size.
• The grill: custom cast iron, 3 ft × 2 ft, with a second rack added later (Pittsburgh Magazine, 2017).
• The fuel: the restaurant only says “local hardwood.” It does not name the wood, so I won’t either.
• The bun: delivered every day by Sanchioli Bakery, according to the About page.
• The doneness: anything from “Pittsburgh rare” to well done.

What does “Pittsburgh rare” mean?

In common usage, “Pittsburgh rare” means meat with a heavy char on the outside and a rare center. Tessaro’s lists it as a doneness option but does not define it, so this is the general meaning, not the house’s own definition. Over a live hardwood fire, it is the order that shows off the grill best.

Tessaro’s menu prices in 2026

Burgers at Tessaro’s cost $15.75 to $19.50 on the March 2026 menu, and each one comes with a side. These are the listed prices:

Tessaro’s burger prices in March 2026, bar chart in USD: Hamburger $15.75, Cheeseburger $17.00, Cajun $17.50, Barbecue $17.75, Deli $18.75, Breakfast $19.00, Bacon & Bleu $19.00, Specialty $19.50, Gourmet Kelly Burger $19.50. One side is included; tax and tip are extra. (Chart: Burger Breton, data from the official Tessaro’s menu (March 2026))

• No French fries. The menu says “NOTHING FROZEN, NOTHING FRIED.” Sides are chips, home fries, coleslaw, potato salad, rice, broccoli, red-skin potatoes and cauliflower.
• Sides: one comes with every sandwich; extras cost $2 to $6.
• Cash: 4% off when you pay cash.
• BYOB wine: $18 corkage per bottle.
• Ribs: Thursdays only.

What is the Kelly Burger at Tessaro’s?

The Gourmet Kelly Burger is the house signature, named after Kelly Harrington: bacon, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms and your choice of cheese, for $19.50. Some older reviews describe it with blue cheese. The official 2026 menu leaves the cheese up to you, and the menu is the version I trust.

A Tessaro’s burger in 2008, served open-faced with bacon, grilled mushrooms and onions, lettuce and mustard, with home fries on the side. These are the toppings the menu now lists for the Gourmet Kelly Burger. Source page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/23597588@N00/2328212928 (Photo: Navin75, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/23597588@N00/2328212928)

What to order at Tessaro’s

Order the plain cheeseburger, Pittsburgh rare, with home fries. That is my pick, and here is why: the whole case for Tessaro’s is the beef and the fire, and the cheeseburger hides neither. The Infatuation’s 2019 review says the same: “a classic cheeseburger is always the order here.” The Kelly Burger is the one to get if you want the house signature, but at $19.50 its bacon, mushrooms and onions cover up the char the place is built on.

Is Tessaro’s the best burger in Pittsburgh?

On awards alone, few Pittsburgh burger restaurants come close to Tessaro’s. The titles, with sources:

• Best Burger, Pittsburgh Magazine Best of the ’Burgh 2024 readers’ poll.
• Best Burger, Pittsburgh City Paper Best of PGH 2025 readers’ poll.
• Gold, Trib Live Best of the Best 2025 (Allegheny North), as listed on the Tessaro’s media page.
• One of Esquire’s “100 Restaurants America Can’t Afford to Lose”, a list published during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Pennsylvania’s best burger joint in a reader-voted OnlyInYourState list (Patch, October 27, 2025).
• Pennsylvania’s pick in Food & Wine’s “The Best Burger in Every State” by David Landsel, according to the Tessaro’s media page. I could not confirm which edition.

Tessaro’s awards side by side: Pittsburgh Magazine Best Burger 2024, City Paper Best Burger 2025, Trib Live Gold 2025, OnlyInYourState Pennsylvania’s best burger joint 2025, Esquire’s 100 Restaurants America Can’t Afford to Lose, and Food & Wine’s Best Burger in Every State (Table: Burger Breton, data from the Tessaro’s media page, Pittsburgh Magazine, Pittsburgh City Paper, Patch and Esquire)

My view: most of these titles come from reader polls, which reward loyalty as much as cooking. Still, they have held for years, and the reasons behind them are concrete: house-ground beef, a live hardwood fire and one cook in charge of the grill since 1998. Few places in town can claim all three. For a contrast, Five Guys in Bloomfield is on the same avenue at 5207 Liberty Ave: a national chain with fries, against a 40-year independent without them. For more addresses, see where to eat burgers in Pittsburgh.

Tessaro’s vs Five Guys Bloomfield on Liberty Avenue: independent family hardwood grill at 4601 with no fries, national chain at 5207 with fries (Table: Burger Breton, data from tessaros.com and restaurants.fiveguys.com)

Map of Tessaro’s (4601 Liberty Ave, at Taylor St) and Five Guys (5207 Liberty Ave) on Liberty Avenue, Bloomfield, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. They are about 0.6 mile apart. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL)

Tessaro’s is a classic American bar burger: neon, Steelers and Penguins on the TV, “old-school Pittsburgh” in The Infatuation’s words. For where that style comes from, read our history of the hamburger.

Tessaro’s Pittsburgh hours, reservations and address

Tessaro’s opens every evening at 4 PM and takes no reservations: you walk in, or you order takeout. The practical details, from the official site as of October 12, 2026:

• Address: 4601 Liberty Avenue at Taylor Street, Bloomfield, Pittsburgh, PA 15224
• Phone: (412) 682-6809
• Hours: Monday to Saturday 4 PM–10 PM; Sunday 4 PM–9 PM
• Reservations: none; walk-ins are always welcome
• Takeout: every menu item is available to go
• Website: tessaros.com

Tessaro’s practical info, checked October 12, 2026: 4601 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224; (412) 682-6809; Mon–Sat 4–10 PM, Sun 4–9 PM; no reservations; full menu to go (Table: Burger Breton, data from tessaros.com (October 12, 2026))

Liberty Avenue at Taylor Street in Bloomfield, Pittsburgh, looking along the avenue’s red-brick storefronts (May 2007). Tessaro’s stands on this corner, but this view does not show it. Source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20070516\_17\_Liberty\_Ave.\_@\_Taylor\_St.,\_Pittsburgh,\_Pennsylvania\_(21859755961).jpg (Photo: David Wilson, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20070516\_17\_Liberty\_Ave.\_@\_Taylor\_St.,\_Pittsburgh,\_Pennsylvania\_(21859755961).jpg)

How I researched this profile

This profile comes from desk research. I have not eaten at Tessaro’s for this piece, and nobody paid for or hosted it. Prices come from the official Tessaro’s menu PDF dated March 2026. Hours, address and policies come from tessaros.com, checked on October 12, 2026. For the history, I compared the restaurant’s About page with Patch (2025), the Bloomfield Development Corp. (2015) and Pittsburgh Magazine (2017). Where the sources disagree, I say so or follow the official menu. I left out what I could not confirm, such as the type of wood and the default patty size. More guides like this one are in the Restaurants section.

Tessaro’s FAQ

Who owns Tessaro’s in Pittsburgh?

The Harrington family has owned Tessaro’s since Kelly Harrington bought it in 1985. His family has run it since his death in 2009, and the official site says Moira Harrington leads operations today.

How are Tessaro’s burgers cooked?

Over local hardwood on a custom-made cast-iron grill. The patties are chuck, ground in-house every day, formed by hand and never pressed or frozen. Courtney McFarlane has run the grill since 1998.

What is the Kelly Burger at Tessaro’s?

The signature burger, named after Kelly Harrington: bacon, grilled onions and mushrooms, with your choice of cheese. It costs $19.50 on the March 2026 menu.

How much is a burger at Tessaro’s in 2026?

From $15.75 for a hamburger to $19.50 for the Gourmet Kelly Burger or the Specialty Burger, with one side included. Paying cash saves 4%.

Does Tessaro’s take reservations?

No. Tessaro’s does not take reservations. Walk-ins are always welcome, and everything is available for takeout.

Does Tessaro’s serve French fries?

No. The menu says “nothing frozen, nothing fried.” Order home fries, chips, potato salad or red-skin potatoes instead.

What does “Pittsburgh rare” mean?

In common usage, it means charred outside and rare inside. Tessaro’s offers it as a doneness option but does not define it.

What are Tessaro’s hours and where is it?

4601 Liberty Avenue at Taylor Street in Bloomfield. It is open Monday to Saturday from 4 PM to 10 PM and Sunday from 4 PM to 9 PM.

Is Tessaro’s the best burger in Pittsburgh?

On awards, it is hard to beat: Best Burger in Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2024 readers’ poll and in City Paper’s 2025 readers’ poll, plus national recognition from Esquire. Whether it beats your own favorite is something only your plate can settle.